Design Process … and some design inspiration

Course ReCap To make you notice interfaces, good and bad – You’ll never look at doors the same way again To help you realize no one gets an interface right on the first try – Yes, even the experts – Design is HARD To teach you tools and techniques to help you iteratively improve your designs – Because you can eventually get it right

What is design? achieving goals within constraints goals - purpose – who is it for, why do they want it constraints – materials, platforms trade-offs

What is a user-centered approach? Early focus on users and tasks: directly studying cognitive, behavioral, & attitudinal characteristics Empirical measurement: users’ reactions and performance to scenarios, manuals, simulations & prototypes are observed, recorded and analysed Iterative design: when problems are found in user testing, fix them and carry out more tests

A simple interaction design model Exemplifies a user-centered design approach

Basic HCI process of design requirements analysis design implement and deploy prototype interviews ethnography what is there vs. what is wanted guidelines principles dialogue notations precise specification architectures documentation help evaluation heuristics scenarios task analysis

ISO 13407

Discussion How would you incorporate HCI design into larger software engineering design frameworks?

Traditional ‘waterfall’ lifecycle Requirements analysis Design Code Test Maintenance

Why is HCI Design Difficult? Difficult to deeply analyze human behavior May be too close to the domain Cost/features may be considered over good human factors Creativity is challenging!

Summary Four basic activities in the design process 1. Identify needs and establish requirements 2. Design potential solutions ((re)-design) 3. Choose between alternatives (evaluate) 4. Build the artefact User-centered design rests on three principles 1. Early focus on users and tasks 2. Empirical measurement using quantifiable & measurable usability criteria 3. Iterative design Lifecycle models show how these are related

Some inspiration… IDEO: A global design consultancy We refer to our overall approach as "design thinking": a means of problem solving that uses design methodologies to tap into a deep reservoir of opportunity. These methods include observation, prototyping, building, and storytelling, and can be applied by a wide range of people to a breadth of organizational challenges. CEO Tim Brown

The Project

Project Structure Group project – 5 people Worth 50% of grade Design and evaluate an interface – 0 – Team formation (1%) – 1 - Understand the problem, users, environment (14%) – 2 – Design and prototype (20%) – 3 – Evaluation (15%) Each part: 100 points as a group, 50 points individually

Project Groups 5 people – You decide – Diverse is best! – Consider schedules, habits, etc. Form group and choose topic by week from Monday – cool name Create project report page on Wiki

Previous Projects System for organizing and showcasing art Friend Finder on a cell phone Money tracker in your wallet System to gather feedback for architects for campus planning Display for tracking energy usage in your home Project Theme: Home Life

Coming up with project ideas Think of someone else – Avoid being biased by your intuitions Think off the desktop too! – Mobile, handheld, environmental Think everyday Think about people first, then technology

Project Topics Real “client” (NOT just yourselves) – family and friends? – Organization you belong to, volunteer with? – Hobbies or other activities? Think about tasks people do at home or away from work Think about problems people have at home or away from work

Programming requirements Leverage team expertise Full functionality is NOT intention But good evaluation requires authentic experience

Project Details Part 0 – Team and topic formation – Due Jan. 26 – Create team page on Wiki – Choose a project topic Part 1 - Understanding the problem – Due Feb. 18 – Describe tasks, users, environment, social context – Any existing systems in place – Helps form basis for your requirements – “Describe the problem, not the solution”

Project Details Part 2a - Design Alternatives poster – Due March 4 – Storyboards, mock-ups for multiple different designs – Get feedback on ideas during poster session Part 2b – System Design and Evaluation Plan – Due April 1 – Description of the system requirements and design – Rationale for design decisions – Plan for conducting evaluation Part 2c – System Prototype – April 1 – Prototype that implements all or part of the design – Allows for interactive experience

Project Details Part 3 – Evaluation – Due April 22 – Conduct evaluation with example users – Characterize pros and cons of the UI – Discuss what you would do to fix problems Part 3b – Presentation – April 22 and 27 – In class presentation of the entire project, 15 minutes