INTERACTION DESIGN

Today’s objectives Understanding & conceptualizing interaction Control Design Challenge

INTERACTION STYLES AND TYPES Another way of conceptualizing the design space

Conceptualizing the design space Another way of conceptualizing the design space is in terms of the user’s interaction with the product.

Interaction mode Think about how users will interact with the system/product (talk, instruct, manipulate, etc.). Can help designers formulate a conceptual model by determining kinds of interaction to use, and why, before committing to a particular interface.

Interaction mode Interaction type: what the user is doing when interacting with a system, e.g. instructing, talking, browsing, etc. Interaction style: kind of interface used to support the mode, e.g. speech, menu-based, gesture

Interaction types Instructing issuing commands using keyboard and function keys and selecting options via menus Conversing interacting with the system as if having a conversation Manipulating interacting with objects in a virtual or physical space by manipulating them (WIMP) Exploring moving through a virtual environment or a physical space

Instructing Users instruct system by telling it what to do e.g., tell the time, print a file, find a photo Common interaction type underlying a range of devices and systems Main benefit of instructing is to support quick and efficient interaction good for repetitive kinds of actions performed on multiple objects

Instructing

Vending machines | Instructing Which is easiest to use?

Conversing Like having a conversation with another human More like two-way communication, with the system acting like a partner rather than a machine that obeys orders Ranges from simple voice recognition menu-driven systems to more complex ‘natural language’ dialogues Examples include search engines, advice-giving systems and help systems Siri

Pros and cons of conversational model Allows users, especially novices and technophobes, to interact with the system in a way that is familiar makes them feel comfortable, at ease and less scared Misunderstandings can arise when the system does not know how to parse what the user says Source:

Manipulating Exploits users’ knowledge of how they move and manipulate in the physical world Virtual objects can be manipulated by moving, selecting, opening, and closing them

Direct manipulation Shneiderman (1983) coined the term Direct Manipulation Digital objects can be designed so they can be interacted with analogous to how physical objects are manipulated Assumes that direct manipulation interfaces enable users to feel that they are directly controlling the digital objects WIMP - Window, Icon, Menu, Pointing device

Manipulative

Core principles of DM Physical actions and button pressing instead of issuing commands with complex syntax Rapid reversible actions with immediate feedback on object of interest

Exploring Involves users moving through virtual or physical environments Examples include: 3D desktop virtual worlds where people navigate using mouse around different parts to socialize (e.g., Second Life) CAVEs where users navigate by moving whole body, arms, and head

A CAVE Cave video

Many kinds of interaction styles available… Command Speech Data-entry Form fill-in Query Graphical Web Pen Augmented reality Gesture

Which conceptual model is best? Direct manipulation good for ‘doing’ types of tasks, e.g. designing, drawing, flying, driving, sizing windows Instructions for repetitive tasks, e.g. spell-checking, file management Conversation for children, computer-phobic, disabled users and specialised applications (e.g. phone services) Hybrid often employed, where different ways of carrying out the same actions is supported at the interface - but can take longer to learn

Four basic activities in Interaction Design 1. Establishing requirements 2. Designing alternatives 3. Prototyping 4. Evaluating

User-Centered Design Process 1.Identifying needs (the problem space) 2.Establish requirements 3.Develop alternative designs to meet needs 4.Build prototypes that can be communicated and assessed 5.Evaluate what is being built throughout the process and the user experience it offers

Conceptualizing design space describe what system will do for users. outline what people can do with product what concepts are needed to understand how to interact with it. Conceptualize the design space using a conceptual model

Lots of data When trying to understanding the problem (problem space) and conceptualizing the design space, you collect lots of information. Notes. Pictures. Audio and video recordings. Impressions. Observations. Can be overwhelming and confusing. Must be turned into something that designers, product team, and stakeholders-can understand and use. Source: Shaffer, D. (2010). Designing for Interaction, pp

40% of our users own android 43% of our users own iphone 60% want multi-modal interface control Failure rate on existing control is 45% Process flow breaks down at point X Turned data into something that designers, product team, and stakeholders-can understand and use.

Source: Shaffer, D. (2010). Designing for Interaction, pp Make the Data Visual & Physical Usually, research data will be fragmented and exist in any number of places. Make them visual and physical. Source:

Manipulating the Data Once data are visual and physical, manipulating them: Clustering similar pieces of data Combining/collapsing redundant pieces of data Juxtaposing related pieces of data Naming data clusters Juxtaposing unrelated pieces of data XYZ ABC JKL CDE

Manipulating the Data When manipulating the data, you are mainly looking for patterns. 80% of user paths 10% of user paths

Organizing data Some standard ways of organizing data: Alphabetical Numerical Chronological By frequency By subject 80% of user paths 10% of user paths Source: Shaffer, D. (2010). Designing for Interaction, pp

Analyzing the Data Ways to go about analyzing the data: Analysis Summation Extrapolation Abstraction Source: Shaffer, D. (2010). Designing for Interaction, pp

Analysis Analysis, how you examine data. Deconstruction of a whole process, activity, object, or environment into its component parts. Alignment Diagram Breaks a process down into its discrete steps then indicates the problems and issues with each step, as well as the tools available to help users complete that stage of the activity. Source: Shaffer, D. (2010). Designing for Interaction, pp

What’s the process here?

Touchpoint List Type of analysis that lists all points of contact. Check in at an airport, touchpoints include agent, kiosk, ticket itself, ticket sleeve, and the counter. Touchpoints can include: Physical locations Specific parts of locations Hardware Software Sign age Objects

What are the Touchpoints?

Process Map Analysis - shows a high-level view of a service, steps, and boundaries of the project.

Task Analysis A raw list of activities that the final design will have to support.

What are the tasks?

Summation Taking pieces of data and making them add up to a conclusion. Noting that 75 percent of research subjects did a particular activity can be a powerful piece of persuasion to demonstrate the need to support that activity. Source: Shaffer, D. (2010). Designing for Interaction, pp

Extrapolation Opposite of analysis Extrapolation seeks to make a new, different whole. Designer extrapolates a product from what she knows about the users. Source: Shaffer, D. (2010). Designing for Interaction, pp

Abstraction Abstraction involves removing data until only the most relevant data points remain. Those data points can be visualized as conceptual models. Read Giles Colborne, (2010). Simple and Usable Web, Mobile, and Interaction Design (Voices That Matter) New Riders. Source: Shaffer, D. (2010). Designing for Interaction, pp

Conceptual model The outcome of abstraction is usually a conceptual model. Best models of design research show (either implicitly or explicitly) three things: Pain points. Where are there difficulties in the process? What don't users like? What is creating unnecessary effort? What is inefficient or unpleasant? Opportunities. What are the opportunities for improvement? Where is a tool missing that might help users? What areas have been neglected that could be improved? Calls to action. What needs to be done in order to ameliorate the pain points and capitalize on the opportunities? What are the big design tasks that need to be done? Source: Shaffer, D. (2010). Designing for Interaction, pp

Problems with interface metaphors (Nelson, 1990) Break conventional and cultural rules e.g., recycle bin placed on desktop Can constrain designers in the way they conceptualize a problem space Conflict with design principles Forces users to only understand the system in terms of the metaphor Designers can inadvertently use bad existing designs and transfer the bad parts over Limits designers’ imagination in coming up with new conceptual models

Activity A company has been asked to design a computer-based system that will encourage autistic children to communicate and express themselves better. What type of interaction would be appropriate to use at the interface for this particular user group?