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User Support

User Support. Material from Authors of Human Computer Interaction Alan Dix, et al. Overview. Users require different types of support at different times. Basic requirements available but unobtrusive accurate and robust consistent and flexible Design of user support must take account of:

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User Support

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  1. User Support Material from Authors of Human Computer Interaction Alan Dix, et al

  2. Overview • Users require different types of support at different times. • Basic requirements • available but unobtrusive • accurate and robust • consistent and flexible • Design of user support must take account of: • presentation issues • implementation issues

  3. Types of Support • Quick reference • Task specific help • Full explanation • Tutorial

  4. Types of support • Quick reference • reminder of details; assumes familiarity • eg command syntax, options, etc. Usage: telnet [-8] [-#] [L] [-a] [-d] [-e char] [-l user] [-n tracefile] [-r] [host-name [port]] • Task specific help • addresses problems with particular tasks • focused on what is currently being done

  5. Types of Support • Full explanation • for more experienced and inquisitive users • likely to include information not needed now • Unix man command • Tutorial • aimed at new users

  6. Types of support • Four types are complementary • Together they support range of points in user’s experience with system • Each type may be on-line and off-line (documentation) • should be consistent in content • presentation medium may have impact on design • general principles for both

  7. Requirements • Availability • Accuracy and Completeness • Consistency • Robustness • Flexibility • Unobtrusiveness

  8. Requirements • Availability • accessible any time during application interaction • Accuracy and completeness • consider incremental update/feature-adding of releases • Consistency • different parts of help system and documentation consistent in content, terminology and presentation

  9. Requirements • Robustness • system itself should be robust • even more important with support, because users are in trouble when using it • Flexibility • meets needs of user allows user to get information in an appropriate form • context sensitive or adaptive help systems • Unobtrusiveness • shouldn’t block work in application

  10. Approaches to User Support • Command Assistance • Command Prompts • Context-Sensitive help • On-line tutorials • On-line documentation • Wizards • Assistants

  11. Approaches to user support • Command assistance • good for reference on command, eg man or help • user must know what to look for • Command prompts • provide information when error occurs • good for syntactic errors • won’t tell you if you need a different command • Context sensitive help • depends on what user is doing • eg. completing a dialog, tool tip

  12. Approaches to User Support • On-line tutorials • introduces user to components of system • structure progress, maybe at user’s own speed • includes examples, test environment to simulate interface • useful, but inflexible • On-line documentation • printed material in electronic form • eg readme files • continually available but can be difficult to browse • Hypertext can support browsing

  13. Approaches to User Support • Wizards • task specific tool that leads user through task step-by-step • user answers ‘questions’ along the way • constraining - may not offer options • should have progress indicator and allow back up

  14. Approaches to User Support • Assistants • monitor user behavior and offer suggestions • unobtrusive and under user control • ‘Clippy’ not unobtrusive, suggestions inappropriate • MS XP smart tags appear near object of interest

  15. Intelligent Help: Adaptive Help Systems • Use knowledge of the user, task, domain and instruction to provide help adapted to user’s needs. • Problems: • Knowledge requirements considerable • must collect data on by monitoring interaction • Issue of control - how active? • What should be adapted? • What is scope of adaptation? :

  16. Knowledge representation: User modeling • User modeling • single, generic user (non-intelligent) • user-configured model (adaptable) • system-configured model (adaptive) • Static help systems can’t address all user differences. • Adaptive help systems model users, refining the model by monitoring a user’s activities, and present help tailored to the particular user.

  17. Approaches to User modeling • Quantification • user moves between levels of expertise based on quantitative measure of what he knows Move from level 1 to level 2 if system has been used more than twice commands x and y used effectively help has not been accessed in this session system has been used in last 5 days

  18. Approaches to User modeling • Stereotypes • user is classified into a particular category • Overlay • an idealized model of expert use is constructed • actual use compared to it • can determine how far user is from optimal use • can suggest optimal use strategies

  19. Knowledge representation: Domain and Task Modeling • Usually involves analysis of command sequences • Assistants and agents • Covers • common errors and tasks • command sequences for current task • Problems • interleaved tasks • user intention

  20. Techniques for Knowledge representation • Rule-based • Frame-based • Network-based • Example-based

  21. Techniques for Knowledge Representation • Rule-based • knowledge represented as rules • facts interpreted using inference (logic) • used in large domains IF command is EDIT file 1 AND last command is COMPILE file 1 THEN task is DEBUG action is describe automatic debugger

  22. Techniques for Knowledge Representation • Frame-based • knowledge stored in structure that contains labeled slots • slot has default value • useful in small domains User Expertise level: novice Command: EDIT file 1 Last command: COMPILE file 1 Errors this session: 6 Action: describe automatic debugger

  23. Techniques for Knowledge Representation • Network-based • knowledge represented as relationships between facts • can link frame-based representations CC is and instance of COMPILE COMPILE is a command COMPILE is related to DEBUG COMPILE is related to EDIT Automatic debugger facilitates DEBUG

  24. Techniques for Knowledge Representation • Example-based • knowledge represented within decision structure of classification system • trained to classify rather than programmed with rules (AI techniques • detects recurrent features EDIT file 1 COMPILE file 1 • trains for task debug

  25. Problems with knowledge representation and modeling • Knowledge difficult to elicit • especially if domain expert not available • variability of users • difficult to ensure completeness and correctness • Interpretation of information • during interaction all we have are logs • do not have user’s intent or goal

  26. Other issues • Initiative • Does user retain control or can system direct the interaction? • Can system interrupt user to offer help? • Effect • Model only what is needed to satisfy requirements of help system • Scope • Is modeling at application level only or at system level?

  27. Designing User Support • User support is not an ‘add on’ - it should be designed integrally with system. • Should concentrate on content and context of help rather than technological issues • There are presentation issues and implementation issues

  28. Designing User Support : Presentation issues • How is help requested? • Command • button • function (on/off) • separate application • How is help displayed? • New window • whole screen or split screen • pop-up box • hint icons

  29. Designing User Support : Presentation issues • Effective presentation requires • clear, familiar, consistent language • instructional rather than descriptive language • avoid of blocks of text • summary and example

  30. Designing User Support Systems : Implementation Issues • Is help • OS command • meta command • application • What resources are available • screen space • memory capacity • speed

  31. Designing User Support Systems: Implementation Issues • Structure of help data • single file • file hierarchy • database • Consider • flexibility and extensibility • hard copy • browsing

  32. Summary • Users require different support at different times • User support should be: • available but unobtrusive • accurate and robust • consistent and flexible • User support comes in a number of styles: • command-based, context sensitive help • tutorial, online doc, wizards and assistants • adaptive help • Design of user support must take account of: • presentation and implementation issues

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