Open Access Published by Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag

Volume 14 Issue 1 - Special Issue: "User-Centred Recommender Systems"

Issue of i-com

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Contents
Journal Overview

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Frontmatter

Page range: i-iv

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Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Editorial

Jürgen Ziegler

Page range: 1-2

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Editorial

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Introduction to Special Issue on User-Centred Recommender Systems

Tom Gross, Jürgen Ziegler

Page range: 3-4

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Research article

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Merging Interactive Information Filtering and Recommender Algorithms – Model and Concept Demonstrator

Benedikt Loepp, Katja Herrmanny, Jürgen Ziegler

Page range: 5-17

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Abstract

To increase controllability and transparency in recommender systems, recent research has been putting more focus on integrating interactive techniques with recommender algorithms. In this paper, we propose a model of interactive recommending that structures the different interactions users can have with recommender systems. Furthermore, as a novel approach to interactive recommending, we describe a technique that combines faceted information filtering with different algorithmic recommender techniques. We refer to this approach as blended recommending. We also present an interactive movie recommender based on this approach and report on its user-centered design process, in particular an evaluation study in which we compared our system with a standard faceted filtering system. The results indicate a higher level of perceived user control, more detailed preference settings, and better suitability when the search goal is vague.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

User Interaction with Context-aware Recommender Systems on Smartphones

Wolfgang Wörndl, Béatrice Lamche

Page range: 19-28

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Abstract

In this article we give an overview on selected aspects of user interaction with context-aware recommender systems on smartphones. We discuss these according to the three steps of user interaction with recommender systems using subjective and objective evaluation criteria: 1. Preference elicitation: how input methods on mobile devices can influence the users’ rating behavior, 2. Result delivery and presentation: how results can be adapted to the mobile context, 3. Feedback, critiquing and refinement: how interactive explanation can improve the user experience. The selection of examples is based on several studies we did in different mobile scenarios.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Item Familiarity as a Possible Confounding Factor in User-Centric Recommender Systems Evaluation

Dietmar Jannach, Lukas Lerche, Michael Jugovac

Page range: 29-39

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Abstract

User studies play an important role in academic research in the field of recommender systems as they allow us to assess quality factors other than the predictive accuracy of the underlying algorithms. User satisfaction is one such factor that is often evaluated in laboratory settings and in many experimental designs one task of the participants is to assess the suitability of the system-generated recommendations. The effort required by the user to make such an assessment can, however, depend on the user’s familiarity with the presented items and directly impact on the reported user satisfaction. In this paper, we report the results of a preliminary recommender systems user study using Mechanical Turk, which indicates that item familiarity is strongly correlated with overall satisfaction.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

On the Importance of Subtext in Recommender Systems

Eliciting Nuanced Preferences Using a Speech-based Conversational Interface

Peter Grasch, Alexander Felfernig

Page range: 41-52

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Abstract

Conversational recommender systems have been shown capable of allowing users to navigate even complex and unknown application domains effectively. However, optimizing preference elicitation remains a largely unsolved problem. In this paper we introduce S PEECH R EC , a speech-enabled, knowledge-based recommender system, that engages the user in a natural-language dialog, identifying not only purely factual constraints from the users’ input, but also integrating nuanced lexical qualifiers and paralinguistic information into the recommendation strategy. In order to assess the viability of this concept, we present the results of an empirical study where we compare S PEECH R EC to a traditional knowledge-based recommender system and show how incorporating more granular user preferences in the recommendation strategy can increase recommendation quality, while reducing median session length by 46 %.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Supporting Informed Negotiation Processes in Group Recommender Systems

Tom Gross

Page range: 53-61

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Abstract

Group recommender systems make suggestions to groups of users who want to share experiences or products. Despite their high potential for helping users, GRS face diverse challenges that can be clustered into two groups: predictions and processes. Generating predictions of the goodness of the fit of recommendations to the group has been seen as a core challenge of recommender systems from their beginning, while supporting the processes of discussion for reaching consensus on the item to pick is a more recent challenge. In this paper I report on a base platform for GRS with powerful algorithms for generating and explaining recommendations with high predictions, and an easy and effective process model for GRS.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

A Hybrid and Modular Framework for Mobile Campus Applications

Alexander Kiy, Hendrik Geßner, Ulrike Lucke, Franka Grünewald

Page range: 63-73

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Abstract

Mobile devices and associated applications (apps) are an indispensable part of daily life and provide access to important information anytime and anywhere. However, the availability of university-wide services in the mobile sector is still poor. If they exist they usually result from individual activities of students and teachers. Mobile applications can have an essential impact on the improvement of students’ self-organization as well as on the design and enhancement of specific learning scenarios, though. This article introduces a mobile campus app framework, which integrates central campus services and decentralized learning applications. An analysis of strengths and weaknesses of different approaches is presented to summarize and evaluate them in terms of requirements, development, maintenance and operation. The article discusses the underlying service-oriented architecture that allows transferring the campus app to other universities or institutions at reasonable cost. It concludes with a presentation of the results as well as ongoing discussions and future work.

Brief report

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Wake Up From Your Long Hibernation! A New Virtue for UX Experts and Information Architects: Kissing Alive Intranets!

Karsten Wendland, Juliana Schwan

Page range: 75-77

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Abstract

Nearly every company has an intranet nowadays – whether it is an archaic document storage structure with network drive directories resembling a tree with many branches and roots, or a large-scale, web-based employee portal in a multinational corporation. The present issue of the i-com usability professionals forum focuses on intranets, featuring six short articles on opportunities and challenges in this area.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

No More Battles – User-centric Approaches as Key to Successful Intranets

Anne Christine Wagner

Page range: 79-81

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Abstract

In the short history of intranets a lot of IT-centric paradigms have been prevailing (tool choice, architectural questions, overall IT strategy). The emergence of intranet paradigms, referred to as Web2.0, as well as changed user expectations due to consumerization and high adaption of mobile devices challenge the traditionally technology-driven approach in enterprises: Today, users realize that there is more to claim and fight for. This article introduces approaches that start from the practitioner's perspective and help to align users, IT and strategic stakeholders with the purpose of forming an alliance between them and of finding the scope and design that fits all requirements.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

No Success without Purpose

Dorina Gumm

Page range: 83-85

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Abstract

The purpose an organisation attaches to its intranet should be the starting point for justifying an intranet project, defining use cases and ultimately being able to measure its success. An intranet's prospects for success are best when it is perceived as a tool for operations management. This is one of the core findings of the “KlinikNet 2.0” project chosen by hospital directors as one of five “IT Key Topics” in 2014.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Blessing or Curse: “Everybody Knows how to Write” – How Can Good Editorial Work Be Accomplished on an Intranet?

Heike Häfel

Page range: 87-89

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Abstract

In many companies, employees and managers alike are critical about the quality of their intranet. Solutions focusing on technical and process improvements frequently fail to produce sustainable results because they ignore one key factor for the quality of written content: Amid the day-to-day business routine there are too many obstacles for doing good editorial work and acquiring writing skills. To encourage the production of quality texts, an environment must be created that encourages writing, a culture where editorial work is firmly established, trained and performed efficiently.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Social Collaboration: Overcoming Inhibitions with Communication

Oliver Chaudhuri

Page range: 91-95

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Abstract

Employee empowerment is at least as important as a high level of usability for the acceptance and successful implementation of a new Intranet or social collaboration platforms – especially in view of the media skepticism in middle management and among middle-aged executives. Strategic communication is the key to driving cultural change in companies and successfully introducing new forms of collaboration.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Developing Intranet Strategy: An Interdisciplinary Building Block Model

Thorsten Riemke-Gurzki

Page range: 97-99

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Abstract

Intranets became the central platform for internal corporate communication, business processes and information technology in the last decade. This huge application scope leads to severe project traps: How can a corporate-wide, interdisciplinary intranet strategy be developed, established and maintained? This article shows the challenges and potential problems for the development of an intranet strategy. It introduces a building block model for intranet strategy. The model includes strategic dimensions as well as cultural aspects and project scope.

Publicly Available April 1, 2015

Call for a Holistic Approach to the Use of Social Intranets

Georg Kolb

Page range: 101-103

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Abstract

There are high expectations on what social intranets can do for productivity. However, there is still a large gap between promise and delivery, mainly caused by a misunderstanding of the user perspective. Usability of social intranets needs to be redefined in a holistic way, integrating the four dimensions of business, culture, technology and communication. And we need to build this integration into the workflow of social intranet teams by establishing a cross-functional body steering the project.

About this journal

Objective
This journal is devoted to human-computer interaction, media design, usability, engineering and systems evaluation, software ergonomics, cooperative systems, e-learning, mobile and ubiquitous systems, user-adaptive systems, agent development tools and methods for media in different application fields (including e-business, knowledge management, leisure and entertainment, transport, engineering, and medicine), barrier-free systems design, and the social aspects of information and communication technologies.

The journal seeks to build bridges between research and practice as well as between teaching and business, emphasizing interdisciplinary teamwork and application-oriented solutions.

The journal is the official organ of the special interest group on "Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)" in the German Association for Informatics (GI).

i-com is an open access journal since 2023. It publishes English-language articles only. The publication frequency is three times per year.

Topics

Computer science
Psychology
Media design
Marketing/branding
Sociology
Business management
Labor and organizational studies

Article formats
Expert research, review articles, and brief reports