1. Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction
CEN 4721C / CAP 5100
Andrea Kleinsmith, Ph.D.

2. What are your goals for the class?
What is Human-Computer Interaction?
Man-Machine Interaction
Computer-Human Interaction
What are your learning objectives?
How much effort do you want to expend for learning those objectives?

3. What the class will look like
Lectures (participation grade)
Readings + Quizzes
Projects
Initial user study – individuals
Final project – teams
Identify a client
Create a new interface
Evaluate the interface
Midterm paper
Differences between undergrad/grad
Project requirements

4. Why take this course? Build your portfolio Study a unique topic
Work on a project you have always wanted credit to work on
Study a unique topic
A computer science course focused on users
Skill building
Important in most research
Burgeoning job field

5. Common Questions Q: What programming language will we use?
A: Anything you want, but we will provide sample code in Java.
Q: Do I need to know how to program?
A: You should be proficient in Java at a Data Structures level.
Q: Do I need to know computer graphics?
A: No.
Q: How many A’s do you give out?
A: As many as who earn it. Typically, if you ask this question, you are in the wrong class.

6. Introduction What is a user interface? Why do we care about design?
We see this all the time
What’s good about the design of this error box?
The user knows there is an error
What’s poor about the design of this error box?
Discouraging (who gets the blame?)
Not enough information
No way to resolve the problem (instructions or contact info)
Whose fault is this?

7. Definition of HCI
“Human-computer interaction is a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them.”
ACM SIGCHI Curricula for HCI (Hewett et al. 1992)

8. Why HCI is Important It can affect
Effectiveness
Productivity
Morale
Safety
Activity: Consider a program, device, or product’s interface
How would you describe the interface?
How would you describe the product to your friend?
Would you buy the product again?
Would you buy a product from the same company again?

9. What words would you use?
How can companies design positively?
What makes or breaks a product?

10. What fields does HCI cover?
Computer Science
Psychology
Affective Computing
Communication
Education
Anthropology
Design (e.g. graphic and industrial)

11. What will I learn in this class?
How to design interfaces
Example: Amazon One-Click
How to evaluate interfaces
Example: UF ISIS
Not how to program interfaces
Example: Design a better calculator

12. Norman Doors
From:

13. Bad Interfaces Encumbering Confusing Slow Trust (ex. windows crashing)
What makes it hard?
Varies by culture
Multiple platforms
Variety of users

14. Good or bad design?
From:

15. Good or bad design?
From:

16. What’s a redesign solution?
What’s wrong with each?
Who is affected
Impact
What’s a redesign solution?

17. Importance of Design

18. So how do you avoid bad design?
Activity
Design the ultimate fast food drive thru
From:

19. Did your design support?
A customer who can’t read English?
A customer who is hearing impaired?
A customer who has never eaten a hamburger before?
A customer who is health conscious?
A customer who has an IQ of less than 80?
A customer who is over 7’ tall
Did you design an interface for you?
Is not that what someone already did?

20. Good Design
You can’t create one just by sitting around and dreaming one up
Rely on
Known design solutions
User evaluations
Must provide
Usability
Universality
Usefulness

21. Requirements analysis
In designing a building I want inhabitants to move between floors
Ascertain users’ needs
Ensure proper reliability
Promote appropriate standardization, integration, consistency, and portability
Complete projects on schedule and within budget

22. Ascertain user’s needs
Define tasks
Tasks
Subtasks
Frequency
Frequent
Occasional
Exceptional
Repair
Ex: Difference between a bike, a car and an airplane
Images from:

23. Ensure reliability Actions function as specified
Data displayed must be correct
Updates done correctly
Leads to trust! (software, hardware, information) – case: 1994 Pentium FDIV bug
Cost to Intel: $475 million
Privacy, security, access, data destruction, tampering

24. Standardization, Integration, Consistency, Portability
Standardization – common user-interface features across multiple applications
Apple
Web
Windows
Smart phones
Integration – product should run across application packages
file formats
Consistency – common action sequences, terms, units, layouts, color, typography within an application
Portability – allow user to convert data and interfaces across multiple hardware and software environments
Word/HTML/PDF/ASCII/Flash

25. Usability measures How can we measure the ‘goodness’ of an interface?
What are good metrics?
ISO 9241
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Satisfaction
Shneiderman
Time to learn
Speed of performance
Rate of errors
Retention over time
Subjective satisfaction
Images from:

26. Usability Motivations
Time to learn
Speed of performance
Rate of errors
Retention over time
Subjective satisfaction
Usability Motivations
Life-Critical systems
Applications: air traffic, nuclear reactors, military, emergency dispatch
Requirements: reliability and effectiveness (even under stress)
Not as important: cost, long training, satisfaction, retention
Industrial and Commercial Use
Applications: banking, insurance, inventory, reservations
Requirements: ease of use/learning to reduce training costs, multiple languages, multiplatform, speed of performance
Office, Home, and Entertainment
Applications: , games, search engines, cell phones
Requirements: Ease of learning/use/retention, error rates, satisfaction (competition is fierce)

27. Usability Motivations
Time to learn
Speed of performance
Rate of errors
Retention over time
Subjective satisfaction
Usability Motivations
Exploratory, Creative, Collaborative
Applications: search engines, simulations, scientific visualization, CAD, computer graphics, music composition/artist, photo arranger ( photos)
Requirements: the ‘computer’ should be transparent so that the user can be absorbed in their task domain
Difficulties: user tech savvy-ness
Socio-technical systems
Applications: health care, voting, police
Requirements: Trust, security, accuracy, error handling, user tech-savvy-ness (need tools to detect unusual patterns of usage)

28. Universal Usability Interface should handle diversity of users
Backgrounds
Abilities
Motivation
Personalities
Cultures
Technical capacity
Question, how would you design an interface to a database differently for:
right-handed female, Indian, software engineer, technology savvy
left-handed male, French, artist

29. Universal Usability Does not mean ‘dumbing down’
Ex. Crosswalks (parents w/ strollers, elderly, diff cultures)
Goal: Address the needs of more users - unlike yourself!
Everyone is often not at full faculties at all times

30. Physical Variation Field of anthropometry
Basic data about human dimensions
Is no ‘average’ user
Measures of what is 5-95% for weight, height, gender, culture, etc.
Large variance reminds us there is great ‘variety’
Name some devices that this would affect…

31. Physical Variation Work-surface and display-support height
Clearance under work surface for legs
Work-surface width and depth
Adjustability of heights and angles for chairs and work surfaces
Posture - seating depth and angle; back-rest height and lumbar support
Availability of armrests, footrests, and palmrests

32. Cognitive and perceptual abilities
The journal Ergonomics Abstracts offers this classification of human cognitive processes:
Long-term and semantic memory
Short-term and working memory
Problem solving and reasoning
Decision making and risk assessment
Language communication and comprehension
Search, imagery, and sensory memory
Learning, skill development, knowledge acquisition, and concept attainment

33. Cognitive and perceptual abilities
However, perceptual and motor performance can be affected by these factors:
Fatigue and sleep deprivation
Cognitive load
Monotony and boredom
Nutrition and diet
Fear, anxiety, mood, and emotion
Drugs and alcohol

34. Personality No set taxonomy for identifying personality types
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
extroversion vs introversion
sensing vs intuition
perceptive vs judging
feeling vs thinking
Big Five Test
Openness to experience (open/closed)
Conscientiousness (disorganized/organized)
Extraversion (extraverted/introverted)
Agreeableness (disagreeable/agreeable)
Neuroticism (calm/nervous)

35. Cultural and International Diversity
Language
Date / Time conventions
Weights and Measures
Reading: left-to-right, up-and-down
Telephone #s and addresses
Names, titles, salutations
SSN, ID, passport
Icons, buttons, colors
Etiquette, tone, formality

36. Users with Disabilities
1998 Amendment to Rehabilitation Act
Federal law to ensure access to IT, including computers and web sites
Vision (text-to-speech)
Blind (bill-reader)
Low-vision
Color-blind
Hearing (conversion of tones to visual signals)
Deaf
Limited hearing
Mobility (eye-gaze control, head-mounted optical mice)
Learning
Dyslexia
Attention deficient, hemisphere specific, etc.
Keyboard, mouse, color alternatives

37. Elderly Reduced Other needs Touch screens, larger fonts, louder sounds
Motor skills
Perception
Vision, hearing, touch, mobility
Speed
Memory
Other needs
Technology experience is varied (How many grandmothers use ? mothers?)
Uninformed on how technology could help
Practice skills (hand-eye, problem solving)
Touch screens, larger fonts, louder sounds
Images from:

38. Children Technology familiarity Age changes:
Physical dexterity
(double-clicking, click and drag, and small targets)
Attention span
Varied backgrounds (socio-economic)
Goals
Educational acceleration
Socialization with peers
Psychological – improve self-image, self-confidence
Creativity – art, music, etc. exploration

39. Children Teenagers are a special group Requires Safety They
Next generation
Beta test new interfaces, trends
Cell phones, text messages, simulations, fantasy games, virtual worlds
Requires Safety
They
Like exploring (easy to reset state)
Don’t mind making mistakes
Like familiar characters and repetition
Don’t like patronizing comments, inappropriate humor
Design: Focus groups

40. Goals for Academic HCI
Provide tools, techniques and knowledge for commercial developers
Competitive advantage (think iPad)
Raising the computer consciousness of the general public
Reduce computer anxiety (error messages)
Common fears:
I’ll break it
I’ll make a mistake
The computer is smarter than me
HCI contributes to this!