HCI: Abowd and Beale Framework

Interaction Framework

• Abowd and Beale's framework extends Norman's interaction framework, consisting of 4 parts: user, input, system, and output.
• Each part has its own unique language, and interaction is a translation between these languages.
• Problems in interaction arise from problems in translation.

Understanding Interaction

• Abowd and Beale's model describes how user intentions are translated into actions at the interface, altering system state, and reflected in the output display.
• The framework is general and not restricted to electronic computer systems, identifying all major components involved in interaction.
• It allows for comparative assessment of systems and is an abstraction.

Ergonomics

• Ergonomics studies the physical characteristics of interaction, also known as human factors.
• It is good at defining standards and guidelines for constraining the way we design certain aspects of systems.
• Examples of ergonomics include:
  • Arrangement of controls and displays (e.g., grouping by function or frequency of use)
  • Surrounding environment (e.g., seating arrangements adaptable to user size)
  • Health issues (e.g., physical position, environmental conditions, lighting, and noise)
  • Use of color (e.g., red for warning, green for okay, and awareness of color-blindness)

Initiative

• Initiative refers to who has the initiative in the interaction: the user or the computer.
• WIMP interfaces have shifted the initiative from the computer to the user.
• Exceptions include pre-emptive parts of the interface, such as modal dialog boxes.

Error and Repair

• Errors can't always be avoided, but we can make it easy to detect and repair them.
• Example: error correction in a booking system, where the user is prompted to confirm their selection.

Context

• Interaction is affected by social and organizational context, including:
  • Other people (e.g., desire to impress, competition, fear of failure)
  • Motivation (e.g., fear, allegiance, ambition, self-satisfaction)
  • Inadequate systems (e.g., causing frustration and lack of motivation)

Experience, Engagement, and Fun

• Designing experience involves creating physical engagement and managing value.
• Experience is not just about usability, but also about creating an enjoyable experience.
• Psychology of experience includes concepts like flow (Csikszentimihalyi) and balance between anxiety and boredom.

Designing Experience

• Real-world examples: designing experiences for home, entertainment, and shopping.
• Psychology of experience: flow (Csikszentimihalyi) and balance between anxiety and boredom.
• Education: zone of proximal development and things you can do with help.

Menus

• Menu design issues: which kind to use, what to include, words to use (action or description), and how to group items.
• Types of menus: cascading menus, keyboard accelerators, and menus extras.

Buttons

• Buttons are individual and isolated regions within a display that can be selected to invoke an action.
• Special kinds of buttons include radio buttons and check boxes.

Toolbars

• Toolbars are long lines of icons providing fast access to common actions.
• Often customizable, allowing users to choose which toolbars to see and what options are on them.

Palettes and Tear-Off Menus

• Palettes are little windows of actions that can be shown or hidden via menu option.
• Tear-off menus 'tear off' to become palettes, solving the problem of menus not being available when needed.

Dialogue Boxes

• Dialogue boxes are information windows that pop up to inform of an important event or request information.
• Examples: saving a file, where a dialogue box appears to specify filename and location.

Look and Feel

• WIMP systems have the same elements: windows, icons, menus, pointers, buttons, etc.
• Interactivity is important, but often overlooked in favor of focusing on look.
• Speech-driven interfaces are rapidly improving but still require robust dialogue.