Nov 19 Human-Computer Interaction: Human-Centered Design

Nov 19 History of HCI -- Bad Attitudes n Stage 1: –Only programmers are users Catering to programmer needs is weak Wastes resources People who make mistakes should be smarter –However: Mistakes are inevitable! Allowing easy error recovery is cost efficient

Nov 19 Evolution of Bad Attitudes n Stage 2 –Write the application first –Add the UI later n Stage 3 –Users are other than programmers –The End User

Nov 19 Not-so-Bad Attitudes n Stage 4 –Design UI and application together –The central concern is: “What can the user understand” n Avoid Technocentrism –Eg. Audience chooses ending to a story

Nov 19 User-Centered Design n User-centered design process –Analysis of user needs –Prototype –Informal feedback –Iterate on design –Final application –Formal feedback

Nov 19 Analysis of User Needs n Techniques: –Surveys –Card-sorting tasks –Interviews –Focus groups Look at competing products –Ethnography Participant observation

Nov 19 Prototyping n Storyboards n Paper simulations of application n Wizard of Oz experiment n Prototyping tools n Cheap!

Nov 19 Informal Feedback n Present prototype to users n Do a quick questionnaire n Observe the user struggle with your lousy design

Nov 19 Iterate on Design n Redesign system –in light of initial user impressions –pay attention to common complaints n Be prepared to... Abandon bad ideas!! n It’s just an idea, not a measure of your worth!

Nov 19 Final Stages n Implement the product n Get formal feedback –You now have something concrete to show –Performance analysis n Testing –Look for bugs n Attention to detail –Good UI work is really picky

Nov 19 Final Stages n Playtesting –100s of testers working for months Full-time job –Looking to tune the game’s playability –Single-player scenarios –Somewhat subjective –Culturally laden

Nov 19 Design fixation n Keep an open mind n Don’t get wedded to an idea n Don’t let design review become about whose idea wins n Honor the truth. People come first.

Nov 19 Quotable Quotes: Practice n “The secret to having good ideas is to have many ideas” -- Bill Buxton n “You’ve got 100,000 bad drawings inside you. You’re here at art school to get them out.” -- Chuck Jones n Design takes practice!!