AVI/Psych 358/IE 340: Human Factors Why Study Human Factors? August 29, 2008

2 Admin Reorganized groups (check blog for updated list) Add yourself to the blog (if you have not already): Add yourself to the facebook group Readings for next class –Human Factor (Chapter 1, 2) –Class discussion Attendance from next class Fill out the survey

3 Robot Remote Activity What did you learn from the activity? –Need to consider the task –Need to consider the user –Need to think about the constraints in the environment

4 What is Human Factors? How people and technology interact HF designers work on improving the human-technology interaction –Usability –User experience –Performance –Safety

5 Why is the user so important? Understanding the user can lead to better products Understanding the user can save lives Understanding the user can save money

6 Better products

7 Why was IPod such a success?

8 IPod Success Quality user experience Sleek appearance Novel and simple interaction style Distinct plain color Pleasure to learn and use Great marketing (e.g., catchy name)

9 Saving life (1) Three Mile Island Tragedy (March 1979) –Operators were overwhelmed by the information that was presented –Operators read one of the dials erroneously

10 Saving life (2) Therac-25 ( ) Radiation overdose of cancer patients –Software error on a medical device –Wrong electron mode –Not detected for a long time 6 accident cases Caused due to a variety of social, technical and usability issues

11 Saving life (3) Air traffic and Airline safety Aviation students –Any examples of pilot error?

12 Saving Money Nynex telephone operators –Optimization of their work process led to saving over $2 million a year (Gray et al., 1992) Time = Money (so less intuitive and difficult to use corporate systems lead to loss of employee time)

13 Saving Money Nynex telephone operators –Optimization of their work process led to saving over $2 million a year (Gray et al., 1992) Time = Money (so less intuitive and difficult to use corporate systems lead to loss of employee time)

14 What should HF designers think about?(1): Goals of Design Effective to use: Is the product capable of allowing people to learn, carry out their work, access the information they need, or buy the goods they want? Have good utility: Does the product provide an appropriate set of functions that will enable users to carry out all their tasks?

15 What should designers think about?(2) : Goals of Design Efficient to use: How productive can users be to carry out their tasks? Safe to use: What is the range of errors that are possible using the product and what measures are there to permit users to recover easily from them.

16 What should designers think about?(3) : Goals of Design Easy to learn: Is it possible for the user to work out how to use the product by exploring the interface and trying out certain actions? Easy to remember how to use: What kinds of interface support have been provided to help users remember how to carry out the tasks, especially for products and operations they use infrequently?

17 What else?: Think about User Experience satisfying aesthetically pleasing enjoyable supportive of creativity pleasurable rewarding exciting fun entertaining provocative helpful surprising motivating enhancing sociability emotionally fulfilling challenging engaging boring annoying frustrating cutesy

18 Class Activity: Wii Remote What made the Wii remotes (and the Wii) extremely successful? –Explain in the context of the goals of design described earlier (select 2 goals) –What about user experience of Wii remote? Effective to Use Efficient Good Utility Safe to use Easy to learn Easy to remember how to use

19 What do I think? Goals of design –Easy to learn –Effective to use User Experience –Fun –Engaging