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ITM 734 Introduction to Human Factors in Information Systems. Preece Ch 1 and 9.4. Cindy Corritore cindycc@gmail.com. This material has been developed by Georgia Tech HCI faculty, and continues to evolve. And we’re off!. What is Human Computer Interaction Can you define / describe it?. HCI.
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ITM 734Introduction to Human Factors in Information Systems Preece Ch 1 and 9.4 Cindy Corritore cindycc@gmail.com This material has been developed by Georgia Tech HCI faculty, and continues to evolve.
And we’re off! • What is Human Computer Interaction • Can you define / describe it? ITM 734 (Corritore)
HCI • HCI is at the interface between a human and a computer performing a task • Task - write document, calculate budget, solve equation, learn about Bosnia, drive home, ... • Task might be work, play, learning, communicating, etc etc • Essential user activities: • Express task (execution) • Interpret results (evaluation) • Not just on the desktop! • How many computers in your family home? ITM 734 (Corritore)
Why should we care? • Computers (in one way or another) now affect every person in our society • Increasing % utilize computers at work and home • Tonight - count how many in your home/apt/room • Goal – increase satisfaction, utility, efficiency, and safety • Product success may depend on ease of use, not necessarily power • But not always – Macintosh OS vs. Microsoft Windows ITM 734 (Corritore)
Goals of HCI • Allow users to carry out tasks • Safely (Three-mile Island, ATC) • Effectively • Efficiently • Enjoyably • With good utility • Ease of learning how to use • Rememberablitly (that is, easy to remember) • Bottom line • Be invisible – highest compliment is no notice of the interface and the interaction (so natural) ITM 734 (Corritore)
What is difference between • User-friendly interfaces and • Programmer-friendly interfaces? ITM 734 (Corritore)
Famous Quotations “It is easy to make things hard. It is hard to make things easy.” (Al Chapanis, 1982) “Learning to use a computer system is like learning to use a parachute – if a person fails on the first try, odds are he won’t try again.” (anonymous) ITM 734 (Corritore)
Key Historical Events • Design of the first Mac 1983-1984 “The computer for the rest of us” • Introduction of the web … just leave and go somewhere else ITM 734 (Corritore)
How Improve User Interfaces? • Educate software professionals • Do NOT wait ‘til the end • Good UI can not be pasted on top of poorly-designed functionality • Integrate UI design methods, techniques and knowledge into standard software development methodologies ITM 734 (Corritore)
UI Design / Develop Process • NOT waterfall development (no iteration) • NOT RAD (more limited user involvement) • eXtreme Programming (iterative with users in strict timeframe) ITM 734 (Corritore)
UI Design / Develop Process • User-Centered Design • Analyze user’s goals & tasks • Create design alternatives • Evaluate options • Implement prototype • Test - Evaluate • Refine • IMPLEMENT THE REAL SYSTEM • Be prepared for further iterative refinement ITM 734 (Corritore)
Preece process of ID • Distills into four activities • Identifying needs and establishing requirements for the user experience • Developing alternative designs that meet those requirements • Building interactive versions of the designs so that they can be communicated and assessed • Evaluating what is being built throughout the process and the user experience that it offers ITM 734 (Corritore)
Keep in mind… • 3 principles of user-centric design • Early focus on users and tasks • Empirical measurement • Iterative design ITM 734 (Corritore)
Know Thy Users! • Physical & cognitive abilities & special needs • Personality & culture • Knowledge & skills • Motivation • Two Fatal Mistakes: • Assume all users are alike • Assume all users are like you • Please leave your ego at the door You Are Here ITM 734 (Corritore)
User Expectations (1) Some users expect the computer-based system to be just like the old system…. ITM 734 (Corritore)
User Expectations (2) Other users expect the system to work magic….. ITM 734 (Corritore)
Design Evaluation • Both subjective and objective metrics • Some things we can measure • Time to learn • Speed of performance • Rate of errors by user • Retention over time • Subjective satisfaction ITM 734 (Corritore)