Introduction to HCI - Autumn 2023 Exam

How effectively, efficiently, and pleasingly a product can be used by specific users to achieve their goals in a particular context.

Techniques for assessing how users interact with a website's design, identifying problems, and improving it.

A usability evaluation method where experts simulate user interactions with a product, looking for potential design flaws.

A research method where users are tested in a controlled environment to compare aspects of two or more website designs.

A way to understand the user's behavior and mental process while using a website, providing valuable insights into the design.

The amount of mental effort required to use a system

The time pressure users feel while using a system

The need to remember information or steps while using a system

A type of interaction where users interact with a computer using windows, icons, menus and a pointer (usually a mouse). This interaction style was developed at Xerox PARC and popularized by Apple's Macintosh.

A model that breaks down user interaction into four components: Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection Rules. It helps predict how long it takes a user to complete a task.

A technology that tracks a user's eye movements to understand how they interact with a design. It helps identify confusing or difficult areas by analyzing where users look.

A method used to analyze problematic areas identified through eye tracking. It helps understand why specific areas are confusing or difficult to use.

WIMP stands for Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointer.

GOMS helps predict user task completion time by breaking down interaction into goals, operators, methods and selection rules.

It tracks eye movements to identify areas of confusion in a design by showing where users look and potentially get stuck.

It helps understand why specific areas of a design are confusing, providing insights beyond just observing eye movements.

The lowest level of user actions in a GOMS model. These are specific, measurable steps like pressing a key, clicking a mouse, or moving the cursor. Each operator has a defined time to execute.

Rules used in a GOMS model when multiple methods can achieve a goal. These rules help decide which method is most efficient or preferred based on factors like user experience or task context.

A variant of GOMS that focuses on modeling user performance at the level of individual keystrokes and mouse movements. It predicts task completion time by breaking actions into these low-level operators.

The operators used in the Keystroke Level Model (KLM). K for keystroking, P for pointing (using Fitts' Law), H for homing (moving hand to keyboard), D for drawing (continuous actions on screen).

Used in KLM's pointing operator 'P' to predict the time it takes to move the mouse to a target. It considers distance and target size, showing that smaller targets further away take longer to reach.

Recognizability refers to a user's ability to identify a UI element, while distinguishability refers to their ability to differentiate it from other elements. These concepts are important for ensuring users can find and interact with the right elements on a screen.

A psychological principle that states that the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number of choices. It is relevant to HCI as it predicts how long it takes a user to select an option from a menu or list.

Describes the time it takes to move a pointer to a target. The time is based on the distance to the target and the size of the target.

A set of 10 guidelines for creating usable interfaces. They help identify common usability problems and create user-friendly designs.

The factor that is changed or manipulated in an experiment. The effect of this change on other factors is observed.

The factor that is measured or observed in an experiment. Its behavior depends on the changes in the independent variable.

A technology that overlays digital information onto the real world through devices like smartphones or smart glasses.

The degree to which the system provides clear and timely information about its current state and ongoing processes.

A method for evaluating a product or service's ease of use and effectiveness. It involves observing users interacting with the product.

A usability evaluation technique where experts analyze a product based on usability principles and guidelines.

The study of how knowledge workers interact with their entire workspace, including physical and virtual elements, to support their activities.

Any element of the workspace that interacts with workers, including chairs, tables, walls, lighting, and even the air quality.

Conventional HCI focuses on the interaction between a human and a specific product, while HWI considers the wider context of the workspace and all its elements.

People who use their knowledge and skills to perform tasks, often in office or lab environments.

A workspace that actively supports workers by including elements that respond to their needs and actions.

HWI investigates ways to improve the overall worker experience by optimizing the design of the workspace.

Human-Computer Interaction, the study of how humans interact with computer systems.

HWI principles can be applied to various workspaces, such as offices, laboratories, libraries, and even virtual work environments.

A type of virtual reality where the user is completely immersed in the virtual environment, visually isolated from the real world.

A type of virtual reality where the user experiences partial immersion, still partially aware of the real world but focused primarily on the virtual environment.

A type of virtual reality where the user interacts with virtual objects and environments through a screen, maintaining awareness of the real world.

Will the user's intended action be clear and obvious based on the current system state? This evaluates if the system clearly communicates possible actions to the user.

A design element that appears to offer a functionality or action, but actually doesn't, causing confusion and frustration for the user.

This refers to a design element that gives users the impression they can interact with it in a certain way, which is not actually possible.

This describes a design element that primarily improves the visual appeal of the product but doesn't add any useful functions for the user.