Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio
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Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio
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Quito
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hugoarias@uti.edu.ec
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57210802646

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Evaluating Signage Accessibility for Individuals with Visual Impairments: A Case Study in Ecuador

2024 , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Valencia-Aragón, Kevin , Sandra Sanchez-Gordon , Tania Calle-Jimenez

A signage system is a visual design consisting of identification, guidance, explanation, warning, and other functions through a combination of text, graphics, and color that facilitates the orientation and movement of occupants in buildings by representing explicit information about the configuration and overall structure of the building. In this sense, well-placed signage provides information and significantly influences the search for paths in public spaces, but not all of these spaces meet the conditions of accessibility and inclusion. From this perspective, the general objective of this research is to identify, analyze, and evaluate the shortcomings of signage for individuals with visual impairments based on the requirements and legal regulations in Ecuador. The methodology was based on collecting photographs of signage located in a higher education institution. These photographs were selected in a way that they encompass the most important characteristics of informative signage. The results show that 44.44% comply with the current regulations in Ecuador, and 66.66% comply with the regulations for the inclusion of individuals with low vision. In the future, it is considered to propose a signage system that incorporates technology.

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Optimizing Agriculture with LoRaWAN and HCI: A Smart Approach to Sustainable Farming

2025 , Valencia-Aragón, Kevin , Zapata, Mireya , Cristopher Toapanta , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio

Modern agriculture faces challenges including water scarcity, excessive fertilizer use, and limited connectivity in rural areas, all exacerbated by climate change. This paper presents a smart agriculture system leveraging LoRaWAN technology and human-computer interfaces (HCI) to address these issues. The proposed system integrates low-cost sensors, a LoRaWAN-based network, and a user-friendly dashboard for real-time monitoring of critical variables such as soil moisture, ambient humidity and temperature. A proof-of-concept implementation demonstrates the system’s effectiveness in optimizing water and fertilizer use while maintaining scalability for large agricultural operations. The system operates reliably within rural environments without relying on traditional internet infrastructure, offering an affordable and sustainable solution. Field tests validate the system’s performance, highlighting its potential to enhance decision-making and resource efficiency in floriculture and beyond. Future work aims to expand the system’s capabilities with additional sensors, artificial intelligence for predictive analytics, and automated control mechanisms, further supporting sustainable farming practices

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Alternatives for Designing Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems for People with Disabilities and Older Adults

2023 , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Cedillo P. , Chacón-Castro M.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems (AACS) provide a variety of forms of expression used to improve the communication skills of people with disabilities and/or older adults. These systems consist of physical or digital communicator boards that use pictograms to represent an object, a person or an action. The objective of this article is to analyze some easy-to-implement alternatives of SAACs systems, including low-cost digital resources such as websites and Apps; as well as both high devices such as virtual assistants, AI chatbots like GPT, and tangible interfaces. The research analyzes the difficulties that older adults have in activities of daily living, and a proposal is presented that allows to adapt in a dynamic and scalable way. The prototypes generated allowed us to identify some strengths and weaknesses of the possible solutions. These results provide an opportunity for technology designers to take on board the recommendations and use them to design more robust systems adapted to their environment. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Analyzing serious games and literacy

2022 , Pucha G. , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Borja-Galeas C.

Technology allows access to a wealth of resources that facilitate learning, in the case of literacy offers audiovisual resources that streamline cognitive skills. However, pedagogical strategies are required to implement technologies and achieve meaningful learning. Serious games arise as a proposal that seeks the development of learning through the development of activities of the game adjusting to the main way in which it is learned: through what is said and done. In this context, the objective of the research is to establish the use of serious games aimed at reinforcing literacy skills that strengthen the learning of second-year students of EGB. The focus of the research is qualitative with a descriptive scope, in which interviews were conducted with the actors of the educational process. The results show that children fail to develop their literacy skills, due to scarce didactic resources, ignorance of methodologies, lack of practice exercises and poor integration of innovative strategies that stimulate collaborative learning in the learning environment. The development of a strategy based on serious games, from mobile applications for the strengthening of literacy skills, with positive reinforcement and constant feedback, will allow students to maintain interest and develop these skills that are indispensable to continue in the educational process. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

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Smart Signage with Augmented Reality: Inclusive Coworking

2024 , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Borja Galeas, Carlos , Piedra Ansatuña, Mario

This project focuses on the implementation of augmented reality signage designed to enhance user experience in a coworking space. The signage integrates 2D animations and virtual tours to provide an intuitive and immersive experience, from entry to the desired destination within the establishment. At the main entrance, a totem with a coworking directory features a QR code that visitors can scan to access an interactive directory. The 2D animations, thoughtfully designed with an inclusive approach, utilize validated corporate colors to ensure accessibility, especially for individuals with color vision deficiencies. Each business in the coworking space is identified by a unique corporate color, and internal business floor plans use analogous colors, adjusted to maintain aesthetic coherence and accessibility. In addition to being an effective navigation tool, these animations reinforce the visual identity of the coworking space. Each business within the establishment has an interactive virtual tour that guides visitors from entry to their final destination, providing real-time visual information for effective orientation. The signage system is based on WordPress to offer a seamless and efficient experience without the need to download a specific application. Upon scanning the QR code, users are redirected to a mobile-optimized web page. This page not only provides access to the 2D animations and virtual tours but also offers useful information such as business hours, links to the businesses’ and coworking space's social media, and other relevant details for the visit. This augmented reality signage approach not only enhances the functionality of the space but also ensures that all visitors, regardless of their needs, enjoy an inclusive and efficient experience in the coworking space.

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Design Thinking, Game Thinking, and Democracy Thinking

2025 , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Patricia Acosta-Vargas , Maria Elena Cruz-Artieda

Democracy is a fundamental value for every citizen, which has to do with human rights, societal development, peace, and security. Unfortunately, in recent times, it has faced ethical challenges at various levels, from the educational environment to political actors. It is imperative to inculcate these values from childhood, with the aim of sensitizing future generations to the importance of democratic governance, highlighting its values and principles as fundamental to achieving active participation, equality, security, and integral development in society. This study presents an experience with 150 primary and secondary school teachers who, through the application of Design Thinking and Game Thinking, collaborated in the design of educational resources supported by technology in order to promote the values and principles of democracy. The result of this process included the creation of interactive books, electronic voting systems, board games, and Escape Rooms that immersively encapsulate concepts and practices related to honesty and good practices of human beings. The purpose of these resources was to cultivate an interactive educational approach committed to democratic values. This initiative allowed teachers to immerse themselves in innovative and participatory educational experiences, thus enriching learning through interactivity and commitment to democratic principles.

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Gamified Proposal to Stimulate Reading in Primary School Students

2024 , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Montenegro B. , Zapata M.

The lack of motivation and interest in reading in students is a fundamental problem since the minimum levels of reading competence for their age and educational level are not being reached. This research was developed with the aim of identifying motivation problems and using gamification as a pedagogical strategy to encourage reading in students. The study had a quantitative and descriptive approach that involved 30 students. Data were collected through the survey technique. The results of the research showed that reading demotivation is due to the lack of support at home, boredom and low reading comprehension that results from the use of traditional resources such as books that fail to capture and maintain the attention and interest of students. In addition, it was identified that the students present as main reading difficulties: problems of recognition of compound phonemes, lack of reading habit and motivation, as well as the deficit of reading comprehension, so it was necessary to implement a virtual strategy based on gamification through the digital tools Genially and Classflow. With the development of the research, it is concluded that the use of gamification as a pedagogical tool allows to motivate the reading of children, since its interactive elements and rewards create a stimulating and pleasant atmosphere that generates a positive impact on the performance of the student body. © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Development of a Model for the Construction of Corporate Manuals with QR Codes

2024 , Borja Galeas, Carlos , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Piedra M.

The creation of a brand manual that includes QR triggers makes it possible to unify and update the traditional editorial design with new technologies. The present study exposes a construction model of these corporate identity manuals and all the processes that must be carried out to obtain positive results in their application. The unit of analysis of this research was developed with three brand manuals from companies in the city of Quito, to which augmented reality QR triggers were included, which allowed access to complementary audiovisual material that helps the suppliers of these companies to use and apply the mark appropriately. © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Usability Evaluation for Cloud-Based Enterprise Resource Planning Systems

2025 , Sandra Sanchez-Gordon , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , María-Elena Cruz-Artieda , Tania Calle-Jimenez

This study proposes a practical model to evaluate the usability of cloud-based ERP systems. The proposed model involves quantitative and qualitative methods, that is, we propose a mixed-methods approach that includes four dimensions: customized heuristics assessment with usability experts, use of automated tools, usability testing with users, and social factors assessment with organizational experts. This novel model differs from others in that it incorporates social factors into the usability assessment, recognizing the broad impact of the technology on the organization and vice versa. This last dimension ensures that the proposed usability assessment model is more relevant than traditional models in real business environments. The viability of the proposed model was demonstrated by providing case study results.

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Providing Access to Educational TV for Children Using RFID Technology

2022 , Zapata-Rodríguez M. , Álvarez-Tello J. , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio

Television is a communication medium found in most homes, facilitating accessibility to educational content through the reading-learning process. This paper presents a control system for educational television that allows the selection and playback of pre-recorded videos in a television decoder using RFID tags. This has been designed based on a controller that allows replacing the commands sent by a conventional remote control. To meet this educational objective, a prototype is developed from the mechanical, electronic and computer concept, to integrate a technological proposal that facilitates reading-learning, through a televised program and satellite transmission, integrating an instrument of personalized pedagogical assistance to an Ecuadorian spectacled bear for the assistance of children of a young age or with any type of disability that prevents them from handling a remote control. As a result, we obtained the experimental development of a basic prototype for learning-reading that works with connection to satellite equipment and activates the components for learning through television by means of an RFDI system. A unique tag is used for each pre-recorded program. When the RFID reader reads a tag that has been previously assigned, the TV module will transmit the sequence of signals needed to the TV decoder to play the specific movie or report. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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