HCI Midterm
gulf of execution
"how do i work this?" and "what can i do?" Goal → world the distance from the user to the physical system (user intention to what system allows)
gulf of evaluation
"what happened?" and "is this what I wanted?" world → Goal the distance from the physical system to the user
Types of nonverbal communication
(facial expression, gestures, body language, proximity, touch, personal appearance, silence);
Goals for user experience?
Desirable: satisfying, enjoyable, engaging, pleasurable, etc. vs. undesirable: boring, frustrating, annoying, childish, etc.
How is HCI different from interaction design
It's not
what is peripheral awareness
Keeping an eye on things happening in the periphery of vision; overhearing and overseeing - allows tracking of what others are doing without explicit cues
A mental model is sometimes described as
Knowledge
Co-located communication
physically in the same space; is the standard but distributed gaining momentum,
Goal of HCI
?
What are the 4 levels that HCI occurs on
1. Individual 2. Team 3. Organizational 4. System
main research and design issues of WIMP and GUI?
Challenge is now to design GUIs that are best suited for tablet, smartphone, and smartwatch interfaces
research and design issues with multimodal interfaces
Need to recognize and analyse speech, gesture, and eye gaze; what is gained from combining different inputs and outputs; is talking and gesturing, as humans do with other humans, a natural way of interacting with a computer?
What is telepresence?
New technologies designed to allow a person to feel as if they were present in the other location (projecting their body movements, actions, voice and facial expressions to the other location or person; i.e. superimpose images of the other person on a workspace
What is an expressive interface?
Provide reassuring feedback that can be both informative and fun, but can also be intrusive, causing people to get annoyed and even angry; color, icons, sounds, graphical elements and animations are used to make the 'look and feel' of an interface appealing (conveys and emotional state); in turn this can affect the usability of an interface (people are prepared to put up with certain aspects of an interface such as slow download rate, if the end result is appealing and aesthetic
Emotional Design Model
Sensory --> reflective, behavioral, visceral --> motor
What is HCI?
The study of how people interact with technological (used to be computing) systems. Should really be called Human Technology Interaction. Multidisciplinary field consisting of Psychology (cognitive, social, organization), social sciences, and computer science. It consists of both applied and basic research. The scope is constantly changing due to new technologies (ex. Mobility - ubiquitous computing)
Who needs to be involved in testing?
The users
What is a mental model?
Users develop an understanding of a system through learning about and using it. ow to use system (what to do next), what to do with unfamiliar systems or unexpected situations (how the system works); people make inferences using mental models of how to carry out tasks; "internal constructions of some aspect of the external world enabling predictions to be made"; involves unconscious and conscious processes (images and analogies are activated); deep versus shallow models (how to drive a car and how it works for example)
What is emotional interaction concerned with?
What makes us happy, sad, annoyed, anxious, frustrated, motivated, delirious and so on (translating this into different aspects of the user experience), why people become emotionally attached to certain products (virtual pets), how to change human behavior through the use of emotive feedback
Veen's design principles
Where am I? 2. Where can I go? 3. What's here?
what factors should be accounted for in design?
Who the users are, what activities are being carried out, where the interaction is taking place,
Which interface is best?
Will depend on task, users, context, cost, robustness, etc., mobile platforms taking over from PCs; speech interfaces also being used much more for a variety of commercial services; appliance and vehicle interfaces becoming more important; shareable and tangible interfaces entering our homes, schools, public places, and work places
What is a 'user experience' and can you design for it?
You cannot design it, but you can design for it. The user experience is "the way people feel about it and their pleasure and satisfaction when using it, looking at it, holding it, and opening or closing it" or "all aspects of the end-users interaction with the company, its services, and its products"
Command-based Interface
commands such as abbreviations typed in at the prompt to which the system responds (hard wired at keyboard or assigned to keys)
divided attention
ability to focus on multiple information sources at once, allows for doing more than one thing at once; must concentrate or focus on multiple information sources at once; often more difficult for people than selected attention (less accurate perception, slower response times, high threshold for detection and identification); performance depends on the task so maintaining attention of one target = good, but attention on 2 or more targets = incremental decrease in performance; divided attention generally decreases performance
Selective attention
ability to focus on specific information sources and ignore others; focusing on a specific task, object thing and drowning out irrelevant environmental factors; consciously focusing our attention on something; (i.e. cocktail party effect); can be impacted by visual or auditory (i.e. reading a book; visual disruption = lighting is sporadic; auditory disruption = music playing); if we focus too much on a specific aspect of the environment, our attention on other aspects can be compromised
Which form of communication should HCI attempt to satisfy?
all
What are conversational rules?
arious mechanism and 'rules' are followed when holding a conversation (i.e. mutual greetings); conversational rules: work on conversation analysis describe 3 basic rules: 1) the current speaker chooses the next speaker by asking an opinion, question, or request 2) another person decides to start speaking 3) the current speaker continues talking More conversational rules: farewell rituals such as "bye then, see you, bye, see you later..." and implicit & explicit cues such as looking at watch, fidgeting with coat and bags, or explicitly saying "Oh dear, must go, look at the time, I'm late..."
Attention + attention + attention = situational awareness
attention is one of the main cognitive processes that allows for awareness of a "thing" to be developed
What could happen if the gulf of evaluation and gulf of execution were bridged?
can reduce cognitive effort required to perform tasks
Color and HCI
color is so important because it is used to convey information and create knowledge (good/bad, healthy/sick), part of our socio-economic frame work (happy/angry), allows for localizing and identifying objects, used in UI design routinely
multimedia interface
combines different media within a single interface with various forms of interactivity (graphics, text, video, sound, and animations) users click on links in an image or text (i.e. another part of the program, an animation or a video clip is played, can return to where they were or move on to another place)
research and design issues with wearable interfaces
comfort (needs to be light, small, not get in the way, fashionable, and preferably hidden in the clothing), Hygiene (is it possible to wash or clean the clothing once worn?), Ease of wear (how easy is it to remove the electronic gadgetry and replace it?), Usability (how does the user control the devices that are embedded in the clothing?)
Recognition v. recall
command-based interfaces require users to recall from memory a name from a possible set of 100s. GUIs provide smart phones visually-based options that users need only browse. Web browsers, provide lists of visited URLs, song titles, that support recognition memory. Recognition is better than recall for design
Virtual Reality interface
computer-generated graphical simulations providing "the illusion of participation in a synthetic environment rather than external observation of such an environment";
What is the information processing model?
conceptualizes human performance in metaphorical terms of information processing stages; input or stimuli --> encoding (stage 1) --> comparison (stage 2) --> response selection (stage 3) --> response execution (stage 4) --> output or response
external cognition
concerned with explaining how we interact with external representations (i.e. maps, notes, diagrams), what are the cognitive benefits and what processes involved, how they extend our cognition, what computer-based representations can we develop to help even more?
Distributed cognition
concerned with the nature of cognitive phenomena across individuals, artefacts, and internal and external representations; describes these in terms of propagation across representational state; information is transformed through different media (computers, displays, paper, heads)
Consistency
design interfaces to have similar operations and use similar elements for similar tasks (ex. Always use ctrl key plus first initial for the command of an operation);
Shareable/Collaborative interfaces
designed for more than one person to use; provide multiple inputs and sometimes allow simultaneous input by co-locacted groups; large wall displays where people use their own pens or gestures; interactive tabletops where small groups interact with information using their fingertips (ex. diamond touch, smart table, and surface) (+) provide a large interactional space that can support flexible group working, can be used by multiple users (can point to and touch information being displayed, simultaneously view the interactions and have same shared point of reference as others), can support more equitable participation compared with groups using single PC
how conversational rules/breakdowns are supported in social media
do same conversational rules apply? Are there more breakdowns? How do people repair them for: phone? Email? Instant messaging? Texting? Skyping?
Design implications for memory
don't overload users' memories with complicated procedures for carrying out tasks. Design interfaces that promote recognition rather than recall. Provide users with various ways of encoding information to help them remember (i.e. categories, color, flagging, time stamping)
Web interfaces
early sites largely text-based, providing hyperlinks; concern was with how best to structure information to enable users to navigate and access it easily and quickly; more emphasis now on making pages distinctive, striking, and pleasurable
Main benefit of consistent interfaces?
easier to learn and use
What makes a good design?
easy, intuitive, pleasure to use, based on how everyday objects behave
Goals for usability?
effective to use, efficient to use, safe to use, have good utility, easy to learn, easy to remember how to use
Main research and design issues of command-based interfaces
efficient, precise, and fast BUT (-) large overhead to learning set of commands
Consumer electronics and appliances interfaces
everyday devices in home, public place, or car (washing machines, remotes, photocopiers, printers and navigation systems), personal devices (MP3 player, digital clock, digital camera), used for short periods (putting the washing on, watching a program, buying a ticket, changing the time, taking a snapshot), need to be usable with minimal, if any learning.
wearable interfaces
first developments were head- and eyewear-mounted cameras that enabled user to record what was seen and to access digital information; since, jewellery, head-mounted caps, smart fabrics, glasses, shoes, and jackets have all been used (provide the user with a means of interacting with digital information while on the move), applications include automatic diaries, tour guides, cycle indicators and fashion clothing
Types of Menus
flat lists, drop-down, pop-up, contextual, and expanding ones
Design Principles are...
generalizable abstractions for thinking about different aspects of design the do's and don'ts of interaction design what to provide and what not to provide at the interface derived from a mix of theory-based knowledge, experience and common-sense
Flat list menus
good at displaying small number of options at the same time and where size of the display is small, but have to nest the lists of options within each other, requiring several steps to get to the list with the desired option & moving through previous screens can be tedious
mobile interfaces
handheld devices intended to be used while on the move, have become pervasive, increasingly used in all aspects of everyday and working life, apps running on mobile have greatly expanded
Main research and design issues of VR interfaces
head-mounted displays are uncomfortable to wear, and can cause motion sickness and disorientation
research and design issues with speech interfaces
how to design systems that can keep conversation on track (help people navigate efficiently through a menu system, enable them to easily recover from errors, guide those who are vague or ambiguous in their requests for information or services), type of voice actor (male, female, neutral, or dialect? Do people prefer to listen to and are more patient with a female or male voice, a northern or southern accent?)
Perception and HCI
how we perceive objects is dependent on automatic neural signals ; things we perceive: shapes, size, color, depth, dimension; perception directly effects how people complete work and interact with the world (i.e. driving, flying, running/walking, making decisions); must consider how people perceive the environment and information when considering how to design environments or technologies to support work (control panels, user interfaces, workspaces); if we fail to consider how people perceive information-failure and harm may occur
Communication
how you transfer information or knowledge from one person to another
how conversational rules/breakdowns supported in 3D Virtual Worlds?
i.e. second life with over 8 million users; what kinds of conversations take place in these environments? VoIP versus chatroom talk? Which is preferred and why?
input-processing-output
input = information; processing = making sense of information (neural signals); output = action (decision or interpretation);
Mechanisms for awareness
involves knowing who is around, what is happening, and who is talking with whom
Design implications for attention
make information salient when it needs attending to; use techniques that make things stand out like color, ordering, spacing, underlining, sequencing and animation; avoid cluttering the interface with too much information; search engines and form fill-ins that have simple and clean interfaces are easier to use;
example of good vs. bad design discussed in class
marble answering machine
multimodal interface
meant to provide enriched and complex user experiences (multiplying how information is experienced and detected using different modalities such as touch, sight, sound, and speech; support more flexible, efficient, and expressive means of human-computer interaction; most common is speech and vision;
Context + memory
memory involves first encoding and then retrieving knowledge We don't remember everything-involves filtering and processing what is attended to to. Context is important in affecting our memory (i.e. where, when). We recognize things much better than being able to recall things. We remember less about objects we have photographed than when we observe them with the naked eye. Encoding is the first stage of memory. It determines which information is attended to in the environment and how it is interpreted. The more attention paid to something, the more it is processed in terms of thinking about it and comparing it with other knowledge, the more likely it is to be remembered. Context is important as context affects the extent to which information can be subsequently retrieved. Sometimes it can be difficult for people to recall information that was encoded in a different context (i.e. you see someone on a train. Person says hi. You don't recognize person at first, but eventually realize it's your neighbor. You are only used to seeing your neighbor in the hall of your apartment complex so seeing him somewhere else (out of context) made it difficult to recognize him initially.)
research and design issues with shareable/collaborative interfaces
more fluid and direct styles of interaction involving freehand and pen-based gestures; core design concerns include whether size, orientation, and shape of the display have an effect on collaboration; horizontal surfaces compared with vertical ones support more turn-taking and collaborative working in co-located groups; providing larger-size tabletops does not improve group working but encourages more division of labor
research and design issues of touch interfaces
more fluid and direct styles of interaction involving freehand and pen-based gestures; core design concerns include whether size, orientation, and shape of touch displays effect collaboration I.e. much faster to scroll through wheels, carousels, and bars of thumbnail images or lists of options by finger flicking; more cumbersome, error-prone and slower to type using a virtual keyboard on a touch display than using a physical keyboard Will finger-flicking, swiping, stroking, and touching a screen result in new ways of consuming, reading, creating and searching digital content?
Expanding menus
more options able to be shown on single screen than possible with flat menu, more flexible navigation, most popular form of these is cascading. Down side: require precise mouse control and can result in overshooting or selecting wrong options
How conversational rules/breakdowns supported in remote (distributed) conversations:
much research on how to support conversations when people are 'at a distance' from each other; many applications have been developed (email, videoconferencing, videophones, instant messaging, chatrooms); do they mimic or move beyond existing ways of conversing?
HCI is ...
multidisciplinary (psychology, social sciences, computer science, etc)
Why do we need to understand users needs?
need to optimize the interactions users have with a product such that they match the users' activities and needs need to take into account what people are good and bad at, consider what might help people in the way they currently do things, think through what might provide quality user experiences, listen to what people want and get them involved, use tried and tested user-centered methods
main research and design issues with with web interfaces?
need to think of how to design information for multi-platforms (keyboard or touch?) and (usability vs. attractive) vanilla or multi-flavor design (ease of finding something vs. aesthetic and enjoyable experience) -web designers: "thinking great literature" -users reading a website: "billboard going by at 60 miles an hour" need to consider how to best design, present, and structure information and system behavior BUT also content and navigation are central
What makes a bad design?
not intuitive, inconsistent, inefficient, lack familiarity
Why does cognition matter?
nteracting with technology is cognitive; need to take into account cognitive processes involved and cognitive limitations of users; provides knowledge about what users can and cannot be expected to do; identifies and explains the nature and causes of problems users encounter; supply theories, modelling tools, guidance and methods that can lead to the design of better interactive products; attention is a cognitive process
Does our emotional state change the way we think?
our emotional state changes how we think when frightened or angry, we focus narrowly and body responds by tensing muscles and sweating (more likely to be less tolerant), when happy we are less focused and the body relaxes (more likely to overlook minor problems and be more creative)
distributed communication
physically distributed; much harder to design for due to time gaps, lack of nonverbals and blindness of others
WIMP interface
precursor to GUI; windows, icons, menus, pointing device
Brain-computer interfaces
provide a communication pathway between a person's brain waves and an external device, such as a cursor on a screen; person is trained to concentrate on the task (i.e. moving cursor); work through detecting changes in neural functioning in the brain; BCI apps: games, enable people who are paralysed to control robots
Contextual menus
provide access to often-used commands that make sense in the context of a current task; appear when the user presses the Control key while clicking on an interface element, helps overcome some of the navigation problems associated with cascading menus
Affordances
refers to an attribute of an object that allows people to know how to use it (i.e. mouse button invites pushing, door handle affords pulling) popular in interaction design to discuss how to design interface objects (i.e. scrollbars to afford moving up and down, icons to afford clicking on)
Constraints
restricting the possible actions that can be performed, helps prevent user from selecting incorrect options, physical objects can be designed to constrain things (ex. Only one way you can insert a key into a lock)
GUI interface
same basic building blocks as WIMPs but more varied (color, 3D, sound, animation, along with many types of menus, icons, and windows), new graphical elements (toolbars, docks, rollovers)
Feedback
sending information back to the user about what has been done, includes sounds, highlighting, animation and combinations of these
main research and design issues with mobile interfaces
smaller screen, smaller number of physical keys and restricted number of controls, usability and preference varies (depends on dexterity and commitment of user); smartphones overcome mobile physical constraints through using multi-touch displays; Research and design issues: mobile interfaces can be tricky and cumbersome to use for those with poor manual dexterity or 'fat' fingers, key concern is hit area (area on the phone display that the user touches to make something happen, such as a key, an icon, a button or an app; space needs to be big enough for fat fingers to accurately press; if too small the user may accidentally hit the wrong key)
haptic feedback
tactile feedback (applying vibration and forces to a person's body, using actuators that are embedded in their clothing or a device they are carrying, such as a smartphone), can enrich user experience or nudge them to correct error, can also be used to simulate the sense of touch between remote people who want to communicate
What are the gulfs of execution and evaluation?
the 'gulfs' explicate the gaps that exist between the user and the interface
Why should human factors be taken into consideration?
to design/evaluate things that: Hopefully improve efficiency and performance, limit human errors, increase safety
touch interfaces
touch screens, detect presence and location of a person's touch on the display, multi-touch support a range of more dynamic finger tip actions (swiping, flicking, pinching, pushing and tapping);
tangible interfaces
type of sensor-based interaction, where physical objects (i.e. bricks) are coupled with digital representations; when a person manipulates the physical object/s it causes a digital effect to occur (i.e. an animation); digital effects can take place in a number of media and places or can be embedded in the physical object
Human factors
understanding humans (work, motivation, and needs)
What are the core characteristics of interaction design?
users should be involved through the development of the project; specific usability and user experience goals need to be identified, clearly documented and agreed at the beginning of the project; iteration is needed through the core activities; (need to consider culture and accessibility)
Usability v. Attractiveness
vanilla or multi-flavor design (ease of finding something vs. aesthetic and enjoyable experience) -web designers: "thinking great literature" -users reading a website: "billboard going by at 60 miles an hour" -in your face adds that are intrusive and pervasive
mixed reality interface
views of the real world are combined with views of a virtual environment; many applications including medicine, games, flying, and everyday exploring
augmented reality interface
virtual representations are superimposed on physical devices and objects
research and design issues of augmented and mixed reality interfaces
what kind of digital augmentation? When and where in physical environment? Needs to stand out but not distract from ongoing task. Need to be able to align with real world objects. What kind of device? Smartphone, head up display or other?
What are mechanisms for coordination?
when a group of people act or interact together they need to coordinate themselves; they use verbal and non-verbal communication AND schedules, rules, and conventions AND shared external representations
computational offloading
when a tool is used in conjunction with an external representation to carry out a computation (i.e. pen and paper); try doing the two sums sbelo (a) in your head, (b) on a piece of paper and (c.) with a calculator 234 x 456 =? CCXXXIIII x CCCCXXXXXVI =?? Which is easiest and why? Both are identical sums
What are conversational breakdowns?
when someone says something that is misunderstood: speaker will repeat with emphasis (i.e. "This one?" "no, i meant that one!") or use tokens such as eh? Quoi? Huh? Hat?
Coordination
when you transfer information or knowledge
Speech interface
where a person talks with a system that has a spoken language application (timetable, travel planner), used most for inquiring about specific information (flight times, perform transaction such as buying ticket), used by people with disabilities (speech recognition, page scanners, web readers, home control systems)
Types of verbal communication
written (writing and reading) and oral (speaking and listening)
