Recent Advances and Perspectives in Human-Computer Interaction

A special issue of Information (ISSN 2078-2489). This special issue belongs to the section "Information and Communications Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 8239

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Informatics, University of Economics—Varna, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria
Interests: human–computer interaction; usability; web accessibility; web technologies; cognitive science; UX design

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Data Acquisition and Processing Systems, Novosibirsk State Technical University, 630073 Novosibirsk, Russia
Interests: human–computer interaction; machine learning; intelligent information systems; data mining; web design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over recent decades, research has been carried out in the field of human–computer interaction (HCI) to better and fully understand the development of information technologies in a user-oriented way. Thanks to the accumulated knowledge, specialists have been able to build increasingly more software applications and hardware devices easily used by users.

The human–computer interaction is a complex field concerning the intersection between computer and behavioural sciences, and includes knowledge formed in the fields of computer, social and engineering sciences, as well as psychology. The HCI field aims to minimize the barriers between people's mental models regarding the fulfilment of their goals and the technological provision of user tasks. In the user-centred design paradigm, products are designed according to the expectations of their potential users, i.e., designed to be usable. With the development of technologies, the field of human–computer interaction research has continued to expand to also include interactions with mobile devices, artificial intelligence, brain–computer technologies, robots, etc.

The development of user-oriented technologies is related to better understanding how people think and behave as well. The study of cognitive abilities and ways of forming complex information-processing skills has great importance in the field of HCI. People learn, remember and use information, coming to decisions in different ways. The development of usable technologies is mainly based on taking into account the individual characteristics of users as individuals from a given target audience.

There are various models in the field of information processing, developed with the aim of forming knowledge about human nature and supporting the development of user-oriented technologies. One of the main tasks of this Special Issue is to offer a scientific forum for information processing research to contribute to the development of theories in the field of the human–computer interaction.

This Special Issue aims to highlight novel opportunities and challenges faced in the research of multidimensional aspects from the human–computer interaction perspective, especially targeting its cognitive part. Our aspiration is to form a dedicated Special Issue to bring together research on potential topics such as:

  • HCI for people with special needs and for elderly users;
  • Study of user behaviour through means of machine learning, artificial intelligence and data mining;
  • Information processing methods;
  • Multidimensional aspects of information design;
  • HCI for advanced technologies;
  • Ethical aspects of user behaviour research;
  • Secure information retrieval in HCI;
  • Cognitive and behavioural research in HCI;
  • Problems with standardization in the field of HCI.

Dr. Radka Nacheva
Dr. Maxim Bakaev
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Information is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • accessible human–computer interfaces
  • artificial intelligence
  • brain–computer interfaces
  • business intelligence
  • data mining and analytics for human–computer research
  • design for all
  • design thinking
  • emotional human–computer interfaces
  • HCI standardization issues
  • information architecture
  • information design
  • information processing
  • information retrieval
  • mobile HCI
  • security interactions
  • social computing
  • software accessibility
  • software usability
  • user experience design
  • user-centred design

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

31 pages, 2946 KiB  
Article
Responsible Automation: Exploring Potentials and Losses through Automation in Human–Computer Interaction from a Psychological Perspective
by Sarah Diefenbach, Daniel Ullrich, Tim Lindermayer and Kaja-Lena Isaksen
Information 2024, 15(8), 460; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15080460 - 2 Aug 2024
Viewed by 829
Abstract
Robots and smart technologies are becoming part of everyday life and private households. While this automation of mundane tasks typically creates pragmatic benefits (e.g., efficiency, accuracy, time savings), it may also come with psychological losses, such as in meaning, competence, or responsibility. Depending [...] Read more.
Robots and smart technologies are becoming part of everyday life and private households. While this automation of mundane tasks typically creates pragmatic benefits (e.g., efficiency, accuracy, time savings), it may also come with psychological losses, such as in meaning, competence, or responsibility. Depending on the domain (e.g., AI-assisted surgery, automated decision making), especially the user’s felt responsibility could have far-reaching consequences. The present research systematically explores such effects, building a more structured base for responsible automation in human–computer interaction (HCI). Based on a framework of seven dimensions, study 1 (N = 122) evaluates users’ reflections on automating five mundane tasks (e.g., gardening, paperwork) and identifies reasons for or against automation in different domains (e.g., creativity, care work, decision making). Study 2 (N = 57) provides deeper insights into effects of automation on responsibility perceptions. Based on the example of a vacuum cleaner robot, an experimental laboratory study contrasted a non-robotic manual vacuum cleaner to a robot, whereby the user’s perceptions of device agency (higher for the robot) and own competence (higher for the manual device) were central mediators for the perceived responsibility for the result. We position our findings as part of a broader idea of responsible design and automation from a user-centered design perspective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances and Perspectives in Human-Computer Interaction)
Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 7863 KiB  
Article
Designing Gestures for Data Exploration with Public Displays via Identification Studies
by Adina Friedman and Francesco Cafaro
Information 2024, 15(6), 292; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15060292 - 21 May 2024
Viewed by 657
Abstract
In-lab elicitation studies inform the design of gestures by having the participants suggest actions to activate the system functions. Conversely, crowd-sourced identification studies follow the opposite path, asking the users to associate the control actions with functions. Identification studies have been used to [...] Read more.
In-lab elicitation studies inform the design of gestures by having the participants suggest actions to activate the system functions. Conversely, crowd-sourced identification studies follow the opposite path, asking the users to associate the control actions with functions. Identification studies have been used to validate the gestures produced by elicitation studies, but not to design interactive systems. In this paper, we show that identification studies can be combined with in situ observations to design the gestures for data exploration with public displays. To illustrate this method, we developed two versions of a gesture-controlled system for data exploration with 368 users: one designed through an elicitation study, and one designed through in situ observations followed by an identification study. Our results show that the users discovered the majority of the gestures with similar accuracy across the two prototypes. Additionally, the in situ approach enabled the direct recruitment of target users, and the crowd-sourced approach typical of identification studies expedited the design process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances and Perspectives in Human-Computer Interaction)
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1886 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Impact of Body Position on Attentional Orienting
by Rébaï Soret, Noemie Prea and Vsevolod Peysakhovich
Information 2024, 15(2), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15020111 - 13 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1273
Abstract
Attentional orienting is a crucial process in perceiving our environment and guiding human behavior. Recent studies have suggested a forward attentional bias, where faster reactions are observed to spatial cues indicating information appearing in the forward rather than the rear direction. This study [...] Read more.
Attentional orienting is a crucial process in perceiving our environment and guiding human behavior. Recent studies have suggested a forward attentional bias, where faster reactions are observed to spatial cues indicating information appearing in the forward rather than the rear direction. This study investigated how the body position affects attentional orienting, using a modified version of the Posner cueing task within a virtual reality environment. Participants, seated at a 90° angle or reclined at 45°, followed arrows directing their attention to one of four spatial positions where a spaceship will appear, visible either through transparent windows (front space) or in mirrors (rear space). Their task was to promptly identify the spaceship’s color as red or blue. The results indicate that participants reacted more swiftly when the cue correctly indicated the target’s location (valid cues) and when targets appeared in the front rather than the rear. Moreover, the “validity effect”—the advantage of valid over invalid cues—on early eye movements, varied based on both the participant’s body position and the target’s location (front or rear). These findings suggest that the body position may modulate the forward attentional bias, highlighting its relevance in attentional orienting. This study’s implications are further discussed within contexts like aviation and space exploration, emphasizing the necessity for precise and swift responses to stimuli across diverse spatial environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances and Perspectives in Human-Computer Interaction)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 523 KiB  
Article
Modeling User Participation in Facebook Live by Applying the Mediating Role of Social Presence
by Yimin Lum and Chen-Wei Chang
Information 2024, 15(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15010023 - 31 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1599
Abstract
The rapid development of mobile Internet technology has brought about the flourishing growth of social media live streaming. This study employs social presence theory as the primary framework to investigate the impact of Facebook Live’s features of sociality, immediacy, and entertainment on users’ [...] Read more.
The rapid development of mobile Internet technology has brought about the flourishing growth of social media live streaming. This study employs social presence theory as the primary framework to investigate the impact of Facebook Live’s features of sociality, immediacy, and entertainment on users’ sense of presence. These features were then considered within the dimensions of awareness, emotion, and cognition. The influence of social presence on user engagement behaviors was divided into browsing behavior, interactive behavior, and creative behavior. Using snowball sampling, an online survey was administered to Facebook Live users, and 416 valid responses were collected. The research team used software to analyze the data, primarily encompassing descriptive statistics, reliability and validity analyses, structural equation modeling, and mediation effects testing. The research findings are as follows. First, the media characteristics of Facebook Live significantly influence the sense of presence. Specifically, sociality, immediacy, and entertainment on Facebook Live have a notable impact on users’ awareness, emotion, and cognition. Second, different dimensions of social presence have distinct effects on various user engagement behaviors. Notably, the dimensions of awareness, emotion, and cognition of social presence positively affect users’ browsing and interactive behaviors, while emotion influences users’ creative behavior. The third finding was that awareness, emotion, and cognition act as intermediates between Facebook Live’s media characteristics and user engagement behaviors. Implications are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances and Perspectives in Human-Computer Interaction)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

22 pages, 3939 KiB  
Review
What Is Hidden in Clear Sight and How to Find It—A Survey of the Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Eye Tracking
by Maja Kędras and Janusz Sobecki
Information 2023, 14(11), 624; https://doi.org/10.3390/info14110624 - 20 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2469
Abstract
This paper presents an overview of the uses of the combination of eye tracking and artificial intelligence. In the paper, several aspects of both eye tracking and applied AI methods have been analyzed. It analyzes the eye tracking hardware used along with the [...] Read more.
This paper presents an overview of the uses of the combination of eye tracking and artificial intelligence. In the paper, several aspects of both eye tracking and applied AI methods have been analyzed. It analyzes the eye tracking hardware used along with the sampling frequency, the number of test participants, additional parameters, the extraction of features, the artificial intelligence methods used and the methods of verification of the results. Finally, it includes a comparison of the results obtained in the analyzed literature and a discussion about them. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances and Perspectives in Human-Computer Interaction)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: One Chatbot to Pull Them All?: Readability Indexes in AI-Powered Chatbots Responses
Authors: Radka Nacheva; Maxim Bakaev
Affiliation: University of Economics - Varna Novosibirsk State Technical University

Title: Software Quality Evaluation System for Mobile Applications Testing
Authors: Radka Nacheva
Affiliation: University of Economics - Varna
Abstract: Software developers are faced with the challenge of creating products based on the user experience and combining aesthetics, functionality, ergonomics, and the ability to quickly perform tasks, while at the same time having to comply with the limitations imposed by mobile devices and the special needs of end users. Many computer systems may not include built-in software quality features, making accessing computer resources difficult for users with different profiles. That is why the study of software quality is of great importance to ensure an accessible digital environment. Software quality assessment tools serve to automate the collection of software usage data, their analysis, or the resolution of potential problems in providing digital accessibility. Often such systems have a broader purpose. According to the model inscribed in ISO/IEC 25010:2011(en), software quality is categorized into eight main characteristics (functional suitability, performance efficiency, compat-ibility, usability, reliability, security, maintainability, and portability). All of them cover different aspects of the software development cycle and user needs. In this regard, this paper aims to propose an architecture model of a software quality evaluation system for mobile application testing based on the software quality audit process. The main objectives of the research are related to the study of the main attributes of software quality and the existing systems for testing and evaluating software quality which can be applied in testing and evaluating mobile application software quality.

Title: Machine Learning and Deep Learning Techniques for Emotion Recognition in User Speech
Author: Majkowski
Highlights: Comparative Analysis: Examines traditional and advanced machine learning methods, including CNNs and LSTM, for speech-based emotion recognition. Human-Computer Interaction: Stresses the importance of computers understanding user emotions to boost satisfaction and adaptability in areas like mental health, education, and marketing. Performance and Application: Evaluates emotion recognition methods using accuracy and confusion matrices, with a critical focus on practical implementation.

Title: Designing Gestures for Data Exploration with Public Displays via Identification Studies
Authors: Francesco Cafaro
Affiliation: Indiana University
Abstract: In-Lab Elicitation studies inform the design of gestures by having participants suggest actions to activate system functions. Conversely, crowd-sourced identification studies follow the opposite path, asking users to associate control actions with functions. Identification studies have been used to validate gestures produced by elicitation studies, but not to design interactive systems. In this paper, we show that identification studies can be combined with in-situ observations to design gestures for data exploration with public displays. To illustrate this method, we developed two versions of a gesture-controlled system for data exploration with 368 users: one designed through an elicitation study, and one designed through in-situ observations followed by an identification study. Our results show that users discovered the majority of the gestures with similar accuracy across the two prototypes. Additionally, the in-situ approach enabled direct recruitment of target users, and the crowd-sourced approach typical of identification studies expedited the design process.

Title: Investigations on HCI Updates for Neurodivergent Users
Authors: Ramaswamy Palaniappan
Affiliation: Reader and Head of Data Science Research Group, School of Computing, University of Kent, Chatham, ME4 4AG, Kent, UK
Abstract: Users with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may find human-computer interaction (HCI) challenging due to a number of symptoms experienced, one of which being difficulty coping with change. Through capturing, comparing and statistically analysing the reactions of autistic and neurotypical users to seven individual design changes, it has been possible to identify the changes that cause significant difficulty in autistic users. These difficulty points were then used to form heuristics that could be followed by HCI practitioners in the industry to reduce the negative impacts of software interface design change on autistic users, hence making software updates more accessible.

Back to TopTop