Chapter 1: Human Factors of Interactive Software

Chapter 1: Human Factors of Interactive Software • 1.1 Introduction • 1.2 Goals of System Engineering • Steps For User-interface Engineering • 1.3 System - User Interface Design Goals • 1.4 Motivations for Human Factors in Design • 1.5 Accommodation of Human Diversity • Physical abilities and physical workplaces • Cognitive and perceptual abilities • 1.6 Goals for Our Profession

Introduction • User Interfaces Are Products of Interdisciplinary Work • What are the Business Ramifications?

… Introduction • Individual User Level • International Influences

User Interface Engineering • Success requires commitment from designers and managers • Task analysis to ensure proper functionality • Generally alternatives must be compared • Reliability, Availability, Security, and Data Integrity

… User Interface Engineering • Standardization, Integration, Consistency, and Portability • Schedules and Budgets

System - User Interface Design Goals • Define the target user community associated with the interface • Communities evolve and change

…System - User Interface Design Goals • 5 human factors central to community evaluation: • Time to learn • Speed of performance • Rate of errors by users • Retention over time • Subjective satisfaction • Trade-offs sometimes necessary • Test all design alternatives using mock-ups

Motivations for Human Factors in Design • Life-critical systems • Industrial and commercial uses

… Motivations for Human Factors in Design 3. Office, home, and entertainment applications 4. Exploratory, creative, and cooperative systems

Accommodation of Human Diversity • Physical abilities and physical workplaces • Cognitive and perceptual abilities • Personality differences • Cultural and international diversity • Users with disabilities • Elderly Users

Physical Abilities and Physical Workplaces • There is no average user • Take into account dynamic measures such as reach, strength or speed • Account for variances in sense perception • Vision • Touch • Hearing • Workplace design can both help and hinder work performance

Cognitive and Perceptual Abilities • Cognitive processes • factors affecting perceptual and motor performance

Personality Differences • Different theories • Myers-Briggs • Gender differences??

Cultural and International Diversity • special characters • Left-to-right versus right-to-left • Date and time formats • Numeric and currency formats • Weights and measures • Telephone numbers and addresses • Names and titles (Mr., Ms., Mme.) • ID numbers • Capitalization and punctuation • Sorting sequences • Icons, buttons, colors • Pluralization, grammar, spelling • Etiquette, policies, tone, formality, metaphors

Users With Disabilities • Sight, hearing, mobility • Plan early to accommodate • Americans With Disabilities Act

Elderly Users • Forgotten by largely young technologists • Fast growing segment in US • Provide variability

1.6 Goals for Our Profession • Influencing academic and industrial researchers • Potential research topics • Providing tools, techniques, and knowledge for system implementers • Raising the computer consciousness of the general public

End Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Human Factors of Interactive Software