The hospitality industry in Nigeria has the potential to contribute significantly to the country'... more The hospitality industry in Nigeria has the potential to contribute significantly to the country's economic development, but it is hindered by a skill gap that exists within the workforce. This essay examines the effects of the skill gap on the Nigerian hospitality industry and proposes strategies to bridge this gap. The lack of skilled workers in the industry limits its growth and competitiveness, leading to decreased customer satisfaction, an inability to compete globally, and revenue loss. The causes of the skill gap include inadequate training and development opportunities, shortcomings in the education system, and high employee turnover rates. To address these challenges, it is crucial to improve the quality and relevance of education and training programs in the hospitality sector, update curricula to include industry trends, establish partnerships between training centers and industry stakeholders, and expand vocational education and skills development initiatives. Soft skills training should also be prioritized. Additionally, the government should provide funding for infrastructure development, improve security, and create policies that attract international investments. By addressing the skill gap, Nigeria's hospitality industry can unlock its full potential, leading to economic growth and development.
Low-cost assessment and visualization of tree roots using smartphone LiDAR, Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) data and virtual reality
Continual monitoring of tree roots, which is essential when considering tree health and safety, i... more Continual monitoring of tree roots, which is essential when considering tree health and safety, is possible using a digital model. Non-destructive techniques, for instance, laser scanning, acoustics, and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) have been used in the past to study both the external and internal physical dimensions of objects and structures [1], including trees [2,3]. Recent studies have shown that GPR is effective in mapping the root system's network in street trees [3]. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has also been employed in infrastructure management to generate 3D data and to detect surface displacements with millimeter accuracy [4]. However, scanning such structures using current state-of-the-art technologies can be expensive and time consuming. Further, continual monitoring of tree roots requires multiple visits to tree sites and, oftentimes, repeated excavations of soil. This work proposes a Virtual Reality (VR) system using smartphone-based LiDAR and...
Joint Interpretation of Multi-Frequency Ground Penetrating Radar and Ultrasound Data for Mapping Cracks and Cavities in Tree Trunks
As the Earth's lungs, trees are a natural resource that provide, amongst others, food, lumber... more As the Earth's lungs, trees are a natural resource that provide, amongst others, food, lumber, and oxygen. Therefore, monitoring these wooden structures with non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) and ultrasound can provide valuable information about inner flaws and decays, which is an essential step for tree conservation. In recent years, GPR and ultrasound have been used to delineate the interior architecture of tree trunks [1-3]. However, more research is required to improve results and consequently have a more reliable interpretation. Due to limitations in depth penetration and signal-to-noise ratio [4], these approaches have a limited capacity for resolving features. The use of gain functions and higher frequencies to compensate for wave attenuation may exaggerate events and reduce resolution, respectively.In this context, an integration between GPR multi-frequency and ultrasound data can be used to address this issue. Data were col...
Detecting decay in tree trunks is essential in considering tree health and safety. Continual moni... more Detecting decay in tree trunks is essential in considering tree health and safety. Continual monitoring of tree trunks is possible using a digital model, which can contain incremental assessment data on tree health. Researchers have previously employed non-destructive techniques, for instance, laser scanning, acoustics, and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to study both the external and internal physical dimensions of objects and structures [1], including tree trunks [2]. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology is also continually employed in infrastructure and asset management to generate models and to detect surface displacements with millimeter accuracy [3]. Nevertheless, the scanning of structures using these existing state-of-theart technologies can be time consuming, technical, and expensive.
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 2022
Virtual reality (VR) user interfaces contain numerous dynamic interactive tasks, among which acqu... more Virtual reality (VR) user interfaces contain numerous dynamic interactive tasks, among which acquiring moving targets is a common basic one. Previous studies have investigated user performance in moving target acquisition in desktop and touchscreen settings. However, these findings are not directly transferable to VR where targets and user input have complete freedom in three dimensions. This paper concentrates on motion-in-depth, that is, where a target predominantly exhibits approaching or receding movement as opposed to lateral motion across the user's field of view. We report on two studies investigating how various factors including texture, shadow, alignment, moving speed and moving direction affect: 1) perception accuracy of 3D targets with motion-indepth, and 2) user performance, which we define as the combination of movement time (MT) and error rate (ER), in a target acquisition task involving motion-in-depth. Our data reveal a number of empirical results that are distinct from the depth perception of static targets and the user performance of 1D/2D target acquisition. We found that MT and ER when acquiring targets with motion-in-depth have strong regularities as the data showed good fits with Jagacinski's model for movement time estimation and a Ternary-Gaussian model for error rate prediction. We conclude with implications derived from this study for future designs.
ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 2021
Crossing, or goal crossing, has proven useful in various selection scenarios, including pen, mous... more Crossing, or goal crossing, has proven useful in various selection scenarios, including pen, mouse, touch, and virtual reality (VR). However, crossing has not been exploited for freehand selection using augmented reality head-mounted displays (AR HMDs). Using the HoloLens, we explore freehand crossing for selection and compare it to the state-of-the-art “gaze and commit” (head gaze) method. We report on three studies investigating freehand crossing in multiple use cases. The first study shows that crossing outperforms head gaze in selection scenarios of varying target arrangements. The second explores crossing, head gaze, and hand pointing in radial menu and dynamic interface scenarios. The third explores crossing as a function carrier for a variety of basic interaction functions in a drawing application. This work builds on existing knowledge on the goal-crossing paradigm by demonstrating its potential as a useful interaction method in 3D AR HMD interfaces.
Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, 2016
A majority of Stroke survivors have an arm impairment (up to 80%), which persists over the long t... more A majority of Stroke survivors have an arm impairment (up to 80%), which persists over the long term (>12 months). Physiotherapy experts believe that a rehabilitation Aide-Memoire could help these patients [25]. Hence, we designed, with the input of physiotherapists, Stroke experts and former Stroke patients, the Aide-Memoire Stroke (AIMS) App to help them remember to exercise more frequently. We evaluated its use in a controlled field evaluation on a smartphone, tablet and smartwatch. Since one of the main features of the app is to remind Stroke survivors to exercise we also investigated reminder modalities (i.e., visual, vibrate, audio, speech). One key finding is that Stroke survivors opted for a combination of modalities to remind them to conduct their exercises. Also, Stroke survivors seem to prefer smartphones compared to other mobile devices due to their ease of use, usability, familiarity and being easier to handle with one arm.
An investigation of user responses to specifically designed activities in a multimodal location based game
Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces, 2010
Location-based games offer opportunities for us to learn more about what different types of inter... more Location-based games offer opportunities for us to learn more about what different types of interactions are appropriate in certain settings. In our study we designed several different types of activity (i.e. from standard key presses, to very physical lunges, to speech cues) that required the players to use different modalities in certain locations. Since the players could play the game whenever they wanted over the course of several days and the game space covered a wide area, i.e. the whole of the university campus, we needed a way to capture any of the activities, emotions and interactions whether these were the ones expected or not. The objective of this paper therefore was to investigate whether we could design certain multimodal interactions which would produce certain reactions and capture this using a carefully selected set of capture methods from logs to self report. In order to test the different interactions we designed a location based game that can be played on any Bluetooth enabled mobile phone that has an accelerometer. The game has been designed to interweave with a persons’ normal activity: as a result there is little distinction between gaming time and non-gaming time.
Visualizing rehabilitation in the home for high fall-risk older adults: A case study
Gait & Posture, 2014
Studies have shown that functional strength and balance exercises can reduce the risk of falling ... more Studies have shown that functional strength and balance exercises can reduce the risk of falling in older people if they are done on a regular basis. However, the repetitive nature of these exercises; combined with the inherent lack of feedback of progress may discourage seniors to exercise in the home, thereby rendering such an intervention ineffective (Nyman et al. 2011). The study hypothesized that the use of visual feedback will be more effective in promoting adherence to home rehabilitation than standard care; thereby promoting independence, reducing the risk of falling, and improving the quality of life in older adults.
This paper describes a series of user studies carried out to investigate the usability, significa... more This paper describes a series of user studies carried out to investigate the usability, significance, and acceptance of two visualization tools designed to improve the quality of, and adherence to home-based exercise programmes for musculoskeletal rehabilitation. The core functionality of these visualization tools enabled the users to observe the optimal way to perform their exercises via a mannequin, and receive feedback on their own movements through the use of body worn sensors. Before full deployment in the home, two user studies were carried out in the laboratory, and then two in the home with seniors who had recently undergone musculoskeletal rehabilitation using a standard care paper based booklet in the home. Our key findings suggest that by using the visualization tools the participants were able to overcome the major limitations of standard care; and that these tools were considered by the users to be useful in encouraging participation in home exercise.
Capturing the response of players to a location-based game
Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 2010
Location-based games offer opportunities for us to learn more about people’s interactions and fee... more Location-based games offer opportunities for us to learn more about people’s interactions and feelings towards the environment they are in as well as to understand more about the mental models and locations associated with known environments, e.g. a university campus with its associations of learning. In our study, we wanted to manipulate the activities in a game to take advantage
Rehabilitation has proven effective to significantly reduce fall risk in seniors; however, low ad... more Rehabilitation has proven effective to significantly reduce fall risk in seniors; however, low adherence to home rehabilitation and a lack of feedback on performance and progress indicate that seniors might not receive the amount of therapy necessary to reduce their risk of falling. We present a tailored exergame system for the home (called Recov-R) to motivate seniors to exercise and facilitate effective recovery by promoting optimal quality of movement during exercise. Based on an 8-week field study, with 38 participants, we present results on the use of the Recov-R system, versus standard care, in the home. Our findings suggest that the use of the system can increase adherence to exercise and reduce fall risk by improving outcomes of physical function -mobility and balance. We also highlight opportunities, based on these results, for the design of effective exergame technologies for musculoskeletal rehabilitation in the home.
Rehabilitation has proven effective to significantly reduce fall risk in seniors; however, low ad... more Rehabilitation has proven effective to significantly reduce fall risk in seniors; however, low adherence to home rehabilitation and a lack of feedback on performance and progress indicate that seniors might not receive the amount of therapy necessary to reduce their risk of falling. We present a tailored exergame system for the home (called Recov-R) to motivate seniors to exercise and facilitate effective recovery by promoting optimal quality of movement during exercise. Based on an 8-week field study, with 38 participants, we present results on the use of the Recov-R system, versus standard care, in the home. Our findings suggest that the use of the system can increase adherence to exercise and reduce fall risk by improving outcomes of physical function—mobility and balance. We also highlight opportunities, based on these results, for the design of effective exergame technologies for musculoskeletal rehabilitation in the home.
Inclusively designing IDA: effectively communicating falls risk to stakeholders
Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, 2018
Although gait/balance analysis methods have proven effective for assessing falls risk (FR), they ... more Although gait/balance analysis methods have proven effective for assessing falls risk (FR), they are mostly confined to the laboratory and rely on expensive specialist equipment. Recent sensor technologies have made it possible to capture FR data accurately; however, no exploration has been done on how to effectively communicate these data to seniors in both healthcare and free-living settings. We describe IDA (Insole Device for Assessment of Falls Risk), comprising a relatively inexpensive insole and prototype application that provides feedback to stakeholders. To explore what level of FR data should best be communicated to different stakeholders, we conducted workshops with 26 seniors and interviewed 7 healthcare workers in the UK. We highlight stakeholder preferences on viewing FR data to foster greater understanding of outcomes and enhance communication between stakeholders. Finally, we identify opportunities for design on enhancing understanding of gait/balance outcomes; these ...
Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Crowdwork can enable invaluable opportunities for people with disabilities, not least the work fe... more Crowdwork can enable invaluable opportunities for people with disabilities, not least the work fexibility and the ability to work from home, especially during the current Covid-19 pandemic. This paper investigates how engagement in crowdwork tasks is afected by individual disabilities and the resulting implications for HCI. We frst surveyed 1,000 Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) workers to identify demographics of crowdworkers who identify as having various disabilities within the AMT ecosystem-including vision, hearing, cognition/mental, mobility, reading and motor impairments. Through a second focused survey and follow-up interviews, we provide insights into how respondents cope with crowdwork tasks. We found that standard task factors, such as task completion time and presentation, often do not account for the needs of users with disabilities, resulting in anxiety and a feeling of depression on occasion. We discuss how to alleviate barriers to enable efective interaction for crowdworkers with disabilities. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in accessibility; • Information systems → Crowdsourcing.
Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies
Little is known on how to effectively represent rehabilitation progress, over a period of time, u... more Little is known on how to effectively represent rehabilitation progress, over a period of time, using exercise game (exergame) technologies. Progress in falls rehabilitation, which consists of improved performance in balance and muscle strength, is essential to assuring seniors of a reduced risk of falling. In this paper, we build on our previous research into exergames for falls, and we investigate how an exergame system can be used to communicate long-term progress to seniors. Using a multiphase user-centered requirements gathering process, we first investigated stakeholder perspectives regarding progress in self-managed rehabilitation. Following this we describe the home-based evaluation of our prototype exergame system, which highlights rehabilitation progress, with seniors, over a period of 2 months. Progress, in our system is communicated using charts of exercise performance and frequency, as well as medals awarded for achieving longer-term rehabilitation milestones. We report...
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Papers by Stephen Uzor