chapter 5

interaction design
basics
what is design?
what is design?

achieving goals within constraints

• goals - purpose
– who is it for, why do they want it
• constraints
– 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 …
Central message …

the user
 The process of design

scenarios
what is task analysis
wanted guidelines
principles
interviews analysis precise
specification
design
what is there
vs. dialogue implement
what is wanted notations and deploy
evaluation
prototype
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
know your user

• who are they?

• probably not like you!
• talk to them
• watch them
• use your imagination
personality

• description of an ‘example’ user

– not necessarily a real person
• use as a model user
– what would he/she think
example personality
John is 37 years old, He has been Warehouse Manager for five
years and worked for Simpkins Brothers Engineering for twelve
years. He didn’t go to university, but has studied in her evenings
for a business diploma. He has two children aged 15 and 7 and
does not like to work late. HE did part of an introductory in-
house computer course some years ago, but it was interrupted
when hewas promoted and could no longer afford to take the
time. His vision is perfect, but his right-hand movement is
slightly restricted following an industrial accident 3 years ago.
He is enthusiastic about his work and is happy to delegate
responsibility and take suggestions from his staff. However, he
does feel threatened by the introduction of yet another new
computer system.
 scenarios

stories for design

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?
… 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
linearity

Scenarios – one linear path through system

Pros:
– easy to understand (stories are natural)

Cons:
– no choice, no branches, no special conditions
– miss the unintended

• So:
– use several scenarios
 the systems

info and help management messages

navigation design
add user remove user

local structure – single screen

global structure – whole site
main remove
confirm
screen user

add user
levels

• widget choice
– menus, buttons etc.
• screen design
• application navigation design
• environment
– other apps, O/S
the web …

• widget choice • elements and tags

– <a href=“...”>

• screen design • page design

• navigation design • site structure
• environment • the web, browser,
external links
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
 where you are

shows path through web site hierarchy

top level category sub-category

web site this page

live links
to higher
levels
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

navigating hierarchies

• deep is difficult!

• misuse of short memory 7 ± 2

– short term memory, not menu size

• optimal?
– many items on each screen
– but structured within screen
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 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, order

• design
– form follows function
available tools

• 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
…… … … …
order of groups and items

• think! - what is natural order

• should match screen order!

– use boxes, space etc.
– set up tabbing right!

• instructions
– beware the cake recipie syndrome!
… mix milk and flour, add the fruit
after beating them
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
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
A B C

How does the Law of lines apply, or does it? 42

 D E

• Does the Print Range frame in example E improve understandability?

• What does placing the OK button inside of the Print Range frame
accomplish?

43
White Space –
space to separate
White Space
space to structure
White Space
space to highlight
White Space
physical controls

• grouping of items
–defrost
defrostsettings
settings
–type
typeofoffood
food
– time to cook
time to cook
physical controls

• grouping of items
• order of items
1) type
1) type of heating
of heating
1
2) temperature
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
differentcolours
coloursfor
for different
different functions
functions
–lines
linesaround
aroundrelated
related
buttons(temp up/down)
buttons
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
Address: Lancaster
• forms, dialogue boxes


– presentation + data input
– similar layout issues Name: Alan Dix
– alignment - N.B. different label lengths Address: Lancaster

• logical layout
– use task analysis
– groupings
?
Name: Alan Dix
Address: Lancaster

– 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
‘affords’
• for physical objects grasping
– shape and size suggest actions
• pick up, twist, throw
– also cultural – buttons ‘afford’ pushing
• for screen objects
– button–like object ‘affords’ mouse click
– icons ‘afford’ clicking
 appropriate appearance

presenting information
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
chap11
chap1 51
17
chap12
chap14 262
22
• use paper presentation principles! chap13
chap20 83
27
chap14
chap8 22
32
…… …
• but add interactivity
– softens design choices
• e.g. re-ordering columns
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
– backgrounds behind text
… good to look at, but hard to read
• but can work together
colour and 3D

• both often used very badly!

• colour
– older monitors limited palette
– colour over used because ‘it is there’
– beware colour blind!
– use few colours to reinforce other information
• 3D effects
– good for some graphs.
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?
Color & Contrast
Color & Contrast
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

 