Technology is a standard tool that first responders use in their assessment and planning during disasters. Despite the considerable number of hardware and software solutions adopted, first... Show More

Technology is a standard tool that first responders use in their assessment and planning during disasters. Despite the considerable number of hardware and software solutions adopted, first responders still often rely on paper plans when examining indoor disasters. The purpose of this research is to investigate the technical competencies of firefighters and test the building situation tool (BUST) to replace the paper plans. A mixed method approach was used to assess the technology self-efficacy and gather insight into perceived usefulness, ease of use, and the user experience from the firefighters (N=20). The findings show a sufficient level of competency, and that first time users prefer guided instructions, clarity in the user interface, controls, and options to customize the user interface. The findings have practical implications for the future development of BUST and its adoption to the workflow of firefighters.

This research examines the effects of factors such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, innovativeness, perceived information quality, and perceived customisation on... Show More

This research examines the effects of factors such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, innovativeness, perceived information quality, and perceived customisation on behavioural intention to use Chatbots. The research model designed is empirically validated using structural equation modelling with the aid of AMOS software. A five-point Likert scale-based structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 378 Chatbot users in an online method. The results indicated that the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, innovativeness, perceived information quality, and perceived customisation have positive effects on intention to use Chatbots, whereas perceived enjoyment is found to exert no effect. The research further discussed implications and future directions of research.

In the last few years, the growth rate of the number of people who are active on Twitter has been consistently spiking. In India, even the government agencies have started using Twitter accounts as... Show More

In the last few years, the growth rate of the number of people who are active on Twitter has been consistently spiking. In India, even the government agencies have started using Twitter accounts as they feel that they can get connected to a greater number of people in a short span of time. Apart from the social media platforms, there are an enormous number of blogging applications that have popped up providing another platform for the people to share their views. With all this, the authenticity of the content that is being generated is going for a toss. On that note, the authors have the task in hand of differentiating the genuineness of the content. In this process, they have worked upon various techniques that would maximize the authenticity of the content and propose a long short-term memory (LSTM) model that will make a distinction between the tweets posted on the Twitter platform. The model in combination with the manually engineered features and the bag of words model is able to classify the tweets efficiently.

Inter-platform consistency is a central inter-usability attribute in cross-platform service design. However, limited studies have investigated the importance of the different characteristics of... Show More

Inter-platform consistency is a central inter-usability attribute in cross-platform service design. However, limited studies have investigated the importance of the different characteristics of inter-platform consistency for user experience (UX) of cross-platform services. A discounted, easy, fast inter-platform inspection method for cross-platform service design is still unavailable. In this paper, the authors present the results of a study on inter-platform service consistency using a new inspection method. Three UX experts evaluated three cross-platform services using predefined inter-platform consistency heuristics (perceptual, lexical, operational, and compositional). The evaluation yielded 287 inter-platform consistency findings (194 negative and 93 positive). The results indicated that all predefined consistency heuristics that represent inter-platform consistency characteristics are important and should be considered when designing the UX of cross-platform services. The evaluators assessed our inspection method and found it appropriate and effective.

Cryptocurrencies have become a global phenomenon, and the number of registered users of cryptocurrency exchange platforms has grown worldwide. However, only a small number of the registered users... Show More

Cryptocurrencies have become a global phenomenon, and the number of registered users of cryptocurrency exchange platforms has grown worldwide. However, only a small number of the registered users are active users that engage in actual transactions. In this study, the authors used a multi-theory approach to identify the key factors of the adoption of cryptocurrency exchanges and to develop a conceptual model that would have a potentially high explanatory power. The proposed model emphasizes the role of psychological innovation resistance, functional innovation resistance, technology readiness and trust, perceived risk and risk propensity, subjective norms, and critical mass of users. The authors discuss the model along with the research propositions it implies and the theoretical and practical implications of the study.

University students' information literacy is not only related to their academic achievement, but also affects their lifelong learning ability and future sustainable development. The authors chose... Show More

University students' information literacy is not only related to their academic achievement, but also affects their lifelong learning ability and future sustainable development. The authors chose undergraduate students at G University as a sample, using questionnaires and statistical analysis to study the current situation of students' information literacy based on information literacy construct, lifelong learning construct, and sustainable development construct. According to the study, information consciousness and information morality performed better, information safety and information skills performed at a medium level, while information knowledge was the weakest one among the five factors. Gender, household registration, grade level, and major have various effects on the abovementioned five different factors. Based on the research, the authors give some suggestions for improving students' information literacy at G University in three aspects: The construction of G University's information environment, the introduction of digital learning resources, and differentiated training.

The internet is home to a multitude of social networks that provide users with a sense of community and connection across the world. Among these, Twitter and Reddit are two of the most popular.... Show More

The internet is home to a multitude of social networks that provide users with a sense of community and connection across the world. Among these, Twitter and Reddit are two of the most popular. While Twitter users follow and interact with other users (tweets), Reddit users follow and interact with communities known as subreddits. In addition to mainstream social networks, alternative platforms such as Parler exist for users who prefer less moderated online environments. However, there are also malicious users, such as bots and trolls, who exploit social networks for malicious purposes. Therefore, separating malicious behaviors from legitimate ones is crucial. This research aims to evaluate Botometer and RepScope systems to analyze the temporal posting behaviors of Twitter, Reddit, and Parler users and to identify bots, trolls, and malicious behaviors.

Researchers have focused on leadership, often overlooking followership. The notion of followership was irreversibly transformed with the advent and societal adoption of followership systems, such as... Show More

Researchers have focused on leadership, often overlooking followership. The notion of followership was irreversibly transformed with the advent and societal adoption of followership systems, such as Twitter. To examine such emergent systems, this paper advances a distinct form of followership: eFollowership. To understand Twitter and its users, the eFollowership concept is explicated and synthesized by adapting several followership lenses from the literature. The authors empirically examined eFollowership by assessing the roles constructed by 301 Twitter users and the relationships between these users' role-based characteristics and behaviors with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results showed that users' voicing and empowering behaviors were significantly influenced by users' characteristics: personal sense of power, eCourage, and social capital. Users' helping behaviors were related to users' personal sense of power and social capital, but not to eCourage. Surprisingly, users' disempowering behaviors were unrelated to all three users' characteristics.

This research evaluates e-commerce platforms (ECP) amid the COVID-19 pandemic and investigates the relationship between usability and user experience (UX) and e-commerce platforms performance (ECPP)... Show More

This research evaluates e-commerce platforms (ECP) amid the COVID-19 pandemic and investigates the relationship between usability and user experience (UX) and e-commerce platforms performance (ECPP) by testing online customer's interactions with online retailers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses assessed the research constructs' dimensions, dimensionality, validity, and composite reliability, while structural path analysis tested the hypothesized model relationships. The empirical results indicate that six usability dimensional attributes are strategically significant antecedents to UX and ECPP: navigation, information architecture, value of content, satisfaction, aesthetics, and consistency and functionality. An integrated framework of usability and UX is recommended for retailers running their businesses on digital platforms. This research investigates usability, UX, and ECPP through understanding digital marketing frameworks in e-commerce stores in the COVID-19 context, shedding light on the strategic role of usability attributes and how they affect UX digital performance.

This study examines the instructional design, learning experiences, and outcomes of a virtual community of practice (VCoP). In 2019, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine launched a continuing... Show More

This study examines the instructional design, learning experiences, and outcomes of a virtual community of practice (VCoP). In 2019, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine launched a continuing professional development program consisting of an asynchronous online module followed by an optional series of facilitated case-based videoconference workshops, designed as a VCoP. This program evaluation study employed a convergent parallel mixed methods design and combined data sources from participant pre- and post-program surveys and reflections with a content analysis of semi-structured interviews. The paper reports key enablers that contributed to the following outcomes: the value of an online module as a baseline of knowledge; the impact of the shared case studies, experiences, and peer support on reflection and modifications to medical practice; and skill development and patient-centered care as a result of module and VCoP participation. A model for the effective design and delivery of VcoPs is proposed that results in acquisition of new knowledge and skills and promotes patient-centred practice.