Overview of the Design Process. Avoid Bad Design, Use UCD Evidence-based Design Hypothesis testing!

Transcription

1 Overview of the Design Process Avoid Bad Design, Use UCD Evidence-based Design Hypothesis testing!

2 Good Design (reminder!) Every designer wants to build a highquality interactive system that is admired by colleagues, celebrated by users, circulated widely, and imitated frequently. (Shneiderman, 1992, p.7) and anything goes!

3 The Good

4 The Good

5 The Bad

6 The Bad Perspective view of ballot, as a voter would have seen it.

7 The Bad

8 The Bad?

9 The Bad

10 The Ugly

11 The Ugly

12 The (really) Ugly

13 What The???

14 What About This???

15 What About This???

16 But What Makes it Good?! ØFunctionality ØSpeed & efficiency ØReliability, security, data integrity ØStandardization, consistency ØUSABILITY!

17 Don t Forget This Enjoyneering!

18 Closer to Fine: A Philosophy The human user of any system is the focus of the design process. Planning and implementation is done with the user in mind, and the system is made to fit the user, not the other way around.

19 Good Design Means Ø Systems are built for humans; must be designed for the user Ø Recognize individual differences; appreciate design implications of these human factors Ø Recognize the design of things, procedures, etc., influences human behavior and well-being Ø Emphasize empirical data & evaluation Ø Rely on the scientific method Ø Things, procedures, environments, and people do not exist in isolation

20 Good Design Is Not L NOT just applying checklists and guidelines v These can help, but USD is a whole philosophy L NOT using oneself as the model user v Know your real users; recognize variation in humans L NOT just common sense v Knowing how to design a fire alarm so it will be heard over background noise is not something we all know. v The HF specialist knows where or how to get the information needed to answer design questions

21 User Centered Design ØA way to force yourself to identify and consider the relevant human factors in your design ØHelps reduce the number of decisions made out of the blue, and helps focus design activities ØHelps document and defend decisions that may be reviewed later

22 The Tao of UCD DESIGN IMPLEMENT USE & EVALUATE

23 UCD: 9 Step Overview 1. Define the Context 2. Describe the User 3. Needs Analysis and Task Analysis 4. Function Allocation & Information Architecture 5. System Layout / Basic Design 6. Mockups & Prototypes 7. Design Evaluation 8. Iterative Test & Redesign 9. Updates & Maintenance

24 Design Implications Ø At each stage, consider how the details of your discovery process affect your design Finding/Data Users yrs Some French speakers Astronaut users Design Implications Range of text sizes Range of grip strength Multilingual interface Extensive training available Military context Aesthetics less of an issue Ruggedness is critical

25 1. Define the Context ØContext: the type of uses, applications v Life critical systems, applications v Industrial, commercial, military, scientific, consumer v Office, home, entertainment v Exploratory, creative, cooperative ØMarket ØCustomer (not the same as the User) Design Impacts?

26 2. Describe the User (!!) Ø Physical attributes (age, gender, size, reach, visual angles, etc ) Ø Perceptual abilities (hearing, vision, heat sensitivity ) Ø Cognitive abilities (memory span, reading level, musical training, math ) Ø Physical work places (table height, sound levels, lighting, software version ) Ø Personality and social traits (likes, dislikes, preferences, patience ) Ø Cultural and international diversity (languages, dialog box flow, symbols ) Ø Special populations, (dis)abilities

27 3. Needs Analysis & Task Analysis ØInterviews, surveys, wants&needs study, field studies, etc. ØTalk to and observe users (NOT customers) doing what they do ØList each and every TASK ØBreak tasks down into STEPS ABSTRACT into standard tasks (monitor, diagnose, predict, control, inspect, transmit, receive, decide, calculate, store, choose, operate, etc.)

28 4. Function Allocation & Information Architecture Ø Decide who or what is best suited to perform each task (or each step) v e.g., system remembers login id, and reminds the user, but user remembers the password Ø Base this on knowledge of system hardware, software, users abilities, culture, comm. protocols, privacy, etc. Ø Allocation constraints: Effectiveness; Cognitive/affective; Cost; Mandatory Ø Information Architecture v Determine information inputs and outputs Don t forget the design implications!

29 5. System Layout / Basic Design ØSummary of the components and their basic design ØCross-check with any Requirements Documents; Human Factors refs; Hardware specs; Budgets; Laws (ADA); etc. ØEnsure that the system will support the design and comply with constraints Ø(Verification and Validation, in the language of software engineering)

30 6. Mockups & Prototypes Ø Informed Brainstorming ØWidely divergent, but still compliant ØRAPIDLY mock up the user interfaces for testing with real people ØPen and paper or whiteboard to start ØIterate, iterate, iterate!! ØIncreasingly functional & veridical v List audio & visual details at same levels of detail in the prototypes

31 7. Design Evaluation Ø Get real (or representative) users to do what they do, using the prototypes Ø Subjective and objective feedback. Sometimes users want features that actually yield poor performance Ø Video, screengrabs, lots of notes, etc. Ø Be rigorous wherever possible (stats, etc.) Ø Feedback into the iterative evaluation & redesign of the system Ø Discount usability testing can be very effective, using fewer subjects, more rapid results

32 8. Iterative Test & Redesign ØRepeat cycles of testing and reworking the system, subject to cost/time constraints ØFocus on Functionality First! ØPlan for several versions during development

33 9. Updates & Maintenance ØSustainability of system ØIn-the-field feedback, telemetry, user data, logs, surveys, etc. ØAnalyze and make iterative redesign/test recommendations ØUpdates and maintenance plan as part of the design! v (design it so it can be fixed or updated)

34 UCD: 9 Step Overview 1. Define the Context 2. Describe the User 3. Needs Analysis & Task Analysis 4. Function Allocation & Information Architecture 5. System Layout / Basic Design 6. Mockups & Prototypes 7. Design Evaluation 8. Iterative Test & Redesign 9. Updates & Maintenance Design Implications?!!

35 UCD: Focusing Your Efforts ØThere are real-world constraints ØCutting out steps is not the way to economize! ØOptimize the efficiency of each step ØHere: Focus on the context and the user, to get the most value for the time spent

36 Concepts, Principles, Guidelines ØRemember v No cookbooks (sorry!) v No simple, universal checklists v Think from perspective of user v There are many concepts, principles, and guidelines to help you v Focus on higher level principles that apply across situations, display types, etc. and (almost) anything goes