SIMS 213: User Interface Design & Development Marti Hearst Thurs, Jan 18, 2007

Today UI Design Process Overview Forming Project Teams

Slide by James Landay What is HCI? A discipline concerned with –design –evaluation –implementation of interactive computing systems for human use The study of major phenomena surrounding the interaction of humans with computers.

What is HCI? HumansTechnology Task Design Organizational & Social Issues

What is an Interface? Difficult to define The window through which the human interacts with some application on the computer. But … –really it is more complex than this –part of a larger context of interacting with other applications, other people, and the physical world.

Slide by James Landay An Iterative Process Design Prototype Evaluate

Slide by James Landay User-centered Design Take into account –Cognitive abilities –Organizational constraints –Customs and precendent Keep users involved throughout project

Slide by James Landay Who builds UIs? A team of specialists (ideally) –graphic designers –interaction / interface designers –technical writers –marketers –test engineers –software engineers

User-centered Design Standard Approach: –Needs assessment –Task analysis –Initial design More modern approach (from Cooper’s Inmates book): –Needs assessment –Persona creation –Goal creation –Scenario and task creation –Initial design

Using Personas Focus on specific aspects of a specific user’s characteristics, needs, and goals –The persona becomes as understandable as a character in a book or movie Avoid “elastic user” Design for the center of the distribution –The perpetual intermediates –Don’t focus on the edge cases

Designing for Goals Goals are what one wants to do Goals seldom change Tasks are steps to get to the goals –Tasks change with the technology –Sometimes tasks are the opposite of goals To get agreement, the lawyer argues To achieve peace, the country sends in troops Focusing on technology results in designing for tasks rather than goals.

Slide by James Landay Rapid Prototyping Build a mock-up of design Low fidelity techniques –paper sketches –cut, copy, paste –video segments Interactive prototyping tools –Visual Basic, HyperCard, Director, Flash, etc.

Evaluation Test with real users (participants) –Formally or Informally “Discount” techniques –expert evaluation (heuristic evaluation) –walkthroughs Build models –Less common

Why is Usability Important? Good design promotes –Effectiveness and efficiency –Feelings of satisfaction, enjoyment Bad design threatens –Safety –Accuracy

Good vs. Bad Design It is important to avoid bad design –It is often easy to detect a bad design – just try it with a few users –It can be fun to spot the flows UI Hall of Shame It is much harder to teach / learn good design –Look at & appreciate good examples –Follow best practices –Be willing to redesign –Get lots of practice!

Good vs. Bad Design UI design is humbling –Your attempt may work right, look great –But … users may not be able to use it –Don’t take it personally! That’s why we iterate!

Studying Good Examples Some sites just do things well –Amazon has pioneered many excellent interaction designs for the web Suggesting related products in an effective way Useful and timely content Tabs to organize main kinds of content 1-click purchasing Good checkout mechanism –However, UI quality has degradated in some respects

Studying Good Examples Recipe/Lifestyle Sites: – – A good source: Webby Awards – –/

Assignment: Project Proposal Decide on project goals and members –Use class list to exchange ideas Recommendations: –Find a project for which you have ready access to people who would be real users of the system –Look at the projects from last time to get a feeling for the scope. Due date: –Proposals due Tuesday Jan 30 th (< 2 weeks) –We’ll give feedback and might ask you to revise it.

Class Projects Design, prototype, and evaluate an interface –Iterate four times –Emphasis on web-based interfaces –Ok to redesign an existing interface MUST work in groups of 3-5 people –Team structure –Students will assess amount of work being done by others in the group Last year’s: –

Slide adapted from James Landay Teams vs. Managed Groups Managed Groups – strong leader – individual accountability – organizational purpose – individual work products – efficient meetings – measures performance by influence on others – delegates work Teams – shared leadership – individual & mutual accountability – specific team purpose – collective work products – open-ended meetings – measures performance from work products – do real work together

Slide adapted from James Landay Team Action Items Meet and get used to each other Figure out strengths of team members Assign each person a role –responsible for seeing work is organized & done –not responsible for doing it themselves Roles –design (visual & interaction) –software –user testing –group manager (coordinate big picture) –documentation (writing)

Next Week Jan 23: –Project idea discussion –Sullivan case study Jan 25: –User centered design –Project team coordination

Readings Do indicated readings before the class For next Tuesday: –Read Pew (if not done already) Nielsen Chs. 1 – 4 Sullivan (Reader) For next Thursday –Nielson Ch. 7, Gomol