IAS2223

Human Computer Interaction

Topic 2
Interaction Design Basic
interactions and interventions
design interactions not just interfaces
not just the immediate interaction
e.g. stapler in office – technology changes interaction style
 manual: write, print, staple, write, print, staple, …
 electric: write, print, write, print, …, staple

designing interventions not just artefacts

not just the system, but also …
 documentation, manuals, tutorials

 what we say and do as well as what we make

what is design?
achieving goals within constraints

 goals - purpose
 who is it for, why do they want it
 constraints
 materials, platforms
 trade-offs
golden rule of design

understand your materials

for Human–Computer Interaction

understand your materials

 understand computers
 limitations, capacities, tools, platforms
 understand people
 psychological, social aspects
 human error
 and their interaction …
The process of design

scenarios
what is task analysis
wanted guidelines
principles
interviews analysis precise
ethnography specification
design
what is there
vs. dialogue implement
what is wanted notations and deploy
evaluation
prototype
heuristics architectures
documentation
help
Steps …
 requirements
 what is there and what is wanted …
 analysis
 ordering and understanding
 design
 what to do and how to decide
 iteration and prototyping
 getting it right … and finding what is really needed!
 implementation and deployment
 making it and getting it out there
… but how can I do it all ! !
 limited time  design trade-off

 usability?
 finding problems and fixing them?
 deciding what to fix?


 a perfect system is badly designed
 too good  too much effort in design
user focus

know your user

personae
cultural probes
know your user

 who are they?

 probably not like you!
 talk to them
 watch them
 use your imagination
persona
 description of an ‘example’ user
 not necessarily a real person
 use as surrogate user
 what would user think
 details matter
 makes it ‘real’
example persona
Betty is 37 years old, She has been Warehouse Manager for five years
and worked for Simpkins Brothers Engineering for twelve years. She didn’t
go to university, but has studied in her evenings for a business diploma.
She has two children aged 15 and 7 and does not like to work late. She
did part of an introductory in-house computer course some years ago, but it
was interrupted when she was promoted and could no longer afford to take
the time. Her vision is perfect, but her right-hand movement is slightly
restricted following an industrial accident 3 years ago. She is enthusiastic
about her work and is happy to delegate responsibility and take
suggestions from her staff. However, she does feel threatened by the
introduction of yet another new computer system (the third in her time at
SBE).
scenarios

stories for design

use and reuse
scenarios …
 what will users want to do?

 step-by-step walkthrough
 what can they see (sketches, screen shots)
 what do they do (keyboard, mouse etc.)
 what are they thinking?

 use and reuse throughout design

scenario – movie player
Brian would like to see the new film “Moments of Significance” and
wants to invite Alison, but he knows she doesn’t like “arty” films. He
decides to take a look at it to see if she would like it and so connects
to one of the movie sharing networks. He uses his work machine as it
has a higher bandwidth connection, but feels a bit guilty. He knows
he will be getting an illegal copy of the film, but decides it is OK as he
is intending to go to the cinema to watch it. After it downloads to his
machine he takes out his new personal movie player. He presses the
‘menu’ button and on the small LCD screen he scrolls using the arrow
keys to ‘bluetooth connect’ and presses the select button. On his
computer the movie download program now has an icon showing that
it has recognised a compatible device and he drags the icon of the
film over the icon for the player. On the player the LCD screen says
“downloading now”, a percent done indicator and small whirling icon.
… … …
… explore the depths
 explore interaction
 what happens when

 explore cognition
 what are the users thinking

 explore architecture
 what is happening inside
use scenarios to ..
 communicate with others
 designers, clients, users

 validate other models

 ‘play’ it against other models

 express dynamics
 screenshots – appearance
 scenario – behaviour
 the systems

navigation design info and help management messages

add user remove user

local structure – single screen

global structure – whole site

main remove
confirm
screen user
start

add user
Interact at several levels:

 widget choice
 menus, buttons etc.
 screen design
 application navigation design
 environment
 other apps, O/S
think about structure
 within a screen
 later ...
 local
 looking from this screen out
 global
 structure of site, movement between screens
 wider still
 relationship with other applications
 Local structure
from one screen looking out
goal seeking

goal
start
goal seeking

goal
start

progress with local knowledge only ...

goal seeking

goal
start

… but can get to the goal

goal seeking

goal
start

… try to avoid these bits!

four golden rules
 knowing where you are
 knowing what you can do
 knowing where you are going
 or what will happen
 knowing where you’ve been
 or what you’ve done
 where you are – breadcrumbs

shows path through web site hierarchy

top level category sub-category

web site this page

live links
to higher
levels
Global structure

between screens
within the application
hierarchical diagrams

the system

info and help management messages

add user remove user

hierarchical diagrams ctd.
 parts of application
 screens or groups of screens

 typically functional separation

the systems

info and help management messages

add user remove user

network diagrams

main remove
confirm
screen user

add user

 show different paths through system

network diagrams ctd.
 what leads to what
 what happens when
 including branches
 more task oriented then hierarchy

main remove
confirm
screen user

add user
screen design and
Dix , Alan

Finlay, Janet
Abowd, Gregory
Beale, Russell
layout

basic principles
grouping, structure, order
alignment
use of white space

ABCDEFHIJKLM
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
basic principles
 ask
 what is the user doing?
 think
 what information, comparisons, order
 design
 form follows function
available tools for layout
 grouping of items
 order of items

 decoration - fonts, boxes etc.

 alignment of items

 white space between items

grouping and structure
logically together  physically together

Billing details: Delivery details:

Name Name
Address: … Address: …
Credit card no Delivery time

Order details:
item quantity cost/item cost
size 10 screws (boxes) 7 3.71 25.97
…… … … …
decoration
 use boxes to group logical items
 use fonts for emphasis, headings
 but not too many!!

ABCDEFHIJKLM
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
alignment - text
 you read from left to right (English and European)

 align left hand side

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
boring but
Winston Churchill - A Biography readable!
Wizard of Oz
Xena - Warrior Princess

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Winston Churchill - A Biography
Wizard of Oz
fine for special effects Xena - Warrior Princess
but hard to scan
alignment - names
 Usually scanning for surnames
 make it easy!

Alan Dix


Janet Finlay
Gregory Abowd
Dix , Alan

Finlay, Janet


Russell Beale Abowd, Gregory
Beale, Russell
Alan Dix
Janet Finlay
Gregory Abowd
Russell Beale
alignment - numbers

think purpose! 532.56

179.3
256.317
which is biggest?
15
73.948
1035
3.142
497.6256
alignment - numbers

visually: 627.865
long number = big number 1.005763
382.583
align decimal points 2502.56
or right align integers 432.935
2.0175
652.87
56.34
multiple columns
 scanning across gaps hard:
(often hard to avoid with large data base fields)

sherbert 75
toffee 120
chocolate 35
fruit gums 27
coconut dreams 85
multiple columns - 2
 use leaders

sherbert 75
toffee 120
chocolate 35
fruit gums 27
coconut dreams 85
multiple columns - 3
 or greying (vertical too)

sherbert 75
toffee 120
chocolate 35
fruit gums 27
coconut dreams 85
multiple columns - 4
 or even (with care!) ‘bad’ alignment

sherbert 75
toffee 120
chocolate 35
fruit gums 27
coconut dreams 85
white space - the counter

WHAT YOU SEE

white space - the counter

WHAT YOU SEE

THE GAPS BETWEEN

space to separate
space to structure
space to highlight
physical controls

 grouping of items
 defrostsettings
defrost settings
 type
typeof
offood
food
 time
timetotocook
cook
physical controls
 grouping of items
 order of items
type
1) 1)type of of heating
heating
1
temperature
2) 2)temperature
3) time to cook
3) time to cook
4) start 2
4) start
3

4
physical controls
 grouping of items
 order of items
 decoration
 different colours
different colours for
for different
different functions
functions
 lines around related
lines around related
buttons
buttons (temp up/down)
physical controls
 grouping of items
 order of items
 decoration
 alignment
 centered text in buttons
centred text in buttons
? easy to scan ?
? easy to scan ?
physical controls
 grouping of items
 order of items
 decoration
 alignment
 white space
 gaps to aid grouping
gaps to aid grouping
user action and
control

entering information
knowing what to do
affordances
entering information
Name: Alan Dix
 forms, dialogue boxes Address: Lancaster

 presentation + data input




similar layout issues
alignment

Name: Alan Dix
Address: Lancaster

?
 logical layout
 use task analysis (ch15) Name: Alan Dix
Address: Lancaster
 groupings
 natural order for entering information
 top-bottom, left-right (depending on culture)
 set tab order for keyboard entry
knowing what to do
 what is active what is passive
 where do you click
 where do you type
 consistent style helps
 e.g. web underlined links
 labels and icons
 standards for common actions
 language – bold = current state or action
affordances
mug handle
 psychological term
 for physical objects ‘affords’
 shape and size suggest actions grasping
 pick up, twist, throw
 also cultural – buttons ‘afford’ pushing
 for screen objects
 button–like object ‘affords’ mouse click
 physical-like objects suggest use
 culture of computer use
 icons ‘afford’ clicking
 or even double clicking … not like real buttons!
 appropriate
appearance

presenting information
aesthetics and utility
colour and 3D
localisation & internationalisation
presenting information
 purpose matters
name size
 sort order (which column, numeric alphabetic)
chap10
chap1 17
12
 text vs. diagram chap10
chap5 12
16
 scatter graph vs. histogram chap11
chap1 51
17
chap12
chap14 262
22
chap13
chap20 83
27
 use paper presentation principles! chap14
chap8 22
32
…… …

 but add interactivity

 softens design choices
 e.g. re-ordering columns

 ‘dancing histograms’ (chap 21)

aesthetics and utility
 aesthetically pleasing designs
 increase user satisfaction and improve productivity
 beauty and utility may conflict
 mixed up visual styles  easy to distinguish
 clean design – little differentiation  confusing
 backgrounds behind text
… good to look at, but hard to read
 but can work together
 e.g. the design of the counter
 in consumer products – key differentiator (e.g. iMac)
colour and 3D
 both often used very badly!
 colour
 older monitors limited palette
 colour over used because ‘it is there’
 beware colour blind!
 use sparingly to reinforce other information
 3D effects
 good for physical information and some graphs
 but if over used …
e.g. text in perspective!! 3D pie charts
bad use of colour
 over use - without very good reason (e.g. kids’ site)
 colour blindness
 poor use of contrast
 do adjust your set!
 adjust your monitor to greys only
 can you still read your screen?
across countries and cultures
 localisation & internationalisation
 changing interfaces for particular cultures/languages
 globalisation
 try to choose symbols etc. that work everywhere

 simply change language?

 use ‘resource’ database instead of literal text
… but changes sizes, left-right order etc.
 deeper issues
 cultural assumptions and values
 meanings of symbols

e.g tick and cross … +ve and -ve in some cultures

… but … mean the same thing (mark this) in others

 