November 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 1CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionLecture 23 Overview●Compare and discuss Homework 5●User documentation–Designing documentation–Active learning–Information in the interface–Socially mediated documentation●Supplemental readings: Links on course webpage. Read for next weekNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 2CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionHomework 5●Nielsen guidelines for usability inspection applied to an e-commerce site–Use simple and natural dialog–Speak the user's language–Minimize memory load–Be consistent–Provide feedbackNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 3CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionHomework 5–Provide clearly marked exits–Provide shortcuts–Provide good error messages–Prevent errors–Include good help and documentationNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 4CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionUser Documentation●Any stored information about how to use system●Reference manuals, on-line help, tutorials●Forum archives, FAQs, wikis●Usually a diverse set of on-line and paper documentsNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 5CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionDocumentation Challenge●How to support all documentation needs●Novices, first-time users also need to know why as well as how; hardest to design●Regular users need reminders, new task procedures●Experts need most efficient procedureNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 6CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionDesigning Documentation●Documentation should be designed in parallel with interface design as part of the interactive process●Need to know which tasks most people will want to know about most of the timeNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 7CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionDocumentation and SBD●Develop scenarios and usability specifications that center on learning concerns●E.g., elaborate scenarios to consider what happens if a user does not know what to do, or makes a mistake●E.g. write sample user guides and test them in a controlled experimentNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 8CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionActive Learning●Many novices attempt learning by doing–Tend not to follow step-by-step instructions–Tend not to plan and analyze actions–Try to use prior knowledge even if not applicable–Often make errors and trying to correct them makes things worse●Especially true of problem domain experts with genuine goalsNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 9CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionActive User Paradoxes●Assimilation Paradox–People interpret new situations in terms of what they already know, but learning new tasks require going beyond what is known●Production Paradox–People want to get something done, but first must spend time learning how to get something done●Challenge is to exploit these tendencies into positivesNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 10CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionSystematic Documentation●Comprehensive hierarchical task decomposition–Identifies step by step instructions; gives designer's mental model of how things should work–Each concept is introduce, practiced, and explained–Prerequisite knowledge is incorporated into documents–Level of detail can be out of context or not match user's taskNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 11CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionMinimalist Instruction●Attempt to make documentation interactive–Embed training in realistic tasks–Allow users to get started fast without reading much–Rely on users to think and improvise based on previous experience–Anticipate and manage errorsNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 12CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionMinimalist Instruction●Requires much more study of users than just describing how software works●Users may be confused by the incomplete and open nature of the documentationNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 13CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionExamples of Minimalism●Task-oriented, but deliberately incomplete manuals●Blocking exotic or expert functionality from novices●Guided exploration cards that suggest interesting tasks●Scaffolding - walk through complex process using one overall example; e.g., SBD and the case studyNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 14CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionIntelligent Help and Training●Adaptive instruction–Model and track knowledge held by users–Present new problems and activities that expand knowledge–Some success with math, programming●Context-sensitive help–Recognize what user is trying to do–Software agents not very successful for general applications. E.g. MS “Clippy”–Wizards work well on scripted tasksNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 15CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionOn-line or Paper?●On-line documentation is ubiquitous and most software does not come with paper manuals; much cheaper for dissemination●Large market of third-party books●Advantages of paper?●Disadvantages of paper?November 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 16CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionInformation in the Interface●Embed instruction and information directly in interface. E.g. walk-up-and-use system like an ATM.–System messages: balance specificity and task relevance with length and complexity. E.g. “Error #2” vs. “Out of memory, shutting down program X”–Layering information: allow users who want to know to get more information–Tooltips can be useful if not repeating what is in interfaceNovember 17, 2009 CS 350 Lecture 23 17CS 350: Computer/Human InteractionSocially Mediated Documentation●Documentation produced by social groups–Users' groups, technical forums–FAQs, Wiki's●Key issues are–Who organizes and maintains this documentation?–How to determine the validity of