The variable table of the VUMS model can be accessed here.

This STS, organised by four EU-funded projects VICON, VERITAS, GUIDE and MyUI building the VUMS cluster VUMS (Virtual User Modelling and Simulation Cluster) , calls for papers and presentations of:

• research and development work
• prototypes and products
• concepts and
• evaluation of usability and applicability

of generic interoperable user models that describe the relevant characteristics of users, who will interact with products and user interfaces. These include physical cognitive, and sensory attributes, habits, preferences and accessibility capabilities.

With such a model designers can define as many user interaction profiles as needed to address the whole range of requirements from a target population. It will also help designers and developers to maximize the level of accessibility of products and services by providing a comprehensive set of Human Factors design guidelines, which could be used in virtual spaces to visualize accessibility and usability issues. All user models depend heavily on their specific use cases. There are a number of reasons for this:

• A complete model of the user, meaning a model that includes facets according to the state of the art would be rather complex and inefficient in use for both simulation purposes and even more for implementation in a product’s user interface.
• Existing devices might not be able to handle complicated user models.
• Not all facets are needed for the specific use case. E.g. modelling some severe visual impairment is not relevant when designing a car.
• Specific requirements might require modifications in existing user models.
• Ways of measuring variables might differ among use cases.

New findings may result in changes and updates of models.

STS Chair: Fraunhofer FIT: Yehya Mohamad, Manfred Dangelmaier, Matthias Peissner, Carlos Velasco;
Pradipta Biswas

Submission: Contributions to a STS have to be submitted using the standard submission procedures of ICCHP. When submitting your contribution please make sure to select this STS under “STS/Session”.
Contributions to a STS are evaluated by the Programme Commitee of ICCHP and by the chair(s) of the STS.
Please get in contact with the STS chairs for discussing your involvement and pre-evaluation of your contribution.

Submission Deadline: February 1, 2012

Link to STS page: http://www.icchp.org/node/349

This workshop at ICCHP 2012, organised by four EU-funded projects VICON, VERITAS, GUIDE and MyUI building the VUMS cluster VUMS (Virtual User Modelling and Simulation Cluster), presents prototypes and discusses concepts of generic interoperable user models that describe the relevant characteristics of users, who will interact with products and user interfaces. These include physical cognitive, and sensory attributes, habits, preferences and accessibility capabilities. With such a model designers can define as many user interaction profiles as needed to address the whole range of requirements from a target population. It will also help designers and developers to maximize the level of accessibility of products and services by providing a comprehensive set of Human Factors design guidelines, which could be used in virtual spaces to visualize accessibility and usability issues.

All user models depend heavily on their specific use cases. There are a number of reasons for this:

• A complete model of the user, meaning a model that includes facets according to the state of the art would be rather complex and inefficient in use for both simulation purposes and even more for implementation in a product’s user interface.
• Existing devices might not be able to handle complicated user models.
• Not all facets are needed for the specific use case. E.g. modelling some severe visual impairment is not relevant when designing a car.
• Specific requirements might require modifications in existing user models.
• Ways of measuring variables might differ among use cases.

New findings may result in changes and updates of models.

Workshop Chairs: Dr. Dimitris Tzovaras, Dr. Konstantinos Moustakas, CERTH/ITI
Background, Experiences:
Dr. Dimitrios Tzovaras is a Senior Researcher A’ (Full Professor) at CERTH/ITI. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Imperial College London. His research activity has led to the coauthoring of more than 250 papers in refereed journals and international conferences. He has been very active in the field of accessibility serving as the coordinator of the ACCESSIBLE project and the Technical Coordinator of VERITAS, while being also the Principal Investigator in AEGIS, OASIS, APSIS4ALL, ATIS4ALL, CLOUD4ALL.
Dr. Konstantinos Moustakas is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at CERTH/ITI. During the latest years, he has been the (co)author of more than 75 papers in refereed journals, edited books, and international conferences, many of them in the field of accessibility. He has been also involved in ten research projects funded by the EC and the Greek secretariat of Research and Technology, among them VERITAS, AEGIS, OASIS.

Co-Chairs: Fraunhofer FIT: Manfred Dangelmaier, Matthias Peissner, Carlos Velasco; Pradipta Biswas

Participation: open

Duration: 3 hours

Time: to be announced

Room: to be announced

Link to ICCHP workshop page: http://www.icchp.org/node/348

• Workshop: Interactive TV: Collaborative Design with Older People – 25/26 October 2001 at the Interactive Technologies and Games: Education, Health and Disability 2011 conference, 25th and 26th October 2011, Nottingham, UK (http://www.ntu.ac.uk/ITAG).
• 21st eChallenges e-2011 Conference, 26-28 October 2011, Florence, Italy (www.echallenges.org). Paper: “Accessible ICT-mediated services for older users through interactive TV: opportunities, challenges and achievements”.
• Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology, 26 – 29 March 2012, Cambridge (http://www-edc.eng.cam.ac.uk/cwuaat/). Paper “From guinea pigs to design partners – involving older people in technology design”.
• Participate in the VUMS (2nd Pan-European VERTAS workshop) workshop at JVRC 2011 on 21 September 2011.

The workshop chaired by Manfred Dangelmaier (Fraunhofer IAO, Stuttgart, Germany), and which is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon 21 September 2011, will gather a wide array of experts and users in the area of Simulation and Virtual Reality, and showcase relevant projects and initiatives in the area of accessible design and simulation in the areas of automotive, home, working environment, infotainment and ehealth design.

This workshop is intended to attract:

• End-users (people with disabilities, older people);
• Designers from the automotive, home and working environment, ehealth, and infotainment area;
• Representatives from end-user organizations;
• Policy makers.

During this highly participative workshop you will be introduced to the VERITAS project, followed by a first demonstration of how accessible design can be simulated in the automotive, working and home environment. You will as such co-influence the project development and, through your input, expertise and feedback as users and designers of accessible solutions, ensure that the developed applications respond to real user needs

Main issues that will be addressed:

• The VERITAS project at a glance
• Outcomes of the 1st User Forum
• Introducing to the VERITAS task models – Demonstration users/task models simulation environment.
• Discussion in groups per application area on the task models
• Presentations in plenary on outcome of group discussions

The full agenda can be downloaded here (accessible pdf).

You are kindly invited to take part in this event. While access is free, places are limited. We therefore kindly ask you to register, using this form.