Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction

1. Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction CEN 4721C / CAP 5100 Andrea Kleinsmith, Ph.D.

2. What are your goals for the class? • What is Human-Computer Interaction? • Man-Machine Interaction • Computer-Human Interaction • What are your learning objectives? • How much effort do you want to expend for learning those objectives?

3. What the class will look like • Lectures (participation grade) • Readings + Quizzes • Projects • Initial user study – individuals • Final project – teams • Identify a client • Create a new interface • Evaluate the interface • Midterm paper • Differences between undergrad/grad • Project requirements

4. Why take this course? • Build your portfolio • Work on a project you have always wanted credit to work on • Study a unique topic • A computer science course focused on users • Skill building • Important in most research • Burgeoning job field

5. Common Questions • Q: What programming language will we use? • A: Anything you want, but we will provide sample code in Java. • Q: Do I need to know how to program? • A: You should be proficient in Java at a Data Structures level. • Q: Do I need to know computer graphics? • A: No. • Q: How many A’s do you give out? • A: As many as who earn it. Typically, if you ask this question, you are in the wrong class.

6. Introduction • What is a user interface? • Why do we care about design? • We see this all the time • What’s good about the design of this error box? • The user knows there is an error • What’s poor about the design of this error box? • Discouraging (who gets the blame?) • Not enough information • No way to resolve the problem (instructions or contact info) • Whose fault is this?

7. Definition of HCI • “Human-computer interaction is a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them.” • ACM SIGCHI Curricula for HCI (Hewett et al. 1992) http://sigchi.org/cdg/cdg2.html

8. Why HCI is Important • It can affect • Effectiveness • Productivity • Morale • Safety • Activity: Consider a program, device, or product’s interface • How would you describe the interface? • How would you describe the product to your friend? • Would you buy the product again? • Would you buy a product from the same company again?

9. What words would you use? How can companies design positively? What makes or breaks a product?

10. What fields does HCI cover? • Computer Science • Psychology • Affective Computing • Communication • Education • Anthropology • Design (e.g. graphic and industrial)

11. What will I learn in this class? • How to design interfaces • Example: Amazon One-Click • How to evaluate interfaces • Example: UF ISIS • Not how to program interfaces • Example: Design a better calculator

12. Norman Doors From: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/59/175678013_ed6a5028bc.jpg

13. Bad Interfaces • Encumbering • Confusing • Slow • Trust (ex. windows crashing) • What makes it hard? • Varies by culture • Multiple platforms • Variety of users

14. Good or bad design? From: http://www.chicagonow.com/mars-venus-game/files/2013/11/rotary-phone.jpg

15. Good or bad design? From: http://realitypod.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Coca-Cola-Freestyle-Vending-Machine.jpg

16. What’s wrong with each? • Who is affected • Impact • What’s a redesign solution?

17. Importance of Design • http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2005/04/17/bad_user_interface_design_can.htm

18. So how do you avoid bad design? • Activity • Design the ultimate fast food drive thru From: http://pigjockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/mcdonalds-6.jpg

19. Did your design support? • A customer who can’t read English? • A customer who is hearing impaired? • A customer who has never eaten a hamburger before? • A customer who is health conscious? • A customer who has an IQ of less than 80? • A customer who is over 7’ tall • Did you design an interface for you? • Is not that what someone already did?

20. Good Design • You can’t create one just by sitting around and dreaming one up • Rely on • Known design solutions • User evaluations • Must provide • Usability • Universality • Usefulness

21. Requirements analysis • In designing a building I want inhabitants to move between floors • Ascertain users’ needs • Ensure proper reliability • Promote appropriate standardization, integration, consistency, and portability • Complete projects on schedule and within budget

22. Ascertain user’s needs • Define tasks • Tasks • Subtasks • Frequency • Frequent • Occasional • Exceptional • Repair • Ex: Difference between a bike, a car and an airplane Images from: http://www.dexigner.com/news/25736 http://carseatblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/airplane.jpg http://prafulla.net/wp-content/sharenreadfiles/2013/01/374828/Finnjet_car_Germany.jpg

23. Ensure reliability • Actions function as specified • Data displayed must be correct • Updates done correctly • Leads to trust! (software, hardware, information) – case: 1994 Pentium FDIV bug • Cost to Intel: $475 million • Privacy, security, access, data destruction, tampering

24. Standardization, Integration, Consistency, Portability • Standardization – common user-interface features across multiple applications • Apple • Web • Windows • Smart phones • Integration – product should run across application packages • file formats • Consistency – common action sequences, terms, units, layouts, color, typography within an application • Portability – allow user to convert data and interfaces across multiple hardware and software environments • Word/HTML/PDF/ASCII/Flash

25. Usability measures • How can we measure the ‘goodness’ of an interface? • What are good metrics? • ISO 9241 • Effectiveness • Efficiency • Satisfaction • Shneiderman • Time to learn • Speed of performance • Rate of errors • Retention over time • Subjective satisfaction Images from: http://www.eoncc.com/telephones.htm http://www.seriouswheels.com/2008/2008-Pontiac-G8-GT-Show-Car-Dashboard-1280x960.htm

26. Time to learn • Speed of performance • Rate of errors • Retention over time • Subjective satisfaction Usability Motivations • Life-Critical systems • Applications: air traffic, nuclear reactors, military, emergency dispatch • Requirements: reliability and effectiveness (even under stress) • Not as important: cost, long training, satisfaction, retention • Industrial and Commercial Use • Applications: banking, insurance, inventory, reservations • Requirements: ease of use/learning to reduce training costs, multiple languages, multiplatform, speed of performance • Office, Home, and Entertainment • Applications: email, games, search engines, cell phones • Requirements: Ease of learning/use/retention, error rates, satisfaction (competition is fierce)

27. Time to learn • Speed of performance • Rate of errors • Retention over time • Subjective satisfaction Usability Motivations • Exploratory, Creative, Collaborative • Applications: search engines, simulations, scientific visualization, CAD, computer graphics, music composition/artist, photo arranger (email photos) • Requirements: the ‘computer’ should be transparent so that the user can be absorbed in their task domain • Difficulties: user tech savvy-ness • Socio-technical systems • Applications: health care, voting, police • Requirements: Trust, security, accuracy, error handling, user tech-savvy-ness (need tools to detect unusual patterns of usage)

28. Universal Usability • Interface should handle diversity of users • Backgrounds • Abilities • Motivation • Personalities • Cultures • Technical capacity • Question, how would you design an interface to a database differently for: • right-handed female, Indian, software engineer, technology savvy • left-handed male, French, artist

29. Universal Usability • Does not mean ‘dumbing down’ • Ex. Crosswalks (parents w/ strollers, elderly, diff cultures) • Goal: Address the needs of more users - unlike yourself! • Everyone is often not at full faculties at all times

30. Physical Variation • Field of anthropometry • Basic data about human dimensions • Is no ‘average’ user • Measures of what is 5-95% for weight, height, gender, culture, etc. • Large variance reminds us there is great ‘variety’ • Name some devices that this would affect…

31. Physical Variation • Work-surface and display-support height • Clearance under work surface for legs • Work-surface width and depth • Adjustability of heights and angles for chairs and work surfaces • Posture - seating depth and angle; back-rest height and lumbar support • Availability of armrests, footrests, and palmrests

32. Cognitive and perceptual abilities • The journal Ergonomics Abstracts offers this classification of human cognitive processes: • Long-term and semantic memory • Short-term and working memory • Problem solving and reasoning • Decision making and risk assessment • Language communication and comprehension • Search, imagery, and sensory memory • Learning, skill development, knowledge acquisition, and concept attainment

33. Cognitive and perceptual abilities • However, perceptual and motor performance can be affected by these factors: • Fatigue and sleep deprivation • Cognitive load • Monotony and boredom • Nutrition and diet • Fear, anxiety, mood, and emotion • Drugs and alcohol

34. Personality • No set taxonomy for identifying personality types • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator • extroversion vs introversion • sensing vs intuition • perceptive vs judging • feeling vs thinking • Big Five Test • Openness to experience (open/closed) • Conscientiousness (disorganized/organized) • Extraversion (extraverted/introverted) • Agreeableness (disagreeable/agreeable) • Neuroticism (calm/nervous)

35. Cultural and International Diversity • Language • Date / Time conventions • Weights and Measures • Reading: left-to-right, up-and-down • Telephone #s and addresses • Names, titles, salutations • SSN, ID, passport • Icons, buttons, colors • Etiquette, tone, formality

36. Users with Disabilities • 1998 Amendment to Rehabilitation Act • Federal law to ensure access to IT, including computers and web sites • Vision (text-to-speech) • Blind (bill-reader) • Low-vision • Color-blind • Hearing (conversion of tones to visual signals) • Deaf • Limited hearing • Mobility (eye-gaze control, head-mounted optical mice) • Learning • Dyslexia • Attention deficient, hemisphere specific, etc. • Keyboard, mouse, color alternatives

37. Elderly • Reduced • Motor skills • Perception • Vision, hearing, touch, mobility • Speed • Memory • Other needs • Technology experience is varied (How many grandmothers use email? mothers?) • Uninformed on how technology could help • Practice skills (hand-eye, problem solving) • Touch screens, larger fonts, louder sounds Images from: http://www.comforcareblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/elderly-woman-at-computer.jpg http://elderlycomputer.com/images/elderlyComputerExample.jpg

38. Children • Technology familiarity • Age changes: • Physical dexterity • (double-clicking, click and drag, and small targets) • Attention span • Varied backgrounds (socio-economic) • Goals • Educational acceleration • Socialization with peers • Psychological – improve self-image, self-confidence • Creativity – art, music, etc. exploration

39. Children • Teenagers are a special group • Next generation • Beta test new interfaces, trends • Cell phones, text messages, simulations, fantasy games, virtual worlds • Requires Safety • They • Like exploring (easy to reset state) • Don’t mind making mistakes • Like familiar characters and repetition • Don’t like patronizing comments, inappropriate humor • Design: Focus groups

40. Goals for Academic HCI • Provide tools, techniques and knowledge for commercial developers • Competitive advantage (think iPad) • Raising the computer consciousness of the general public • Reduce computer anxiety (error messages) • Common fears: • I’ll break it • I’ll make a mistake • The computer is smarter than me • HCI contributes to this!