Course Wrap-UpC.J. Minard (1781-1870)What is HCI?Where Does HCI Occur?What is UI Design? (The Design Triangle)What Is Usability?Who Builds Interfaces?Keys to Designing and Building Successful UIsUI Design CycleUser-Centered DesignPower of Mental Models: The Island of CaliforniaImpact of Cognitive AbilitiesTask Analysis and Contextual InquiryRapid PrototypingEvaluationIteration at Every Stage!!!Goals of the CourseCourse FormatHigh-Level Goals of this CourseCourse Wrap-UpIS 485, Professor Matt Thatcher2C.J. Minard (1781-1870)3What is HCI?Human–the end-user of the programComputer–the machine that the program runs onInteraction–the user tells the computer what they want (inputs)–the computer communicates the results (outputs)4Where Does HCI Occur?HardwareSystems SoftwareData base and TelecommunicationsUserApplications SoftwareUser InterfaceHCI = designing, prototyping, and evaluating UIs5What is UI Design?(The Design Triangle)DesignOrganizational & Social IssuesTechnology HumansTask6What Is Usability?Easy to learn–how long does it take for typical users to learn relevant tasks?Easy to Remember–how easy is it to remember from one session to the next?Efficient to use–how long does it take to perform benchmark tasks?Minimal error rates–how many and what kinds of errors are commonly made?–if they occur, is good feedback provided so users can recoverHigh user satisfaction (subjectively pleasing)–confident of success and visually pleasing7Who Builds Interfaces?A team of specialists (ideally)–graphic designers–interaction / interface designers–technical writers–marketers–technical support–test engineers–software engineers–customers/users–client–and more…8Keys to Designing and Building Successful UIsUI design cycleUser-centered design (UCD)Task analysis and contextual inquiryRapid prototypingEvaluationIteration9UI Design CyclePrototypeDesignEvaluate10User-Centered Design“Know Thy User”Demographics –age, gender, geographic locationIndividual characteristics –education, job experience, computer skills, physical limitationsCognitive abilities –perception and memoryMental modelsKeep the design centered on usersKeep users involved throughout process (early and often)11Power of Mental Models:The Island of California12Impact of Cognitive Abilities“Know Thy User”Demographics –age, gender, geographic locationIndividual characteristics –education, job experience, computer skills, physical limitationsCognitive abilities –perception and memoryKeep the design centered on usersKeep users involved throughout process (early and often)13Task Analysis and Contextual InquiryObserve existing work practicesIdentify and characterize the tasks users need and want to performCharacterize the environment in which they perform these tasksCreate scenarios of actual useTry out new ideas before building sftwr14Rapid PrototypingBuild a mock-up of the UI designLow-fidelity techniques–paper-based sketches and storyboards–chauffeured prototypes–Visio, drawing tools, etc.High-Fidelity techniques–Well, maybe not15EvaluationTest with real users (participants)–user testingExpert reviews (evaluations w/o users)–heuristic evaluations16Iteration at Every Stage!!!PrototypeDesignEvaluate17Goals of the CourseLearn to design, prototype, and evaluate UIs–the importance of human factors in the design of interactive software applications–cognitive / perceptual constraints that affect UI design–task analysis and contextual inquiry–technology tools used to prototype UIs–techniques for evaluating a UI design–importance of iterative design for usability–the real-world applications of course concepts and tools–how to work together on a team project–how to communicate your results to a group18Course FormatLecturesInteractive classes/assignments/applications–Everyday objects–User personas–Scenarios–Web design patterns–Killer Robot–Team presentations and interactions19High-Level Goals of this CourseFormalizing the obviousIncreasing your sensitivity and awareness–identifying the problem and why it is a problem is 90% of the battle–many designers fail because they can’t break from their own conceptual models to even see the problems, much less solve themProviding a set of tools and structures with which to solve design problems–design of software, doors, term papers, or anything for that matterInstill passion and interest in (HCI and UCD)20Good Luck Out
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