Nurses frequently transfer patients as part of their daily work. However, manual patient transfers pose a major risk to nurses’ health. Although the Kinaesthetics care conception can help address this issue, existing support to learn the concept is low. We present KiTT, a tablet-based system, to promote the learning of ergonomic patient transfers based on the Kinaesthetics care conception. KiTT supports the training of Kinaesthetics-based patient transfers by two nurses. The nurses are guided by the phases (i) interactive instructions, (ii) training of transfer conduct, and (iii) feedback and reflection. We evaluated KiTT with 26 nursing-care students in a nursing-care school. Our results indicate that KiTT provides a good subjective support for the learning of Kinaesthetics. Our results also suggest that KiTT can promote the ergonomically correct conduct of patient transfers while providing a good user experience adequate to the nursing-school context, and reveal how KiTT can extend existing practices.

Augmented Reality (AR) supported collaboration is a popular topic in HCI research. Previous work has shown the benefits of collaborative 3D object manipulation and identified two possibilities: Either separate or compose users’ inputs. However, their experimental comparison using handheld AR displays is still missing. We, therefore, conducted an experiment in which we tasked 24 dyads with collaboratively positioning virtual objects in handheld AR using three manipulation techniques: 1) Separation – performing only different manipulation tasks (i. e., translation or rotation) simultaneously, 2) Composition – performing only the same manipulation tasks simultaneously and combining individual inputs using a merge policy, and 3) Hybrid – performing any manipulation tasks simultaneously, enabling dynamic transitions between Separation and Composition. While all techniques were similarly effective, Composition was least efficient, with higher subjective workload and worse user experience. Preferences were polarized between clear work division (Separation) and freedom of action (Hybrid). Based on our findings, we offer research and design implications.

Immersive technologies such as augmented reality devices are opening up a new design space for the visual analysis of data. This paper studies the potential of an augmented reality environment for the purpose of collaborative analysis of multidimensional, abstract data. We present ART, a collaborative analysis tool to visualize multidimensional data in augmented reality using an interactive, 3D parallel coordinates visualization. The visualization is anchored to a touch-sensitive tabletop, benefiting from well-established interaction techniques. The results of group-based, expert walkthroughs show that ART can facilitate immersion in the data, a fluid analysis process, and collaboration. Based on the results, we provide a set of guidelines and discuss future research areas to foster the development of immersive technologies as tools for the collaborative analysis of multidimensional data.

HCI research has demonstrated Mixed Reality (MR) as being beneficial for co-located collaborative work. For remote collaboration, however, the collaborators' visual contexts do not coincide due to their individual physical environments. The problem becomes apparent when collaborators refer to physical landmarks in their individual environments to guide each other's attention. In an experimental study with 16 dyads, we investigated how the provisioning of shared virtual landmarks (SVLs) influences communication behavior and user experience. A quantitative analysis revealed that participants used significantly less ambiguous spatial expressions and reported an improved user experience when SVLs were provided. Based on these findings and a qualitative video analysis we provide implications for the design of MRs to facilitate remote collaboration.

Augmented Reality (AR) displays have been suggested as shared-space technology to support remote collaboration, e.g., in design and building tasks. But with AR displays, the shared space typically consists of only the virtual work objects (e.g., design artifacts) while collaborators' interaction is grounded in their individual, physical environment. This can become problematic during activities that involve the positioning of virtual objects because the collaborators may require shared spatial references to coordinate their actions. In a lab experiment with 16 dyads, we studied how collaborators deal with that issue, and whether the provisioning of additive, virtual landmarks influences collaboration. As a result the landmarks improved user experience and decreased the reported temporal demand. In addition, we identified task-specific problem situations and provide implications for the design of distributed ARs to facilitate the collaborative positioning of virtual objects.

OPAC interfaces, still the dominant access point to library catalogs, support systematic search but are problematic for open-ended exploration and generally unpopular with visitors. As a result, libraries start subscribing to simplified search paradigms as exemplified by web-search systems. This is a problem considering that systematic search is a crucial skill in the light of today's abundance of digital information. Inspired by novel approaches to facilitating search, we designed CollectionDiver, an installation for supporting systematic search in public libraries. The CollectionDiver combines tangible and large display direct-touch interaction with a visual representation of search criteria and filters. We conducted an in-situ qualitative study to compare participants' search approaches on the CollectionDiver with those on the OPAC interface. Our findings show that while both systems support a similar search process, the CollectionDiver (1) makes systematic search more accessible, (2) motivates proactive search approaches by (3) adding transparency to the search process, and (4) facilitates shared search experiences. We discuss the CollectionDiver's design concepts to stimulate new ideas toward supporting engaging approaches to systematic search in the library context and beyond.

In collaborative activities, collaborators can use physical objects in their shared environment as spatial cues to guide each other's attention. Collaborative mixed reality environments (MREs) include both, physical and digital objects. To study how virtual objects influence collaboration and whether they are used as spatial cues, we conducted a controlled lab experiment with 16 dyads. Results of our study show that collaborators favored the digital objects as spatial cues over the physical environment and the physical objects: Collaborators used significantly less deictic gestures in favor of more disambiguous verbal references and a decreased subjective workload when virtual objects were present. This suggests adding additional virtual objects as spatial cues to MREs to improve user experience during collaborative mixed reality tasks.

Dynamic peephole navigation represents a technique for navigating large information spaces in an egocentric way. Studies have shown cognitive benefits for a vertical peephole orientation, when compared to non-egocentric interaction styles. To see how the aspect of canvas orientation effects user performance, we conducted a study (N=16) which revealed that canvas orientation has no significant effect on either navigation performance or spatial memory. We also found a significantly lower physical demand and a higher mental demand in the horizontal orientation. For short-term activities we therefore propose a vertical orientation, while for long-term activities horizontal dynamic peephole navigation is more suitable.

In today's digital control rooms, desktop computers represent the most common interface for process control. Compared to their predecessors -- manual control actuators -- desktop computers enable quick and effective process intervention but they lack in process-related interaction qualities such as haptic feedback and the involvement of motor skills. Thus, design trade-offs have to be made to combine the strengths of both paradigms: today's processing power with the interaction qualities of former control room interfaces. In this paper related interaction concepts are presented and evaluated. In a control room scenario, participants were tasked with adjusting numerical values -- so-called process variables -- under two traditional conditions (mouse, keyboard) and two post-WIMP conditions (touch, tangible). Task completion time and recall accuracy of the adjusted values were measured. As a result, traditional desktop interaction proved to be faster, whereas control actions could be recalled significantly better using the tangible control elements. We therefore suggest providing both tangible control for process maintenance and traditional desktop interaction in critical situations that require quick intervention.

Dynamic peephole navigation is an increasingly popular technique for navigating large information spaces such as maps. Users can view the map through handheld, spatially aware displays that serve as peepholes and navigate the map by moving these displays in physical space. We conducted a controlled experiment of peephole map navigation with 16 participants to better understand the effect of a peephole's size on users' map navigation behavior, navigation performance, and task load. Simulating different peephole sizes from 4' (smartphone) up to 120' (control condition), we confirmed that larger peepholes significantly improve learning speed, navigation speed, and reduce task load; however, this added benefit diminishes with growing sizes. Our data shows that a relatively small, tablet-sized peephole can serve as a 'sweet spot' between peephole size and both user navigation performance and user task load.

Context-sensitive information is of vital importance to the monitoring of processes in control rooms, but its incorporation in current state-of-the-art user interfaces is inadequate. By looking at a traffic control center as an example, this paper proposes an interaction concept for monitoring complex networks on large remote displays. Our approach is based on content-aware navigation with the goal to improve the navigation of the road network and the availability of context-sensitive information. We conducted a study comparing different navigation techniques as well as two techniques for visualizing context-sensitive information.