Comp 15 - Usability & Human Factors Unit 8c - Approaches to Design This material was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003.

Design Principles to Support Usability (Dix et al, 2004) Learnability Ease with which new users can achieve a) basic proficiency and then b) mastery Flexibility Flexible ways in which the user and system exchange information Robustness Level of support provided to user in determining successful achievement and assessment of goals Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 Learnability Factors Predictability Support for the user to determine the effect of future action based on past Synthesizability User can understand effect of past operations on the current state of system Familiarity Extent to which a user’s knowledge and experience can be applied when interacting with a new system Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Learnability Factors Cont. Generalizability Support for the user to extend knowledge within and across applications Consistency Likeness in input-out behavior arising from similar situations or similar task objectives Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Usability Principles and Design Heuristics (Nielsen, 1993) Visibility of system status Match between system and the real world User control and freedom Consistency and standards Error prevention Error handling Recognition rather than recall Flexibility and efficiency of use Aesthetic and minimalist design Help and documentation Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 1. Visibility Keep users informed Make state transitions explicit Animate dynamic processes Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 Be Obvious Where am I? What’s happening? What can I do? What do I need to know? Most users are not interested in “exploration” Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Animate Slow Processes Progress Bar Added Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 2. Match System to World Avoid Jargon Speak the users' language Follow real-world conventions Present information in a natural and logical order. Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

3. User Control and Freedom Clearly marked "emergency exit" Support undo, redo and “back” User configurable preference and interfaces Avoid fixed sequences Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

4. Consistency and Standards Consistent placement Consistent action models Beware modal behaviors Follow platform conventions Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

The Law of Least Astonishment The system should never “surprise” the users. It should always behave in the “expected” manner Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 5. Error Prevention Make “bad things” hard to do Data checks before “submit” Identify errors early Confirm unrecoverable actions Avoid “dialog escape” Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 6. Error Handling Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors No codes Error messages should be expressed in plain language The very worst error messages are those that don't exist Precisely indicate the problem Suggest a solution Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Some Favorite Error Messages Abort? Retry? Fail? Ignore? -3162 Incorrect Magic Number 207.171.0.250 does not like recipient. Permanent Compiler Error Panic Error: An unexpected error has occurred Error: The operation completed successfully Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

7. Recognition, not Recall Minimize users’ memory load Minimize hidden functions Make objects, actions, and options visible. Instructions visible or easily retrievable. The user should not have to remember information from one screen to another. Make sequential steps explicit Minimize command languages Proper Default Doses & Routes Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 Icon If You Can Use icons to reinforce content Pictures recalled better than words Test your icons Avoid subtle distinctions Avoid “cute” metaphors Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

8. Flexibility and Efficiency Allow users to tailor frequent actions. Keyboard Shortcuts Macros / Scripting Programmable Interfaces Order Sets Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

9. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design Screen content should relate to user’s goals Many users will not be able to separate relevant from irrelevant Design and Decoration should enhance visibility Remove item Test application If the application still works, leave it out The removal test Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Color With Care Design in black and white Four or fewer colors Avoid saturated colors Do not encode only in color Use color consistently Avoid color opposites Beware unintended color meaning Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 Funday Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

10. Help and Documentation … until something breaks No one reads the manual Plan instructions for problem solving Many users accustomed to paper, not computer Step-wise, pictorial instructions Invaluable for remote support Test your documentation Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Reducing System Barriers for Older Adults IDEATel Informatics for Diabetes Education And Telemedicine Large-scale home-based telemedicine project for medically-underserved diabetic patients Older adults with limited computer literacy Usability testing revealed a range of user problems that impeded productive use Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 Changes to Design Simplify without reducing functionality! Go Big: large text and buttons Reduce memory load/minimize task complexity Improve contrast Enhance navigation Reduce burden on psychomotor skill Mouse-based system to touch screen Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 Generations Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 Gen 1a Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 Gen 1b Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 Gen 2 Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 Pedometer Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011 References Dix A., Finlay J.E., Abowd G.D., Beale R. (2004). Human-Computer Interaction. 3rd ed. Essex, England: Prentice-Hall;. Kaufman D.R., Patel V.L., Hilliman C., Morin P.C,. Pevzner J., Weinstock R.S., et al. (2003). Usability in the real world: assessing medical information technologies in patients' homes. Journal of Biomedical Informatics. Feb-Apr;36(1-2):45-60. Mayhew, D. J. (1999). The usability engineering lifecycle. San Francisco, CA.: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc. Nielsen, J. (1994). Heuristic evaluation. In J. Nielsen & R. L. Mack (Eds.), Usability Inspection methods (pp. 25-62). New York: Wiley. Norman DA. Cognitive engineering. In: Norman DA, Draper SW, editors. User centered system design: New perspectives on human-computer interaction. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1986. p. 31-61. Polson, P. G., Lewis, C., Rieman,J., & Wharton, C. (1992). Cognitive walkthroughs: A method for theory-based evaluation of user interfaces. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 36, 741-773. Preece, J. Rogers, Y. & Sharp, H. (2007) Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. 2nd Edition. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Ruland CM, Starren J, Vatne TM. Participatory design with children in the development of a support system for patient-centered care in pediatric oncology. J Biomed Inform. 2007 Nov 13; Shea, S. Starren, J. Weinstock, R.S, Knudson, P.E., Teresi J. and Holmes, D. et al., Columbia University’s Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine (IDEATel) Project: rationale and design, J Am Med Inform Assoc 9 (1) (2002), pp. 49–62. Starren J, Hripcsak G, Sengupta S, et al. Columbia University's Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine (IDEATel) project: technical implementation. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2002;9:25–36. Starren, J. Weinstock, R.S, Palmas, W., Izquierdo, R., Morin, P. and Kaufman, D.R. Diabetes. In: R. Wootton, S.L. Dimmick and J.C. Kvedar, Editors, Home telehealth, Connecting care within the community (2006), pp. 171–183. Component 15/Unit 8c Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 2.0/Spring 2011