Interface Design - ITD34003 Chapter 3

Interface Design - ITD34003

• Chapter 3 focuses on identifying needs and establishing requirements, also known as "needfinding."

Goals

• Understand system requirements and user needs.
• Understand "needfinding."
• Learn about tools and instruments for needfinding.

Human-Centered Design Process

• The process begins with understanding user needs ("what is wanted").
• Ethnographic research, interviews, and scenarios are vital aspects of needfinding.
• Analysis of findings guides design decisions.
• Prototypes are created, evaluated, and refined.
• Finally, the system is implemented and documented.

Needfinding Questions

• What do users need?
• What do users want?
• Who are the users?
• How are they currently using the system? (Or, if a new system, how does a similar system function)
• What context does user activity take place in?
• Can this need be approached with direct inquiry?

Know Your Users (1)

• Identify diverse user categories (e.g., young/old, novice/experienced).
• Designers and developers are different from their target users.
• Client representatives are unlikely to be representative users.
• Always prioritize actual users when gathering information.

Know Your Users (2)

• Employ methods such as surveys, interviews, and participatory design to understand users.
• Avoid corporate policies that may restrict direct user interaction.
• Focus on current behavior, pain points, and workarounds.
• Observation techniques (e.g., sessions, video recordings, and diaries) are key.

Know Your Users (3)

• Employ imaginative strategies when real users are unavailable.
• Develop personas (hypothetical user representations) with detailed descriptions.
• Imagine users as real, flesh and blood individuals.

Needfinding Methods

• Understand the techniques used for needfinding.

Methods Outline

• Observation (ethnographic research)
• Surveys
• Interviews
• Focus groups

Observation Techniques

• Observation allows for deep understanding of user behavior.
• Yogi Berra's quote ("You can observe a lot just by watching") highlights the importance of observation.

Ethnographic Observation

• Immerse yourself in the user's environment, culture, and behavior.
• Goal-oriented observation to guide interface design.
• Listen actively to and observe users; take detailed notes and make audio-video recordings.
• Be aware of potential risks, such as misinterpretations, disruptions to normal practice, and overlooking crucial information.

What to Learn by Observation

• Understand current user actions.
• Note user values and goals within their system.
• Identify the larger ecological context for user activity.
• Find similarities and differences across users.
• Pay attention to tacit and unspoken knowledge.

Ethnographic Research

• Detailed, systematic approach employing extended fieldwork.
• Significant amounts of time may be required to achieve deep insights (15 months in one example study).

Observation: Practices vs. Processes

• Distinguish between expected procedures ("process") and actual methods ("practices").
• Note user tricks and workarounds in the field.

Types of Observation (1)

• Controlled observation in laboratory settings is easier to replicate.
• Quantitative methods are useful to quantify results.

Types of Observation (2)

• Naturalistic observation studies users in their natural environment.
• Qualitative methods highlight user insights, however, the method may not be reliable in terms of replication.

Blending In

• Complete Observer (impartial, unobtrusive) technique vs. Complete Participant (participates in activities).
• Carefully avoid intruding on user behaviors and activities.
• Record observations to ensure consistency.
• Validate information with the participants.

Data Collection

• Subjective data: impressions from users, rankings, summary reports, and observed hints.
• Objective data: anecdotes, critical incidents, observed errors and workarounds.

Interviewing

• Asking direct questions about user needs and desires.
• Guide responses with open-ended questions to encourage a deep understanding, and to avoid the need for participants to answer in pre-determined ways.

Main Forms of Interviews

• Surveys: fast, superficial, large-scale.
• In-person interviews: time-consuming, in-depth understanding.

Beware!

• Users may not honestly articulate their needs or wants.
• Especially when it comes to new or disruptive technologies, users may need prompting.

Choosing Participants for Interviews

• Select stakeholders and/or users to represent target users accurately.
• Include similar users of a current system (if a new product, also include non-users).

Executing Interviews

• Establish a comfortable environment.
• Clarify your purpose appropriately.
• Use unbiased, open-ended questions to avoid leading interviews.
• Give users time to answer and expand on those initial responses.
• Follow up with related inquiries to uncover specific details.

Guidelines for Questions

• Structured questions: easier to process. Unstructured questions: encourage further discussion.
• Apply quantitative scales (e.g., Likert) carefully, with clarification (e.g., explanation of a rating of four).
• Questions should use consistent language as that used by the users.
• Ensure questions are suitable for the participant group.

Examples of Open-Ended Questions

• Ask about typical daily activities, positive/negative experiences, and unanswered questions.

Bad Questions to Avoid

• Leading questions will steer answers toward a desired response.
• Questions that assume existing knowledge or hypothetical situations could misrepresent a user experience.

Surveys

• Gathering user requirements through online questionnaires or surveys.
• Useful for broad user sampling and easily visualizable data. However, data collection and analysis approaches need to be appropriately planned.

On-line Services and Surveys

• Surveys are familiar and cost-effective.
• Statistical methods can be used for evaluation and analysis.
• Careful planning is crucial to create surveys aligned with the analysis needed.

Risks in Surveys

• Shallow understanding limited by users' memory.
• Biased participant profiles.
• Difficulty achieving participant diversity.

Survey Structure

• Clearly state the purpose and estimated time needed.
• Categorize questions into sections.
• Minimize required, mandatory background information.

Background Information (Examples)

• Demographics (age, gender, etc.)
• Computer experience (formal vs. informal training, etc.).
• User roles (e.g., decision-making influence)
• User personality styles and behavior (introvert/extrovert, risk-taking).
• Reasons for not using an interface, or other, similar limitations.

Types of Questions

• Open-ended questions: detailed responses.
• Closed-ended questions: multiple-choice options (nominal or ordinal).

Measurement Scales (1)

• Nominal scale: discrete categories (e.g., gender, color, etc.).
• Ordinal scale: ordered categories with varying "distances."

Measurement Scales (2)

• Interval scale: numerical values with fixed intervals (rarely used in survey design).
• Ratio scale: fixed zero point (e.g., age, duration)
• Absolute scale: numerical values reflecting the number of items in a set (e.g., the number of items in a category).

Ordinal Scales: Likert Scales

• Ask for levels of agreement about a statement.
• Include evenly numbered levels.
• Avoid "neutral" options to drive response precision.

Warnings

• Pose simpler questions instead of one complex question.
• Avoid negative language in questions.
• Avoid biased phrasing that can influence responses.

Summary

• Getting the requirements right is vital for the success of the product.
• Different types of requirements (functional, data, environmental, user, and usability) must be addressed.
• Data-gathering methods (interviews, questionnaires, workshops, observation, and documenting past experiences) may help.

References

• Several references provide further perspective.

Thank You

• Presenter expresses gratitude.