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Browsing by Subject "human-computer interaction"

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  • Akkanen, Saara (2023)
    This Master’s Thesis describes an original user study that took place at the University of Helsinki. The study compares and evaluates the usability of three different methods that are used in meeting rooms to share a private device’s screen on a big public screen in order to give a slideshow presentation: HDMI, VIA, and Ubicast. There were 18 participants. The study was conducted in a controlled environment, replicating a typical meeting room setup. The experiment consisted of screen mirroring tasks and an interview. In a screen mirroring task, the participants were asked to share their screen using each of the three technologies. They were provided with the necessary equipment and user guides if needed. Then the participants were given training on how to use the technologies, and they performed the tasks again. During the task, the time taken to complete each screen mirroring session was recorded, and any errors or difficulties encountered were noted. After completing the screen mirroring tasks, participants were interviewed to gather qualitative data on their experiences and preferences. They were asked about the ease of use, efficiency, and any difficulties they faced while using each technology. This information was used to gain insights into user preferences and potential areas for improvement in the respective technologies. To analyze the data, the System Usability Scale (SUS) scores and time taken to complete the screen mirroring tasks were calculated for each technology. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine any significant differences in SUS scores and time across the three technologies. Additionally, the interview data was analyzed using thematic analysis to identify common themes and patterns in the experiences of the users. HDMI emerged on the top, with Ubicast not far behind.
  • Husu, Tuomas (2020)
    System administration is a traditional and demanding profession in information technology that has gained little attention from human-computer interaction (HCI) research. System administrators operate in a highly complex environment to keep business applications running and data available and safe. In order to understand the essence of system administrators' skill, this thesis reports individual differences in 20 professional system administrators’ task performance, task solutions, verbal reports, and learning histories. A set of representative tasks were designed to measure individual differences, and structured interviews were used to collect retrospective information about system administrators’ skill acquisition and level of deliberate practice. Based on the measured performance, the participants were divided into three performance groups. A group of five system administrators stood out from the 20 participants. They completed more tasks successfully, they were faster, they predicted their success more accurately, and they expressed more confidence during performance and anticipation. Although they had extensive professional experience, the study found no relationship between duration of experience and level of expertise. The results are aligned with expert-performance research from other domains — the highest levels of performance in system administration are attained as a result of a systematic practice. This involves an investment of effort and makes the activity less enjoyable than competing activities. When studying the learning histories, the quantity and quality of the programming experience and other high-effort computer-related problem-solving activities were found to be the main differentiating factors between the 'expert' and less-accomplished participants.