Dr. Gitte Lindgaard HOTLab (Human Oriented Technology Lab) Carleton University

Dr. Gitte LindgaardHOTLab

(Human Oriented Technology Lab)Carleton University

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TRUCKS ONLY

(From Stephen Grant, with permission by W. Bezanson)

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Bad designs…

• What’s the problem with bad designs?– Infuriating– Confusing– Inefficient, requiring you to carry out more actions than

should be necessary– Difficult to learn and use– Have no means of telling you what they can do– Not obvious what you can do or how – ….. Etc.

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User-Centred Design

• Aims to optimize the user’s interactions with the product– What are people good at? Bad at?– What might help people do things better (= faster, more

accurate, more fun)– Design for quality experience– Listen to people– Observe people– Use ‘tried and tested’ techniques

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Mapping

(a) Natural, direct mapping

(b) Alternative mapping

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Good/bad mapping?

Which is the most natural mapping here?

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Designing for usability

• Questions the designer needs to ask:– How can we ensure that users can locate the

information they need– How should the information be presented to

help them interpret it correctly….– And then perform the correct action

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Psychological components

• Perception in design– Can the user see the stimulus at all?

• Does it stand out from the background?• Is the contrast sufficient for him to discriminate

‘figure’ from ‘ground’?

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Sequencing options

File Edit View Insert Format Tools Other Other Help

Other Edit Format Help View Tools File Other Insert

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Hot keys

File Edit View Insert Format Tools Other Other Help

Task:Write down the hot keys for the following as quickly as you can:•Edit•Help•Format

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Hot keys

File Edit View Insert Format Tools Other Other Help

Task:Write down the hot keys for the following as quickly as you can:•Edit•Help•Format

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Hot keys

File Edit View Insert Format Tools Other Other Help

File Edit View Insert Format Tools Other Other Help

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Psychological components

• Interpretation in design– Is it easy to understand what the stimulus

means?

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Screen elements: Menus

New… Ctrl+NOpen… Ctrl+OClose

Save Ctrl+SSave AsSave as web pageSearch…

Versions…

• What may you deduce from the following?

• Semantic groups • Hot keys shown• “more” (open another window)• “more” (primary menus)• Can be activated• Cannot be activated

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Bad messages

Ok

Invalid data - out of rangeLongjmp botch: core dumped

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Bad messages

Ok

Error in OR1187.5K/2.3Closing application now

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These error messages are not specific enough…

The month doesn’t have the date

Ok

Please correct the error

Ok

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…Good error messages

Error! No rate entered in cost field Type in a rate between $20 and $500

!

Ok

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…Good error messages

• Tell the user – That she has made an error– Where it is– What the error is– How to correct it

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Psychological components

• Supporting the right decision or action– Is it easy to take the right action?

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Task complexity

• Think about this task…The operator must • Find the right column (detect/attend encode)• Transform a number into a perception of the

location of an approaching aircraft relative to himself (interpret)

• Remember what that number was on the last screen and the screen before that and before that…. (recall)

• Compare these numbers mentally to• Decide whether or not the aircraft is descending

(output)

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Now

15 sec ago

30 sec ago

45 sec ago

60 sec ago

Etc.

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time

Alt.

Would ‘direct mapping’ have led to another decision?

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Summary so far

• As user interface designers, we must understand

• How and where to place information so the user can find it and can scan it with ease

• This was called perception• And it has something to do with understanding how

our sensory systems work + what users expect• You will be learning a lot more about perception in

this course

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Summary so far

• We must try to place ourselves in the user’s shoes to make sure they can also– Interpret the information correctly and– Take the right action

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The role of emotion/aesthetics

• Our first impression of a stimulus is emotional. It

• …represents what my body tells me to feel rather than what my brain tells me to think

• …is formed instantly, in a few msec (mere exposure effect)

• …is stronger than subsequent impressions (primacy effect)

• …lingers on for a long time• …is very resistant to change (confirmation bias)

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So what?

• What does that mean for people who design web pages?

• If a user hates what he sees/hears right away, chances are that he will click onto the next site

• He won’t stay long enough to read and consider the information the site might contain

• He will have a negative impression of the company or institution behind the web site

• It will take a lot of work to get him back up to a neutral position or even get him to like what he sees

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In the HOTLab we study

• How to analyse user behavior• Who are the users? What are they trying to do? What tools are

available to them? How might their environment influence their behavior?

• How interactive technology should be designed • Generate and apply design principles based on human

psychology

• How to evaluate interactive technology• Techniques, methods, tools, guidelines

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For more information

See our website: www.carleton.ca.hotlab

Contact Dr. Gitte Lindgaard extension 2255

e-mail gitte_lindgaard@carleton.ca