Are Users Really Stupid?On Intuitive Interface and Human Nature

Alan Kang

jania902@gmail.comhttp://alankang.tistory.comhttp://twitter.com/alankang

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Are users really stupid, or not?

http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/humor-i-will-use-google-before-asking-dumb-linux-question.html

“Users are stupid”215,000 results

“Users are not stupid”115,000 results

Conclusion:

According to Google, users are stupid.

Thank you. Any questions?

Discussion:

Why are they so stupid?

Discussion:

How are they stupid?

this stupid? or this stupid?

Discussion:

How to blame users effectively?

Art and science of blaming

THEY ARE NOT STUPID.

Ordinary people can do extraordi-nary things so easily.

Such as…

Demo #1

http://www.biomotionlab.ca/Demos/BioMotionLab1.8.swf

Demo #1

We can identify a biological motion from just a few moving dots.

http://www.biomotionlab.ca/Demos/BioMotionLab1.8.swf

Demo #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKdThJ-eGwE

Demo #2

We can even grasp intentions and so-cial interactions from simple shapes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKdThJ-eGwE

Demo #3

http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/landaudemo.mov

Demo #3

We can recognize faces so quickly. Faces seem to immune from atten-

tional blink.

http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/landaudemo.mov

Demo #4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFPtc8BVdJk

Demo #4

We unconsciously use visual cues to improve speech recognition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFPtc8BVdJk

Demo #5

nullmodel.egloos.com/2336282

Demo #5

Our brain completes invisible parts of images.

nullmodel.egloos.com/2336282

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We have extraordinary abilities.

Where did you find such stupid users?

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20010204.html

Press any key to continue…

Finally, you can press ANY key!!

Why do we perform so badly with some artifacts?

While our cognitive/physical abilities designed for natural interactions, most digital devices work somehow unintu-

itive manner.

Demo #6

Is a computer mouse intuitive?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzRziK-kZtQ

When you move your wireless mouse upper side, the cursor on your monitor

moves accordingly.

Move something horizontally and the other thing, which is not related physi-

cally, moves vertically?

For 45 billion years there's no such thing exists at all.

Is a (conventional) touch screen intu-itive?

(No demo here, sorry)

When you touch iPhone, it gives you visual and auditory feedbacks, without

tactile feedback.

For 45 billion years there's no such thing exists at all.

This guy definitely don’t know about the Haptic UI…

Is a desktop metaphor intuitive? (No demo here, sorry)

#1. GUI Objects are completely free from law of physics.

#2. Why the hell is it called DIRECT manipulation? Who did this first?

I did.

(Ben Shneider-man)

Humans(and other animals) are quite good at learning but not designed as

an universal learning machine.

In a series of studies John Garcia gave rats some food, and then several

hours later he gave them a dose of ra-diation that made them sick. Although the nausea occurred several hours af-ter they ate, the rats generally learned in a single trial never to eat that type

of feed - seemingly responsible for their illness - again.

http://www.amazon.com/Evolutionary-Psychology-New-Science-Mind/dp/0205483380

When Garcia paired the nausea with buzzers or light flashes, however, he

could not train the rats to avoid them. In other words, rats seem to come into the world "preprogrammed" to learn some things easily, such as to avoid foods linked with nausea, but find it extraordinarily difficult to learn other

things.

http://www.amazon.com/Evolutionary-Psychology-New-Science-Mind/dp/0205483380

Some things are learned easily,but others are not.

Some things are more humane,but others are not.

Designers are forcing users to do inhumane things.

Users are not that stupid.

Interfaces(and designers) are.

Why do users perform so badly with some artifacts? especially with digital

devices?

Why do users perform so badly with some artifacts, especially with digital

devices?

Here’s my speculation:

As our technologies grow, the range of possible artifacts(and interactions) en-

larged greatly.

As our technologies grow, the range of possible artifacts(and interactions) en-

larged greatly.

But we, designers, don't know our abil-ities and limits well enough yet.

?

But we, designers, don't know our abil-ities and limits well enough yet.

?

But we, designers, don't know our abil-ities and limits well enough yet.

?

Most artifacts based on modern tech-nologies are unintuitive/unnatural and

hard to learn/use.

?

All UIs are guilty until proven innocent.

?

What should we, as designers, do with this problem?

Focus on Human (over Artifacts)

This guy definitely don’t know about UCD

We don’t know users User Research / Usability Testing

We need frequent feedbacks Agile Methods

We need some guidelines Patterns, Heuristics, OS Guidelines

There’re cultural differences Sociology, Anthropology

…

Something is missing here.

Humane Interface:

Although users' task-related needs dif-fer, your user population shares many common mental attributes. … inter-face designers can minimize their

work by exploiting what is common to all humans with regard to interface-

design requirements.

The Humane Interface (Addison-Wesley, 2000)

Evolutionary Psychology:

Why is the mind designed the way it is - that is, what causal processes created, fashioned, or shaped the hu-

man mind into its current form?

How is the human mind designed - what are its mecha-nisms or component parts, and how are they organized?

What are the functions of the component parts and their organized structure - that is, what is the mind designed to

do?

How does input from the current environment, especially the social environment, interact with the design of the

human mind to produce observable behavior?

http://www.amazon.com/Evolutionary-Psychology-New-Science-Mind/dp/0205483380

?

So What?

Thank you!