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Enhancing Usability: Principles of Human-Computer Interaction

Explore the study of Human-Computer Interaction, focusing on how humans and technology influence each other and designing more usable systems. Learn about usability concepts, examples of poor usability, and key principles for designing user-friendly interfaces. Discover the importance of understanding user needs, prototyping, and applying design guidelines for better user experience. Take your knowledge further by reading recommended resources and practicing good design principles.

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Enhancing Usability: Principles of Human-Computer Interaction

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  1. Practical ProgrammingCOMP153-08S Week 5 L2: HCI

  2. What is HCI? • Human Computer Interaction • the study of humans • the study of computer technology • the study of how they influence each other • Designing systems that are more usable

  3. Usability • Does what user wants in the way they can easily understand.

  4. Poor Usability is seen in software • Microsoft Entourage • has a calendar/diary • you can have reminders that events are about to happen (eg meetings) • reminders appear in a popup window • but they don’t appear on top of all other windows • so you might never see them!

  5. Poor Usability is seen in hardware Apple puck mouse • for a while was the standard mouse provided with Apple computers • too small to fit into hand comfortably • it’s round, so difficult to tell which way it is pointing • people had to buy add-on covers to make it usable

  6. Some Key Usability Concepts • Visibility

  7. Some Key Usability Concepts • Affordance The control panel at the 5 mile Island Nuclear Power Plant. The controls were so badly designed that the user had to modify them.

  8. Some Key Usability Concepts • Affordance Te Taka’scrockpot

  9. Some Key Usability Concepts • Mappings

  10. Some Key Usability Concepts • Feedback

  11. Some Key Usability Concepts • Understanding Users

  12. Designing for Usability • Understand user needs • Study them – what really happens in the world? • Involve them • Prototyping • Early on build versions of the system that the user can see and use • Get comments • Listen and adjust • Use design guidelines • Learn from others • Rules of good practice

  13. So…. • Paper sketches • Show user, modify • .net forms • Just layout • Some functionality • Again, show users, modify

  14. Design guidelines • Through experience and experiments, lots of good design advice available. • You’ve seen a range in the Zak book: • Tooltips (why?) • Access keys (why?); choice of letter? • “If an operation is destructive, prompt the user to verify that he or she wants to proceed with the operation” • Appendix B GUI Design Rules • No easy, magic way for good design though. Guidelines are just guides…

  15. Taking things further • Read • “The psychology of everyday things” Don Norman. • Look at www.baddesigns.com (site about how bad design makes life difficult) • Look at www.useit.com (site about usability) • Practice good practice • Prototype your vb apps – sketch, show users, redesign • Apply good design guidelines • Do COMP258 (Engineering Usable Systems)

  16. THE END of the lecture

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