Shared Flashcard Set

Details

HCI Usability - User Research
Human Computer Interaction class - Final exam on Usability
60
Computer Science
Graduate
03/30/2010

Additional Computer Science Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term

4 KEY principles of

Usability Engineering:

Definition

1.  Early - and continual -FOCUS ON USERS, USER-CENTERED, PARTICIPATORY DESIGN

2.  Integrated design RECOGNIZE THAT USABILITY IS IMPORTANT

3.  Early - and continual - USER TESTING, ALL THE METHODS

4.  Iterative design- DOING IT ALL OVER AND OVER AND OVER

Term

USABILITY is ____?_____

 

HINT: THERE ARE 5.

Definition
  • EFFICIENCY OF USE: high speed of user task performance
  • LEARNABILITY: ease of learning
  • MEMORABILITY:user retention over times
  • ERRORS:low user error rate and easy recovery form error, with good error message design
  • SATISFACTION (USER'S): subjective users satisfaction
Term

The ARTILLERY method

of design is based on?

Definition

[image]design / redesign =                  READY

prototyping / implementation = FIRE

evaluation / analysis =              AIM

Term
Jacob Nielsen's 10 recommended heuristics for evaluation:
Definition
Visibility of system status
The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.
Match between system and the real world
The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
User control and freedom
Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo.
Consistency and standards
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.
Error prevention
Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action.
Recognition rather than recall
Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
Flexibility and efficiency of use
Accelerators -- unseen by the novice user -- may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.
Aesthetic and minimalist design
Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.
Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
Help and documentation
Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.
Term
Jacob Nielsen's Summary of Usability Inspection Methods:
Definition
  • Heuristic evaluation is the most informal method and involves having usability specialists judge whether each dialogue element follows established usability principles (the "heuristics").
  • Heuristic estimation is a variant in which the inspectors are asked to estimate the relative usability of two (or more) designs in quantitative terms (typically expected user performance).
  • Cognitive walkthrough uses a more explicitly detailed procedure to simulate a user's problem-solving process at each step through the dialogue, checking if the simulated user's goals and memory content can be assumed to lead to the next correct action.
  • Pluralistic walkthrough uses group meetings where users, developers, and human factors people step through a scenario, discussing each dialogue element.
  • Feature inspection lists sequences of features used to accomplish typical tasks, checks for long sequences, cumbersome steps, steps that would not be natural for users to try, and steps that require extensive knowledge/experience in order to assess a proposed feature set.
  • Consistency inspection has designers who represent multiple other projects inspect an interface to see whether it does things in the same way as their own designs.
  • Standards inspection has an expert on an interface standard inspect the interface for compliance.
  • Formal usability inspection combines individual and group inspections in a six-step procedure with strictly defined roles to with elements of both heuristic evaluation and a simplified form of cognitive walkthroughs.
Term

the main principles of

good error message design

?

Definition
  • Show where the error(s) occurred in the form.
  • Clearly explain what the error is (and how to fix it).
  • Use color and possibly icons to make the error information stand out.
Term
Functional requirements are __________.
Definition
Term
what is UCD?
Definition

user centered design.

 

UCD focuses on involving users at every stage in the development and evaluation of alternative designs.

 

Term

What is Usability?

 

Hint: ISO - definition, or the EES definition

Definition

Usability is the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which specified users can achieve specified goals in particular environments
-Effectiveness is the accuracy and completeness with which users achieve specific goals.
-Efficiency is the accuracy and completeness of goals achieved in relation to resources expended.
-Satisfaction is the comfort and acceptability of using the system

Term
Name 3 kinds of approaches to user centered design?
Definition

Co-operative design
Participatory design
Contextual design

Term

Activites needed for user centered design?

 

hint: there are 4, and you've only heard them a  million times

Definition

 

Identifying needs and establishing requirements
Developing alternative designs
PROTOTYPING - Building interactive versions of the designs
Evaluating the designs

 

Term
The Usability Engineering process is based on______.
Definition

Collect & synthesise information about users and tasks - understand users
Develop a conceptual design of interface
Storyboard/ sketches
User’s mental model?
Test with users
Set usability goals
uPrototype & evaluate
uNext iteration

Term
Designing good interfaces is founded on______.
Definition

Sketch out user scenarios (eg storyboards)
Test (evaluate) scenario with users
Design and build prototype
Test (evaluate) prototype with users
Iteratively incorporate changes and test until:
Behavioural targets are met OR A critical deadline is met (you run out of time?)

Term

A usability (behavioural) goal ...

think of the kind of langauge you would use to word a usability goal

Definition

“The CAL system to teach Standard Grade Mathematics must be capable of being used by schoolchildren aged 14, without reference to manuals and without user intervention. It must enable the children to learn the key points of each lesson within 15 minutes and 80% of the children should enjoy using it.”

Term

supposedly these are "Design Strategies"

...

i doubt it

Definition
    • “Random walk”
    • Top down design
    • Bottom up design
    • Integrated design
Term

Storyboards...

should be...

cool...

Definition

Borrowed from film and television
used to plot film/play simply
to try out ideas without incurring huge costs
Think of your program design as telling a storyit should have the same elements:
interesting
smooth flow
consistency
enjoyable to watch
easy to understand

Term

Types of prototypes

??

??

??

Definition

Evolutionary
Revolutionary
Horizontal
Vertical
Local
Global

Term
User Interface Management Systems
Definition

Separates interface code from application code
Facilitate development of interfaces
May contain interface elements and
knowledge of good practice

Term

hoogah chaka...

hoogah chaka...

designing gooood systems

is gooood

Definition

Define the problem the customer wants solved
Identify tasks the user must perform
Learn user capabilities
Learn hardware & software constraints
Set specific usability targets in behavioural terms

Term
GOOD DESIGNED SYSTEMS ARE GOOD.
Definition

Sketch out user scenarios
Design and build prototype
Test prototype
Iteratively incorporate changes and test until:
Behavioural targets are met
A critical deadline is met
Install system at customer location
Measure customer reaction and acceptance

Term
Assumptions we make to evaluate_____________.
Definition

we know what the interface
is
meant to be doing
we can measure aspects of its performance
we can make judgements and assessments on the basis of these measurements

Term
Why do we evaluate?
Definition

to make the interface better
to ensure that it is usable in real-life settings
for comparison
adequacy for purpose / meeting standards
fundamental research

Term
Formative Evaluation is _____.
Definition

Highly specific
To help change
Goes on throughout development
Monitoring
Identifying

Term
Summative Evaluation is _____.
Definition

General
To record
Done on completion of stages
Summarising
Describing

Term
What is the wheel model?
Definition
[image]
Term
What is the Spiral model of design?
Definition
[image]
Term

What is the Star view or design?

 

a.k.a. Hartson & Hix made it up

Definition
[image]
Term
Things we can measure environmentally speaking...
Definition
Presence and availability of information ... colleagues, manuals, on-line help
Speed of response, size of screen, ergonomic factors, compliance with guidelines
Term

Things we can measure

about the user...

Definition

Attitudes and values
Knowledge, from questions and performance
Intentions and goals
Short term
Long term
Behaviour
keystrokes, commands used, actions done
time to perform tasks
learning and retention
errors
Self estimates of performance

Term

Catergories of user

___________

_____________

________________

__________________

Definition

Expertise in using the system
Novice users
Intermittent users
Expert Users
Extent of use of the system
New vs. Experienced Users
Domain Knowledge
Knowledgeable vs. ignorant
Experience with computers
New vs. Experienced Users

Term
Conducting Usability Tests?
Definition

Select a representative group of users
Decide which usability indicators to test

  (e.g. learnability, efficiency)

Decide the measurement criteria
Select a suitable test
Remember to test the software not the user
Collate and analyse data
Feed the results back into the product

Term
How to collect data?
Definition

Performance Measurement
Heuristic evaluation
Observation
Thinking aloud
Features checklist
Structured diaries
Questionnaires
Interviews
Focus Groups
Logging Actual Use
Cognitive Walkthrough
Experiments
u
u
u
u

Term

Usability GOALS:

 

an example

Definition

Example:
Number of errors users make in an hour?
Target Level
<=2 (better than current version/competitor)
Minimum Acceptable Level
4.5 (usu. equal to current version/competitor)
Unacceptable Level
>4.5 (less than current version/competitor)
For completely new systems, usability goals are much harder to set

Term
The usability lifecycle chronicles the life cycle of usability development and it looks like this...
Definition
[image]
Term

The traditional develpoment lifecycle...

a.k.a.

"waterfall"

Definition
[image]
Term

INTERACTION DESIGN?

 

hint: its a diagram

Definition
[image]
Term

Quantifiable Usability Measurements:

 

examples

Definition

[image][image]

The time users take to complete a specific task
The number of tasks that can be completed in a given time
The ratio between successful interactions and errors
The time spent recovering from errors
The number of user errors
The number of features/commands utilised by users
The number of system features the user can remember in a debriefing after the test
The proportion of user statement during the test that were positive versus critical toward the system
The amount of ‘dead time’ during the session

Term
Thinking Aloud Protocol
Definition

What does the subject notice?

What is the subject thinking now?

Goal (what is subject trying to do)?

Plan (how is he/she trying to do it)?

Is this achieved?

Problems encountered

Suggestion made by the subject

Term
Comparing Methods of Evaluation
Definition

Heuristic Evaluation

Interview

Questionnaire

Think Aloud

Experiment

Stage

Throughout

Throughout

Throughout

Implementation

Throughout

Style

Lab

Lab/Field

Lab/Field

Lab/Field

Lab

Objective

No

No

No

No

Yes

Measure

Qualitative

Qual/Quan

Qual/Quan

Qualitative

Quantitative

Information

Low Level

High Level

High Level

High/Low

High/Low

Immediacy

N/A

No

No

Yes

Yes

Intrusive?

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Time

Medium

Low

Low

High

High

Equipment

Low

Low

Low

Low

Medium

Expertise

High

Medium

Low

Medium

Medium

Term

Combining Usability Methods:

 

recommendations

Definition

Pick, Mix and Adapt
Recommendation 1:
Heuristic Evaluation 1st
Think Aloud 2nd
Recommendation 2:
Heuristic Evaluation 1st
Performance Measurement 2nd
Follow-up Questionnaire 3rd
These methods find distinct sets of usability problems

Term
Impairments of older people:
Definition

-Vision

- Hearing

- Physical Impairment /  Weakness

- Cogition impairment

 

Term
Model of Usability Measurement:
Definition
[image]
Term
Another favorite method of annalu's to discuss?
Definition
roleplaying and theatre of the opressed, where actors come in a play pre written roles to draw out the discussion
Term

BAD DESIGN

POOR DESIGN

NAUGHTY DESIGN?!?

NO JUST BAD DESIGN

Definition

Inapropriate error messages
Useless error messages 
Lack of Control
Un-necessary data entry
Inconspicuous warning messages
Easy to perform dangerous actions
Complex process to be remembered

Term

HUMAN

VERSUS

COMPUTER

 

Definition

Speed
Accuracy
Sensitivity
Strength
Movement

Term

HUMAN

VERSUS

COMPUTER

 

with a little sugar on it

Definition

Processing Methods
Memory & Recall
Fatigue & Emotions
Visual, Auditory and Tactile Perceptions
Knowledge of the world

Term
LAWS OF GROUPING
Definition

A Gestalt approach to perceptual organisation
focus on seeing well-organised and meaningful wholes
not isolated and disparate parts

Term

HUMAN

VERSUS

HUMAN

 

YEAH!!!

Definition

Physical diversity
Non-physical differences
fear
education
memory ability
speed
social and cultural
personality
gender
age

Term

GOOD

GOOD

GOOD

HCI

DESIGN

Definition

Analysis of task and knowledge of user
Educated common sense
Knowledge of human characteristics
Awareness of own ignorance and skills of others
Correct methodology
Attention to detail
Understanding the payoff of good HCI.

Term

UMM?

DUH?

WHAT?

HUH?

Definition

humans are not the same as computers

 

humans are not the same as other humans

 

think about it and make it part of your design

Term

YOUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

AND

APPROACH?

Definition

user centered

user led

participatory

User-ass-kissing-begging-pleading-athon

Term
functional requirements?
Definition
what the thing actually has to do, accomplish, its real purpose for existing, the lead reason
Term
usability requirements?
Definition
the touchy feely, how the people are going to work the machine and how it guides them through the process
Term
4 main usability engineering principles
Definition

1. FOCUS ON THE USERS

2. INTEGRATED DESIGN

3. USER TESTING

4. ITERATIVE DESIGN

 

now repeat that 4 times aloud...

seriously... do it now!

Term
what is input?
Definition

What is input?
Choice of limb, type of control, method of operation, position of control, label, feedback of operation
What are input devices?
Give instructions to computer
Select best one for the job
Consider underlying issues

Term

AFFORDANCES

?

Definition

affordance are the ways things tell you what they do...

what do things look like or feel like they do? how do you design affordances into things? how do you make it feel like it does what it actually does?

 

what happens when i do this.. or this... or how about that? is it what i expected?

Term
constraints of input / output devices?
Definition

Semantic
Physical
Cultural
Logical

Supporting users have an ad free experience!