Test 1 Norman Chapters 1-2 & S
Define human-centered design.
"an approach that puts human needs, capabilities, and behavior first, then designs to accommodate those needs, capabilities, and ways of behaving."
True or False: A Likert Scale is a selection of statements, each similar to a semantic differential, that when analyzed together portray a user's attitude.
TRUE
True or False: A computer system that is usable in one context may be unusable in another.
TRUE
True or False: An email is an example of indirect observation.
TRUE
True or False: Effectiveness is the accuracy and completeness with which specified users can achieve specified goals in particular environments.
TRUE
True or False: The essential difference between the classic life cycle and user-centered interface design is that user interface design and development is based on the premise that users should be involved throughout the design life cycle.
TRUE
True or False: The more structured the interview, the easier it is for the interviewer. The less structure, the more scope there is for picking up relevant issues.
TRUE
True or False: The two types of knowledge needed for UI Design are information-gathering activities and design rules/principles.
TRUE
True or False: When designing a product, it would be in the creators best interest to have a series of test subjects test out the product to determine if the product is user friendly.
TRUE
True or False: When the process of mapping uses spatial correspondence between the layout of the controls and the devices being controlled, it is easy to determine how to use them.
TRUE
True or False: In the perspective of the user the computer system is often limited to and based solely on their interaction with the UI ?
TRUE
True or False: Semantic differentials are often created with several points, but five-point or even three-point scales can be just as effective and are quicker to analyze.
TRUE
True or False: User-centered interface design involves users throughout the design life cycle with an iterative design process unlike the waterfall method which follows a linear process.
TRUE
True or False: Objects can have different affordances for different users.
TRUE
When surfing the internet, what forms the interface between you and the website? A. The pages of the website are displayed on your PC. B. The Mouse C. The login screen D. The Keyboard.
A. The pages of the website are displayed on your PC.
Name the 4 essential human-centered design activities.
1. understand and specify the context of use 2. specify the user and organizational requirements 3. produce design solutions 4. evaluate designs with users against requirements
What is a computer system?
A combination of hardware and software components that receives information and communicates an output.
What is a conceptual model and how is it cohesive with a mental model ?
A conceptual model is an explanation, usually highly simplified, of how something works. It doesn't have to be complete or even accurate as long as it is useful. For example the files, folders, and icons you see displayed on a computer screen help people create the conceptual model of documents and folders inside the computer, or of apps or applications residing on the screen, waiting to be summoned. A conceptual model is often inferred by the device itself; however, mental models, as the name implies, are conceptual models in people's minds that represent their understanding of how things work. Different people may hold different mental models of the same item. Indeed, a single person might have multiple models of the same item, each dealing with a different aspect of its operation: the models can even be in conflict.
In detail, explain what the designer's conceptual model, the system image, and the user's conceptual model of a product is and the relationship between them.
A designer's conceptual model is what the designer thinks their product should look and feel like and how they think their product should work. The system image is what information that can be obtained from the physical form of the product and easily accessed instructions/signifiers after it has left the designer. A user's conceptual model is what the user determines about the product from the information provided by the system image through direct interaction and reviewing any instruction or signifiers that were included.
Name 2 types of evaluation. Explain what they evaluate.
A diagnostic evaluation is when you look for as many problems as possible. A measurement evaluation is when you try to measure the performance of the system.
Describe the difference between felt needs and expressed needs of a user when designing a new UI.
A felt need is when a user does not know what they want in a product but might be useful in accomplishing their goals. Versus an expressed need is when a user knows an exact feature they want added/changed and is an essential requirement to the UI.
What is a good User Interface Design?
A good User Interface Design is one that is easy to follow and interact with. A good design allows the user to interact naturally, forgetting that he/she is even using a computer.
Explain the difference between structural and functional models.
A structural model seeks to explain how a system works while a functional model seeks to explain how to use a system.
Explain the difference between a structured interview and a flexible interview
A structured interview has predetermined questions that are asked in a particular sequence. A flexible interview has set topics to discuss, but there is no order in which these topics are visited. A flexible interview is less formal and typically used in the beginning stages of a design.
What is a task in User Interface Design? Give an example.
A task is defined as a structured set of related activities that are undertaken in some sequence. For example, one task for writing a letter could be obtaining paper and a pen.
What is the definition of user interface? Provide an example of a good user interface design and a bad user interface design.
A user interface is the part of the computer system in which a user interacts in order to undertake his or tasks and achieve his or her goals. Good Example: Output devices like headphones, speakers or printers Bad Example: Norman doors (they do not indicate weather to push or pull to enter or exit)
What are two key aspects regarding usability?
A user interface should be perceived as being usable by specified users, and the scope of focus for the design of the interface is the wider context or situation within which the system is expected to operate.
Which selection is true about direct observations? A. They are cheaper than indirect observations. B. They provide a permanent record of the observation session. C. They are not an easy activity to undertake. D. They are not useful in the early life cycle of gathering requirements for a computer system.
A. They are cheaper than indirect observations.
Explain the meaning of affordance and give an example.
Affordance is the relationship between a physical object and an agent who determines what actions are possible with the object. For example, a human determines a door affords pushing, pulling or sliding.
Explain a situation in which providing the user with feedback for their action can actually detract from the user's overall enjoyment of the experience and the object.
Answer: A small electronic device (such as bluetooth headphones) which gives the user feedback using a series of different lengthed blinking lights, each with a different meaning. This is not an intuitive form of feedback, so the user will have to consult some sort of instructions to interpret what the device is trying to tell them. This can result in user frustration and detract from the user's overall conceptual model of the device.
Explain the difference between affordances and signifiers.
Answer: Affordances determine what actions are possible while signifiers communicate where the action should take place. For instance, a keyboard affords text input and a text box and cursor signals where to enter text.
Explain your idea of an item having a "good design"? Did your opinion change after reading chapter 1? Give 1 example of an item that has good and bad design.
Answer: The ideal design should be user friendly, meaning that is easy to use and understand based around the HCD approach. It is more than the appearance. Yes, my opinion has changed after this reading. I now have a better understanding of not thinking "too logical" when I am helping others with their technical deficiencies. An apple pencil is a good design. A apple tv is a bad design
What kind of questions get a low response rate? A. Vague questions B. Complicated questions C. Well written questions D. All questions get a similar response rate
B. Complicated questions
When hiring for a Web Dev job , you would interview participants instead of asking them to fill out a questionnaire . A job interview is an example of _____________ A. Structured Interview B. Flexible Interview C. Traditional Interview D. Panel interview
B. Flexible Interview
A selection of statements that when analyzed together portray a user's attitude is a: A. Open Question B. Likert Scale C. Closed Question D. Semantic Differential
B. Likert Scale
When trying to gauge a user's perceived usability with an application, what is the best type of question structure? A. closed question B. Likert Scale C. open question
B. Likert Scale
When taking a user-centered design approach it should optimize a computer system...? A. Efficiency B. Usability C. Evaluation D. Classic Life Cycle
B. Usability
Using an example, explain a potential impact of poor UI design.
Bad UI can cause injuries/loss of life/environmental disaster as demonstrated by the Three Mile Island Nuclear Disaster and the Therac 25 Accidents which were both in part caused by flawed UI designs. Other answers could be loss of productivity/time, etc.
Why is it important to observe users trying to perform the tasks and reach the goals relevant to your project before designing your system?
By understanding how users work, you will be able to design an application that supports the tasks they need to undertake in order to reach their goals, in the way they want to do them, in their particular domain.
What is it called when a machine accommodates for human behavior, including calculations for error?
Human Centered Design (HCD)
Which of these techniques is not used in the requirements-gathering phase of UI design? A. Observation B.Interviews C. Digital Analyzation D. Questionnaires/Surveys
C. Digital Analyzation
Which of the following are characteristics of a closed question? A. Allows respondents to say whatever they like in response B. Typical starts with "what do you" or "how do you" C. May require "yes" or "no responses D. Provides richer data
C. May require "yes" or "no" responses
Which of the following is an example of indirect observation? A. Manually observing users in a real-world situation B. Manually observing users in a lab environment C. Using software to log user interactions and reviewing at a later date D. A and B
C. Using software to log user interactions and reviewing at a later date
Which is NOT a reason to indirectly view users? A. It is considered to be more objective than direct B. It acquires more information on users C. It is considered to be more subjective than direct D. It can be automatically collected by software
C. it is considered to be more subjective than direct
Which is not something you should keep in mind when designing a questionnaire? A. make sure the questions are simple and as few as possible B. make sure the questions gather the information that you need C. make sure to create a serious and formal atmosphere D. make sure you offer space for the respondents to add comments
C. make sure to create a serious and formal atmosphere
When surveying a large number of people, why might it be better to use closed questions rather than open questions?
Closed questions will enable a large amount of information to be collected and analyzed relatively easily. Open questions provide a rich source of data, but making sense of this data requires more time.
Explain why it is important to perform pilot studies prior to conducting the final study.
Conducting a pilot study can expose issues such as confusing or poorly worded questions and therefore improve the quality of the results from the real study.
Which of the following best describes how users should be involved in the user interface design and development life cycle? A. Early in the design process when the requirements are being specified B. During prototyping to test designs and options C. Right before delivery of the product D. All of the above
D. All of the above
Which of the following is a potential result of poor user interface design choices? A. User frustration and dissatisfaction B. Loss of productivity and efficiency to business C. Issues of safety, both for the computer system users and the general public D. All of the above
D. All of the above
Which of the following is a valid method of evaluation? A. Observation B. Interviews C. Prediction D. All of the above
D. All of the above
What are the two types of knowledge needed for UI Design? A. Information-gathering activities and analyses B. User-interface design knowledge (ex. design principles and rules) C. Coding D. Both A & B E. None of the above
D. Both A & B
Which of the following is not part of the star life cycle? A. Implementation B. Prototyping C. Requirements Specification D. Mapping
D. Mapping
Which of the following activities are not a part of the four essential human design activities? A. Understand and specify the context of the use B. Produce design solutions C. Evaluate the design D. Specify appropriate allocation of functions between user and systems
D. Specify appropriate allocation of functions between user systems
True or False: A structured interview generally has some set topics for discussion and exploration.
FALSE
What graphical notations from systems analysis are used to model the domain?
Data Flow diagram, entity relationship diagram and the state transition diagram.
Explain the difference between direct and indirect observation. Are there any similarities?
Direct observation is straightforward activity and will provide insight to users, tasks, etc. Indirect observation creates more distance between users and observers, and is considered to be more objective than direct observation. Both will require you to make trade offs.
What are the usual 2 ways that a direct observation can be classified?
Direct observations are usually classified into 2 groups- field studies or controlled studies.
What is one positive and one negative each of using direct and indirect observation?
Direct: Quick feedback and easy to undertake Hard to get a full record of user activity and obtrusive so it could alter data Indirect: Provides a permanent record of the observation session Takes a lot of planning and set up
What is the principle of interacting with a product, and finding out how it works, why it works, and what is possible?
Discoverability
State the two most important characteristics of good design.
Discoverability (how easy is it to figure out what actions can be performed) and understanding (how is it supposed to be used).
What are the two most important characteristics of good design? Why are they important?
Discoverability and Understanding. A user must be able to, if not intuitively, then through clear instructions, find the designed utility and use it to its full potential without confusion. If the utility has multiple functions then the labels describing said functions need to be clear and easy to follow along with by a user.
What are the two most important design characteristics and why they are important?
Discoverability and understanding There are a lot of complex technologies that we use everyday, but many people only use a few functions because they aren't even aware of the possibilities. This blame falls on designers for a lack of discoverability. There is also the issue of users being overwhelmed with options and not understanding what they all mean. This is due to a lack of good icons or explanations which falls under a design's understanding. It is a back and forth between simplicity and obvious controls.
According to Norman what is two of the most important characteristics of a good design and what do they mean?
Discoverability and understanding are the two characteristics. Discoverability is it even possible to figure out what actions are possible and where and how to perceive them. Understanding is what does it all mean or how is the product supposed to be used.
What 3 things make up usability?
Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Satisfaction
What is an engineer's biggest mistake when it comes to design?
Engineers are trained to think logically, and approach design from an engineering, logical point of view, as opposed to an everyday consumer's point of view.
What is the center of the "star life cycle"?
Evaluation
Which Type of design style typically focuses on the quality and enjoyment of the total experience?
Experience Design
True or False : Two of the most important characteristics of good design are discoverability and stylish
FALSE
True or False: Compatibility and understanding are two of the most important characteristics of a design
FALSE
True or False: Direct observation is NOT a straightforward activity and will NOT rapidly provide you with an insight into the users, their tasks, and the environment for a computer system.
FALSE
True or False: Evaluation in the early stages is undertaken to assess how well the user interface meets the user's needs.
FALSE
True or False: Mapping is the literature/manuals that explain to users how to use an interface.
FALSE
True or False: Open questions scale better for large sample sizes than closed questions.
FALSE
True or False: Safety systems in which human or environmental safety is of paramount concern are referred to as Safety-Connection Systems?
FALSE
True or False: Systems in which human or environmental safety is of paramount concern are referred to as safety-environment systems.
FALSE
True or False: User Centered Design takes a very similar approach to the linear waterfall model often used in software engineering.
FALSE
True or False: Direct observation can be undertaken in many ways, but generally direct observations are classified as either native studies.
FALSE (field studies and controlled studies)
True or False: Is affordance more important than a signifier because affordance deals with the relationship between people and design.
FALSE - signifiers are more important than affordances, for they communicate how to use the design. A signifier can be words, a graphical illustration, or just a device whose perceived affordances are unambiguous
Give an example of who would users be within a user-centered design and what is the difficulty to follow when we have too many users.
Give an example of who would users be within a user-centered design and what is the difficulty to follow when we have too many users.
Why is "good" mapping important?
Good mapping is important because it makes the product easier to use for consumers.
Why is Human-centered design (HCD) important?
HCD is a design philosophy that starts with a good understanding of people and the needs that the design intended to meet, what HCD adds to design process is the deep consideration and study of human needs to the design process whatever the product or service is.
Describe the human-centered design process and the activities involved in it.
Human centered design is formed around the active involvement of users. The process includes understanding and specifying the context in which a product will be used, specifying the user and organization requirements for the product, producing design solutions in the form of prototypes, and evaluating designs with users against requirements.
Explain the difference between Industrial Design, Interaction Design, and Experience Design.
Industrial Design is the focus on benefiting both the user and the manufacturer, optimizing the value, appearance, and function of the product. Interaction Design is the focus on how the product will be interacted with, making sure the product is designed in a way that is easy to be used and understood. Experience Design is the focus on creating an experience that can be enjoyed by the user.
What are the three major design fields, and how are they significant?
Industrial design : it creates and develops specific products to benefit the users and manufacturers Interaction design : it focuses on how people interact with technology, and Experience design : it designs products, services, and events, while focusing on the quality of the experience
Why is a conceptual model in the design process of a product?
It is valuable in providing understanding, and predicting how things will behave. It can also be used in figuring out what to do when things do not go as planned.
Describe one of the evaluation techniques and why it is important.
One of the evaluation techniques would be interviewing, talking and asking questions. An example could be posting a poll of the design and asking its users various questions about their experience. This is important for the designers as they can collect statistics of users' attitudes towards the system.
What is a multipoint rating scale called?
Semantic differential
What is one way to demonstrate the importance of good user interface design?
Showing tangible benefits that can be discussed in cash terms. For businesses, good user interfaces can lead to benefits such as higher staff productivity, lower staff turnover, higher staff morale, and higher job satisfaction.
Explain the difference between an affordance and a signifer, then give an example of both.
The difference between an affordance and signifiers is that an affordance is are relationships that represent possibilities for how an agent (person, animal or machine) can interact with something. A signifier is a perceivable indicator that communicates appropriate behavior to a person or agent.
Describe the characteristics of a task.
The extent to wish tasks vary from one occasion to another Whether there are safety hazards Whether time is critical for the work Whether the user will normally be switching between several tasks
What are the two main ways to find out about your users to create a user profile?
The first is having your real users, if you know who they are, to complete a questionnaire. Second, if you are unsure about who your real users are then you will need to talk or interview people in the organization such as domain experts and managers to find out about the users.
What are the two key aspects of usability?
The first key aspect is that an interface should be perceived as being usable by the specified users, or users for whom the system has been designed and developed. The second key aspect is the scope of focus for the design of the interface is extended by looking beyond the users' immediate work environment (how users are able to work effectively and efficiently.)
How does user-centered design (UCD) differ from the classic life cycle of software development?
UCD involves users throughout the design and development process, taking into account how users interact with the system and the environment (organizational, social, physical) the system will be used in. The classic life cycle is treated as a linear, step-by-step process, where one cannot move on to the next stage until the current stage is completely fulfilled; this means that users will not interact with an interface or product until a final version is created.
Explain what UCD is and what optimizes it.
User Centered design is a design that involves users throughout the design and development process. The design approach should optimize a computer system's usability.
How does UCD change the design process and customer behavior?
User-Center designers test, fail and try once more. This method combines analysis, interviews, generative strategies and tools like group action. They adopted an authentic design development process that focuses on users.
Why should users be involved during the prototyping part of the user interface development process?
Users could test versions of the interface to provide feedback and make suggestions to the designers.
How can design impact the safety of others? Give an example.
When systems vital for the safety of others are designed improperly, the design fallacies can directly contribute to endangering life and/or property. The control panel at 3 Mile Island was not designed properly, contributing to the nuclear scare.
Why is immediate feedback important?
because even a delay of a tenth of a second can be disconcerting. If the delay is too long, people often give up, going off to do other activities. This can also be wasteful of resources when the system spends considerable time and effort to satisfy the request, only to find that the intended recipient is no longer there.
