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HCI Validation

This text explores major considerations and methods for validating Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) designs, including expert review, comparative evaluations, controlled experiments, human subjects, observation methods, destructive testing, competitive testing, surveys, and online surveys.

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HCI Validation

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  1. HCI Validation Richard F. Riesenfeld University of Utah Fall 2003

  2. Major Considerations - 1 • Stage of design • Conceptual, preliminary, detail • Novelty of project • Do we know what we are doing? • Number of expected users • How important is this? • How amenable to change will it be?

  3. Major Considerations - 2 • Criticality of the interface • Are lives at stake if there are problems? • Cost of product • Allocation for testing • Time available for testing • Experience of designers and evaluators

  4. Expert Review methods - 1 • Heuristic evaluation • Experts critique it wrt established criteria • Guidelines review • Does it meet “spec” • Can be an overwhelming list • Bureaucratic approach

  5. Expert Review methods - 2 • Consistency inspection • Experts check of style, function, form, etc. • Cognitive walkthrough • Experts perform role of users • Try to assess its success from experience

  6. Expert Review methods - 3 • Formal usability inspection • Moot court • Countervailing opinions • Can be unweildy

  7. Comparative Evaluations - 1 • Different experts see different issues • Can get caught with conflicting advice* • Limit the number of experts • Get a “bird’s-eye” view in the beginning • Throw images on a wall, etc. * “For every PhD, there is an equal and opposite PhD” * “

  8. Comparative Evaluations - 2 • Formal (statistical) methods • Form a hypothesis • Determine dependent variables • Identify independent variables * “

  9. Usability Labs, etc • Hard to employ because of time and money constraints in product development • Development cycle schedule • Budgets • Corporate/Cultural Attitude

  10. Controlled Experients • Statistical testing • Establish level of statistical significance • At the 95% confidence level we know… • Usability testing • Find flaws in the interface through more informal (inconclusive) methods • Empirical methods

  11. Human Subjects -1 • Careful, “This isn’t Kansas anymore!” • Many new dimensions need attention • Human respect and dignity • Voice generated check outs violated privacy • Military has NO privacy • Other cultures treat matters differently

  12. Human Subjects -2 • Real LEGAL issues, so get it right! • Informed consent • Understand your liability • Get it in writing, copy to each party • Government, or institutional rules • We are not accustomed to this • Need cognizant approvals • IRBs, etc. • Research proposals, etc

  13. Observations methods • Have subjects “think aloud” • Will subjects be honest, etc. • Use video recording • Field tests • Study the successes/failures of the interface • Getting access • Reliance on memories • “How is it going?” (We tend to react to most recent)

  14. Destructive Testing • Hey, can you break this? • Good for security • Good for games • Durability testing appropriate for some environments • ATM in high crime area • Military • Students, they can’t resist a challenge

  15. Competitive Testing -1 • Consumers Union, Road & Track, style • Take several into lab and have a “shoot out” • Expensive • Takes skill (like a movie review) • Depends on the criteria • Depends on good and representative judgment

  16. Competitive Testing -2 Major Limitations • Limited coverage of features • Depends on initial user experiences

  17. Surveys • Tricky business, can lead to nearly any conclusion • Population selection • Question choices • Size • Leading questions, other bias • Negative bias – users with complaints

  18. Online Surveys • More issues…

  19. Conclusions • HCI is a new game • Not exact science • Old methods not entirely applicable • Need newer, faster, light weight, flexible, informal, subjective, intelligent approaches

  20. Recommendations • Use good judgment • Trust good judgment • Yours • Others, whom you trust • Be open to criticism and suggestion

  21. Interpretation • What is being said? • What is the real issue? • What is the real fix? • RSI is a problem • Pain • Was cause keyboard or mouse? • Need different devices, or speech, or simply a better mouse and keyboard?

  22. END HCI Validation

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