1. Graphical User Interfaces
Interaction Styles
Graphical User Interfaces

2. Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)
GUIs
WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointers)
NERD (Navigation, Evaluation, Refinement & Demonstration)
GUIs are graphical interfaces.
Most computer interfaces are GUI based.

3. GUI Interaction Styles
Typed-Command Languages (Not really GUI)
Data & Scientific Visualization
Visual Databases
Video
Animation
Virtual Reality
Multimedia-Hypermedia
Touchscreens
Speech Synthesis
Natural Language

4. Typed-Command Languages
Interaction Styles
Typed-Command Languages

5. Typed-Command Languages
UNIX, DOS, SQL
Advantages
Provides powerful, brief and rapid HCI.
Great for power users
Disadvantage
Extensive training to learn all of the commands.
Large number of errors due to typos

6. Design Guides Choose meaningful, specific, distinctive names.
Command format should be consistent.
Examples: ls –l , head -10 x.txt, etc.
Allow easy correction of typing errors.
UNIX uses arrow keys
Allow users to create macros, shortcuts

7. Data and Scientific Visualization
Interaction Styles
Data and Scientific Visualization

8. Data and Scientific Visualization
Interfaces that use graphics to represent data.
Models real world data (sometimes in real time)
Creates visual representation of physical phenomenon
Examples:
Medical Imaging of the human body (full body scans)
Fluid flow (air over an airplane’s wing)
Weather patterns
3D Imaging of Molecules, DNA, etc.

9. Interaction Styles
Visual Databases

10. Visual Databases Represent data (usually textual) in a visual format.
Multimedia databases are visual databases.
Examples:
A collection of images in a museum under a common interface.
Scatter plots, graphs, Treemaps (U of Maryland)

11. What’s The Difference? Data & Scientific Visualization
Typically represents real time physical phenomenon
Created as real world changes
Visual Databases
Not changing at the time visualization is created.
Usually a historical point of view.
Historical meaning not right now.

12. Interaction Styles
Video

13. Video Captures the real world in the form of digital video.
Disadvantages:
Formats: mpeg, avi, Quicktime, etc.
Size
Advantages:
Good for some training environments
Gives the real perspective on the world
Entertaining

14. Interaction Styles
Animation

15. Animation Where visual databases and scientific visualization meet.
Cartoon like representations of characters and their world.
Common uses:
Training simulation.
Entertainment
Education

16. Animation vs. Video Animation is made up, fictional.
Video is real, reality.
Both are used for the same purposes.
When to use video vs. animation?
Depends: can you get real video?
Do you have animation software?

17. Interaction Styles
Virtual Reality

18. Virtual Reality Allows people to immerse into interface. Advantages:
Great for training.
Good simulation environment
Disadvantages:
Expensive, at the moment
Dangerous to your health if it is too real

19. Multimedia-Hypermedia
Interaction Styles
Multimedia-Hypermedia

20. Multimedia-Hypermedia
World Wide Web
Advantages:
Accessibility is growing
We all know and use the web
Access from almost anywhere
Disadvantages:
So easy to develop, design is compromised.

21. Interaction Styles
Touchscreens

22. Touchscreens Your finger is the pointer/mouse. Advantages:
More people have fingers than those with a mouse.
Durable in harsh environments and public areas.
Disadvantages:
Arm fatigue can be an issue when typing is needed.
Screen space is not always appropriate

23. Touchscreens
Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) are touchscreen devices.

24. Interaction Styles
Speech Synthesis

25. Speech Synthesis Audible sounds and words from the computer.
Advantages:
Visually and physically disabled users
It is natural to listen
Disadvantages:
Synthetic voices can be annoying for some users

26. Agent User Interfaces

27. Interaction Styles
Natural Language

28. Natural Language HCI is accomplished using natural language.
This could be spoken or typed natural language.
HCI is close to Human-Human Interaction.

29. Natural Language Advantages: Disadvantages:
It is natural to interact natural
Requires less training
Disadvantages:
Speech recognition is good, but not really good.

30. Interaction Style Selection

31. How To Select Interaction Style?
Typed-Command Languages (Not really GUI)
Data & Scientific Visualization
Visual Databases
Video
Animation
Virtual Reality
Multimedia-Hypermedia
Touchscreens
Speech Synthesis
Natural Language

32. Interaction Style Selection
User Centered Design
Do the users like cartoons, video?
Visually and/or physically disabled?
What interaction style are the users use to using?
Environment
Public access
Internet access
Classroom access
Infrastructure

33. Interaction Style Selection
Money
How much do they want to spend?

34. Example Client: Local school district.
Goal: Provide students with up to date information on school events.
How do you proceed?

35. Example Client: Local school district.
Goal: Educate students on racial tensions in America in the 20th Century, for their school district’s region.
How do you proceed?

36. Example Client: Google. Goal: Provide employees with 401K updates.
How do you proceed?

37. Example Client: FOX Sports.
Goal: Provide online viewers with up to date stats on currently running games.
How do you proceed?