Tom Gross - Böcker

Usability has become increasingly important as an essential part of the design and development of software and systems for all sectors of society, business, industry, government and education, as well as a topic of research. As interactive systems have become the norm and the variety of hardware and software has increased, it is no longer sufficient to just make the technology work in a functional and reliable manner. Now the usability of the technology for any given application or situation can be measured in terms of how easily, effectively and efficiently people can use it to accomplish their tasks and achieve their goals. Just as important as functionality is whether and to what extent users of technology are satisfied with their experiences when using technology. Alternative ways of design and development incorporating usability have been proposed and documented and many projects undertaken to explore how to improve and enhance the lives of people when using information technology and communication systems. Improving the design process and product quality benefits not only business and industry, but also the people who use the systems and products.These benefits can only be achieved by integrating usability into the mainstream of the system development life cycle. This text presents contributions from practitioners and researchers from many countries. Starting with an introduction of the problems that industry faces and suggested usability solutions to these problems, it goes on to explore various technical areas.

Usability has become increasingly important as an essential part of the design and development of software and systems for all sectors of society, business, industry, government and education, as well as a topic of research. Today, we can safely say that, in many parts of the world, information technology and communications is or is becoming a central force in revolutionising the way that we all live and how our societies function. IFIP's mission states clearly that it "encourages and assists in the development, exploitation and application of information technology for the benefit of all people". The question that must be considered now is how much attention has been given to the usability of the IT-based systems that we use in our work and daily lives. There is much evidence to indicate that the real interests and needs of people have not yet been embraced in a substantial way by IT decision­ makers and when developing and implementing the IT systems that shape our lives, both as private individuals and at work. But some headway has been made. Three years ago, the IFIP Technical Committee on Human­ Computer Interaction (IFIP TC13) gave the subject of usability its top priority for future work in advancing HCI within the international community. This Usability Stream of the IFIP World Computer Congress is a result of this initiative. It provides a showcase on usability involving some practical business solutions and experiences, and some research findings.

The four-volume set LNCS 9296-9299 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th IFIP TC13 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, INTERACT 2015, held in Bamberg, Germany, in September 2015. HCI for developing regions and social development;

The four-volume set LNCS 9296-9299 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th IFIP TC13 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, INTERACT 2015, held in Bamberg, Germany, in September 2015. The 43 papers included in the third volume are organized in topical sections on HCI for global software development;

The four-volume set LNCS 9296-9299 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th IFIP TC13 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, INTERACT 2015, held in Bamberg, Germany, in September 2015. accessible interfaces for blind people; accessible interfaces for older adults; interfaces for cognitive support;

The four-volume set LNCS 9296-9299 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th IFIP TC13 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, INTERACT 2015, held in Bamberg, Germany, in September 2015.The 74 full and short papers and 4 organizational overviews, 2 panels, 6 tutorials, and 11 workshops included in the fourth volume are organized in topical sections on tangible and tactile interaction; tools for design; touch and haptic; user and task modelling; visualization; visualization 3D; visualization in virtual spaces; wearable computing; demonstrations; and interactive posters.

INTERACT 2009 was the 12th of a series of INTERACT international c- ferences supported by the IFIP Technical Committee 13 on Human–Computer Interaction. This year,INTERACT washeld in Uppsala (Sweden), organizedby the Swedish Interdisciplinary Interest Group for Human–Computer Interaction (STIMDI) in cooperation with the Department of Information Technology at Uppsala University. Like its predecessors, INTERACT 2009 highlighted, both to the academic and to the industrial world, the importance of the human–computer interaction (HCI) area and its most recent breakthroughs on current applications. Both - perienced HCI researchers and professionals, as well as newcomers to the HCI ?eld, interested in designing or evaluating interactive software, developing new interaction technologies, or investigating overarching theories of HCI, found in INTERACT 2009 a great forum for communication with people of similar int- ests, to encourage collaboration and to learn. INTERACT 2009 had Research and Practice as its special theme. The r- son we selected this theme is that the research within the ?eld has drifted away from the practicalapplicability of its results and that the HCI practice has come to disregard the knowledge and development within the academic community.