Rimmer, J, Owen, T., Wakeman, I., Keller, B., Weeds, J. & Weir, D. (2005) User Policies in Pervasive Computing Environments.ser Experience Design for Pervasive Computing, Pervasive 2005 Workshop.
Warwick, C., Blandford, A., Buchanan, G. & Rimemr, J. (2005) User Centred Interactive Search in the Humanities. To appear in Proc. JCDL 2005. (Poster presentation).
Buchanan, G., Cunningham, S. J., Blandford, A., Rimmer, J. & Warwick, C. (2005) Information Seeking by Humanities Scholars. Working Paper (submitted to ECDL).
Weeds, J., Keller, B., Weir, D., Wakeman, I., Rimmer, J. & Owen, T. (2004) Natural Language Expression of User Policies in Pervasive Computing Environments. In Proceedings of OntoLex 2004 (LREC Workshop on Ontologies and Lexical Resources in Distributed Environments). Lisbon, Portugal. May 2004.
Rimmer, J. (2004) Improving software environments through usability. Journal of Audiovisual Media in Medicine 27(1), 6-10.
Rimmer, J. (2002) "The system should speak the users' language." An investigation into users' language. Tools for thought: Communicating and Learning Through Digital Technology. The 6th Human Centred Technology Postgraduate Workshop. Brighton, 26th to 27th September 2002.
Rimmer, J. & Clark, J. (2002) "The eUniversity will be delivering quality online UK higher education to students worldwide." Designing to engage a culturally diverse user population. In Smith, A., French, T., Minocha, S. & Dunckley, L. (Eds.) Culture and Website Usabilty Workshop - Strategies for Internationalisation and Localisation HCI2002/EUPA2002: The 16th British HCI Group Annual Conference, incorporating European Usability Professionals' Association Conference. London, 2nd to 6th September 2002.
Rimmer, J.(2001) User discourse and technology design. In B. Zayas & Gama, C. (Eds.) Information Technologies and Knowledge Construction: Bringing together the best of two worlds. University of Sussex Cognitive Science Research Papers, CSRP 538. ISSN 1350-3162
Rimmer, J., Wakeman, I., Sheeran, L. & Sasse, M.A. (2000) Messages from a tangled Web. In Paris, C., Ozkan, N., Howard, S. & Lu, S. (Eds.) Ozchi2000: Interfacing Reality in the New Millennium.Sydney, Australia December 2000. CSIRO Mathematical + Information Sciences. P. 4-11. ISBN 0-643-06633-0
Rimmer, J.(2000) Primary School Children's Internet Conceptions - A longitudinal study before and after use. In B. Zayas & S. Simpson (Eds.) The Impact on Technology on Users: Breaking or Creating Boundaries? University of Sussex Cognitive Science Research Papers, CSRP 525. ISSN 1350-3162
Rimmer, J., Wakeman, I., Sheeran, L. & Sasse, M.A. (1999) Examining users’ repertoire of Internet applications. In M.A. Sasse & C. Johnson (Eds.) Human-Computer Interaction INTERACT '99. IOS Press: Amsterdam. P. 654-660.ISBN 0-9673355-0-7.
Rimmer, J. (1999) Design as text - From user repertoire to design discourse. In F. Retkowsky (Ed.) Interacting through/with Technology: Increasing the Potential for Communicating and Learning? University of Sussex Cognitive Science Research Papers, CSRP 511. ISSN 1350-3162
Rimmer, J. & Wakeman, I. (1999) Who helps the helpers: Technological change in the help desk. In K. Buckner (Ed.) Ethnographic studies in real and virtual environments: Inhabited information spaces and connected communities. 24-26 January 1999 Edinburgh University. P. 70-80.ISBN 1-902520-01-7
Rimmer, J.(1998) The Community and Technology. In A. Light, R. Luckin, F. Retkowsky & P. Romero (Eds.) HCT Workshop '98 Proceedings. University of Sussex Cognitive Science Research Papers, CSRP 494. ISSN 1350-3162
Sheeran, L., Sasse, M.A., Rimmer, J. & Wakeman, I. (2002) How Web Browsers Shape Users’ Understanding of Networks. The Electronic Library, Vol. 20(1) 35-42.
Holland, S., Rimmer, J. & Luckin, R. (2001) Inside the Internet: A resource for teching young people about the Internet. In B. Zayas & Gama, C. (Eds.) Information Technologies and Knowledge Construction: Bringing together the best of two worlds. University of Sussex Cognitive Science Research Papers, CSRP 538. ISSN 1350-3162
Luckin, R., Rimmer, J.& Lloyd, A. (2001) "Turning on the Internet": Exploring children's conceptions of what the Internet is and does. Euro-CSCL 2001, Maastrict, 22-24 March 2001, the Netherlands.
Sheeran, L., Sasse, M.A., Rimmer, J. & Wakeman, I. (2000) How Web Browsers Shape Users’ Understanding of Networks. 2nd Annual Conference on World-Wide Web Applications: South Africa. Paper available online. South African Journal of Information Management. Vol 2(2) ISSN 1560-683
Sheeran, L., Sasse, M.A., Rimmer, J. & Wakeman, I. (2000) Back to Basics: Is a Better Understanding of the Internet a Precursor for Effective Use of the Web? NordiCHI, 23-25 October 2000, Stockholm
Sheeran, L., Sasse, M.A., Rimmer, J. & Wakeman, I. (2000) Contemporary Legends: a method for the conceptual designer's toolbox. UCLRP - University College London Research Paper RN/00/52.
Improving software environments through usability.
Abstract to follow
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An investigation into users' language.
Abstract to follow
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eUniversity - Designing to engage a culturally diverse user population.
This paper introduces the UK's eUniversities project and points to recent concerns over cultural usability issues that are affecting interface design and
content provision of online learning for global audiences. An overview of some of the techniques used to initiate the user-centred design process is presented.
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User discourse and technology design.
My research explores techniques adopted to capture and analyse the language employed by technology users and that
within interfaces. It draws upon methodologies from social psychology and the field of human-computer interaction.
Borrowing such techniques from more traditional discourse analysis it is possible to interpret the language of the
user and better inform design. It has the potential to capture and utilise the words and phrases spoken and written
by people, and ensure that designs reflect this appropriately. Examples of this in action could possibly be the
choice of words within menus or within on-screen text boxes such as error messages.
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Messages from a tangled Web.
HCI has an established history of criticising system error messages
and offering design guidelines for their improvement. This paper continues this tradition by exploring users’ attitudes and recovery strategies to web error messages, examining
the variety of messages produced by popular web-sites and presenting design guidelines for error messages. We believe this is the first academic work on web error messages.
We first investigated users’ conceptions of error messages and recovery strategies for a broad section of users (novice to expert). This revealed that standard error messages
have a poor construction, which goes against most (if not all) of the guidelines for writing effective error messages. We then examined a range of popular information and
ecommerce sites from the US, Europe and Australia and we offer a critique of the different styles of dealing with errors. Finally we provide a checklist of design considerations
for use by web designers and site managers that pay close attention to good customer service and experience.
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Primary School Children's Internet Conceptions - A longitudinal study before and after use.
This report presents the preliminary findings of a case
study that was carried out in three sessions over a twenty-month period (November
1998 - July 2000). The field study was designed to investigate children's conceptions
of the Internet before and after exposure over a period of time. An overview
of the related research is introduced and the methodology that was employed
is presented. An initial analysis of the findings has been carried out on a
sub set of participants which is discussed here briefly. More detailed examples
will be discussed further during the presentation.
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Examining users’ repertoire of Internet
applications.
The language within user interfaces should match the language of the user. However, there has been very little work on how to capture this language and in particular,
the lexicon of the user. In this paper we describe how the tools from discourse analysis can be used to capture these lexicons, and show how they vary according to the function of the text.
We conducted semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to collect texts for analysis. Analysis showed a variety of repertoires used to describe typical network applications, such as Email
and Web use. We present these repertoires and describe how they can be used in the design of the user interface.
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Design as Text - From user repertoire to design discourse.
This paper discusses how the tools from discourse analysis
can be applied to the design process, by taking a closer look at the texts and
repertoires produced by users and objects. I shall describe what is meant by
the terms 'text' and 'repertoire' through example, and describe a recent study
that looked at user repertoires for two networked applications (email and the
web). Understanding the use of these texts could lead to better informed design.
I shall present the possible benefits of this approach, as well as its limitations,
outlining some possible future work in this area.
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Who helps
the helpers: Technological change in the help desk.
In this paper we describe an ethnographic study of an IT helpdesk
environment for a large multinational corporation, undertaken from May to August in 1997.
In particular, we highlight the problems arising from the introduction of a new software
system designed to improve productivity. By spending time in this working environment
we were able to learn the workflow practices within these busy surroundings and witness
how technology and the policies of the global organization help and hinder this flow.
We were also able to see how the local office evolved new practices to overcome the
deficiencies of the new software at the cost of reduced efficiency of customer support.
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The Community and Technology.
This paper discusses some of the most important technologies
that have been introduced to and used by the community over the last few centuries
(from the printing press to computer networks). This interaction between the
community and technology shapes its subsequent evolution; however, predicting
the consequential impact of a new technology is an extremely complex problem.
Technology usually has two types of effect, the first level is the economic
implications or efficiency gains, and the second is the social effects once
the technology is in use. Forecasting the direct costs can be hard enough, but
understanding how the technology will interact with on going routine practices
and policies is even more difficult. It is the social human element that makes
prediction so problematic. By paying attention to this complex element, it is
hoped that a better technology can be designed and appropriately introduced.
A recent technology that has, and continues to have, an impact on the community
is the increasing use of computer networks. Networked applications are increasingly
permeating our lives, and yet applications are rarely designed to take account
for being networked. When the network breaks down the user is not helped in
selecting the appropriate recovery action, which often leads to frustration
and inefficient use of network resources. The current research project at the
University of Sussex looking at these issues is EMMANATE (Exploring Mental Models
for Application in Networking Applications, Telephony and Environments). Users'
mental models and representations of networks and related technology are being
investigated in order to build a taxonomy of key concepts used in formulating
such models. These results can be used to inform better design of interfaces
and to ensure that the gulf between the models used by network service providers
and end users (customers) is bridged
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How Web Browsers Shape Users’
Understanding of Networks.
What happens when users encounter breakdown situations when browsing the Web?
This paper reports a study in which 35 participants were asked to think aloud whilst following a trail
through a series of Web pages. Some of the pages were designed to cause error messages to be displayed
by the browser when users tried to interact with them. The results from the study showed that the error
messages did not help users to diagnose the cause of the problem, or develop their understanding of the
Internet. Error messages do provide a vocabulary for describing problems, but fail to provide a model to
pin the terminology on. We suggest that an underlying model of Web browsing should be available for users
to learn from the error messages, rather than just see them as a sign of "something being wrong".
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Inside the Internet:
A resource for teching young people about the Internet.
Alongside the ever-increasing prevalence of computers in today's
society comes an implicit rise in the number of people using the Internet.
This rise brings with it a more diverse group of users, which of course, includes children.
In recognition of this, the Government's scheme (the National Grid for Learning) to educate
the nation about the Internet has proposed a series of targets to be completed throughout.