Management Bloopers Counterproductive Attitude

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Counterproductive Attitude Misunderstanding what user interface professionals do Treating user interface as low priority Discounting the value of testing and iterative design

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Blooper 76 Misunderstanding what UI professionals do Designer versus programmer distinction Variations –Assuming GUI programmer = GUI designer –Assuming graphic designer = GUI designer

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Blooper 76 Assuming GUI programmer = GUI designer –Profound misunderstanding –Disregards value of good UI –Top-notch UI programmers –Poor user interfaces Lack of UI design experience Toolkit influences programmer Lack of compromise

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Blooper 76 Assuming graphic designer = GUI designer –Beautiful versus usable –World wide web –Graphic design Detailed component appearance –UI design Choice of components / labels Easy to learn Helpful toward user goals

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Avoiding Blooper 76 Management –Understands distinction between UI programmers / UI designers UI designers / Graphic designers –Chooses well-rounded teams UI designer –Prepares UI specification –Analyzes user requirements –Devises usability tests Page 419, Table 8.1

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Blooper 77 Treating UI as low priority Assuming that usability has low impact on market success Initial expense, later revenue Usability speeds market acceptance Assuming that the user interface is only fonts and colors Narrow view Interaction

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Blooper 77 Assuming that users can adapt to anything Functionality isnt everything Competition Rationalizing Budget cuts UI affects entire product Assigning the GUI to less experienced programmers

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Avoiding Blooper 77 Management –High priority Usability impact Early discovery Competitive marketplace Bad UI = Bad product Experience matters

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Blooper 78 Discounting the value of testing and iterative design Good designers do not need iteration We do not have the luxury of usability testing Allowing no time to fix usability problems

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Blooper 78 Good designers do not need iteration –Engineering discipline Scientific basis Clear requirements Generation / Alternatives Constraints / Trade-offs Testing / Evaluation / Revision –Revisions equal failures? –Business risk

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Blooper 78 We do not have the luxury of usability testing –Shorten development schedule –Testing helps navigate Need not be expensive Skipping does not save money –Marketplace testing

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Blooper 78 Allowing no time to fix usability problems –Testing occurs without correction –Tests as proof –Tests as required step

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Avoiding Blooper 78 Test at every stage –Simple testing –Valued feedback Predevelopment tests –Page 431, Table 8.2 Testing participants –Flexibility Use results!

/ Bloopers 8.2 / – Poor Tools and Building Blocks – Anarchic Development – No Task Domain Expertise on Team – Giving Programmers Faster Computers

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / Blooper 79 / Developers want to choose the best tools for their development efforts, but many times base their selection on the wrong criteria like: While these are important issues, they have very little to do with the usability and/or usefulness of the applications that will be built using them. Poor Tools and Building Blocks – Ease of UseRapid Development Ease of MaintenanceFamiliarity Compatibility with current toolsNative Operating System Back-End CompatibilityCurrent Ownership Previous UseSystem Requirements CostPrior Performance Record Licensing IssuesCoolness Factor

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / Blooper 79 / What GUI Developers should be looking for in a development suite are things like: Developers and managers typically look at what benefits a tool will provide for them, not the benefits it will provide to the people who will be using the interface designed with that tool. Consultant recommendations on alternative development tools are regularly met with much gloom and doom. Poor Tools and Building Blocks – Platform GUI ComplianceGeneral Interface Compliance Provided Compliance MechanismsLevel of Customization Timely Feed-back to userInternationalization Procedure ResponsivenessProgram Accessibility Cookie-Cutter Components, Custom Components, or Both

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / Blooper 79 / 5 Examples of Tools Hampering Usability –Menus that Violate Users Muscle Memory –Unresponsive Components –Inadequate Navigation Feedback –Missing Important Visual Distinctions –Focus on appearance and layout, rather than function Poor Tools and Building Blocks – 8.2.1

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / Blooper 79 / Avoiding Blooper 79 The author does not provide a specific solution to avoid this blooper, rather he restates the importance of these development tool features: Poor Tools and Building Blocks – Platform GUI ComplianceGeneral Interface Compliance Provided Compliance MechanismsLevel of Customization Timely Feed-back to userInternationalization Procedure ResponsivenessProgram Accessibility Cookie-Cutter Components, Custom Components, or Both

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / Blooper 80 / Uncontrolled, non-repeatable crisis-of-the-moment based Development. vs. Proven, repeatable, company goals and user requirement based Development. Examples p.442 Programmers making business decisions Basically a total melt-down scenario Anarchic Development– 8.2.2

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / Blooper 80 / Avoiding Blooper 80 Implement a professional development process and make sure to stick to it. Dont Hack … Design Developers are Publishers and should act like it! Give GUI experts more clout Take Responsibility Anarchic Development– 8.2.2

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / Blooper 81 / Examples of task domain experience on p.462 No in-house UI Designers for complex domains UI designers have no contact with experts Designing in the dark The burden of task domain identification and locating professionals in that domain falls upon the development organization No Task Domain Expertise on Team

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / Blooper 81 / Avoiding Blooper 81 User-Centered design process Users task domain expertise is a must Learn about the users work method Use testing to guide design, not grade designers When all else fails … hire outside experts No Task Domain Expertise on Team

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / Blooper 82 / Some justifications Some Costs –Users cant afford nor do they need an upgrade –Not everyone has T1 access speeds, or can even get them –Programs may end up being poorly designed and simply rely on pure processing power to make up the difference. Giving Programmers Faster Computers Engineers like speed Faster Computers = Improved Productivity Using latest hardware helps to shake out flaws It encourages customers to upgrade to faster units as well

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / Blooper 82 / Avoiding Blooper 82 Compile on fast servers Use mid-range systems to test product on Try to design to the lowest common trait Keep bandwidth limitations in mind Put yourself in the users shoes (pocketbook) Giving Programmers Faster Computers

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 / THE END / NO MORE BLOOPERS!!!

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Final Exam Review 40% Johnson chapter 5-8. –What are Interaction Bloopers? –What are Web Bloopers? –What are Responsiveness Bloopers? –What are Management Bloopers? 40% Project (sliders, radio buttons, combo box plus painting and Timers) –50% commenting code 20% Comprehensive: broad questions asking informed comments on GUI design, GUI toolkits and the building of GUI applications in Java.

Management Bloopers Chapter 8 Course Review Project due Monday, midnight I will write the exam Tuesday night and base it on code received. Course evaluation forms can be supplemented with direct communication. I thought presentations were very well done and will post grades this weekend (all As and Bs as of today).