scholarly journals A validation & verification driven ontology: An iterative process

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-41
Author(s):  
Angelina Espinoza ◽  
Ernesto Del-Moral ◽  
Alfonso Martínez-Martínez ◽  
Nour Alí

Designing an ontology that meets the needs of end-users, e.g., a medical team, is critical to support the reasoning with data. Therefore, an ontology design should be driven by the constant and efficient validation of end-users needs. However, there is not an existing standard process in knowledge engineering that guides the ontology design with the required quality. There are several ontology design processes, which range from iterative to sequential, but they fail to ensure the practical application of an ontology and to quantitatively validate end-user requirements through the evolution of an ontology. In this paper, an ontology design process is proposed, which is driven by end-user requirements, defined as Competency Questions (CQs). The process is called CQ-Driven Ontology DEsign Process (CODEP) and it includes activities that validate and verify the incremental design of an ontology through metrics based on defined CQs. CODEP has also been applied in the design and development of an ontology in the context of a Mexican Hospital for supporting Neurologist specialists. The specialists were involved, during the application of CODEP, in collecting quality measurements and validating the ontology increments. This application can demonstrate the feasibility of CODEP to deliver ontologies with similar requirements in other contexts.

Author(s):  
A.C. Leonard

End users have expectations regarding services and support, and the quality thereof, provided by the supplier. They compare their expectations to the received service to assess the service quality (Coye, 2004). In order to ensure that the service supplied by the service provider meets the expectations of end users, a successful service level agreement (SLA) is required. Quality SLA’s clearly define, amongst many other elements, the commitments and responsibilities of the IT service provider and end users within the service delivery processes (Larson, 1998). One method of measuring the success of SLA’s is by using service metrics with regard to the availability, reliability, serviceability, response, and user satisfaction of the SLA (Larson, 1998). Therefore, the success of the SLA depends on a clear, common understanding of the services and service quality between the service provider and end users. Furthermore commitment, trust, and cooperation between all parties is necessary to achieve success with SLA’s (Hiles, 1994). However, in this paper it is argued that all these soft issues can only form a basis when sound relationships are established and maintained between the IT service provider and end users (Leonard, 2002). This paper aims to determine how the establishment of a sound IT-end user relationship can add value to the SLA for both the IT service provider and the end users, and increase the success of SLA’s.


Author(s):  
Aybüke Aurum ◽  
Oya Demirbilek

As we enter the third millennium, many organizations are forced to constantly pursue new strategies to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Examples include offering customers streams of new products and services, as well as continuously seeking to improve productivity, services and the effectiveness of product design, development and manufacturing processes. Consequently, new concepts, approaches and tools are emerging quickly as the globalization trend expands across the world. Product complexity, pressures to reduce production cycle time, the need for stakeholders’ contributions and multinational company as well as consumer requirements create the demand for sophisticated multi-designer collaborative virtual environments where product design can be shared and acted upon (Kunz, Christiansen, Cohen, Jin, & Levitt, 1998; Ragusa & Bochanek, 2001; Anderson, Esser & Interrante, 2003). Thus, researchers and practitioners recognize that collaboration is an essential aspect of contemporary, professional product design and development activities. The design process is collaborative by nature. Collaborative design fosters participation of stakeholders in any form during the design process. The design of a successful product is dependent on integrating information and experiences from a number of different knowledge domains. These domains include consumer (end-user) requirements, industrial designers’ professional design skills as well as manufacturers’ needs. This results in a product that performs at a functional as well as aesthetic level and that can be manufactured by the right process at the right price. End-user involvement is essential to product design, since products that do not achieve consumer satisfaction or meet consumer needs are doomed to fail (Schultz, 2001). Accurate understanding of user needs is an essential aspect in developing commercially successful products (Achilladelis, 1971). Hence, it is very important for industrial designers to gather the end-users’ needs and incorporate them into their designs. The involvement of manufacturers in the initial stages of the domestic product design process can lead to a dramatic reduction in a product’s development lifecycle time, also facilitating the coordination of the purchasing and engineering functions (Bochanek & Ragusa, 2001; Demirbilek, 2001). The increasing complexity of artifacts and the globalization of product development are changing research methodologies and techniques. A prime example of this includes the application of a virtual collaborative design environment (VCDE) for product design and manufacturing. This article focuses on the concept of virtual collaborative design. It describes a research effort to investigate cross-cultural collaboration in product development using online applications for domestic product design. The aim of this research is to investigate issues related to the virtual collaborative design (VCD) process, and to bring an understanding of stakeholder needs during the collaborative design process as well as to improve the relationships between end-users, designers and manufacturers. The article presents findings based on a survey study conducted with four different potential stakeholders: representatives of consumers, software designers, industrial designers and manufacturers.


Author(s):  
Bo T. Christensen

AbstractTwo studies tested whether introducing images to designers during the design process lead to more useful design solutions as evaluated by the end users’ willingness to use the final design. It was hypothesized based on theories in cognitive science and design that there were at least two paths from images to usefulness. One path concerns analogically transferring within-domain properties to the design solution. The other path concerns mentally simulating end-user characteristics and preferences and inclusion of the user in the resulting design. Study 1 supported that random images led to increased outcome usefulness, and supported both hypothesized paths, by using within-domain products and end-user images as input. Study 2 showed that the image categories competed for attention, and that the within-domain product stimuli attracted the most attention and was considered the most inspirational to the designers. The practical use of the technique may lead to only marginally original products perhaps limiting its applicability to incremental innovation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-35
Author(s):  
Zehra Waheed ◽  
Stephen O. Ogunlana

Purpose This study aims to investigate projects as social exchange networks, focussing on identifying knowledge brokers within the project network where they are key holders and disseminators of end-user needs. The purpose is to augment current theory through a practice lens so that building end-user requirements can be better incorporated in evolving project ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach An interpretive, an inductive case study is used to map knowledge brokers during a complex construction and co-location project. During the wider study, a variety of methods including archival data, interviews and questionnaires along with social network analysis (SNA) were used. The mixed methodology used has been pivotal in the triangulation of data from various sources. However, the output of SNA presented in this paper relies mostly on interviews and questionnaires administered to the project’s core network. Network relationships were mapped with knowledge of user requirements, being the key determinant of the binary relationships between actors. Findings The research found certain roles to be central knowledge brokers of knowledge related to end-user processes, including real estate and strategic planning, building operations and management, human and environmental factors, planning and project management and facility and service delivery. The knowledge of the above roles, albeit in a contextually situated case study, augments current understanding of which roles to tap on during project execution for better representation of end-user needs. Practical implications The research site is representative of a complex network of construction project stakeholders, including several categories of end-users and their representatives. The study demonstrates the use of the project-as-practice approach, whereby project theory is seen to emerge directly from practice. This has impact on practice as emergent theory about knowledge transfer and knowledge brokerage is essentially practice-led and hence more useful and relate-able to practitioners. Originality/value Research presented here is novel in terms of its approach towards understanding end-user needs such as need for privacy, control, attachment and interaction during construction projects. This is done through the identification of relevant knowledge brokers. The study uses SNA as an analytical tool to map knowledge transfers through the project’s network. End-user requirements are usually captured in the front-end of projects as specifications and deliverables, as new challenges emerge during execution, changes are required to the project’s direction and outcomes. It is therefore imperative that end-user needs are re-identified through knowledge brokers holding key knowledge. This allows project managers to prepare appropriate responses to changing project ecosystems.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederiek de Vette ◽  
Monique Tabak ◽  
Wendy Oude Nijeweme-D'Hollosy ◽  
Hermie Hermens ◽  
Miriam Vollenbroek

BACKGROUND Games are increasingly used in eHealth as a strategy for user engagement. While these game-based applications receive attention in literature, there is an enormous diversity of end users and objectives targeted by eHealth. Identifying game content that drives and sustains engagement is therefore challenging. Future developments would benefit from more openness on the game design process and motivational strategies applied. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to provide insight in our approach in the development of game-based eHealth in practice. By means of a case study, PERSSILAA, we elaborate the entire game design process and show the motivational strategies applied, to aid researchers and designers of future game-based applications. PERSSILAA is a self-management platform which aims to counter frailty by offering older adults training modules in the domains of healthy nutrition, physical and cognitive training to maintain a healthy lifestyle. METHODS We introduce four phases in the process towards game-based eHealth: 1) end-user research, 2) conceptualisation, 3) creative design and 4) refinement. RESULTS A total number of 168 participants participated in end-user research (1), resulting in an overview of their preferences for game content and a set of game design recommendations. We found that conventional games currently popular among older adults do not necessarily translate well into engaging concepts for eHealth. Recommendations include: focusing game concepts on thinking, problem solving, variation, discovery and achievement, using high quality aesthetics. Stakeholder sessions with developing partners resulted in strategies for long-term engagement (2), using indicators of user performance on the platform’s training modules. These performance indicators, e.g. completed training sessions or exercises, form the basis for game progression. Results from prior phases were used in creative design (3) to create the game “Stranded!”. The user plays a shipwrecked person who has to gather parts for a life raft by completing in-game objectives. Iterative prototyping (4) resulted in the final prototype of the game-based application. A total number of 35 end users participated using simulated training modules. The online game-based application was used without reported errors for a six weeks. End users scored appreciation (74/100), ease of use (73/100), expected effectivity and motivation (62/100), fun and pleasantness of using the application (75/100) and intended future use (66/100) which implicates that the application is ready for use by a larger population. CONCLUSIONS The study resulted in a game-based application for which the entire game design process within eHealth was transparently documented. We believe we have contributed to the transfer of knowledge on game design that supports engagement in eHealth applications. Our user evaluations indicate that results from end-user research and consequential strategies for long-term engagement led to game content that is engaging to the older adult end user.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Wingler ◽  
Herninia Machry ◽  
Sara Bayramzadeh ◽  
Anjali Joseph ◽  
David Allison

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of four different design communication media in helping clinical end users understand spatial and functional information and in supporting their ability to provide design feedback. Background: It is critical to involve clinical end users early in the design process to test design solutions and ensure the design of a new healthcare facility supports their ability to deliver high-quality care. Traditional architectural design communication media such as floor plans and perspectives can be challenging for clinical design team members to understand. Physical and virtual mock-ups are becoming more popular as design communication media. However, nominal evidence exists comparing the effectiveness of different design media in supporting clinical end-user engagement and contribution during the design process. Method: An exploratory, qualitative study was conducted with clinical end users to evaluate the effectiveness of four different media commonly used in design communication. Results: Traditional architectural representations convey limited useful information to clinical end users, impacting the amount and type of feedback they can provide. More immersive media, such as physical and virtual mock-ups, support an increasingly holistic understanding of proposed design solutions, inciting more design solutions that range from the inclusion and exclusion of design features to location, position, and functionality of those features. Conclusions: When used in combination, each media can contribute to eliciting clinical end-user feedback at varying scales. The overall preference and higher effectiveness in eliciting design feedback from clinical end users highlights the importance of physical mock-up in communicating healthcare design solutions.


Author(s):  
Jitender Grover

Underwater cable deployment facilitates the coverage and speed of internet all over the world for various applications like international trade, various communication transfers, and other daily end user requirements. Also, critical network infrastructure below the water remains largely unexplored to end users because they are not directly related with its development. However, the risk of damage or destruction by unintentional underwater accident or intentional malicious threats leads to costly and communications disruptions. This chapter solves two primary goals. The first is to highlight the issues in underwater cable deployment that may be seen or unseen leads to various potential risks that could interrupt cable-supported services. The second goal is to explore the various possibilities for securing the organization to ensure business continuity.


Author(s):  
Markku Leppänen ◽  
Markku Mattila ◽  
Jouni Kivistö-Rahnasto

The aim of this paper is to describe the use of Quality Function Deployment - methodology in designing the ergonomic properties of pruning shears. Ergonomic design is an essential part of product design. To join ergonomic design successfully to the design process, it is necessary to follow good design tradition and to take into account the special characteristics of ergonomics. QFD is a planning tool which can be used to identify user requirements and to interprete these requirements into product characteristics. QFD can be used for improving ergonomics and usability of products, and it has also features similar to participatory ergonomics. Both methods and approaches tend to integrate the end-user into the design process. This application of QFD - methodology described in this paper is at the moment at the stage where it can be used as a design help when aiming for more ergonomic pruning shears. It is especially suited to the initial steps of the design process when the first concepts of a new pruning shears are being developed. This application does not give any new information for the technical design, but it gathers the existing knowledge together into a form in which it is easily available. This way available resources can be allocated for those tool characteristics where they might give the most promising results. This application can be used during the whole design process e.g. in the form of a checklist or to compare prototypes with products already on the market. This research was supported by the European Community under the Industrial and Materials Technologies Programme (Brite Euram III) and it was part of the Eurohandtool Project (Contract no BRPR-CT96-0350).


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Houwaart

Abstract End-user (e.g. patients or the public) testing of information material is becoming more common in the German public health care system. However, including the end-user (in this case patients) in an optimisation process and thus enabling a close collaboration while developing PIMs is still rare. This is surprising, given the fact that patients provide the exact perspective one is trying to address. Within the isPO project, a patient organization is included as a legal project partner to act as the patient representative and provide the patient's perspective. As such, the patient organization was included in the PHR approach as part of the PIM-optimisation team. During the optimisation process, the patients gave practical insights into the procedures of diagnosing and treating different types of cancer as well as into the patient's changing priorities and challenges at different time points. This was crucial information for the envisioned application of the individual PIMs and their hierarchical overview. Moreover, the developed PIM-checklist enabled the patients to give detailed feedback to the PIMs. With their experience of being in the exact situation in which the PIMs will be applied, their recommendations, especially on the wording and layout of the materials, have been a valuable contribution to the PIM optimisation process. In this part of the seminar, we will take a closer look at the following skill building aspects: What is gained from including patients as end-users in the development and optimization of PIM?How can we reach patients to contribute to a PIM optimization process? Which requirements and prerequisites do patients have to provide to successfully work on an optimisation team?How to compromise and weigh opinions when different ideas occur? Altogether, this part will construct a structured path of productive patient involvement and help to overcome uncertainties regarding a collaboration with patient organizations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1363-1372
Author(s):  
Fan Li ◽  
Yuan Lu

AbstractArtificial Intelligence (AI) has expanded in a diverse context, it infiltrates our social lives and is a critical part of algorithmic decision-making. Adopting AI technology, especially AI-enabled design, by end users who are non-AI experts is still limited. The incomprehensible, untransparent decision-making and difficulty of using AI become obstacles which prevent these end users to adopt AI technology. How to design the user experience (UX) based on AI technologies is an interesting topic to explore.This paper investigates how non-AI-expert end users can be engaged in the design process of an AI-enabled application by using a framework called Smart Service Blueprint Scape (SSBS), which aims to establish a bridge between UX and AI systems by mapping and translating AI decisions based on UX. A Dutch mobility service called ‘stUmobiel ’ was taken as a design case study. The goal is to design a reservation platform with stUmobiel end users. Co-creating with case users and assuring them to understand the decision-making and service provisional process of the AI-enabled design is crucial to promote users’ adoption. Furthermore, the concern of AI ethics also arises in the design process and should be discussed in a broader sense.


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