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CSOC 2017: Software Engineering Trends and Techniques in Intelligent Systems pp 158–167Cite as

Empirical Testing of Bends in Workflow Diagrams by Eye-Tracking Method

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Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 575))

Abstract

Workflow diagrams consist of nodes and connectors to express the steps of processing in the form of a visual program. The graphical vocabulary and the layout of the diagram have an influence on the user cognition of diagram. The aesthetic aspects also have an impact on users understanding. One aesthetic recommendation – “minimize beds in edge” was tested in workflow diagrams from ArcGIS ModelBuilder. Eye-tracking measuring in the laboratory was prepared for objective empirical testing. Five couples of diagrams with and without orthogonally bends were showed to 26 respondents. The user executed specific tasks above diagrams. Eye-tracking measuring brought interesting objective results. Eye-tracking metrics affirm that diagrams with orthogonal bends on connector lines have an average higher number of fixations, longer length of scanpath, shorter average time of fixation and longer duration time. The result is that the using of straight lines brings effective cognition of workflow diagrams in case of spatial data processing in geographic information system (GIS).

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Acknowledgment

This article has been created with the support of the Operational Program Education for Competitiveness – European Social Fund (project CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0170 Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geoinformatics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 50, 779 00, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Zdena Dobesova

Authors
  1. Zdena Dobesova
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Correspondence to Zdena Dobesova .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlin, Czech Republic

    Radek Silhavy

  2. Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlin, Czech Republic

    Petr Silhavy

  3. Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlin, Czech Republic

    Zdenka Prokopova

  4. Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlin, Czech Republic

    Roman Senkerik

  5. Faculty of Applied Informatics, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlin, Czech Republic

    Zuzana Kominkova Oplatkova

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Dobesova, Z. (2017). Empirical Testing of Bends in Workflow Diagrams by Eye-Tracking Method. In: Silhavy, R., Silhavy, P., Prokopova, Z., Senkerik, R., Kominkova Oplatkova, Z. (eds) Software Engineering Trends and Techniques in Intelligent Systems. CSOC 2017. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 575. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57141-6_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57141-6_17

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-57140-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57141-6

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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