Advanced Human-Computer Interaction for User-Centered Design

1. Advanced Human Computer Interaction Instructor: Dr. Nadeem Ahmad Chauhdry Dual PhD (Politecnico di Torino, Italy & University of Potsdam, Germany) HOD, CS & IT Department, The University of Lahore Defence Road Campus, Lahore. Email: nadeem.ahmad.@cs.uol.edu.pk https://sites.google.com/site/pctresearchgroup/

2. User Centered Design • Definitions of User Centered Design • Purpose of UCD • Four Important UCD Principles • UCD Methodology • User-Centered Design: A Case Study • UCD in System Design Life Cycle • UCD vs. Waterfall vs. Agile

3. User Centered Design (UCD) • User-centered design (UCD) is a type of user interface design and a process in which the needs, wants, and limitations of end users of a product are given extensive attention at each stage of the design process. • Don Norman’s Definition (User centered system design; new perspectives on human-computer interaction: 1986) • User-centered design (UCD) is an approach to design that grounds the process in information about the people who will use the product. • Usability Professional Association

4. User Centered Design (UCD) • In UCD, all "development proceeds with the user as the center of focus”. • Jeffrey Rubin (Handbook of Usability Testing: How to Plan, Design, and Conduct Effective Tests: 1984) • Human centered design is an approach to interactive system development that focuses specifically on making systems usable. It is a multi-disciplinary activity. • Human centered design processes for interactive systems, ISO 13407 (1999)

5. Purpose of UCD • The biggest cost benefit that UCD can provide is by more accurately defining requirements. • Produce products that have a high degree of usability. • The ultimate goal of UCD is to optimize a user's experience of a system, product, or process. More Information: http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/2009/03/05/benefits-principles-of-user-centered-design/

6. Users Perspective • Needs and Wants • Goals, Motivation and Triggers • Obstacles and Limitations • Tasks, activities and Behaviors • Geography and Language • Environment, Work, life and Experience

7. Four Important UCD principles • A clear understanding of user and task requirements • Incorporating user feedback to refine requirements and design • Active involvement of user to evaluate designs • Integrating user centered design with other development activities

8. UCD Methodology

9. Typical UCD Methodology • Design Phase • Begin to brainstorm design concepts and metaphors • Develop screen flow and navigation model • Do walkthroughs of design concepts • Begin design with paper and pencil • Create low-fidelity prototypes • Conduct usability testing on low-fidelity prototypes • Create high-fidelity detailed design • Do usability testing again • Document standards and guidelines • Create a design specification • Analysis Phase • Meet with key stakeholders to set vision • Include usability tasks in the project plan • Assemble a multidisciplinary team to ensure complete expertise • Develop usability goals and objectives • Conduct field studies • Look at competitive products • Create user profiles • Develop a task analysis • Document user scenarios • Document user performance requirements

10. Typical UCD Methodology • Implementation Phase • Do ongoing heuristic evaluations • Work closely with delivery team as design is implemented • Conduct usability testing as soon as possible • Deployment Phase • Use surveys to get user feedback • Conduct field studies to get info about actual use • Check objectives using usability testing

11. User-Centered Design: A Case Study on Its Application to the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS) • The TTWCS is a hardware and software system that is responsible for the initialization, planning, preparation, and launching of Tomahawk missiles. • The broad goals given by the sponsor for the user interface were • To increase combat effectiveness • Reduce operator workload and • Improve situational awareness

12. UCD Processes Integrated with APL Systems Engineering Loop • Further information: Case Study (http://www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest/TD/td3101/31_01_Rigsbee.pdf) • APL’s systems engineering process, known as the systems engineering “loop.” http://www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest/TD/td2904/Seymour_Editorial.pdf

13. UCD Implementation: Case Study • Requirements Elicitation • It is important that the interviewer understand the users’ lexicon, system, tools, and environment. • Identifying subject-matter experts (SMEs), or users who are former or current operators of the system, is essential to develop background information on the roles relating to and supporting operations. • SMEs are familiar with the shortcomings of existing systems and can identify valuable data on user preferences and desired design features. • Notes were taken and refined into explicit requirements that eventually led to a high-level design concept document.

14. The TTWCS Task Analysis Process

15. TASK ANALYSIS: Top-Level Task Hierarchy

16. Design Concepts and Artifacts • Three primary design artifacts are produced during this phase • The first of which is the high-level design concept document, which provides the basis and logic behind the user-interface design and guides the creation of an initial low-fidelity prototype. • The high-level design concept document feeds into the HCI design specification document. The HCI design specification document provides an introduction and detailed screen layouts, colors, icons, and interaction methodologies. • The third artifact is the user workflows.

17. TTWCS Prototypes and Usability Testing • Low-fidelity prototype was developed. This prototype began as a white board drawing  a paper-based sketches  finally into a presentation • A medium-fidelity prototype was then created based on the feedback obtained from user reviews of the low-fidelity prototype. • This prototype was more detailed and more dynamic than the low-fidelity prototype. • The high-fidelity prototype was created next. This allowed operators to actually operate the system and complete various tasks.

18. Results • Preliminary testing showed improvements in • workload • situational awareness • the number of missiles launched on time • the number of errors and • the amount of help required to operate the new interface with minimal training. • Moreover, users and stakeholders help and feedback spread a positive message regarding the improved interface, which results in a boost in the users’ initial acceptance of the product. • The design is currently in production and will be fielded in 2015.

19. When should user experience design occur?

20. UCD in System Design Life Cycle

21. Understanding the User

22. User Interface Design

23. User Interface Design

24. 6 Basic Steps in UCD • Get to know the users • Analyze user tasks and goals • Establish usability requirements • Prototype some design ideas • Usability test the concepts • Repeat as necessary

25. Waterfall: -3-6 month + releases -Requirements definition up front -Sequential process -Used heavily pre-Web -Delay testing to end Agile: -”XP” Extreme Programming -Reduce the cost of change -30 day releases -Include user involvement -Test as you go along Development process: UCD vs. Agile vs. Waterfall UCD: -User testing often -Iterative by nature -Rapid (UI) design prototyping -User test anytime

26. UCD vs. Waterfall vs. Agile • Waterfall Model is best when you can not afford to learn from your previous mistakes. • You do not design software for the space shuttle in an agile manner.

27. Interfaces for Semi Literate Users • I analyzed the effects and usability of providing online assistance to semi-literate users and compared different help modes. • 250 semi-literate users in Republic of Rwanda participated in the experiment. • 180 users were randomly divided into four different groups. Each group is further subdivided into three subcategories of basic, moderate and expert users.

28. Methodology • The experiments were carried out in two phases. • In first phase, the Group A, applied for internship program using the original interface. • 53% users were unable to perform the task. Only six out of fifteen from basic users category could answer all questions. • Major usability barriers include language difficulty, required more detailed instructions and difficulty in understanding abbreviations. • In 2nd phase three new interfaces were designed and tested on another group of semi literate users.

29. Design process

30. Results • All instructions were translated into their local language “Swahili”. • Low literacy users are more benefited from online assistance with a twofold increase in their performance. • The results are accepted with minor revisions in “International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction”.