“人机交往”还是“人际交往”读屏时代青少年的同伴互动

“读屏”成为了越来越多青少年的“常规动作”和“生动表情”,青少年的同伴关系在种种屏幕面前也得以再造。电视屏幕为青少年展示了成人的后台景象,使青少年学习到许多人际交往模式以及相应的价值观念、行为方式。在网络虚拟世界中,青少年按照新的规则展开知识的传播、情感的交流、思想的撞击。学习如何同他人交往,并将这些交往技巧迁移到真实的社会情境中。手机作为“流动的现代性”的表征之一,重新结构着青少年的人际交往模式和社会关系网络。然而,青少年的社会需要不可能仅仅从抽象的“人机关系”中得到满足,“人机”关系自然不可能彻底取代“人际”关系。     

The importance of user centered design methods applied to the design of a new workstation: a case study

This paper presents a case study of the application of user centered design methodologies in the product development for a line of ergonomic office furniture. The study aimed to analyze the experience of using a workstation from the perspective of two groups of users, installers and end users. The observation of users in their natural context of use not only allowed the development team to identify key needs and strategies of the users, transforming them into design solutions, but mainly it warned them of the importance and impact of user involvement in the product development cycle.     

The start up as a phase of architectural design process

Alterations made in the architectural design can be considered as a continuous process, from its conception to the moment a built environment is already in use. This article focuses on the "moving phase", which is the initial moment of the environment occupation and the start-up of services. It aims to show that the continuity of ergonomics interventions during the "moving phase" or start up may reveal the built environment inadequacies; clearly showing needs not met by the design and allowing making instant decisions to solve non-foreseen problems. The results have revealed some lessons experienced by users during a critical stage not usually included in the design process.     

Mobile phones and elderly people: a noisy communication

Knowing the users is capital for building user-friendly digital interfaces. One way to think about the users is considering their familiarity with this technology. This article presents the results of twelve interviews with elderly people residing in the so-called South Zone of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) who have used mobile phones over at least one year. It is part of the Doctor's Thesis "Mobile phones for elderly people - usability for social integration" ("Celulares para idosos - usabilidade a servi?o da integra??o social"), which is targeted at ascertaining if the current mobile phones are user-friendly for elderly people. Through the technique of Guided Interviews, we found usage time, criteria for choice of phones, reasons for changes, preferences, and manners of use. Preliminarily, we have noticed differences in the behavior of the participating users and performed a qualitative analysis according to groups of age and gender.     

Ergonomics, design universal and fashion

People who lie beyond the "standard" model of users often come up against barriers when using fashion products, especially clothing, the design of which ought to give special attention to comfort, security and well-being. The principles of universal design seek to extend the design process for products manufactured in bulk so as to include people who, because of their personal characteristics or physical conditions, are at an extreme end of some dimension of performance, whether this is to do with sight, hearing, reach or manipulation. Ergonomics, a discipline anchored on scientific data, regards human beings as the central focus of its operations and, consequently, offers various forms of support to applying universal design in product development. In this context, this paper sets out a reflection on applying the seven principles of universal design to fashion products and clothing with a view to targeting such principles as recommendations that will guide the early stages of developing these products, and establish strategies for market expansion, thereby increasing the volume of production and reducing prices.     

The impact of the "I'm Special" Program on student substance abuse and other related student problem behavior

There has been a proliferation of school-based substance abuse prevention programs geared toward reducing or delaying the onset of student use of illegal drugs. But the field has shown a general absence of evaluation dealing with the behavior consequences of these practices. This article fills this gap by using the case of the "I'm Special" Program (ISP) targeted for fourth grade students. Using a quasi-experimental design, a comparison is made between the substance using and other problem behavior of students who have been exposed to the ISP and those who have not during their later school years in grades 5 through 12. At the aggregate level, the proportions of current substance users and the incidence of their related problem behavior were significantly lower among the ISP graduates than those who have not been exposed to the program. In particular, there were consistently lower proportions of current substance users among the ISP recipients than the non-recipients in grades 5-7. However, the impact of the ISP seems to diminish significantly in and around ninth grade. During the senior high level, the pattern revealed is almost random. And, in some drug categories, it has been speculated that the ISP students were trying to "catch up" with what they may have missed out on during earlier grade levels.     

THE AURA OF "HIGH TECH" IN A WORLD OF MESSY PRACTICE

This study employs interlocking analytical devices from the perspectives of several disciplines to explore members' meanings through definitions of "high technology" given by workers in design engineering. The comparative analysis employs concepts from art history, sociology of culture, anthropology and science studies to explore the appeal of "high technology" in comparison with the aura of original artworks and the status accrued by symbolic tools. Additionally, the role standardization has played in the development of engineering as a profession is explored in historical context as are the recurring themes of speed and "the new." The findings reveal that how engineers use new technologies in the world of messy practice and their conceptual framework regarding so-called "high technology" do not map well onto one another. The study illustrates the perspective of science and technology studies that views all technology as socially shaped and society shaping, its construction accomplished through messy patched-up practices rather than clean, linear paths or perfect techniques.     

The use of participant-observation protocol in an industrial engineering research

Based on literature, this article aims to present the "participant-observation' research protocol, and its practical application in the industrial engineering field, more specifically within the area of design development, and in the case shown by this article, of interiors' design. The main target is to identify the concept of the method, i.e., from its characteristics to structure a general sense about the subject, so that the protocol can be used in different areas of knowledge, especially those ones which are committed with the scientific research involving the expertise from researchers, and subjective feelings and opinions of the users of an engineering product, and how this knowledge can be benefic for product design, contributing since the earliest stage of design.     

It's a rave new world: estimating the prevalence and perceived harm of ecstasy and other drug use among club rave attendees

The use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy") appears to be increasing worldwide, with "rave" attendees being one high-risk population. To date, however, only one study has collected ecstasy use information from rave attendees in the United States. To address this limitation, we collected self-report drug use information from 70 adult "club rave" attendees within the Baltimore-Washington corridor in April and May 2002. Data collection was scheduled between 12 A.M. and 5 A.M. Participation rates were high, with 85 percent of the club rave attendees completing the interview. Eighty-six percent of the respondents reported lifetime ecstasy use, 51 percent reported 30-day use, and 30 percent reported using ecstasy within the two days preceding the interview. While past-year ecstasy users were comparable to non-users with respect to a host of demographic and drug use variables, non-ecstasy users were significantly more likely than past-year users to perceive risks associated with the regular use of alcohol and ecstasy. Not surprisingly, non-ecstasy users were significantly more likely than past-year users to perceive harmful long-term physical and psychological effects associated with ecstasy ingestion. These findings suggest that rave attendees may be an important population for ecstasy-related prevention efforts.     

The Dilemma of "Authentic Self" Ideology in Contemporary Japan

This paper examines dilemmas inherent in the pursuit of the modern ideology of "authentic self", which first emerged in the 1960s and is now widespread in contemporary cultures. The ideology is exemplified, in a religious scene, as "self-transformative" religions wherein seekers seek to transform themselves spiritually in order to realize their authentic, or "sacred" selves. Through an examination of Aum Shinrikyo, which began as a typical "self-transformative" religion but later transformed into a destructive cult, I will explain the intrinsic moral imperatives of the ideology of "authenticity". This study of Aum explores the introverted lifestyle and extreme desocialization, which resulted in obsession with the central guru, being legitimated by the ideology. This search for "authenticity" resulted in the members cutting themselves off from the reality of the world. The final analysis suggests that possible consequences of the endless pursuit of the "authentic self" are a "vacuum" self and a loss of empathy with other people. The ontological conditions created by this bring about potential destructiveness, either internal or external.     

Product evaluation based in the association between intuition and tasks

This paper explores the importance of researching the intuitiveness in the product use. It approaches the intuitiveness influence for users that already had a visual experience of the product. Finally, it is suggested the use of a table that relates the tasks performed while using a product, the features for an intuitive use and the performance metric "task success".     

The formation of a socioeconomic health disparity: the case of cocaine use during the 1980s and 1990s

Despite the substantial and prolonged sociological interest in health disparities, much remains unknown about the processes that initiate them. To investigate this topic, we focus on the case study of cocaine use, for which a socioeconomic disparity emerged across all age groups in a short period of time around 1990. We examine whether the newly-formed disparity represents a selective remnant of previous users or, instead, a selective recruitment of new users. To evaluate these two potential processes we use latent class regression on a nationally representative cohort with repeated measures of past-year cocaine use before and after 1990. Results support the "remnant" hypothesis and show that the newly-formed disparity resulted primarily because people in the lower social strata were less likely to have a trajectory of cocaine use with a sharp drop in use after 1990. These results point to the "remnant" concept as a way to bring together disparity analysis of very different and diverse health outcomes.     

Adverse Life Experiences and Homelessness Among Adolescents: an examination of the conditions for convergence

Abstract

There are two factors that limit our knowledge of the risk factors associated with homelessness among runaway adolescents, namely (1) the samples used are often composed of youth homeless service users and/or youths living on the streets (visible homelessness), whereas most adolescents in fact use “private” resources (hidden homelessness), and (2) failure to use an adequate control group to identify risk factors associated specifically with homelessness. Our study compares the characteristics of two groups of youths under the supervision oftheyouth protection system, according to the presence or absence of periods of homelessness. The results throw light on the factors underlying the shiftfrom “at risk” to “homeless”, showing that youths with experience of homelessness are more likely to have been placed in substitute home environments, have experienced significant relationship difficulties with one of their parents (deterioration ofthe parent/youth relationship and parental abuse) and to have been diagnosed with behavioral disorders. The findings suggest that the decision to place young people under supervision is based more on the dynamic between risk factors rather than on the existence of behavioral problems.     

The inclusion of ergonomic tools in the informational, conceptual and preliminary phases of the product design methodology

The process of product development has received special attention as it is being recognized as a source of competitive gain. Through its systematic use companies reduce costs, increase quality and decrease development time. However, one can find products being launched on the market that cause dissatisfaction to its users, and in consequence if the customer feels harmed or injured he will no longer purchase a product from the same brand. This in regard only to the commercial aspect; usually the danger of an accident or injury is not even thought about. This paper is the basis of the dissertation master's degree and used a literature research to build the repertoire, analyzing the methodologies applied by product design engineers, designers and ergonomists. The analysis results demonstrate the inefficiency of the design methodologies ergonomic issues. The contribution of this work lies in the suggestion to include ergonomic tools in all phases of product development and the presentation of a table with the tools that points out its most suitable time of application and results.     

Undoing Sexual Objectification in the Japanese Socio-Juridical Context: The Human-Rights-Oriented Transmutation of the Conception of "Obscene" Material

Abstract: This article argues that in the socio-psychic phenomenon of the sexual objectification of girls and women manufactured by certain media and the majority of conventionally so-called pornography, woman is represented, perceived, and treated as a sexually materialized object ready to be exploited exclusively as a means to produce sexual gratification, but not at all as an end in herself, i.e. a human subject with her own sexual will and human dignity. The article exposes the social role of sexually objectifying merchandise in rendering the viewer's sexuality compulsive and addictive, and in producing the viewer's psychic desire for sexual violence especially against those who are most vulnerable (such as children, women who were sexually abused as children, women with intellectual disabilities, etc.) by referring to a number of sociological data and actual evidences collected in Japan and North America. As an alternative modality of sexuality, the article proposes sexual intersubjectivity. In light of sexual objectification, this article qualitatively analyzes and criticizes the conventional definition of "obscene" material, which revolve around discipline and order, and that of "pornography", and proposes the human-rights/equality-oriented transmutation of the conception of obscene material. The article argues that merchandise which produces the desire for sexual violence is disqualified as a concretion of the freedom of expression. This article then attempts to examine the constitutionality (referring specifically to the freedom of expression) of Japanese Obscenity Law by delineating the precise criteria of judgment for obscenity itself and the very method of its enforcement.     

Using an action research approach to involving service users in the assessment of professional competence

This paper reports on a piece of action research that has involved people who use mental health services in systematically providing feedback from a user perspective on participants’ assessed work completed for one module of a masters’ training programme in mental health. In an attempt to improve professional practice and include people who were accessing mental health services in so doing, it outlines how users were trained to provide feedback and the training methods employed. The findings summarise the kind of issues users raised in their feedback to participants about the evidence professionals provided to demonstrate their learning from the training programme. A focus group interview with professionals provides a contrasting insight into the participants’ experience of having their work commented upon from a user perspective. The paper draws on the experience of a five-year external evaluation of an interdisciplinary programme in community mental health at Birmingham University in the UK which has highlighted the involvement of people who use mental health services as a particular innovation in the design, delivery and evaluation of the curriculum.     

The relevance of temporal iconicity with instruction manuals for elderly users

Gerontolinguistic obtains a growing importance with the increase of elderly users due to Demographic Change. Since acceptance and ease of use of supportive systems for elderly, such as "E-Nursing-Assistants", are highly dependent on the age suitable design of readable instructions, an age-appropriate linguistic concept is of high value for usability. There has been only little research on the relevance of foreign words, signal words, textual arrangement, optical accentuation of key terms and temporal iconicity concerning older users. Thus, an efficient design of age suitable manual instructions within a medical context still remains to be done. The objective of this research was to evaluate the relevance of the previously mentioned factors in the context of written instructions. For this, an empirical survey was designed which was given to 45 study participants. The subjects of the experiment were given 4x3 instructions after a pretest questionnaire. The aim was to execute these instructions as correctly and quickly as possible. Furthermore the instructions were rated regarding comprehensibility with a retrospective questionnaire.     

Cooking behaviours: a user observation study to understand energy use and motivate savings

Electric cookers are one of the highest energy consuming domestic appliances, and there are several aspects that can influence the amount of energy used when preparing a meal. Appliance characteristics are shown to influence consumption, but human factors play an important role in the overall electricity usage. A user observation study was conducted among university students to understand how they use electric cookers. They were asked to perform a specific cooking task, and the electricity usage was measured. Participants' behaviours were analysed and compared with a set of energy saving techniques. Appliance characteristics that influenced how students use energy were also investigated. The results show that users performed the task in several different ways, presenting diverse energy consumption, the average being 3 times above the necessary to complete the task. This information is now informing the design of interventions to motivate people to change their behaviours whilst cooking.     

Design of an ergonomic ultrasound system: accommodation of user anthropometrics

Long-term use of medical imaging devices requires significant improvements to the user experience. One factor that impact upon such experience is whether the device is ergonomically built, ecologically designed, and leverages the current medical practice. In this research, we took a holistic and systematic approach to design an effective and biomechanically-fit ultrasound system. Research methods from behavior science (e.g., contextual inquiry, pseudo experiments) had been adopted to involve the users (sonographers) early in the design process. The end results - product design guideline for a cart type ultrasound system and control panel layout - were reviewed by the users and adjusted so that the design is within the range of an acceptable learning curve while maintaining innovativeness, a differentiated value over competitor's ultrasound devices.