A parameter guide for developing webcomics focused on small screen reading

There is a noticeable gap in academic studies between comic books and hypermedia. On the one hand, are found several publications on both printed and digital comic books. On the other hand, are publications aimed at media and technologies for content usability for small screen devices. Therefore, this study focuses on the development of comic books for small screen device reading. A parameter guide for the so-called Webtoons was developed, based on theoretical foundation, observation of webcomics in this style on content platforms, and 3 phases of qualitative field research. The research included interviews with comic artists, comic book professionals, and, seeking successive refinement, the guide's presentation to students as educational material.

Screen size effects in online data collections

Purpose This paper aims to examine if the response device (smartphone vs computer) used by participants in online data collections affects their responses. The screens of smartphones and computers differ in size, and the main hypothesis here is that screen size is likely to be influential when stimuli with aesthetic qualities are shown on the screen. Design/methodology/approach Two experiments, in which pictures of food items were used as stimuli, were conducted. In each experiment, the screen size of the participants’ devices used for the responses was a measured factor. Findings Participants with large screen devices responded with a higher level of (a) positive emotions and (b) attractiveness perceptions than participants with small screen devices. Practical implications The results highlight that the participant’s device can be a confounding factor in research projects comprising online data collections. Screen size thereby represents an additional factor calling for caution in the “exodus to cyberspace” that characterizes many contemporary researchers’ data collection activities. Originality/value When data are collected online, participants’ can use devices that differ in terms of screen size (e.g. smartphones, tablets and computers), but the impact of this factor on consumer behavior-related response variables has hitherto not been examined in existing research.

A Query Language for Data Access in Ubiquitous Environments

Recent progress in ubiquitous computing technology is allowing development of new and so- phisticated applications that are now able to store very large data on the mobile device itself, besides access data stored remotely. Thus emerges the need to query and maintain data from portable equipments. However, traditional query languages such as SQL (Structure Query Lan- guage) and QbE (Query by Example) are inadequate for devices with small screens. Hence, this work presents QbZ (Query by Zoom), a query language based on Semantic Zoom for small-screen devices. The proposed mechanism is particularly suitable to locate and access data stored in portable equipments. In order to demonstrate the benefits of using QbZ, usability tests were conducted, as well as a comparative analysis with the existing solutions.

Comparison of the Features of EPUB E-Book and SCORM E-Learning Content Model

E-books nowadays have greatly evolved in its presentation and functions, however its features for education need to be investigated and inspired because people who are accustomed to using printed books may consider and approach it in the same way as they do printed ones. Therefore, the authors compared the EPUB e-book content model with the SCORM e-learning content model from the respects of their content presentation, metadata and package structures. Drs. Chang and Hung found that 1) EPUB has the possibility to implement the advantage of content sharing and reusing. 2) EPUB e-books can present educational materials with multimedia and interactive components based on web technology. However, content creators should beware of the limited supported media types 3) EPUB lacks dedicated educational metadata. 4) EPUB e-books have a content reflow mechanism to adjust layouts to fit small screen devices and are able to use all resources offline. Finally, they determined the research issues and strategies that are worthy of further investigation and development for EPUB e-books in education based on our findings.

Increasing the Effectiveness of Mobile Advertising by Using Contextual Information

To avoid overtargeting consumers or targeting them at the wrong moment, mobile ads need to be relevant. Geographically, consumers have been shown to be more responsive to promotional offers from shops that were located close to them. For the lead time of promotions, insights are similar: The closer in time, the better the response. When considering the interplay of time and space, though, the picture becomes more complex. Recipients need enough time to respond given their distance from the promoted venue, but too much time may reduce response rates. It appears that people do not plan too far in advance for events such as movie watching or with small-screen devices such as smartphones. Another context that can affect people’s response to mobile ads is that of the environment - what is going on around people. In a study of mobile promotions during subway rides, mobile campaigns turned out to be more effective on more crowded trains. Even if this finding cannot be generalized to all forms of crowded environments, it clearly shows that context matters. Understanding its impact can help marketers become better gatekeepers by delivering the right mobile ad to the right person at the right time at the right place in the right context.

Smartphone Display Size Influences Attitudes Toward Information Consumed on Small Devices

Previous research has suggested that differences in the size of extremely large displays can change how individuals perceive and react to the displayed content. However, are such effects also observed on small screen devices (i.e., smartphones)? Participants read a news article on either a small or a large smartphone display and rated their attitudes toward the material before and after reading. Results indicated that although participants remembered information equally well across the different smartphone displays, the larger smartphone display did produce a larger change in attitude toward the material. These results suggest that characteristics of smartphone design can impact perceptions of the content being viewed, fundamentally changing how one views some information that has been gathered on these mobile devices.