In this paper, we discuss our experience in offering a usability course with projects taken from an active open source software development project. We describe what was done in the class inside the larger context of the usability of open source software. We conclude with an invitation for others to adopt this model and use it for their own purposes.

Abstract. Consumer research has indicated that consumers use compensatory and non-compensatory decision strategies when formulating their purchasing decisions. Compensatory decision-making strategies are used when the consumer fully rationalizes their decision outcome whereas non-compensatory decision-making strategies are used when the consumer considers only that information which has most meaning to them at the time of decision. When designing online shopping support tools, incorporating these decision-making strategies with the goal of personalizing the design of the user interface may enhance the overall quality and satisfaction of the consumer's shopping experiences. This paper presents work towards this goal. The authors describe research that refines a previously developed procedure, using techniques in cluster analysis and rough sets, to obtain consumer information needed in support of designing customizable and personalized user interface enhancements. The authors further refine their procedure by examining and evaluating techniques in traditional association mining, specifically conducting experimentation using the Eclat algorithm for use with the authors' previous work. A summary discussing previous work in relation to the new evaluation is provided. Results are analyzed and opportunities for future work are described.

There is a large gap between attitude and action when it comes to consumer purchases of ethical food. Amongst the various aspects of this gap, this paper focuses on the difficulty in knowing enough about the various dimensions of food production, distribution and consumption to make an ethical food purchasing decision. There is neither one universal definition of ethical food. We suggest that it is possible to support consumers in operationalizing their own ethics of food with the use of appropriate Information and Communication Technology (ICT). We consider eggs as an example because locally produced options are available to many people on every continent. We consider the dimensions upon which food ethics may be constructed, then discuss the information required to assess it and the tools that can support it. We then present an overview of opportunities for design of a new software tool. Finally, we offer some points for discussion and future work.

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