Lecture 1: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) PDF

Lecture 1: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)  1. Human 2. Computer A person who tries to Runs Applications accomplish goal 3. Interaction A "dialogue" between humans...

Lecture 1: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)  1. Human 2. Computer A person who tries to Runs Applications accomplish goal 3. Interaction A "dialogue" between humans and computers  Interactive Products ❑ How many interactive products are there in everyday use? Ex: iPad, Smart Phone, TV, Clock alarm, ATM, Websites ❑ What do you think about their usability? ❑ Why there is a difference? Usability vs Functionality Goal: “Design products that are easy, effective, and pleasurable to use”  Human-computer interaction (HCI) ❑ It is defined as the field of study that focuses on optimizing how users and computers interact by designing interactive computer interfaces that satisfy users’ needs. ❑ The design, evaluation, and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them  Interactive Design ❑ Who is going to be using? ❑ How they are going to be used? ❑ Where they are going to be used? Goal: “Optimize the users’ interactions with a system, environment, or product, so that they support and extend the users’ activities in effective, and usable ways” Why? Transforming human–human transactions into solely interface-based ones Examples: Self-checkouts at grocery stores, airports, and libraries The Process of Interaction Design  Examples of human-computer interaction include as follows: 1. Internet of Things These systems can communicate with each other and with humans by combining digital systems with physical devices like sensors, actuators, and other intelligent devices. 2. Eye-tracking technology This technique tracks and examines eye movements using specialized cameras and algorithms. The technique can be used by designers and academics to comprehend how users interact with interfaces, such as those on websites, software, and physical devices.  The use of AR/VR A person can communicate with a computer system using AR/VR technology. The user can enter an immersive virtual or augmented reality environment created by the computer system through specialized gadgets. These include handheld gadgets or head- mounted displays.  Four Basic Activities of Interaction Design 1. Establishing Requirements In order to design something to support people, we must know who our target users are and what kind of support an interactive product could usefully provide. 2. Developing alternative designs Conceptual Design conceptual model describes what the product should do behave and look like product should do, behave, and look like. Physical Design Considers the detail of the product including the colors Considers the detail of the product including the colors, sounds, images, menu design, and icon design.  Four Basic Activities of Interaction Design Evaluating designs ❑ Evaluation is the process of determining the usability and acceptability of the design. ❑ Evaluation is measured in terms of a variety of criteria including: numbers of errors users make using it how appealing it is how well it matches the requirements  User Experience (UX) How a product behaves and is used by people in the real world. How people feel about a product and their pleasure and satisfaction when using, looking at, holding, opening or closing it. Watch the small details!! The sound of a click The touch of a button when pressing it The colors selection  User Experience (UX) Factors of UX are ❑ Usability ❑ Functionality ❑ Aesthetics / Look and feel ❑ Content ❑ Emotional appeal (Norman’s model: visceral, behavioral, reflective)  Usability vs. Usefulness ❑ Usefulness — The extent to which a system’s functionality meets the needs of users and supports their tasks ❑ Usability — The degree to which an interface is easy to learn, is easy to use, protects against catastrophic errors, and provides user suppor Usability Goals: ❑ Effectiveness ❑ Efficiency ❑ Safety ❑ Utility ❑ Learnability ❑ Memorability  Usability - Effectiveness How good a product is at doing what it is supposed to do? Question: Is the product capable of allowing people to carry out their work, access the information they need, or buy the goods they want?  Usability - Efficiency efficiency is how quickly a user can perform a particular task with a product after they have learned how to use that product. Examples: Marble answering machine Saving profiles in online system  Usability - Safety Question: What is the range of errors that are possible using the product and what measures are there to permit users to recover easily from them? ❑ Examples: Menu items positioning (open - save) Undo Warning messages  Usability - Utility Question: Does the product provide an appropriate set of functions that will enable users to carry out all their tasks in the way they want to do them? Examples: ❑ Drawing tool without freehand support ❑ Remote control to move cursor  Usability - Learnability Question: Is it possible for the user to work out how to use the product by exploring the interface and trying out certain actions? How hard will it be to learn the whole set of functions in this way? How long does it take? Examples: ❑ GPS ❑ Autocad / Photoshop  Defining The User Interface ❑ A user interface or UI is a process of interaction of the user with the computer, website, app or any other screen. ❑ The user interface the part of a computer and its software that people can see, hear, touch, talk to, or otherwise understand or direct.  Defining The User Interface ❑ Input is how a person communicates needs to the computer. Some common input components are the keyboard, mouse, trackball, one's finger, and one's voice. ❑ Output is how the computer conveys the results of its computations and requirements to the user. Types of User Interface There are different types of user interfaces each of which provides a different functionality:  Command Based Interface ❑ Command based interface requires a user to enter the commands to perform different tasks like creating, opening, editing or deleting a file ❑ The primary input device used by the user for command based interface is the keyboard. ❑ Command-based interface is often less interactive and usually allows a user to run a single program at a time. Examples of operating systems with command-based interfaces include MS-DOS and Unix.  Graphical User Interface Graphical User Interface (GUI) lets users run programs or give instructions to the computer in the form of icons, menus and other visual options  Touch Based Interface Today smartphones, tablets, and PCs allow users to interact with the system simply using the touch input. Using the touchscreen, a user provides inputs to the operating system, which are interpreted by the OS as commands like opening an app, closing an app, dialing a number, scrolling across apps  Gesture Based Interface Some smartphones based on Android and iOS as well as laptops let users interact with the devices using gestures like waving, tilting, eye motion, and shaking. Key components of HCI  Key components of HCI HCI is primarily composed of four essential elements: 1. The user The user component refers to an individual or a group of individuals that participate in a common task. HCI studies users’ needs, goals, and interaction patterns. 2. The goal-oriented task When using a computer, a user always has a purpose or aim in mind. To achieve this, the computer presents a digital representation of things.  Key components of HCI 3. The Interface An essential HCI element that can improve the quality of user interaction is the interface. Many interface- related factors need to be taken into account, including the type of interaction, screen resolution, display size, and even color contrast. 4. The Context HCI is not only about providing better communication between users and computers but also about factoring in the context and environment in which the system is accessed.  Importance of HCI HCI has several benefits, both for users and designers. ❑ Understanding users’ needs ❑ Making technology accessible ❑ Reducing Errors and Frustration ❑ Enhance the efficiency of interactions ❑ Develop useful and usable technologies Textbook “Human-Computer Interaction” 3rd Edition, 2004 Authors: Alan Dix, Janet Finlay, Gregory D. Abowd and Russell Beale Book Web Site: http://hcibook.com