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Food choices are intimately related to individual health. Therefore, the food we buy should be carefully chosen. However, grocery shopping is typically done in noisy environments, and food products usually present cluttered labels with dense texts that make it hard to properly evaluate relevant nutritional data. Augmented reality (AR) allows a shopper to visualize digitally generated contents onto real objects and to interact with them. In this experiment, we investigated the effects of delivering nutritional information using AR technology on food choices. To this end, we ran a between-participants laboratory experiment in which participants were asked to choose among the products available. The experimental group received the food-related information via AR, while the control group had ordinary access to food packaging. We found that AR technology facilitated the choice of healthier food items. Additionally, participants in the experimental group reported that they based their decisions on nutritional information rather than on the appearance of the package. The present work highlights how AR can be exploited to bring to the foreground information that would otherwise be hard to spot, thereby increasing the consumer’s awareness of the overall characteristics of the product.

Interest in the virtualization of human–robot interactions is increasing, yet the impact that collaborating with either virtual or physical robots has on the human operator’s mental state is still insufficiently studied. In the present work, we aimed to fill this gap by conducting a systematic assessment of a human–robot collaborative framework from a user-centric perspective. Mental workload was measured in participants working in synergistic co-operation with a physical and a virtual collaborative robot (cobot) under different levels of task demands. Performance and implicit and explicit workload were assessed as a function of pupil size variation and self-reporting questionnaires. In the face of a similar self-reported mental demand when maneuvering the virtual or physical cobot, operators showed shorter operation times and lower implicit workload when interacting with the virtual cobot compared to its physical counterpart. Furthermore, the benefits of collaborating with a virtual cobot most vividly manifested when the user had to position the robotic arm with higher precision. These results shed light on the feasibility and importance of relying on multidimensional assessments in real-life work settings, including implicit workload predictors such as pupillometric measures. From a broader perspective, our findings suggest that virtual simulations have the potential to bring significant advantages for both the user's mental well-being and industrial production, particularly for highly complex and demanding tasks.

Virtual Reality (VR) allows to re-create risky situations in a safe and realistic environment and, in recent years, it has been proposed as a versatile training tool for fire emergencies. However, there is still the need to compare VR with other training formats, to better understand when and how it is advantageous to invest in virtual systems for emergency training. In this preliminary study, we compare different formats of a training program for teaching how to extinguish office-related fires. Formats vary in the presence and realism of the spatial representation, namely an immersive and interactive VR environment, a non-interactive desktop Video and traditional paper-based material. Participants’ reactions and knowledge acquisition have been measured using both quantitative (accuracy, reaction times, questionnaires) and qualitative (open questions) methods. Results show that, at performance level, all three training formats significantly improved accuracy, but only participants in VR and Video conditions became faster in choosing the correct extinguisher. In terms of participants’ evaluation, the VR format was judged more positively compared to the other trainings.

Hand gestures are an essential component of our behavior and are often considered a valuable way for Ambient Assisted Living solutions. Gestural commands are particularly helpful in hectic home environments, like the kitchen, where we often have greasy hands. Yet, gestures can be challenging to learn and recall especially for non-tech savvy users. The adoption of a user-centered approach to select the gestural commands typically allows to generate postures and moves that are easier to perform and remember. Following this approach, we report on an agile and cost-effective elicitation study based on a virtual prototype that was conducted to design a set of gestural commands to operate the lighting system embedded into an extraction hood. Spontaneous gestures by 30 participants were video recorded and categorized through computer-supported structured video analysis. Our findings indicate the feasibility of the proposed approach with able-bodied users and open to the involvement of physically and cognitively challenged individuals.

Writing with a keyboard using only one's gaze, i.e., eye-typing has aroused researchers’ interest in the last decades. Initial efforts aimed to provide a means of communication for people suffering from severe motor disabilities, while recently, the interest has expanded to target non-disabled people. The present paper examined the impact of the keyboard shape and type of feedback on writing performance and usability. More specifically, three keyboard shapes (i.e., QWERTY, ABCDE, and Circular) and three types of feedback (i.e., visual, audio, none) were investigated. Besides confirming the impact of visual feedback for successful performance in an eye-typing task, our results expand previous findings showing the advantages of deploying a circularly-shaped keyboard.

Recently, mobile and in-home Voice Actuated Control Systems (VACs) have become affordable and reliable, allowing the control of several IoT devices from a distance. Individuals with motor impairments could benefit from VACS installed in smart domestic environments to operate home appliances and other devices. The present paper explores the potentials of using such systems in terms of accessibility and user experience by involving a group of individuals with motor disabilities and mild speech impairments. Participants were invited to directly try out the voice-controlled assistant by operating different smart devices (e.g., lights, fan) in a friendly living-room like environment. Results show that all participants were able to perform the proposed tasks after a brief practice section and few failures, and that the interaction experience was well received by participants.

The last few decades have seen the hospital environment become more and more technologically advanced with the development of advanced diagnostic and surgical tools. The beds have also undergone a radical transformation, thanks to the integration of electrical and electronic components, that have allowed the birth of the modern widespread electric beds. This work presents a checklist developed to test the usability of the pushbutton panels that control their movements, which could be useful in designing a controller capable of considering the needs of users such as caregivers and patients. The checklist items were created starting from the usability guidelines and then placed within an appropriate Nielsen heuristic. The tool thus designed was tested in a usability expert evaluation session with five experts. The data collected were the responses to the checklist, the experts’ comments, the notes collected during the procedure, the time to complete, and the severity and frequency of the problems detected. The results showed that the checklist could detect a substantial series of significant usability problems in a short time, which makes it an easily usable tool in the industrial field for rapid and valuable tests for future interfaces design. The usage of this developed checklist could be useful to design better control panels to facilitate both caregivers’ work and patients’ stay.

Background Voice assistants allow users to control appliances and functions of a smart home by simply uttering a few words. Such systems hold the potential to significantly help users with motor and cognitive disabilities who currently depend on their caregiver even for basic needs (eg, opening a door). The research on voice assistants is mainly dedicated to able-bodied users, and studies evaluating the accessibility of such systems are still sparse and fail to account for the participants’ actual motor, linguistic, and cognitive abilities. Objective The aim of this work is to investigate whether cognitive and/or linguistic functions could predict user performance in operating an off-the-shelf voice assistant (Google Home). Methods A group of users with disabilities (n=16) was invited to a living laboratory and asked to interact with the system. Besides collecting data on their performance and experience with the system, their cognitive and linguistic skills were assessed using standardized inventories. The identification of predictors (cognitive and/or linguistic) capable of accounting for an efficient interaction with the voice assistant was investigated by performing multiple linear regression models. The best model was identified by adopting a selection strategy based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC). Results For users with disabilities, the effectiveness of interacting with a voice assistant is predicted by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Robertson Dysarthria Profile (specifically, the ability to repeat sentences), as the best model shows (AIC=130.11). Conclusions Users with motor, linguistic, and cognitive impairments can effectively interact with voice assistants, given specific levels of residual cognitive and linguistic skills. More specifically, our paper advances practical indicators to predict the level of accessibility of speech-based interactive systems. Finally, accessibility design guidelines are introduced based on the performance results observed in users with disabilities.

BACKGROUND Voice assistants allow users to control appliances and functions of a smart home by simply uttering a few words. Such systems hold the potential to significantly help users with motor and cognitive disabilities who currently depend on their caregiver even for basic needs (eg, opening a door). The research on voice assistants is mainly dedicated to able-bodied users, and studies evaluating the accessibility of such systems are still sparse and fail to account for the participants’ actual motor, linguistic, and cognitive abilities. OBJECTIVE The aim of this work is to investigate whether cognitive and/or linguistic functions could predict user performance in operating an off-the-shelf voice assistant (Google Home). METHODS A group of users with disabilities (n=16) was invited to a living laboratory and asked to interact with the system. Besides collecting data on their performance and experience with the system, their cognitive and linguistic skills were assessed using standardized inventories. The identification of predictors (cognitive and/or linguistic) capable of accounting for an efficient interaction with the voice assistant was investigated by performing multiple linear regression models. The best model was identified by adopting a selection strategy based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC). RESULTS For users with disabilities, the effectiveness of interacting with a voice assistant is predicted by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Robertson Dysarthria Profile (specifically, the ability to repeat sentences), as the best model shows (AIC=130.11). CONCLUSIONS Users with motor, linguistic, and cognitive impairments can effectively interact with voice assistants, given specific levels of residual cognitive and linguistic skills. More specifically, our paper advances practical indicators to predict the level of accessibility of speech-based interactive systems. Finally, accessibility design guidelines are introduced based on the performance results observed in users with disabilities.

Computerized solutions in the domain of creativity and expressive performance increasingly provide art and artists with exciting new opportunities. However, the combination of automation and creativity also raises controversies and resistance in some user groups. This paper considers the case of software-generated visuals in live music performance and tries to make sense of the ambivalent response given by its intended users (i.e., DJs and VJs). We carried out seven face-to-face interviews, an online survey (N = 102) and 25 interviews at a distance to unravel DJs' and VJs' positions on automated visual software. Four core controversies were eventually identified, gravitating around the implications of using such software on DJs' and VJs' identities as artists and on their competitive advantage in their activity sector. The conclusions reconnect these findings with the larger issue of understanding the users' responses to automation.

Locating places in cities is typically facilitated by handheld mobile devices, which draw the visual attention of the user on the screen of the device instead of the surroundings. In this research, we aim at strengthening the connection between people and their surroundings through enabling mid-air gestural interaction with real-world landmarks and delivering information through audio to retain users' visual attention on the scene. Recent research on gesture-based and haptic techniques for such purposes has mainly considered handheld devices that eventually direct users' attention back to the devices. We contribute a hand-worn, mid-air gestural interaction design with directional vibrotactile guidance for finding points of interest (POIs). Through three design iterations, we address aspects of (1) sensing technologies and the placement of actuators considering users' instinctive postures, (2) the feasibility of finding and fetching information regarding landmarks without visual feedback, and (3) the benefits of such interaction in a tourist application. In a final evaluation, participants located POIs and fetched information by pointing and following directional guidance, thus realising a vision in which they found and experienced real-world landmarks while keeping their visual attention on the scene. The results show that the interaction technique has comparable performance to a visual baseline, enables high mobility, and facilitates keeping visual attention on the surroundings.

The exploitation of Virtual and Augmented Reality in the context of cultural heritage and tourism is increasing. These new technologies enable to integrate the traditional cultural contents and innovative experience modalities. Several cultural sites provide visitors with such systems to create an immersive visiting experience. However, limited attention has been paid so far to the exploitation of such technologies in naturalistic cultural sites. This paper describes the project "This is (not) just a tree", an applied research project aiming to develop an advanced system exploiting Virtual and Augmented Reality technology, which will enable visitors to enjoy closer experiences with plants and their interactions with animals. Special attention will be devoted to involving both stakeholders and target users in the development, thereby applying a co-design approach. Here we report on the participatory design method deployed to gather and organize requirements from stakeholders, the strategies implemented to inquire target users on their preferences, and the resulting implications for the application design.