Satyawan C.

Hembade
MCA, SCJP
 Introduction
 Need, Goal and Objectives
 Models of HCI
 Interaction style of design
 Computer Supported Co-operation
 Applications : education and social Issues
 What is a user interface?
 Why do we care about design?

 We see this all the time.

• What’s good about the design of this error box?
 The user knows there is an error
• What’s poor about the design of this error box?
 Discouraging
 Not enough information
 No way to resolve the problem (instructions or contact info)
 Can also be referred as User Computer
Interface
 HCI (human-computer interaction) is the
study of how people interact with computers
and to what extent computers are or are not
developed for successful interaction with
human beings.
 Human-Computer Interaction is a discipline
concerned with the design, evaluation and
implementation of interactive computing
systems for human use and with the study of
major phenomena surrounding them.
 Take 5 minutes for everyone to write down one
common device with substantial HCI design
choices
 Discuss with the neighbor the pros and cons.
How does it affect you or other users?
 Proper functionality: the program works
as it is expected to, e.g. a word processor is
for typing documents into not playing
games on.
 Consistency: a control works the same way
every time it is encountered, it's function
does not change inside the program. For
example, a user always clicks a button,
they do not click it sometimes and type text
into at other times.
 Standardization: seeks consistency across
programs so that, for example, a user could
learn one word processor and then be able
to use any word processor available to them
with a minimum of effort. (Microsoft Word,
Corel Wordperfect and ClarisWorks )
 Reliability: the program works without a
flaw, it does not lock up or crash. Microsoft
Windows 95 is a good example of an
unreliable program, it crashes fairly often.
 Security and Data Integrity: the program
protects the users' data from unwanted
tampering and alteration. Hackers and viruses
are the most common threats to security and data
integrity however flaws in the programs code
(bugs) can also alter and/or destroy users' data
without warning.
 Integration: seeks to use multiple programs in
conjunction with one another, e.g. Microsoft
Office. In Office, you can type a document in
Word and then insert a spreadsheet into the
document or insert the document into a Power
Point presentation.
 Portability: is the least achieved goal of the eight
presented here. Portability refers to the ability to
use one program on multiple operating systems
without recompiling it for every system, i.e. be able
to install and use Microsoft Office off the same CD
on Macintosh, Linux, and Windows 95 machines.
 Availability: It is more available. If availability is
easy and more. It is used by many of stackholders.
 HCI is not just about software design

 HCI applies to more than just desktop PCs!!!

 No such thing as “the best HCI”. Choice of

interface will depend on:
• Physical environment
• Experience of users
• Amount of info that needs to be gathered/conveyed
Users should be able to use an interface:

Tasks can be completed without risk – e.g.

SAFELY
flying an aeroplane.

EFFECTIVELY Being able to do the right task and do it well –

e.g. videoing a TV programme

To carry out tasks quickly and correctly – e.g.

EFFICIENTLY at a cashpoint

Users should be able to enjoy what they are

ENJOYABLY doing, not be frustrated by the interface – e.g.
educational programs
There are four considerations for an interface designer:

Who is going to use the system, what are their

WHO ages, etc.?

What tasks are they likely to want to perform?

WHAT Repetitive, complex, simple, etc.

Where is the computer to be used? In a

ENVIRONMENT
hazardous or noisy environment?

What is technologically available? Designers should

FEASIBILITY not add elements to the interface that cannot
actually be used out easily.
 1. Command Line Interface (CLI)
• A CLI displays a prompt, the user types a command
on the keyboard and executes the command. The
computer executes the command, providing textual
output.

 2. Menu Driven Interface

• The user has a list of items to choose from, and can
make selections by highlighting one.
 3. Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Uses windows, icons, menus and pointers (WIMP)
which can be manipulated by a mouse (and often to
an extent by a keyboard as well).

 4. Natural Language Interface

• Can range from simple command systems to voice
activated text processing. Commands are spoken in
“normal” language.
 Advantages
• Very flexible with the use of “switches”
(options)

• Good for “expert”

users - can quickly
access commands

• Uses the fewest

system resources
 Disadvantages
• Requires the user to learn “complex” commands or
language

• “Hidden” features i.e. if you don’t know the

commands you wont know the features are there!

• Not very good for novice users

 Command Line Interface
Applications
• System administration

• Engineering applications

• Scientific applications

• Ideal for visually impaired

users!!!
 Advantages
• No need to learn complex commands/language

• Easier for a novice

to learn/use

• Ideal when there are

a limited number of
options (efficient)
 Disadvantages
• Can be frustrating for experienced users i.e.
the command they want to use is buried 5
levels deep!!!!

• User interface may be limited by screen

space and number of options available
 Menu Driven Applications
• ATM
• Mobile Phone
• MP3 Player
• Video recorder
• Household Devices
• Digital/Cable TV
 Most suitable interface
for inexperienced or
novice users but…

 GUIs use more system

resources than other
types of interface
 Many
generic packages for a GUI will share
common features
• Layout of the screen
• Names given to
commands
• Icons
• Order of menus
• Mouse operation
• Dialog boxes
There are five advantages to the ‘common user
interface’:

1 Increased speed of learning 2 Ease of use

5 Greater range
3 Confidence for novice users
of software
available to
4 Increase the range of the average
solvable tasks by users computer user
 Advantages
• No training required – you just tell the computer
what you want to do!

• Can be quicker than keyboard entry

• Hands-free – could be invaluable in some

environments

• Can be used by the disabled

 Disadvantages
• Emerging technology – still contains “bugs”

• Difficulty dealing with homonyms

• Difficult to recognise all the different ways of

saying things (and regional dialects)

• Artificial languages are often more precise

1. Strive for consistency.
2. Cater to universal usability.
3. Offer informative feedback.
4. Design dialogs to yield closure.
5. Prevent errors.
6. Permit easy reversal of actions.
7. Support internal locus of control.
8. Reduce short-term memory load.
 Strive for consistency.
Consistent sequences of actions should be
required in similar situations; identical
terminology should be used in prompts,
menus, and help screens; and consistent
color, layout, capitalization, fonts, and so on
should be employed throughout.
Exceptions, such as required confirmation of
the delete command or no echoing of
passwords, should be comprehensible and
limited in number.
 Cater to universal usability.
Recognize the needs of diverse users and
design for plasticity, facilitating
transformation of content. Novice to expert
differences, age ranges, disabilities, and
technological diversity each enrich the
spectrum of requirements that guides
design. Adding features for novices, such as
explanations, and features for experts, such
as shortcuts and faster pacing, can enrich
the interface design and improve perceived
system quality.
 Offerinformative feedback.
For every user action, there should be
system feedback. For frequent and minor
actions, the response can be modest,
whereas for infrequent and major actions,
the response should be more substantial.
Visual presentation of the objects of
interest provides a convenient
environment for showing changes
explicitly
 Design dialogs to yield closure.
Sequences of actions should be organized into
groups with a beginning, middle, and end.
Informative feedback at the completion of a
group of actions gives operators the satisfaction
of accomplishment, a sense of relief, a signal to
drop contingency plans from their minds, and an
indicator to prepare for the next group of actions.
For example, e-commerce web sites move users
from selecting products to the checkout, ending
with a clear confirmation page that completes the
transaction.
 Prevent errors.
As much as possible, design the system such that
users cannot make serious errors; for example, gray
out menu items that are not appropriate and do not
allow alphabetic characters in numeric entry fields. If
a user makes an error, the interface should detect the
error and offer simple, constructive, and specific
instructions for recovery. For example, users should
not have to retype an entire name-address form if
they enter an invalid zip code, but rather should be
guided to repair only the faulty part. Erroneous
actions should leave the system state unchanged, or
the interface should give instructions about restoring
the state.
 Permit easy reversal of actions.
 As much as possible, actions should be
reversible. This feature relieves anxiety,
since the user knows that errors can be
undone, and encourages exploration of
unfamiliar options. The units of
reversibility may be a single action, a
data-entry task, or a complete group of
actions, such as entry of a name-address
block.
 Support internal locus of control.
Experienced users strongly desire the
sense that they are in charge of the
interface and that the interface responds
to their actions. They don’t want surprises
or changes in familiar behavior, and they
are annoyed by tedious data-entry
sequences, difficulty in obtaining
necessary information, and inability to
produce their desired result.
 educe short-term memory load.
 Humans’ limited capacity for information
processing in short-term memory (the rule of
thumb is that we can remember "seven plus or
minus two chunks" of information) requires that
designers avoid interfaces in which users must
remember information from one screen and then
use that information on another screen. It means
that cell phones should not require re-entry of
phone numbers, web-site locations should
remain visible, multiple-page displays should be
consolidated, and sufficient training time should
be allotted for complex sequences of actions.
 Usability is one of the key concepts in
HCI. It is concerned with making systems
easy to learn and use. A usable system is:
• easy to learn
• easy to remember how to use
• effective to use
• efficient to use
• safe to use
• enjoyable to use
 iPod by Apple
Computers
 Pros:
• portable
• power
• ease of use
• # of controls
 Cons:
• scratches easily
• no speech for car use
• proprietary
 Computer Science
 Psychology (cognitive)
 Communication
 Education
 Anthropology
 Design (e.g. graphic and industrial)
 Academics/Industry
Research
• Taxonomies
• Theories
• Predictive models
 Experimenters
• Empirical data
• Product design
 Other areas (Sociologists,
anthropologists, managers)
• Motor
• Perceptual
• Cognitive
• Social, economic, ethics
 Sound
 3D
 Animation
 Video
 Devices
• Size (small->very large)
• Portable (PDA, phone)
• Plasticity
 Context sensitive/aware
 Personalizable
 Ubiquitous
 Goals:
• Usability
• Universality
• Usefulness
 Achieved by:
• Planning
• Sensitivity to user
needs
• Devotion to
requirements analysis
• Testing
 Encumbering
 Confusing
 Slow
 Trust(ex. windows
crashing)
 What makes it hard?
• Varies by culture
• Multiple platforms
• Variety of users
 What’s wrong with each?
• Type of error
• Who is affected
• Impact
 What’s a redesign solution?
1. Ascertain users’ needs
2. Ensure proper reliability
3. Promote appropriate standardization,
integration, consistency, and portability
4. Complete projects on schedule and within
budget
 Define tasks
• Tasks
• Subtasks
 Frequency
• Frequent
• Occasional
• Exceptional
• Repair
 Ex. difference between a space
satellite, car engine, and fighter jet
 Actions function as specified
 Data displayed must be
correct
 Updates done correctly
 Leads to trust! (software,
hardware, information) –
case: Pentium floating point
bug
 Privacy, security, access, data
destruction, tampering
 Standardization – common user-interface features
across multiple applications
• Apple
• Web
• Windows
 Integration – across application packages
• file formats
 Consistency – common action sequences, terms, units,
layouts, color, typography within an application
 Portability – convert data and interfaces across
multiple hardware and software environments
• Word/HTML/PDF/ASCII
 http://catalog.loc.gov/
 Two interfaces
 Catalog New Books
 3-6 hour training course - staffers
 Search Catalog of Books
 General public – too complex, command language and complex
cataloging rules
 Solution
 Touch screen
 Reduced functionality
 Better information presentation
 Eventually Web based interface
 Same database and services, different interfaces
 How can we measure the
‘goodness’ of an interface?
 What are good metrics?
 ISO 9241
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Satisfaction
 Schneiderman
• Time to learn
• Speed of performance
• Rate of errors
• Retention over time
• Subjective satisfaction
 •Time to learn
•Speed of performance
•Rate of errors
•Retention over time
•Subjective satisfaction
 Life-Critical systems
• Applications: air traffic, nuclear reactors, military, emergency
dispatch
• Requirements: reliability and effective (even under stress)
• Not as important: cost, long training, satisfaction, retention
 Industrial and Commercial Use
• Applications: banking, insurance, inventory, reservations
• Requirements: short training, ease of use/learning, multiple
languages, adapt to local cultures, multiplatform, speed
 Office, Home, and Entertainment
• Applications: E-mail, ATMs, games, education, search engines,
cell phones/PDA
• Requirements: Ease of learning/use/retention, error rates,
satisfaction
• Difficulties: cost, size
 •Time to learn
•Speed of performance
•Rate of errors
•Retention over time
•Subjective satisfaction
 Exploratory, Creative, Collaborative
 Applications: Web browsing, search engines,
simulations, scientific visualization, CAD,
computer graphics, music composition/artist,
photo arranger (email photos)
 Requirements: remove the ‘computer’ from the
experience,
 Difficulties: user tech savvy-ness (apply this to
application examples)
 Socio-technical systems
 Applications: health care, voting, police
 Requirements: Trust, security, accuracy,
veracity, error handling, user tech-savy-ness
 Interface should handle diversity of
users
• Backgrounds
• Abilities
• Motivation
• Personalities
• Cultures
 Question, how would you design an
interface to a database differently for:
• A. right-handed female, Indian, software
engineer, technology savvy, wants rapid
interaction
• B. left-handed male, French, artist
 Does not mean ‘dumbing down’
• Ex. Helping disabled has helped
others (parents w/ strollers,
elderly)
• Ex. Door handles
 Goal: Address the needs of more
users - unlike yourself!
 Everyone is often not at full
faculties at all times
 Ability
• Disabled (elderly,
handicapped, vision,
ambidexterity, ability to
see in stereo
[SUTHERLAND])
• Speed
• Color deficiency
 Workspace(science of
ergonomics)
• Size
• Design
 Lots of prior research
 Field of anthropometry
• Measures of what is 5-95% for
weight, height, etc. (static and
dynamic)
• Large variance reminds us there
is great ‘variety’
• Name some devices that this
would affect.
 note most keyboards are the same
 screen brightness varies
considerably
 chair height, back height, display
angle
 Multi-modal interfaces
 Audio
 Touch screens
 Bloom’s Taxonomy
• knowledge,
comprehension,
analysis, application,
synthesis, evaluation
 Memory
• short-term and
working
• long-term and
semantic
 Problem solving and
reasoning
 Decision making
 Language and
communication
 Language and
communication
 Search, imagery,
sensory memory
 Learning, skill
development,
knowledge acquisition
 Confounding factors:
 Fatigue
 Cognitive load
 Background
 Boredom
 Fear
 Drugs/alcohol
 Computer anxiety
 Gender
• Which games do women like?
• Pac-man, Donkey Kong, Tetris
• Why? (Hypotheses: less violent,
quieter soundtracks, fully visible
playing fields, softer colors,
personality, closure/completeness)
• Can we measure this?
 What current games are for
women?
 Style, pace, top-down/bottom-
up, visual/audio learners, dense
vs. sparse data
 No simple taxonomy of user
personality types. Ex. Myers-
Briggs Type Indicator
• Extrovert vs. introvert
• Sensing vs. intuition
• Perceptive vs. judging
• Feeling vs. thinking
 Weak link between personality
types and interfaces
 Think about your application,
and see if user personality is
important!
• Fighter jets vs. search engines
 Language
 Date / Time conventions
 Weights and Measures
 Left-to-right
 Directions (!)
 Telephone #s and
addresses
 Names, titles, salutations
 SSN, ID, passport
 Sorting
 Icons, buttons, colors
 Etiquette
 Evaluation:
 Local experts/usability studies
 Federal law to ensure access to IT, including computers and
web sites. (1998 Amendment to Rehabilitation Act)
 Disabilities
• Vision
 Blind (bill-reader)
 low-vision
 color-blind
• Hearing
 Deaf
 Limited hearing
• Mobility
• Learning
 Dyslexia
 Attention deficient, hemisphere specific, etc.
 Keyboard and mouse alternatives
 Color coding
 Font-size
 Contrast
 Text descriptors for web
images
 Screen magnification
 Text to Speech (TTS) –
JAWS (web pages)
• Check email on the road,
in bright sunshine, riding
a bike
 Speech Recognition
 Head mounted optical
mice
 Eye Gaze control
 Learning what helps those with
disabilities affects everyone
• Present procedures, directions,
and instructions accessible to
even poor readers
• Design feedback sequences that
explain the reason for error and
help put users on the right track
• Reinforcement techniques with
other devices
 Good target area for a final
project!
 Reduced
 Motor skills
 Perception
 Vision, hearing, touch, mobility
 Speed
 Memory
 Other needs
 Technology experience is varied
(How many grandmothers use
email? mothers?)
 Uninformed on how technology
could help them
 Practice skills (hand-eye, problem
solving, etc.)
 Touch screens, larger fonts,
louder sounds
 Technologysaviness?
 Age changes much:
• Physical dexterity
 (double-clicking, click and drag, and small targets)
• Attention span
• (vaguely) Intelligence
 Varied backgrounds (socio-economic)
 Goals
• Educational acceleration
• Socialization with peers
• Psychological - improve self-image, self-
confidence
• Creativity – art, music, etc. exploration
 Teenagers are a special group
• Next generation
• Beta test new interfaces, trends
• Cell phones, text messages, simulations, fantasy
games, virtual worlds
 Requires Safety
 They
• Like exploring (easy to reset state)
• Don’t mind making mistakes
• Like familiar characters and repetition (ever had
to babysit a kid with an Ice Age DVD?)
• Don’t like patronizing comments, inappropriate
humor
 Design: Focus groups
 Support a wide range of hardware and software
platforms
 Software and hardware evolution
• OS, application, browsers, capabilities
• backward compatibility is a good goal
 Three major technical challenges are:
• Producing satisfying and effective Internet
interaction (broadband vs. dial-up & wireless)
• Enabling web services from large to small (size
and resolution)
• Support easy maintenance of or automatic
conversion to multiple languages
 Influence academic and industrial researchers
 Understand a problem and related theory
 Hypothesis and testing
 Study design (we’ll do this!)
 Interpret results
 Provide tools, techniques and knowledge for
commercial developers
 competitive advantage (think ipod)
 Raising the computer consciousness of the general
public
 Reduce computer anxiety (error messages)
 Common fears:
 I’ll break it
 I’ll make a mistake
 The computer is smarter than me
 HCI contributes to this!
 •Time to learn
 Let’sreview •Speed of performance
 Minority Report
 Steel Battalion •Rate of errors
 Eye Toy
•Retention over time
 Dance Dance Revolution
 Nintendo Wii •Subjective satisfaction