HCI: Design, Usability, and UX

Document Overview

• The presentation covers Modules 1-11
• Topics include HCI introduction, Norman's Design Principles, user factors, computer and task considerations, error and emotion design, usability testing, and various metrics
• The material seems to be internal course content from FEU Institute of Technology faculty

Executive Summary

• HCI studies the interaction between humans and computers with multidisciplinary roots
• Understanding human and computer capabilities/limitations within specific tasks is important
• Foundational design principles include Don Norman's and Ben Shneiderman's guidelines
• Usability is task ease of use
• UX encompasses emotions and overall perception
• Usability evaluation includes formative/summative goals, testing environments/roles
• Metrics include performance, issue-based, self-reported, and behavioral aspects
• Designing for human error and emotion are key themes

Module 1: Introduction to HCI

• The objectives are to define HCI, provide historical context, outline related disciplines, and introduce core concepts like principles, usefulness, usability, and design rules

Key Concepts

• HCI focuses on computer technology design and human-computer interaction
• HCI emerged in the early 1980s from Computer Science, intersecting with cognitive science and human factors engineering
• Human factors/ergonomics studies human capabilities, limitations, and performance, aiming for efficient, safe, comfortable, and enjoyable systems
• HCI's multidisciplinary nature includes computer science, cognitive psychology, social psychology, ergonomics, linguistics, AI, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, engineering, design, technical communication, graphic arts, and library science
• HCI fields include UX Design, Interaction Design, Usability Engineering, Information Design, and Mobile Computing
• The goals of HCI include understanding technology use factors, developing suitable systems, and prioritizing efficient/effective/safe interaction
• Four principles involve considering human capabilities/limitations, machine capabilities/limitations, interactions, and tasks
• Usefulness describes a system supporting the user's objective
• Usability describes a system supporting objectives with ease of use
• Accessibility means being usable by the full range of intended users
• The concept "Useful + Usable = Not Used" is illustrated by the Segway, suggesting other factors influence adoption
• Design rules refer to principles, guidelines, or standards for designers
• ISO 9241 is a standard for "Ergonomics of Human System Interaction", defining usability via Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Satisfaction
• Ben Shneiderman introduced 8 Golden Rules of Interface Design
• Don Norman introduced 7 Principles for Transforming Difficult Tasks into Simple Ones

Module 2: Norman's Design Principles

• The objective is to illustrate good vs. bad design and elaborate on Don Norman's core interaction design concepts

Key Concepts

• Good vs. Bad Design showcases that poor design leads to usability problems
• Norman's 6 concepts from "The Design of Everyday Things" are:
• Affordances are perceived and actual properties suggesting how an object could be used
• Perceived affordance is key for HCI
• Constraints limit possible actions, guiding the user
• Physical constraints rely on physical properties
• Semantic constraints rely on the situation's meaning
• Cultural constraints rely on learned conventions
• Logical Constraints rely on reasoning and relationships between elements
• Consistency/Conceptual Models involve designing interfaces with similar operations and elements for similar tasks
• Consistency helps users build an accurate mental model
• Internal consistency is within a product
• External consistency is with other products
• Mappings define the relationship between controls and their effects
• Good mapping is natural and intuitive
• Visibility makes relevant parts and actions visible so users know the system's state
• Feedback communicates the result of an action immediately
• Linking Principles to User Questions summary connects each principle to a fundamental user question

Module 3: The Human

• The objective is to explore the human element, focusing on user diversity, knowledge, cognitive processes, language, and the sensory/response system

Key Concepts

• Design Considerations include an overlap of the human being, computer, and task
• "Know Thy User" emphasizes understanding user diversity across dimensions
• User Knowledge is divided between Interface Knowledge and Domain Knowledge
• The User Proficiency Profile categorize users based on interface and domain/task knowledge
• Newell's Time Scale of Human Action is a framework showing different levels of human activity occuring at different time scales
• A Human Information Processing Model includes Sensors, Brain, and Responders
• Sensors are the input and includes Vision, Hearing, Touch, Smell, and Taste
• Responders are the output and include Limbs, Voice, and Eyes
• The Brain(Processing) includes Perception, Cognition, and Memory
• Memory follows the Multi-Store Model: Sensory Memory -> Short-Term Memory -> Long-Term Memory