Creating User-Centered Designs for Interactive Systems: A Design Approach

1. Design process

2. Design • How do we come up with new (good) designs for interactive systems? • Why is it so difficult?

3. What is design? achieving goals within constraints • goals - purpose • who is it for, why do they want it • constraints • materials, platforms • trade-offs

4. Interactions and Interventions • design interactions not just interfaces • not just the immediate interaction • E.g. email in the office • 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

5. The Tao of UCD DESIGN IMPLEMENT USE & EVALUATE

6. User-Centered Design Process 1. Understand constraints/context 2. User analysis 2. Task analysis 4. Function allocation 5. Define usability criteria • All of the above included in requirements definition and task analysis.

7. User-Centered Design (cont’d) 6. Design UI - including help and documentation • Consider alternatives! • Apply formative evaluation techniques & iterate 7. Build & test prototypes • Apply formative / summative evaluation techniques & iterate 8. Build & test the real application • Apply summative evaluation techniques & iterate 9. Release, update and maintain • Apply summative evaluation techniques & iterate

8. Lifecycle models • Show how activities are related to each other • Lifecycle models are: • management tools • simplified versions of reality • Many lifecycle models exist, for example: • from software engineering: waterfall, spiral, JAD/RAD, Microsoft, agile • from HCI: Star, usability engineering

9. A simple interaction design model Exemplifies a user-centered design approach

10. The process of design scenariostask analysis what iswanted guidelines principles analysis interviews ethnography what is there vs. what is wanted precisespecification design dialoguenotations implement and deploy evaluation heuristics prototype architectures documentation help

11. ISO 13407

12. Discussion • What do methods have in common? • Where do they differ? • How would you choose or adapt a method?

13. Other HCI design “methods” • Usability engineering • Focus on usability metrics and evaluation • Participatory design • User as participant in the design process • Contextual design • Based around contextual inquiry, focusing on the customer

14. SE traditional ‘waterfall’ lifecycle Requirements analysis Design Code Test Maintenance

15. Spiral Lifecycle model From cctr.umkc.edu/~kennethjuwng/spiral.htm

16. Discussion • How would you incorporate HCI design into larger SE design frameworks?

17. Summary Four basic activities in the design process • Identify needs and establish requirements • Design potential solutions ((re)-design) • Choose between alternatives (evaluate) • Build the artefact User-centered design rests on three principles • Early focus on users and tasks • Empirical measurement using quantifiable & measurable usability criteria • Iterative design Lifecycle models show how these are related

18. Design rationale • Recall: design is achieving goals within constraints • How do you document the • Constraints? • Alternatives? • Decisions?

19. Why is HCI Design Difficult? • Difficult to deeply analyze human behavior • May be too close to the domain • Cost/features may be considered over good human factors • Creativity is challenging!

20. Ideas come from Imagination Analogy Observation of current practice Observation of current systems Borrow from other fields Animation Theatre Information displays Architecture ..… metaphor How to be creative? How do we create and develop new interface ideas and designs?

21. Project Structure • Group project – 3-4 people • Worth 50% of grade • Design and evaluate an interface • 1 - Understand the problem, users, tasks, environment (15%) • 2 – Design and prototype (20%) • 3 – Evaluation (15%)

22. Project Groups • 3-4 people • You decide • Diverse is best! • Consider schedules, email habits, etc. • Form and choose topic by next Wednesday – cool name

23. Previous Projects • System for organizing and showcasing art • Friend Finder on a cell phone • System for assisting anesthesiologists • Money tracker in your wallet • Mobile photo album • Chef’s display in a kitchen Suggested Project Theme: Design a service to promote, encourage or support sustainability of the environment.

24. Coming up with project ideas • Think of someone else • Avoid being biased by your intuitions • Think off the desktop too! • Mobile, handheld, environmental • Think everyday • Think about people first, then technology

25. Project Topics • Real “client” • family and friends? • Organization you belong to, volunteer with? • Hobbies or other activities? • Domain • Office, home, school

26. Project Details • Part 0 – Team and topic formation – Due Jan. 23 • Create team page on Swiki • Choose a project topic • Complete IRB certification if not already done • Part 1 - Understanding the problem – Due Feb. 13 • Describe tasks, users, environment, social context • Any existing systems in place • Helps form basis for your requirements • Describe the problem, not the solution

27. Project Details • Part 2a - Design Alternatives poster – Due March 12 • Storyboards, mock-ups for multiple different designs • Get feedback on ideas during poster session • Part 2b – System Design and Evaluation Plan – Due April 2 • Description of the system requirements and design • Rationale for design decisions • Plan for conducting evaluation • Part 2c – System Prototype – Due April 2 • Prototype that implements all or part of the design • Allows for interactive experience

28. Project Details • Part 3 – Evaluation – Due April 23 • Conduct evaluation with example users • Characterize pros and cons of the UI • Discuss what you would do to fix problems • Part 3b – Presentation – April 23 • In class presentation of the entire project, 15 minutes

29. Your turn • Pair or triple up… • Brainstorm ideas/problems • Choose a couple and elaborate • Think of examples of other people having the problem • Try to determine 5 Ws for the problem • Pause to share ideas with everyone…

30. Exercise • Interview each other about applications on your cell phone: • What is your favorite feature of your cell phone? • What is your least favorite feature? • What do you do with your phone besides make phone calls? • Is there anything else you would like to do with you cell phone? • Switch cell phones and Observe each other • call back the last person who called • Add your name and number of the contact list

31. Impressions? • What was surprising? • What did you observe? • How would this be different in real world? • How did you feel about being observed?

32. Working with People • Issues of rights, respect, ethics • YOU will be observing and talking to people to: • Gather requirements • Get initial design feedback • Perform evaluations of your design • Important to be professional with any interaction with potential users

33. Why an issue? • Usability testing can be arduous; privacy is important • Each person should know and understand what they are participating in: • what to expect, time commitments • what the potential risks are • how their information will be used • Must be able to stop without danger or penalty • All participants to be treated with respect

34. Recruiting Participants • Who you are recruiting • Must fit user population (validity) • How you are recruiting • Must adequately disclose purpose and tasks • Compensation • Does compensation fit task? Reasonable expectations? • Note: Maintaining proper ethics applies to all participants, even friends and family

35. Consent • Why important? • People can be sensitive about this process and issues • Errors will likely be made, participant may feel inadequate • May be mentally or physically strenuous • What are the potential risks (there are always risks)? • Examples? • “Vulnerable” populations need special care & consideration • Children; disabled; pregnant; students (why?)

36. Attribution Theory • Studies why people believe that they succeeded or failed--themselves or outside factors (gender, age differences) • Make sure participants do not feel that they did something wrong, that the errors are their problem

37. IRB, Participants, & Ethics • Institutional Review Board (IRB) • Federal law governs procedures • Reviews all research involving human (or animal) participants • Safeguarding the participants, and thereby the researcher and university • Not a science review (i.e., not to asess your research ideas); only safety & ethics

38. IRB @ UNCC http://www.research.uncc.edu/comp/chuman.cfm • On-line tutorial • Guidelines • Consent procedures and template forms • Protocol application forms • IRB Protocol 101 Training • http://www.research.uncc.edu/comp/human_trng.cfm • 1/31: 10am, 2/1: 5pm, 2/2: 10am & 5pm

39. Ethics Certification • Ethics is not just common sense • Training being standardized to ensure even and equal understanding of issues • Go get your certification: http://www.research.uncc.edu/tutorial/index3.cfm -use your UNCC ID to do the test -email me the confirmation, or email me when you took the test previously