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Publications

Publications by Hugo Paredes

2022

Design and Evaluation of a Choreography-Based Virtual Reality Authoring Tool for Experiential Learning in Industrial Training

Authors
Cassola, F; Mendes, D; Pinto, M; Morgado, L; Costa, S; Anjos, L; Marques, D; Rosa, F; Maia, A; Tavares, H; Coelho, A; Paredes, H;

Publication
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract
The use of virtual reality (VR) for industrial training helps minimize risks and costs by allowing more frequent and varied use of experiential learning activities, leading to active and improved learning. However, creating VR training experiences is costly and time-consuming, requiring software development experts. Additionally, current authoring tools lack integration with existing data and are desktop-oriented, which detach the pedagogic process of creating the immersive experience from experiencing it in a situated context. In this article, we present a novel interactive approach for immersive authoring of VR-based experiential training by the trainers themselves, from inside the virtual environment and without the support of development experts. The design includes identifying interactable elements, such as 3-D models, equipment, tools, settings, and environment. The trainer also specifies by demonstration the actions to be performed by trainees, as a virtual choreography. During course execution, trainees' activities are also registered as virtual choreographies and matched to those specified by the trainer. Thus, trainer and trainee are culturally situated within their area semantics and social discourse, rather than adopting concepts of the VR system for the learning content. We conducted a usability case study with professionals from an international wind energy company, using detailed models of wind turbines and real-world procedures. Trainers set up a training course using the immersive authoring tool, and trainees executed the course. The learning experience and usability were analyzed, and the training was certified by comparing real-world task completion between a user who had undergone virtual training and a user who did not.

2022

An Approach to Teach Accessibility with Gamification

Authors
Lorgat, MG; Paredes, H; Rocha, T;

Publication
19TH INTERNATIONAL WEB FOR ALL CONFERENCE

Abstract
Over the last years, accessibility has been gaining more recognition, hence there is a market demand for professionals skilled in accessibility. Therefore, there is a trend towards incorporating accessibility in computer science curricula. Many approaches were presented in order to teach accessibility in the academy, however many failed in the department of motivation and engagement. Moreover, gamification is a strong contender when it comes to engaging, motivating and improving the students' performance using game design elements in non-game context, and it has not been much explored to teach accessibility in the academy. Consequently, this paper proposes to teach accessibility in the academy through a gamification-based approach. The paper starts with a presentation of the proposed approach and finally concludes the paper along with future research direction.

2022

Uncovering the Potential of Cognitive Personalization for UI Adaptation in Crowd Work

Authors
Paulino, D; Correia, A; Guimarães, D; Barroso, J; Paredes, H;

Publication
25th IEEE International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design, CSCWD 2022, Hangzhou, China, May 4-6, 2022

Abstract
Crowdsourcing has received considerable attention over the last fifteen years and has been the subject of several experiments that demonstrate its large potential for use in real-world situations. With the rapid growth of and access to crowd work environments, there is a need for new ways to ensure more equitable access for all people. Task design is one of the core aspects of the crowdsourcing process and its optimization is a priority for many requesters that want to have their tasks solved in short times and with high levels of accuracy. Aligned with this goal, a cognitive personalization framework can make it feasible to assess the information processing preferences of crowd workers in order to provide a useful user interface (UI) adaptation. In an effort to address this issue, this study recruited a total of 64 crowd workers to take cognitive style tests and perform prototypical tasks. The results indicate that it is possible to apply short tests and then obtain some useful indicators for better matching tasks to workers with implications for improving the general outcomes and acceptance rates in crowdsourcing.

2022

Cognitive Personalization in Microtask Design

Authors
Paulino, D; Correia, A; Reis, A; Guimaraes, D; Rudenko, R; Nunes, C; Silva, T; Barroso, J; Paredes, H;

Publication
UNIVERSAL ACCESS IN HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION: NOVEL DESIGN APPROACHES AND TECHNOLOGIES, UAHCI 2022, PT I

Abstract
Today digital labor increasingly advocates for the inclusion of people who are excluded from society in someway. The proliferation of crowdsourcing as a new form of digital labor consisting mainly of microtasks that are characterized by a low level of complexity and short time periods in terms of accomplishment has allowed a wide spectrum of people to access the digital job market. However, there is a long-recognized mismatch between the expectations of employers and the capabilities of workers in microwork crowdsourcing marketplaces. Cognitive personalization has the potential to tailor microtasks to crowd workers, thus ensuring increased accessibility by providing the necessary coverage for individuals with disabilities and special needs. In this paper an architecture for a crowdsourcing system intended to support cognitive personalization in the design of microtasks is introduced. The architecture includes an ontology built for the representation of knowledge on the basis of the concepts of microtasks, cognitive abilities, and types of adaptation in order to personalize the interface to the crowd worker. The envisioned system contains a backend and a frontend that serve as an intermediary layer between the crowdsourcing platform and the workers. Finally, some results obtained to evaluate the proposed system are presented.

2022

Crowd and Urban Storytelling: Evaluating a Collective Intelligence Model to Support Discussions about the City

Authors
Chaves, R; Motta, C; Correia, A; Paredes, H; Caetano, BP; de Souza, JM; Schneider, D;

Publication
25th IEEE International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design, CSCWD 2022, Hangzhou, China, May 4-6, 2022

Abstract
In recent years, digital technologies have been used to support discussions about the city and also to involve citizens in participatory public processes. However, despite the widespread use of social media platforms, old issues related to engagement and participation still persist in digital initiatives. The main goal of this study is to carry out an empirical evaluation of a collective intelligence model that combines crowdsourcing and social storytelling to support discussions about the city from a bottom-up perspective. Within a design science research approach we designed a participatory action study that was carried out through a workshop with students and professionals from different areas, such as architecture, urban design and information technology. As a result, we were able to assess whether the collective intelligence model was acceptable to the participants by investigating whether the behavioral assumptions were valid and thus outlining some contributions to the field of urban informatics.

2022

Using Virtual Choreographies to Identify Office Users' Behaviors to Target Behavior Change Based on Their Potential to Impact Energy Consumption

Authors
Cassola, F; Morgado, L; Coelho, A; Paredes, H; Barbosa, A; Tavares, H; Soares, F;

Publication
ENERGIES

Abstract
Reducing office buildings' energy consumption can contribute significantly towards carbon reduction commitments since it represents similar to 40% of total energy consumption. Major components of this are lighting, electrical equipment, heating, and central cooling systems. Solid evidence demonstrates that individual occupants' behaviors impact these energy consumption components. In this work, we propose the methodology of using virtual choreographies to identify and prioritize behavior-change interventions for office users based on the potential impact of specific behaviors on energy consumption. We studied the energy-related office behaviors of individuals by combining three sources of data: direct observations, electricity meters, and computer logs. Data show that there are behaviors with significant consumption impact but with little potential for behavioral change, while other behaviors have substantial potential for lowering energy consumption via behavioral change.

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