Interaction Styles

1. Interaction Styles Graphical User Interfaces

2. Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) • GUIs • WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointers) • NERD (Navigation, Evaluation, Refinement & Demonstration) • GUIs are graphical interfaces. • Most computer interfaces are GUI based.

3. GUI Interaction Styles • Typed-Command Languages (Not really GUI) • Data & Scientific Visualization • Visual Databases • Video • Animation • Virtual Reality • Multimedia-Hypermedia • Touchscreens • Speech Synthesis • Natural Language

4. Interaction Styles Typed-Command Languages

5. Typed-Command Languages • Typed-Command Languages • UNIX, DOS, SQL • Advantages • Provides powerful, brief and rapid HCI. • Great for power users • Disadvantage • Extensive training to learn all of the commands. • Large number of errors due to typos

6. Design Guides • Choose meaningful, specific, distinctive names. • Command format should be consistent. • Examples: ls –l , head -10 x.txt, etc. • Allow easy correction of typing errors. • UNIX uses arrow keys • Allow users to create macros, shortcuts

7. Interaction Styles Data and Scientific Visualization

8. Data and Scientific Visualization • Interfaces that use graphics to represent data. • Models real world data (sometimes in real time) • Creates visual representation of physical phenomenon • Examples: • Medical Imaging of the human body (full body scans) • Fluid flow (air over an airplane’s wing) • Weather patterns • 3D Imaging of Molecules, DNA, etc.

9. Interaction Styles Visual Databases

10. Visual Databases • Represent data (usually textual) in a visual format. • Multimedia databases are visual databases. • Examples: • A collection of images in a museum under a common interface. • Scatter plots, graphs, Treemaps (U of Maryland)

11. What’s The Difference? • Data & Scientific Visualization • Typically represents real time physical phenomenon • Created as real world changes • Visual Databases • Not changing at the time visualization is created. • Usually a historical point of view. • Historical meaning not right now.

12. Interaction Styles Video

13. Video • Captures the real world in the form of digital video. • Disadvantages: • Formats: mpeg, avi, Quicktime, etc. • Size • Advantages: • Good for some training environments • Gives the real perspective on the world • Entertaining

14. Interaction Styles Animation

15. Animation • Where visual databases and scientific visualization meet. • Cartoon like representations of characters and their world. • Common uses: • Training simulation. • Entertainment • Education

16. Animation vs. Video • Animation is made up, fictional. • Video is real, reality. • Both are used for the same purposes. • When to use video vs. animation? • Depends: can you get real video? • Do you have animation software?

17. Interaction Styles Virtual Reality

18. Virtual Reality • Allows people to immerse into interface. • Advantages: • Great for training. • Good simulation environment • Disadvantages: • Expensive, at the moment • Dangerous to your health if it is too real

19. Interaction Styles Multimedia-Hypermedia

20. Multimedia-Hypermedia • World Wide Web • Advantages: • Accessibility is growing • We all know and use the web • Access from almost anywhere • Disadvantages: • So easy to develop, design is compromised.

21. Interaction Styles Touchscreens

22. Touchscreens • Your finger is the pointer/mouse. • Advantages: • More people have fingers than those with a mouse. • Durable in harsh environments and public areas. • Disadvantages: • Arm fatigue can be an issue when typing is needed. • Screen space is not always appropriate

23. Touchscreens • Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) are touchscreen devices.

24. Interaction Styles Speech Synthesis

25. Speech Synthesis • Audible sounds and words from the computer. • Advantages: • Visually and physically disabled users • It is natural to listen • Disadvantages: • Synthetic voices can be annoying for some users

26. Agent User Interfaces

27. Interaction Styles Natural Language

28. Natural Language • HCI is accomplished using natural language. • This could be spoken or typed natural language. • HCI is close to Human-Human Interaction.

29. Natural Language • Advantages: • It is natural to interact natural • Requires less training • Disadvantages: • Speech recognition is good, but not really good.

30. Interaction Styles Interaction Style Selection

31. How To Select Interaction Style? • Typed-Command Languages (Not really GUI) • Data & Scientific Visualization • Visual Databases • Video • Animation • Virtual Reality • Multimedia-Hypermedia • Touchscreens • Speech Synthesis • Natural Language

32. Interaction Style Selection • User Centered Design • Do the users like cartoons, video? • Visually and/or physically disabled? • What interaction style are the users use to using? • Environment • Public access • Internet access • Classroom access • Infrastructure

33. Interaction Style Selection • Money • How much do they want to spend?

34. Example • Client: Local school district. • Goal: Provide students with up to date information on school events. • How do you proceed?

35. Example • Client: Local school district. • Goal: Educate students on racial tensions in America in the 20th Century, for their school district’s region. • How do you proceed?

36. Example • Client: Google. • Goal: Provide employees with 401K updates. • How do you proceed?

37. Example • Client: FOX Sports. • Goal: Provide online viewers with up to date stats on currently running games. • How do you proceed?