1Spring 2005 Specification and Analysis of Information Systems A Crush Course in Usability and User Centered Design Eran Toch Spring 2007

2 Agenda Introduction User Interface Design –GUI building blocks –GUI structures Usability –Good design / bad design –Usability levels User-centered design –Principles and ideals –The process Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

3 What is Usability? ISO 9241 usability definition The effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction with which specified users can achieve specified goals in particular environments. Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

4 Why is Usability Important? 1.The fate of the world 2. The Apple iPhone Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

5 1. The Fate of the World The 2001 Florida Ballot Incident Bush won Florida by a 537-vote margin in official results Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

6 The Florida Ballot 5,330 Palm Beach County residents invalidated their ballots by punching for Gore and Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan. Almost half of them were 65 or older and Democrats. Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

7 2. The Apple iPhone Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

8 Focus on Usability and Design Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

9 The implications of usability Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

10 Usability vs. Specification Initiation Requirement Design Specification Implementation Testing We design the user interface here We test them here Is it too late? Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

11 User Centered Design UI Design + Testing Initiation Requirement Design Specification Implementation Testing Therefore, we need a crush course in: –UI Design –Usability principles –User-centered design Note, these issues will be discussed in a very shallow manner. Each of these issues deserve a course (actually, in our faculty, there are two courses on these issues). Take them! Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

12 Agenda Introduction User interface design –GUI building blocks –GUI structures Usability –Good design / bad design –Usability levels User-centered design –Principles and ideals –The process

13 Basic Model of HCI Computer input Computation output Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

14 Types of User Interfaces Graphical User Interface (GUI) Command LineVoice activated interfaces Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

15 GUI Model Computer input Computation output Mouse : {x  , y  } Keyboard : {I  {A..Z, 1..0,...}} Screen : {(x,y)  Z 2 } Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

16 GUI Components: Simple Input What is the type of information received by each input field? What’s the effect? Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered Text field Button Text area Link

17 Simple GUI components: Choosers What is the difference between a radio button and a check box? What is the choice domain and the choice range of each component? Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered Combo box Slider Radio button Checkbox

18 Larger Constructs Pages (in Web-based systems) Windows (in Desktop-based systems) Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

19 Composing components Tabs Areas of reference List Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

20 Actions Context Task Consequences Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

21 Designing Interface Elements (top-down) 1.User flow: take the user aspect with the use- case model 2.Storyboard: Find compositions of actions / information Find relations between compositions 3.Detailed view: Refine each composition to the component level 4.Check and integrate Use Case Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

22 The use case model Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

23 User flow Integrate use-case scenarios from the user perspective Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

24 Storyboard Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

25 Detailed View Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

26 Agenda Introduction User interface design –GUI building blocks –GUI structures Usability –Good design / bad design –Usability levels User-centered design –Principles and ideals –The process

27 Good UI design vs. bad design What makes a good design different from a bad design? In order to answer this question we will define the concept of usability. Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

28 Which of these apps is easy to use? Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

29 Good design Recognizable Simple Clear purpose Learnable Safe Flexible Robust Good Metaphors... Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

30 Recognizable interfaces Pretty, or smart, is not necessarily Usable Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

31 Patterns Design patterns in HCI are a good way to explore suggestions for good design We would look at some patterns: –Wizard (for simplicity) –Contextual help (for learnable interface) –Go back to a safe place –Shortcuts (for flexible) –Undo (for robustness) Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

32 Wizard Problem: –The user wants to achieve a single goal but several decisions need to be made. Solution: –Take the user through the entire task one step at the time. Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

33 Contextual Help Problem: –Users may need help regarding specific tasks, but would spend a lot of energy searching for it. Solution: –Place help in the context of the given task. Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

34 Computers can be SCARY Sometimes an innocent user gets into a state she don’t want to be in… And then, the terror!!! Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

35 Solution Provide a way to go back to a checkpoint of the user's choice. The "Home" button and the “Back” Clicking the Logo in Web sites Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

36 Shortcuts Problem: –Power users need faster ways to execute operations than novice users Solution: –Create shortcuts for power operations, using keyboard, combinations, icons, special menus etc... Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

37 Undo Problem: –The user might regret executing some operation. –Asking the user for confirmation after executing each operation will make the interaction unusable. Solution: –Enable the user to undo her operations, after they were executed. Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

38 Usability levels Component Application Project Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

39 Component Level Familiar to use Gives feedback Reduces errors Satisfies a given task Readable Self explaining Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

40 Application Level Accessible Gives sense of place Easy to navigate in Handles errors Realistic Scenarios Personalized Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

41 Project Level Answers real needs Answers current needs Generates value Communicate with all organization's units Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

42 Agenda Introduction User interface design –GUI building blocks –GUI structures Usability –Good design / bad design –Usability levels User-centered design –Principles and ideals –The process

43 User Centered Design The objective is to create a design process that would increase the usability of the product Three principles: –Finding the user’s context of the product –Iterative process, including ongoing tests and revisions –Participatory Design - Users become members of the design team Initiation Requirement Design Specification Implementation Testing Classic: User is involved here UCD: User is involved here Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

44 Where are the differences Requirements gathering stage: –Talk / view users –Identifying personas Specification stage: –Interface prototyping –Usability expert analysis –Heuristic Evaluation Design / Implementation –Usability Lab –Log Analysis Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

45 Requirements stage Talk to users –Interview them in order to discover user’s culture, requirements, expectations, etc. Watch the users –At work –See how they use their existing systems –See what they do not use Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

46 Identifying Personas Personas are hypothetical archetypes of actual users By identifying a small set of personas, we can: –make the users seem more real –Judge the importance of features –Look at the: Usage frequency Competency... Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered Taken from

47 Evaluation at the requirements stage Focus Group The ideas of the new system are presented to a group of potential users. Cognitive Walkthrough The user “imagines” the system, by going with the interviewer through its stages and actions Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

48 Prototyping Brainstorm Rough interface design Application walkthrough Specification Low fidelity paper prototypes Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

49 Prototyping – Intermediate Stages Fine tune interface design Screen design Heuristic evaluation and redesign Design Medium fidelity prototypes Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

50 Evaluation at the specification / design Usability Lab Testing the prototypes by actual users. Good for: finding unexpected problems and process refinement. Guided Walkthrough Guiding and questioning the users while they perform specific tasks. Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered

51 Evaluation with the actual system Log analysis may be used to: –Identifying actual usage patterns –Effectiveness of processes, and components Benefits: –Real statistical information –Real-time information Intro | UI Design | Usability | User-centered Taken from

52 Summary Usability is important: –Changing the registration interface at eBay had increased success rate from 16% to 68%. Sales went up in 84M$. User interface design –Components, storyboard, maps Usability –Familiar, rules, patterns User-centered design –Involve the users –Evaluate early and often

53 References Bad design: – Patterns: – –COMMON GROUND: A Pattern Language for Human- Computer Interface Design, Jenifer Tidwell, Interaction Design: –User Interface Design, Prototyping, and Evaluation (UC Berkeley Extension Summer Engineering Institute) Berkeley Extension Summer Engineering Institute – –