TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ulmer, Jessica
A1  - Braun, Carsten
A1  - Cheng, Chi-Tsun
A1  - Dowey, Steve
A1  - Wollert, Jörg
T1  - A human factors-aware assistance system in manufacturing based on gamification and hardware modularisation
JF  - International Journal of Production Research
N2  - Assistance systems have been widely adopted in the manufacturing sector to facilitate various processes and tasks in production environments. However, existing systems are mostly equipped with rigid functional logic and do not provide individual user experiences or adapt to their capabilities. This work integrates human factors in assistance systems by adjusting the hardware and instruction presented to the workers’ cognitive and physical demands. A modular system architecture is designed accordingly, which allows a flexible component exchange according to the user and the work task. Gamification, the use of game elements in non-gaming contexts, has been further adopted in this work to provide level-based instructions and personalised feedback. The developed framework is validated by applying it to a manual workstation for industrial assembly routines.
KW  - Human factors
KW  - assistance system
KW  - gamification
KW  - adaptive systems
KW  - manufacturing
Y1  - 2023
U6  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2023.2166140
SN  - 0020-7543 (Print)
SN  - 1366-588X (Online)
PB  - Taylor & Francis
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ulmer, Jessica
A1  - Braun, Sebastian
A1  - Cheng, Chi-Tsun
A1  - Dowey, Steve
A1  - Wollert, Jörg
T1  - Gamification of virtual reality assembly training: Effects of a combined point and level system on motivation and training results
JF  - International Journal of Human-Computer Studies
N2  - Virtual Reality (VR) offers novel possibilities for remote training regardless of the availability of the actual equipment, the presence of specialists, and the training locations. Research shows that training environments that adapt to users' preferences and performance can promote more effective learning. However, the observed results can hardly be traced back to specific adaptive measures but the whole new training approach. This study analyzes the effects of a combined point and leveling VR-based gamification system on assembly training targeting specific training outcomes and users' motivations. The Gamified-VR-Group with 26 subjects received the gamified training, and the Non-Gamified-VR-Group with 27 subjects received the alternative without gamified elements. Both groups conducted their VR training at least three times before assembling the actual structure. The study found that a level system that gradually increases the difficulty and error probability in VR can significantly lower real-world error rates, self-corrections, and support usages. According to our study, a high error occurrence at the highest training level reduced the Gamified-VR-Group's feeling of competence compared to the Non-Gamified-VR-Group, but at the same time also led to lower error probabilities in real-life. It is concluded that a level system with a variable task difficulty should be combined with carefully balanced positive and negative feedback messages. This way, better learning results, and an improved self-evaluation can be achieved while not causing significant impacts on the participants' feeling of competence.
KW  - Gamification
KW  - Virtual reality
KW  - Assembly
KW  - User study
KW  - Level system
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2022.102854
SN  - 1071-5819
VL  - 165
IS  - Art. No. 102854
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam
ER  -