Flashcards

M364 Block 1

cormster English 54 cards

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1Give four questions you need to answer in order to optimise user interactionwithaninteractive product.Whyarethesequestionsso important?The four questions given in Section 1.2.1 on pages 5–6 are:
. Who is going to be using the interactive product?
. How is it going to be used?
. Where are they going to use it?
. What activities will the user be doing when interacting with the
product?
2Identify two contrasting interactive products on your person, in your home or in your workplace. In your opinion, do either of these product have good ID? If you answer positively, try to identify what, for you, characterises good ID. Do you have difficulty in using either of the products? If so, think about what the problems are and try to identify what, for you, characterises bad ID.I think my bread machine and my washing machine have good ID. The controls are clear and easy to use and I can achieve what I want to do with these appliances: bake bread and wash clothes, respectively. My characterisation of good ID is design that enables me to undertake the tasks I want to do, and to achieve my goals simply and easily.
3ID has a lot of jargon, some of which has been adopted by industry in order to sell products. Some organisations use this jargon in a misleading way. Using Norman’s definition, what is a red flag? Summarise the possible unfortunate implications of the red flags: ‘fool-proof’, ‘user-friendly’ and ‘intuitive’. Suggest any other red flags you are aware of, possibly from products you have purchased.A red flag is a term that claims to indicate sensitivity to human needs but
may in fact reflect a complete lack of understanding of people.
Some implications of red flags might be:
. ‘fool-proof’ – you think your customers are fools
. ‘user-friendly’ – the product holds users by the hand and forces them
to do things one step at a time, in prescribed order, whether they like
it or not
. ‘intuitive’ – ‘so automatic it is not conscious’, but almost everything
we call intuitive, such as walking or using a pencil, took years of
practice.
Another red flag might be ‘easy to use’, which in my experience is
rarely true
4Now go and look at your car dashboard (or that of a friend or colleague). List three aspects of the different controls which might distract you or make driving the car more difficultIn my car, I noticed the following problems: It is difficult to see the speedometer when driving because the steering wheel is in the way (and its height cannot be adjusted sufficiently). It is difficult to operate the radio because the mobile telephone holder hangs over the top of one of the controls. This is unavoidable because of the design of the holder. The icons, although standard in the automobile industry, confuse me. For example,theiconofanoil candoesnotillustrate anyoilcanthatI have ever used on a car engine.
5What is ID, and what are the results of good ID?ID is surprisingly difficult to define. That is because it is a relatively
new term and the meaning of such terms tends to evolve over time.
The main definition for the purposes of M364 is on page 8 of the Set Book,
where it says ID is ‘designing interactive products to support the way
people communicate and interact in their everyday and working lives’.
A secondary definition is given on page 0. This concentrates more on
what ID aims to achieve: ‘it is about developing interactive products that
are easy, effective and enjoyable to use’. Similarly, in Section 1.2 in this
book, I state that ‘good ID encourages an easy, natural and engaging
interaction between a user and a system’.
These are important definitions, which are central to the whole of M364.
6Define Usablity, Usability Engineers, EffectivenessUsability is defined in Part 11 of the ISO 9241 standard as ‘the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use’ (British Standards Institution, 1998).
WHAT IS INTERACTION DESIGN?
Effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction are defined in Unit 2, Section 1.
35
Box 1.2 on page 14 of the Set Book defines usability engineers as ‘people who focus on evaluating products, using usability methods and principles’. So usability engineers spend much of their time evaluating the usability of products.
7Define User ExperienceUser experience. User experience is defined in Section 1.4 on page 15 of the Set Book as ‘how people feel about a product and their pleasure and satisfaction when using it, looking at it, holding it, and opening or closing it’. A briefer, but similar, definition is given on page 26 of the Set Book – ‘how a system feels to a user’. User experience relates to a wider set of concerns than those of usability, including issues such as whether an interactive product is fun to use, aesthetically pleasing and so on. For the purposes of M364, HCI, usability and user experience are viewed as being different aspects of ID, as illustrated in Figure 2.
8What people might be on a multidisciplinary team?Graphic Designer
Teacher
Software Engineer
Interaction Designer
9Conflicts on multidisciplinary teams?The following are some of the priorities that each of the team members may have: . The interaction designer will want the website to be easy to learn and easy to use, so students can access the information they need quickly and without becoming confused with the design of the site. . The teacher will want the students to be able to learn from the content of the site. This might mean including interactive graphics and video clips. . The graphic designer will want the site to look attractive and eye catching. This might involve the use of bold logos and bright colours. . The software engineer will want the programming underpinning the site to be achievable within the time available, and may have a particular architecture or database in mind.
10The ID process involves the following activities: 1 identifying needs and establishing requirements for the user experience 2 developing alternative designs that meet those requirements 3 building interactive versions of the design so that they can be communicated and assessed 4 evaluating what is being built throughout the process and the user experience it offers. Why are activities 1 and 4 in this list important for the process of ID?Activity 1. Establishing requirements is essential when developing any
product. However, for interaction design, it is essential to understand the
needs and requirements of the people who will be using the product.
Activity 4. As Section 1.5 explains, evaluation is necessary to establish
whether or not the product is usable. This is usually achieved by
involving users in the evaluation process, as they are in the best position
to establish the effectiveness of the design. The evaluation process also
enables you to develop a fuller understanding of the users.
11The six usability goals??The six usability goals explained in Section 1.6.1 are effectiveness, efficiency, safety, utility, learnability and memorability.
12The description of each usability goal contains a key question. Learnability?Question 1: Is it possible for the user to work out how to use the product by exploring the interface and trying out
certain actions? How hard will it be to learn the whole set of functions this way?
13Safety question?Question 2: What is the range of errors that are possible using the product and what measures are there to permit users to
recover easily from them?
14Effective question?Question 3: Is the product capable of allowing people to learn well, carry out their work efficiently, access the
information they need, or buy the goods they want?
15Utility Question?Question 4: Does the product provide an appropriate set of functions that will enable users to carry out all their tasks in
the way they want to do them?
16Memorability Question?Question 5: What kinds of interface support have been provided to help users remember how to carry out tasks, especially
for products and operations they use infrequently?
17Efficiency Question?Efficiency
Question 6: Once users have learned how to use a system to carry out their tasks, can they sustain a high level of
productivity? Which question corresponds to which one of the six usability goals?
186 Usability GOALS again?Effectiveness, efficiency, safety, utility, learnability and
memorability.
19List the 10 User Experience GOALSsatisfying, enjoyable, fun, entertaining, helpful, motivating, aesthetically pleasing, supportive of creativity, rewarding and emotionally fulfilling.
20Below are a number of proposed interactive products. What do you think are the key usability goals and user experience goals for each of them? (a) A mobile device that allows young children to communicate with each other and play collaborative games (b) A video computer conferencing system that allows students to learn at home (c) A website that allows the general public to access their medical records via interactive TV(a) Such a collaborative device should be easy to learn and memorable, fun and entertaining. (b) Such a learning device should be easy to learn, efficient, motivating and rewarding. (c) Such a personal system needs to be safe, effective and helpful.
21Below are a number of proposed interactive products. What do you think are the key usability goals and user experience goals for each of them? (d) A computer-aided design (CAD) system for architects and engineers (e) An online community that provides support for people who have recently been bereaved(d) Such a tool needs to have good utility, be efficient, support creativity and be aesthetically pleasing.
(e) Such a system needs to be easy to learn, motivating, satisfying and emotionally fulfilling.
22Draw the Rating Matrix
23Page 29 of the Set Book describes design principles as ‘generalizable abstractions intended to orient designers towards thinking about different aspects of their designs’. Using this definition, which of the following is a design principle, and why? (a) You must always put the Help menu at the left-hand end of the menu bar atthe topofthe screen. (b) You should always provide clear feedback which indicates what action has been completed and what has been achieved.(a) is not a design principle because it is very detailed and prescriptive,
so rather than guiding your thinking it tells you precisely what to do.
Such statements are usually referred to as design rules and you may
find them in style guides such as those for computer operating systems
such as Windows or Mac OS.
(b) is a design principle, because design principles are high-level
informal rules or guidelines which you can use as a checklist when you
are creating or evaluating a design. (b) satisfies this definition.
24List the 5 design principlesVisibility
Feedback
Constraints
Consistency (internal and external)
Affordance
25Define the design principle affordanceAffordance. Affordance is an aspect of a control that makes it obvious how to use it. For example, a button invites being pressed, a knob being turned, and so on. Good affordance helps improve usability.
26Define the design principle consistencyConsistency. This is where a user interface is designed to follow certain rules, such as always selecting objects by clicking the left mouse button or always having the Help menu at the right-hand end of the menu bar
27Define the design principle constraintsConstraints. Constraints are ways of restricting the kind of interaction that can take place at a given moment. For example, when menu options are greyed out they cannot be selected or the steering column of a car restricts the movement of the steering wheel so it can only be rotated. Effective constraints can help guide users through the interaction, helping them to avoid errors.
28Define the design principle feedbackFeedback. This is the information sent back to the user to confirm what action has been done and what result has been accomplished. Feedback can be visual (e.g. text on a display, flashing alert messages), auditory (e.g. beeps, bells or other noises such as key clicks as you press keys on a keypad or keyboard) or tactile (e.g. a button can be felt to move as it is pressed). The better the feedback, the easier it is to perceive what is happening and hence interact with the device.
29Define the design principle visibiltiyVisibility. Controls should be clearly visible, so users can see the controls that are available to them. Visual feedback should also be clearly visible, so users can understand what action has been done and what effect has been achieved, and hence what needs to be done next.
30List the 5 design principles againVisbiility, feedback, Constraints, Consistency, Affordance
31Define internal and external consistencyinternal consistency means the user interface is consistent within itself. For example, on the dashboard of a particular car, every warning light would be red, as opposed to some being red and others being yellow. In contrast, external consistency means the user interface is consistent with the external world. For example, on the dashboard of a particular car, the icon used to indicate that the fog lights are on is the same icon used throughout the whole range of cars produced by the same manufacturer. Consistency often helps make user interfaces easier to learn and user errors less likely.
32Definitions of user EXPERIENCE GOAL SatisfyingSatisfying. When you use the interactive product it allows you to do what
you want to do easily and quickly – it lines up with your expectations.
33Define User Experience GOAL EnjoyableEnjoyable. Using the interactive product is something you look forward to
(for example, choosing a holiday on the Web)
34Define User Exerience GOAL FUNFun. There are light-hearted elements involved in using the interactive
product. For example, most games are designed to be fun – presenting
enjoyable challenges, giving rewards and so on.
35Define Usability Goal EntertainingEntertaining. This is similar to enjoyable and fun, but I think that if I am
being entertained, I am taking a more passive role. For example, when
listening to music on my MP3 player I am being entertained
36Define Usability goal HELPFULHelpful. When you experience difficulties using the interactive product it
helps you achieve your goals. For example, the spelling-checker in
Microsoft Word underlines misspelt words and can suggest possible
correctly spelt replacements
37Define Usability Goal MOTIVATINGMotivating. You wanttocontinueusing thedevice. Forexample,many
young people are highly motivated to use their mobile telephones
38Define USABILITY GOAL Aesthetically PleasingAesthetically pleasing. The device is visually appealing (aesthetics may also
relate to other senses such as the quality of sound or the tactile feel of the
device).
39Define Usability GOAL Supportive of CreativitySupportive of creativity. It helps the user behave in a creative way.
For example, the thesaurus option in some word processors helps you
to think of better words to use when you are writing.
40Define User Experience Goal RewardingRewarding. This is similar to satisfying – you are satisfied because the device gives you rewards in terms of enabling you to achieve your objectives. There are other types of rewards as well, such as moving on to another level in a computer game.
41Define User Experience goal Emotionally fulfillingEmotionally fulfilling. The device makes you feel good about yourself. For example, if a particular personal digital assistant (PDA) is perceived as being stylish and only owned by successful people, it may make you feel good if you purchase one.
42List the 10 User Experience GoalsSatisfying, Enjoyable, Fun, Entertaining, helpful, motivating, Aesthetically Pleasing, Supportive of Crativity, Rewarding, Emotionally fulfilling
43Section 9.2 of the Set Book describes the ID process. List the features of this process described on pages 416–17. You will need to read the text quite carefully to elicit these.On pages 416–17 Section 9.2 describes the need for the following features
when designing an interactive product:
. a user-centred approach to development, where users’ concerns direct
the development, rather than technical concerns
. balancing conflicting requirements
. generating several alternative designs
. communicating the design to others involved in the project
. evaluating alternative designs with users.
44Give three reasons why user involvement can be useful.To ensure users’
activities and goals are taken into account, expectation management
(the process of making sure that the users’ views and expectations of the
product are realistic) and to ensure ownership (users with a sense
of ownership are more likely to be receptive to a product when it is
completed).
45Section 9.2.2 on page 419–20 of the Set Book discussed the main options foruserinvolvement: .co-opting users onto the project on a full-time or part-time basis . where there is a large user group, including representatives of different user groups on the project team
46List the issues that you need to consider when choosing the appropriate level of user involvement. Eight different issues are identified in Section 9.2.2, some of which are only mentioned quite briefly.. How many users do you want involved with the project?
. Do you want users to be major contributors to the project or just to
give advice and guidance?
. Is consistency of user input important?
. How important is familiarity with the system?
. To what extent should involved users remain in touch on a daily or
regular basis with the user group they represent?
. How many end users are there likely to be? (10s or 10,000s?)
. Do you know who the users are likely to be, or is the product aimed
at the open market?
. How long is the project likely to be – for a short project, will it take too
long to organise, manage and control the involvement?
47A user-centred approach is what?user-centred approach to development means that real users and their goals are the driving force behind the developmentofaproduct.
48What are the possible driving forces behind the development process if it is not user-centred?Where the development is not user-centred, other forces will drive it,
such as the characteristics of the technology or the preferences of other
stakeholders (for example, managers and the software development
team). For a project to be user-centred, whilst these are important, they
should not be the main driving force.
49There are five principles of user-centred development given on page 426 of the Set Book What are they?1 Users’ tasks and goals are the driving force behind the development.
2 Users’ behaviour and context of use are studied and the system is designed to support them.
3 Users’ characteristics are captured and designed for.
4 Users are consulted throughout development from earliest phases to the latest, and their input is seriously taken into account.
5 All design decisions are taken within the context of the users, their work and their environment.
50State the principles that seem the most relevant to each of the four activities that make up the ID lifecycle.Review Question 5
There is not a straightforward mapping between the principles and the
ID activities, but the following seem reasonable to me.
Principles 2 and 3 are most relevant to the ‘Identify needs/establish
requirements’ and ‘Design’ activities, as they are concerned with
understanding and designing for the needs and characteristics of users.
Principles 1 and 4 are relevant to every activity except ‘Build an
interactive version’, as they stress the central role of users. The ‘Build an
interactive version’ activity is excepted because, typically, the
development team builds interactive versions of the design without the
help of the users – they just use the specification resulting from the design
activity.
Principle 5 is particularly relevant to the ‘Design’ activity as it refers to the
individual decisions, which result in the design for the interaction.
51Draw the ID process and give the meaning of the arrows
52Four Groups of StakeHolders. Beneficiaries are stakeholders who stand to benefit from the project
Decision makers decide what to do in the project. This may be a manager in the firm or someone who controls resources, such as personnel available to work as part of the development team.
Gatekeepers control access to other groups who are needed for the project, perhaps for a decision to be made, to establish requirements, check designs or perform evaluations. For example, a secretary might control access to a senior manager who makes decisions about the project.
Workers are stakeholders whose workload will be affected, often increased, because of the changes brought about by the project or by the extra work of learning a new process.
53Draw the simple ID lifecycle model in Figure 9.7 on page 448 of the Set Book. Explain the meaning of each arrow.
54List and discuss 5 Lifecycle modelsThe waterfall model. Unlike the ID lifecycle, iteration is not built into this
model.
The spiral model. This incorporates iteration, but unlike the ID lifecycle this
was included for the purposes of risk management, rather than to enable
user involvement. In our view, user involvement is extremely important
for the successful design of interactive products
Rapid Application Development (RAD) model. Like the ID lifecycle, this takes
an iterative, user-centred view. However, unlike the ID lifecycle, the user
involvement appears to be limited to the JAD (Joint Application
Development) workshops and iteration to the design and build phase
The Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) appears more flexible
than RAD and has a greater emphasis on active user involvement, but
does not appear to have such a great emphasis on evaluation as the ID
lifecycle and the precise details need to be tailored according to the
particular organisation as this is a generic model.
Usability Engineering Lifecycle. evaluation has a more pivotal role in the ID lifecycle than in the

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Description: Flashcards on M364 Block 1, created by cormster on 21/05/2015.
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