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In the contemporary, fiercely competitive marketplace, companies must adeptly navigate the complexities of understanding and fulfilling user needs to succeed. By mining potential user needs from User Generated Content (UGC) on social media platforms, businesses can design products that resonate with users’ needs, thereby swiftly capturing market share. When predicting user needs in this paper, the collected UGC is first processed through operations such as deduplication, word segmentation, and stop-word removal. Subsequently, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is employed to extract product attribute features from UGC, cluster them to identify user needs and classify documents accordingly. The Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) model is then utilized for word vector feature extraction of the categorized documents, while also taking into account user interaction metrics to perform sentiment analysis of user needs using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). Finally, a Correlation Analysis-Vector Autoregressive-Markov (CA-VAR-Markov) model is constructed to forecast the evolution of user needs, and the Analytical Kano (A-Kano) model is applied for an in-depth analysis to propose strategies for product design optimization. In the case study, this paper takes the UGC from “Autohome” as an example to predict the user needs for the NIO EC6. Compared with LSTM and ARIMA, the prediction results are more accurate. Based on the prediction results and combined with the A-KANO model, suggestions are put forward for the optimization of the NIO EC6. The final results prove that the methods for identifying and predicting user needs proposed in this paper can effectively predict the development trend of user needs, providing a reference for enterprises to optimize their products.

PurposeBuilding on the “needs–affordances–features” framework, the authors explored how users are motivated by their needs to actualize the feature-enabled affordances and engage in the metaverse.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through semi-structured and in-depth interviews with 35 participants. The authors applied thematic analysis to summarize the key features and affordances, supplemented by frequency analysis to explore the significance of the features. Sentiment analysis was employed to explicate the relationship between user affordance sentiments and engagement.FindingsThe key features of the metaverse portal components—hardware, software and content—afford user behaviors. The features of mechanics and physics engines are important for user engagement in the metaverse. The affordances are related to needs satisfaction and user engagement. Mental immersion was frequently mentioned by the participants, implying that it is significant to afford mental immersion in the metaverse.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study provide a rich understanding for practitioners in the metaverse on how to use the features to afford user behaviors and engage them. The authors identified the key elements of user engagement that can be used to guide metaverse game designers.Originality/valueThis study provides a rich and systematic understanding of features, affordances, needs satisfaction and engagement in the metaverse. Going beyond a fragmented view, the findings conclude a research framework that weaves features, affordances, needs and engagement together.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the emerging and innovative technologies which integrate together to form smart libraries. Smart libraries are the new generation libraries, which work with the amalgamation of smart technologies, smart users and smart services. Design/methodology/approach An extensive review of literature on “smart libraries” was carried to ascertain the emerging technologies in the smart library domain. Clarivate Analytic’s Web of Science and Sciverse Scopus were explored initially to ascertain the extent of literature published on Smart Libraries and their varied aspects. Literature was searched against various keywords like smart libraries, smart technologies, Internet of Things (IoT), Electronic resource management (ERM), Data mining, Artificial intelligence (AI), Ambient intelligence, Blockchain Technology and Augmented Reality. Later on, the works citing the literature on Smart Libraries were also explored to visualize a broad spectrum of emerging concepts about this growing trend in libraries. Findings The study confirms that smart libraries are becoming smarter with the emerging smart technologies, which enhances their working capabilities and satisfies the users associated with them. Implementing the smart technologies in the libraries has bridged the gap between the services offered by the libraries and the rapidly changing and competing needs of the humans. Practical implications The paper highlights the emerging smart technologies in smart libraries and how they influence the efficiency of libraries in terms of users, services and technological integration. Originality/value The paper tries to highlight the current technologies in the smart library set-ups for the efficient working of library set-ups.

Purpose Qualitative researchers and information practitioners often investigate questions that probe the underlying mental models, nuanced perspectives, emotions and experiences of their target populations. The in-depth qualitative interview is a dominant method for such investigations and the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how incorporating hybrid card-sorting activities into interviews can enable deeper participant reflections and generate rich data sets to increase understanding. Design/methodology/approach Following a review of relevant literature, the case illustration presented is a grounded theory study into the student-researcher information experience with personal academic information management. This study uses hybrid card sorting within in-depth, semi-structured interviews, a unique adaptation that extends multi-disciplinary awareness of the benefits of card-sort exercises for qualitative research. Findings Emerging from diverse fields, ranging from computer science, engineering, psychology and human–computer interaction, card sorting seeks to illuminate how participants understand and organise concepts. The case illustration draws largely on methods used in interaction design and information architecture. Using either open or fixed designs, or hybrid variations, card-sort activities can make abstract concepts more tangible for participants, offering investigators a new approach to interview questions with the aid of this interactive, object-based technique. Originality/value Opening with a comprehensive review of card-sort studies, the authors present an information experience case illustration that demonstrates the rich data generated by hybrid card sorting within qualitative interviews, or interactive interviews. This is followed by discussion of the types of research questions that may benefit from this original method.

Purpose – Many video sharing sites (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, and Break) host user-generated video content in the hopes of attracting viewers and thus profits. Therefore, continuous use and video sharing behavior on the part of site users is critical to the continue enjoyment of other users and to the video service providers business. The purpose of this paper is to provide an improved understanding of what motivates internet users to share videos and spend more time on video sharing web sites. Design/methodology/approach – The authors propose a research model based on Uses and Gratification Theory and on Social Cognitive Theory, incorporating key determinants of web site stickiness. An online survey instrument was developed to gather data, and 265 questionnaires were used to test the relationships in the model. Findings – The causal model was validated using SmartPLS 2.0, and 14 out of 18 study hypotheses were supported. The results indicated that continuance motivation and sharing behavior were important antecedents of YouTube stickiness and mediated the influence of need, personal, and environmental factors. Practical implications – The proposed framework can be used by online video service providers to develop a platform that satisfies user needs and to enhance sharing intention. Originality/value – The study provides a comprehensive framework of the antecedents and effects of continuance motivation and sharing behavior on video sharing web sites.

Background Information about airborne pollen concentrations is required by a range of end users, particularly from the health sector who use both observations and forecasts to diagnose and treat allergic patients. Manual methods are the standard for such measurements but, despite the range of pollen taxa that can be identified, these techniques suffer from a range of drawbacks. This includes being available at low temporal resolution (usually daily averages) and with a delay (usually 3–9 days from the measurement). Recent technological developments have made possible automatic pollen measurements, which are available at high temporal resolution and in real time, although currently only scattered in a few locations across Europe. Materials & Methods To promote the development of an extensive network across Europe and to ensure that this network will respond to end user needs, a stakeholder workshop was organised under the auspices of the EUMETNET AutoPollen Programme. Participants discussed requirements for the groups they represented, ranging from the need for information at various spatial scales, at high temporal resolution, and for targeted services to be developed. Results The provision of real‐time information is likely to lead to a notable decrease in the direct and indirect health costs associated with allergy in Europe, currently estimated between €50–150 billion/year.1 Discussion & Conclusion A European measurement network to meet end user requirements would thus more than pay for itself in terms of potential annual savings and provide significant impetus to research across a range of disciplines from climate science and public health to agriculture and environmental management.

Prior research has shown the importance of latent user needs for enabling innovation in early product development phases. The success of a product is largely dependent on to what extent the product satisfies customer needs, and latent user needs play a significant role in impacting the way the product or service unexpectedly delights the user. Complications arise because traditional need finding methods are not able to account for the nuances of latent user needs. A user's need is multidimensional while traditional methods are built on deductive reasoning. The traditional method isolates parts of the user's needs, only pointing to what is deducible within its search space. To address this, we introduce abduction as a way to broaden traditional need finding methods. From a logic based argument it is shown that abduction accounts for the dimensionality of user needs by integrating various traditional need finding theories using design knowledge to isolate the latent need. This theoretical development shows that latent need finding must go beyond a deductive focus, to developing methods that are able to conjecture with the deduced facts in order to abduce the latent user need.

PurposeThe PICCH research project contributes to opening a dialogue between cultural heritage archives and users. Hence, the users are identified and their information needs, the search strategies they apply and the search challenges they experience are uncovered.Design/methodology/approachA combination of questionnaires and interviews is used for collection of data. Questionnaire data were collected from users of three different audiovisual archives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two user groups: (1) scholars searching information for research projects and (2) archivists who perform their own scholarly work and search information on behalf of others.FindingsThe questionnaire results show that the archive users mainly have an academic background. Hence, scholars and archivists constitute the target group for in-depth interviews. The interviews reveal that their information needs are multi-faceted and match the information need typology by Ingwersen. The scholars mainly apply collection-specific search strategies but have in common primarily doing keyword searching, which they typically plan in advance. The archivists do less planning owing to their knowledge of the collections. All interviewees demonstrate domain knowledge, archival intelligence and artefactual literacy in their use and mastering of the archives. The search challenges they experience can be characterised as search system complexity challenges, material challenges and metadata challenges.Originality/valueThe paper provides a rare insight into the complexity of the search situation of cultural heritage archives, and the users’ multi-facetted information needs and hence contributes to the dialogue between the archives and the users.

Technological innovation in the mobility and transport sphere is still strongly aimed at vehicle- or infrastructure-based systems. Actual user needs in regard to accessibility and usability of the links between different transportation modes are usually addressed by standardized planning processes. In a row of four consecutive Austrian research projects, every element in the chain of intermodal routes was addressed, starting from the user-centered features of public transport stops in both urban and rural transport systems, to the planning tasks involved in providing demand-driven public transport. The current iteration focuses on establishing a typology of intermodal mobility hubs, including a differentiated view of the potential users of a multimodal transport system and their respective needs at the station.

The pace of technological evolution in healthcare is advancing. In this article key technology trends are identified that are likely to influence nursing practice and education over the next decade. The complexity of curricular revision can create challenges in the face of rapid practice change. Nurse educators are encouraged to consider the role of electronic health records (EHRs), wearable technologies, big data and data analytics, and increased patient engagement as key areas for curriculum development. Student nurses, and those already in practice, should be offered ongoing educational opportunities to enhance a wide spectrum of professional informatics skills. The nurses of 2025 will most certainly inhabit a very different practice environment than what exists today and technology will be key in this transformation. Nurse educators must prepare now to lead these practitioners into the future. •Technology trends to consider in planning the education of the nurses of 2025.•EHRs, wearable technology, big data, and patient empowerment are areas to watch.•Nurse educators are key in positioning the profession for technology success.