Dr Keith Nesbitt

In this paper we set out to verify the existence of Miles and Snow strategy types in Australian small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) through objective classification. Australian SMEs, in particular, are interesting as they are reported to have some unique characteristics, with as many as 70% following a low growth or life-style pathway. While numerous empirical studies have been conducted to validate the existence and characteristics of the Miles and Snow strategy types in different domains for both larger and smaller enterprises, these studies typically rely on a subjective, 'self-typing' approach. In this study we employ a more objective approach by identifying measures from existing survey data that capture the strategic dimensions proposed by Miles and Snow. We use these objective measures in a K-means cluster analysis to identify four different strategic groups. Three of the groups correspond to the three 'viable' Miles and Snow strategy types of Defender, Prospector and Analyser; however, we also identify a 'Static' strategy type that constitutes 42% of SMEs in the sample. © The Author(s) 2012.

Information Visualisation is an emerging discipline that concerns the design of interactive computer systems that provide the user with a visual model of abstract data. Information Visualisation implies a mapping from the data attributes to the units of visual perception. Information Sonification is an embryonic field that uses sound rather than imagery to present abstract data. Information Sonification, implies a mapping from the data attributes to the units of auditory perception. In both these fields the need to describe appropriate mappings between the data and the units of perception has led to models or taxonomies that describe the available design space. While these models of the visual design space and the auditory design space may be appropriate for people working in a single sensory domain, these models based purely on sensory attributes are very disjoint. However, for designers who wish to consider a multi-sensory solution to information display, these disjoint models of the different sensory domains make it difficult to compare and contrast the possible mapping choices. This paper describes existing conceptual models of the visual and auditory design space and then proposes a different conceptual modelling of the multi-sensory design space. This new model describes the units of perception but is not based on sensory attributes, but typical information metaphors. Throughout the paper all discussions are illustrated using the UML modelling notation which is a standard notation used to document the design of software systems. .Copyright © 2006, Australian Computer Society, Inc.

Copyright 2016 ACM.Human startle reflex has been identified as a valid physiological measure of valence and arousal, providing a useful mechanism for evaluating player engagement in video games. In this research, we use electromyography (EMG) recording of the startle reflex of participants to explore the impact of playing, versus watching a play through, of a game. Participants in the research played and watched Parsec Studio's Slender: The Eight Pages, a freely available video game within the horror genre. Experiments were conducted both with participants both playing and watching the game, with results showing a statistically significant difference in startle responses between the two conditions. The results suggest that the fear state of the game is enhanced through player interaction and increased attention.

Copyright 2016 ACM.A frequent motivation behind the development of serious games is the notion that game play provides a greater level of motivation or engagement that encourages players to perform better or complete more difficult challenges. There are in truth many aspects to concepts such as engagement, immersion, flow or other terms used to motivate the use of games in place of more traditional didactic training approaches. In this paper we discuss some of the issues of usability and its relation to engagement. This discussion is framed in relation to a usability study of a serious game that is being developed to support psychological counseling of individuals with comorbidity of depression and alcohol use disorders. We compare issues of usability and engagement in the serious game called Shadow directly with a more traditional online intervention program called SHADE. The study uses previously established surveys, namely, the System Usability Scale, the Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use, and a modified survey for measuring Engagement to compare the two approaches. Results from a pilot study with 10 participants frame a discussion of the role usability plays in designing for engagement in serious games such as Shadow.

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.A key motivator for the use of serious games has been the notion that ¿gamification¿ provides users with an additional level of engagement. This study examines a traditional model of usability in terms of engagement and efficacy, presenting the results obtained from a formative evaluation of a serious game prototype that has been developed to assist in pharmacy education.

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.Sound in video games is often used by developers to enhance the visual experience on screen. Despite its importance in creating presence and improving visual screen elements, sound also plays an important role in providing additional information to a player when completing various game tasks. This preliminary study focuses on the use of informative sound in the popular multiplayer online battle arena game, Dota 2. Our initial results indicate that team performance improves with the use of sound. However, mixed results with individual performances were measured, with some individual performances better with sound and some better without sound.

When designing multi-sensory displays it is necessary to consider human perceptual capabilities and understand how people find patterns and how they organise individual elements into structures and groups. Gestalt theory, originally described in 1910, attempts to explain the way people perceive and recognise patterns. The early studies of Gestalt principles of grouping were predominantly concerned with visual perception, although more recently they have been investigated for auditory perception. This paper focuses on how individuals use the sense of touch (haptics) to group display elements using the Gestalt principles of similarity and proximity. A direct comparison is made with the visual grouping of elements using the same two principles of similarity and proximity. The hypothesis of the experiment described in this paper is that people will use touch to group display elements in the same way they group elements visually. Overall we found that a significant number of subjects used texture or colour to group the elements when there was an equal spacing between the elements. This supports our hypothesis that the principle of similarity is equally applicable for both visual (colour) and haptic (texture) grouping. Similarly, when subjects perceived an unequal spacing between the elements they used spatial position to determine groupings. These results support our hypothesis that the principle of proximity is also applicable for both visual and haptic grouping. © 2007, Australian Computer Society, Inc.

This paper discusses the emerging area of tactile and haptic display and some of the breadth of applications of tactile/haptic interactions. While many research studies have provided ergonomic insights into the design of tactile/haptic interactions, the many dimensions and properties of these interactions make it especially difficult to combine the guidance from these individual studies. The GOTHI-05 workshop (Guidelines on Tactile and Haptic Interactions, October 2005) brought researchers together to develop a collection of ergonomic guidance and a framework (the GOTHI model of tactile and haptic interaction (Carter, van Erp, et. al., 2005)) for organizing this guidance. The inaugural meeting of ISO TC159/SC4/WG9 further refined this framework and adopted it as the basis for structuring its new series ISO standards on tactile and haptic interactions. The model itself will be elaborated in ISO 9241-910 Framework for Tactile and Haptic Interactions. The model has already proven useful in identifying and organizing specific guidelines in the first drafts of ISO 9241-920 Guidance on Tactile and Haptic Interaction. The paper discusses the various dimensions and properties of tactile/haptic interactions, identified in an expanded version of GOTHI model and identifies major considerations based on this model for use by developers (and potentially by evaluators) of interfaces that make use of tactile/haptic interactions ISO, 2006).

The design process of any visualisation involves many design decisions. One way to assist with these design decisions is to provide guidelines. This paper introduces the MS-Guidelines and the rationale behind them. The MS-Guidelines form a group of structured guidelines intended to help in designing not just visual but also multi-sensory displays of abstract data. They are organised by using the structure and concepts of the MS-Taxonomy. This taxonomy functions as a framework that allows guidelines to be categorised at different levels of detail. High-level or general guidelines can support early design considerations. More detailed, low-level guidelines provide support for more specific design decisions. To assist the designer use the guidelines they are incorporated into a multi-sensory design process called the MS-Process. An introduction to the MS-Taxonomy and the MS-Process is provided and discussed briefly in the context of information visualisation. A summary of the MS-Guidelines for visual display design are also presented. © 2005, Australian Computer Society, Inc.