CSc 238 Human Computer Interface Design. ABOUT FACE The Essentials of Interaction Design

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1 CSc 238 Human Computer Interface Design BBuckley - 1 ABOUT FACE The Essentials of Interaction Design Cooper, Reimann, Cronin, and Noessel

2 Questions BBuckley - 2 If achieving the user s goals drives the design process, won t the user be satisfied and happy with the product? If the users are happy, won t they pay money for the product and spread the word to others? If you make the user happy, won t your products be a success? What happened? The absence of design

3 Cooper - Introduction BBuckley - 3 Products that exhibit complex behavior Techie ovens and complex behavior Buttons for non-cooking related things Start, Cancel, Program Bake, Broil Press any button what happens depends on the state of the oven and the buttons already pushed Interaction Design designing the behavior of complex systems. design affects behavior (in fact, it defines the behavior)

4 Design (Victor Papanek) BBuckley - 4 The conscious and intuitive effort to improve meaningful order Human-oriented design activities: Understanding the desires, needs, motivations, and contexts of people using products Understanding Business, technical, and domain opportunities, requirements, and constraints Using this knowledge as a foundation for plans to create products whose form, content, and behavior are useful, usable, and desirable, as well as economically viable and technically feasible

5 Consequences of Poor Product Behavior Digital products Are rude Require people to think like computers Have sloppy habits Require humans to do the heavy lifting BBuckley - 5

6 Brief History BBuckley s and 1980s: Xerox PARC Consumers want good technology That is, Technology that has been designed to provide a compelling and effective user experience. Not just interface design and the arrangement of widgets on the screen. Influencing people s experiences by designing the mechanisms for interacting with a product (IxDA: Interaction Design Association

7 User Experience (UX) Design BBuckley - 7 Interaction Design focus Designing to effect the experience of users Relating behavior to form and content Information architecture focus Structure of content The way content is provided to users Industrial Design & Graphic Design focus Form of products and services Ensuring that form supports use (requiring attention to behavior and content)

8 Three overlapping concerns BBuckley - 8 Behavior Interaction designers Form Industrial designers Graphic designers Content Information architects Copywriters Animators Sound designers

9 Interaction Design and the Product Team Division of responsibilities: Design team Users satisfaction Engineering team Implementation and fabrication Marketing team Convincing customers to purchase product Management Profitability of the product, effecting what others work on BBuckley - 9

10 Effective & Practical Tools for Interaction Design Principles Ideas about the practice of design Rules & hints on use of user interface and interaction design idioms Patterns Common ways to address user req ts & design concerns Processes How to understand & design user req ts How to apply design principles & patterns BBuckley - 10

11 Goal BBuckley - 11 Understand how users comprehend and interact with your digital product, and how to use this knowledge to drive your design No such thing as an objectively good user interface it depends Who is the user What is the user doing What are the user s motivations One size does not fit all

12 You want good design? BBuckley - 12 Understand the people who will interact with your product Understand there are no fixed guides to style or interface standards! Four main steps to designing interactive systems: 1. Researching the domain 2. Understanding users & their req ts 3. Defining the framework of a solution 4. Filling in the design details

13 Part I Understanding Goal-Directed Design BBuckley - 13 CHAPTERS: 1. Goal-Directed Design 2. Implementation Models & Mental Models 3. Beginners, Experts, and Intermediates 4. Understanding Users: Qualitative Research 5. Modeling Users: Personas and Goals 6. The Foundations of Design: Scenarios & Req ts 7. From Req ts to Design: The Framework & Refinement

14 BBuckley - 14 CSc 238 Human Computer Interface Design A Design Process for Digital Products Cooper Chapter 1

15 Need - Better Design Methods BBuckley - 15 Technologically focused solutions difficult to use and control. Unsatisfied users products are difficult to use and control. Design (viewed as a conscious & intuitive effort to impose meaningful order) Understanding users desires, needs, motivations, & context. Understanding business, technical, and domain opportunities, req ts, and constraints. Using this knowledge to create products whose form, content & behavior are useful, usable, and desirable, as well as economically viable & technically feasible.

16 Developer and Marketers BBuckley - 16 What marketers bring: Understanding & quantifying of market opportunities. Lists of req ts based on: Chasing the competition Managing IT resources with to do lists Making guesses based on market surveys what people say they will buy. However we know few users can clearly articulate their needs! Adding easy to use to the list of req ts doesn t help.

17 What we get Products that irritate, reduce productivity, and do not meet user needs. Interactions patched on at the end lipstick on the pig Digital products are rude! Where did you hide that file? Are you sure? Did you really want to delete that file or did you have some other reason for pressing the Delete key? BBuckley - 17

18 Figure 1-2 BBuckley - 18 Thanks for sharing. Why didn t the program notify the library? What did it want to notify the library about? Why is it telling us? And what are we OK-ing? It is not OK that the program failed!

19 People listen up! Just think as if you are the computer! BBuckley - 19 MS Word User wants to rename a document they are editing: Close the document, then rename it (or) Use Save AS with new name and then delete the file with the old name Save it! You save a document & then print & then close But you are asked if you want to Save it Excel has a different approach!

20 Work interrupted BBuckley - 20 Software requires you to stop what you are doing. How much work are you forced to do in order to manage the operation of software? What about you? Think discuss and write down some examples

21 Why products are so bad? 1. Misplaced priorities Focus on functionality, not how it is to be provided User s goals are not front and center to the design (see Figure 1-2) 2. Ignorance about users What will make users happy? How will users use the product? What will they be using the product to do? Why choose our product? 2. Conflicting interests Tradeoff between ease of coding & ease of use Programmers cannot advocate for the user, the business, and the technology - simultaneously 3. The lack of a process A repeatable, predictable & analytic process Transforms understanding of users into products that meet their needs & excite their imaginations Especially when buyers are not users BBuckley - 21

22 Developers Build / Test Ship Evolution of the Software Development Process (Figure 1-2) BBuckley - 22 Managers Developers Initiate Build / Test Ship Managers Developers QA Designers Initiate Build Test "look & feel" Ship Mandate Specs Code Product Managers Designers Developers QA Initiate Design Build Test Ship Feasibility, Bug Users User Input Feedback Report

23 What about Agile? BBuckley - 23 The mantra is to ensure that the customer is an integral part of the team and the development process. Intent: Shared design responsibility for solving human interface design problems. Domain knowledge they have! Accomplishing their work with an interaction, so it works for them! Solving the design problem is problematic.

24 Analogy BBuckley - 24 Patient goes to the doctor has horrendous stomach ache. It really hurts. I think it s my appendix. You have to take it out as soon as possible. The patient is good at explaining symptoms. The patient has no skills to make the correct diagnosis.

25 Now enter the computer BBuckley - 25 Allows for limitless behavior Alters the nature of the products it touches User focus is on the screen, keyboard and mouse it is this interactive behavior that is important! Design requires understanding the user s relationship with product before purchase How will the user use the product, in what ways, and to what ends?

26 Evolution of Design BBuckley - 26 Product development concerns: 1. Desirability 2. Viability 3. Capability All three must be addressed to achieve user goals via appropriately designed behaviors

27 Figure 1-3 Building successful digital products. Desirability What do people need? Successful product is desirable and viable and buildable Capability What can we build? Viability What will sustain a business? Designers Management Technologies User model motivations behaviors attitudes & aptitudes Business model funding model income/expense projections, etc Technology model core technologies technology components build vs. buy Product design design schedule form and behavior spec. Business plan marketing plan launch plan distribution plan Technology plan engineering schedule engineering spec User effectiveness & Customer adoption Sustainable Business Product Delivery Overall Product Success

28 Companies that have struggled to find the balance Apple emphasized desirability but has made many business blunders. Nevertheless, it is sustained by the loyalty created by its attention to user appearance Microsoft is one of the best run businesses ever, but it has not been able to create highly desirable products. This provides an opening for competition Novell (now part of ) emphasized technology and gave little attention to desirability. This made it vulnerable to competition BBuckley - 28

29 User s Goals? BBuckley - 29 Are goals the tasks users do? Are they the same for all users? Authors example: Accounting clerk Processing invoices? Employer s goal Employee goals but maybe Appearing competent Keeping engaged in work while doing routine and repetitive tasks

30 Business Goals the driver? BBuckley - 30 Not necessarily aligned with user s goals Satisfy user s goals and the Business Goals have a better chance of being achieved Reminder: What commercial software does? Makes users feel stupid Causes users to make big mistakes Requires too much effort to operate effectively Does not provide and engaging or enjoyable experience

31 The Message BBuckley - 31 Goals are not the same as tasks or activities! Goals motivate people to perform activities. Understand the goals, you understand user expectations & aspirations. You need to understand the meaning of the activities to the user. Task and activity analysis is needed for detail after user goals are understood.

32 Goal versus tasks and activities? BBuckley - 32 Goals change slowly tied to motivation Change in activities & tasks tied to current technology Concentrate only on activities & tasks May leave you with a design embedded in the existing technology May meet corporate goals but not the users User goals allow you to use the technology to eliminate irrelevant tasks and transform the users work environment.

33 Designing to meet goals BBuckley - 33 Context is important Good design makes users more effective Does not make users look or feel stupid Improves business throughput & ease of use Software that enables users to perform their tasks without addressing their goals rarely helps them be truly effective. good design makes users more effective

34 Computer Literacy BBuckley - 34 Some have it some don t but it is needed in an information economy Really? It s a euphemism for forcing human beings to stretch their thinking to understand the inner workings of application logic rather than having software-enabled products stretch to meet people s usual ways of thinking.

35 Striving toward perfection Software has a behavioral face it shows to the world that is created by the developer or designer. What the user sees is the representation of the computer s executed code. (the developers code in implementation model) How the computer gets the job done is hidden from the user. (the user interacts with the represented model) BBuckley - 35 Implementation Model (reflects the technology) worse Represented Models better Mental Model (reflects user's vision) DESIGN PRINCIPLE User interfaces should be based on user mental models rather than implentation models

36 A Goal-Directed Design Process BBuckley - 36 Identifies user req ts Defines a plan for behavior and appearance of products Design provides for Product Definition: Goals of users Needs of business Constraints of technology

37 Figure 1-6 Problematic Design Process BBuckley - 37 Research Performed by market analysts and ethnographers? The Gap Design of Form Performed by graphic / GUI and industrial designers Traditionally, research and design have been separated, with each activity handled by specialists. Research has, until recently, referred primarily to market research, and design is too often limited to visual design or skin-deep industrial design. More recently, user research has expanded to include qualitative, ethnographic data. Yet, without including designers in the research process, the connection between research data and design solutions remains tenuous at best.

38 What about empathy? BBuckley - 38 Direct and extensive exposure to users (that proper user-research entails) immerses designers in the users world, and gets them thinking about users long before they propose solutions. One of the most dangerous practices in product development is isolating designers from the users because doing so eliminates empathic knowledge.

39 The Goal Directed Design Process Six Phases BBuckley - 39 Figure 1-7 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.5 Research Modelling Requirements Framework Refinement Support users and of users and definition of user, definition of of behaviors, development the domain use context business, and design structure form, and needs technical needs and flow content Three primary activities close the gap. A process of modeling that synthesizes research results into design tools, a process of synthesizing and defining requirements from these models, and a process of translating the knowledge captured in the models and requirements into a design framework that reflects the goals and needs of users, while also addressing business and technical imperatives.

40 Research BBuckley - 40 You need to understand the behavior patterns of potential and/or actual users of the product. Research informs the creation of personas in the Modeling phase. Stakeholder interviews, literature reviews, and product audits

41 Modeling BBuckley - 41 Domain models Information flow and workflow diagrams Personas Detailed, composite user archetypes representing grouping of behaviors, attitudes, goals, and motivations observed and identified during research More coming in Chapter 3

42 Requirements Definition BBuckley - 42 Scenario-based a day-in-the life Focus on meeting goals and needs of specific user personas not on user s codable tasks Understanding which tasks are truly important and why. A balance of user, business, and technical req ts.

43 Framework BBuckley - 43 The overall product concept defining product s behavior and visual design, (and physical form, if that fits). Uses: Interaction design principles Interaction design patterns Interaction framework definition Principles help identify design elements Principles and patterns guide the development of design sketches and behavior descriptions

44 Refinement BBuckley - 44 Focus on detail and implementation Focus on task coherence Use walkthroughs and validation scenarios Storyboarding paths through the interface in high detail Form and behavior specification is produced

45 Development Support Help resources needed to answer developers questions real-time as they occur. The developers should not be left alone to Prioritize the work Make trade-offs to meet deadlines Adjust design requiring scaled-down design solutions BBuckley - 45 The detailed look at Goal-Directed Design

46 Figure 1-8: A more detailed look at the Goal Directed Design process Research ACTIVITY Scope Define project goals & schedule Audit: Review existing work & product CONCERNS Objectives, timelines, financial constraints, process, milestones Business & marketing plans, branding strategy, market research, product portfolio plans, competitors, relevant technologies STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION Meetings Capabilities & Scoping DELIVERABLES Document Statement of work Stakeholder Interviews: Understand product vision & constraints Product vision, risks, constraints, opportunities, logistics, users Interviews Stakeholders & users Modeling User interviews & observations: Understand user needs and behavior Personas: User & customer archetypes Users, potential users, behaviors, attitudes, aptitudes, motivation, environment, tools, challenges Patterns in user & customer behaviors, attitudes, aptitudes, goals, environments, tools, challenges Check-in Preliminary Research findings Check-in Personas Req ts Definition Other Models: Represent domain factors beyond individual users & customers Context Scenarios: Tell stories about ideal user experiences Workflows among multiple people, environments, artifacts How the product fits into the persona s life & environment, and how it helps them achieve their goals Check-in Scenarios & Req ts Design Framework Req ts: Describe necessary capabilities of the product Elements: Define manifestations of information & functionality Functional & data needs, user mental models, design imperatives, product vision, business req ts, technology Information, functions, mechanisms, actions, domain object models Presentation User & domain Analysis Check-in Design Framework Document Uses & Domain Analysis Framework: Design overall structure of user experience Object relationships, conceptual groupings, navigation sequencing, principles & patterns, flow, sketches, storyboards Design Refinement Design Support Key path & Validation Scenarios: Describe how the persons interact with the product Detailed Design: Refine & specify details Design modification: Accommodate new constraints & timeline How the design fits into an ideal sequence of user behaviors, & accommodates a variety of likely conditions Appearance, idioms, interface widgets, behavior, information, visualization, brand, experience, language, storyboards Maintaining conceptual integrity of the design under changing technology constraints Presentation Design Vision Check-ins Design Refinement Collaborative Design Document Form & Behavior Specification Revision Form and Behavior Spec.

47 Goals, not features BBuckley - 47 Developers build software function by function. A list of features is one way to explain the product s value to customers. But what do you know about how effective and happy users will be using the software? What s your job? Orchestrating technological capability to serve human needs and goals. Too often the features are a patchwork of nifty technological innovations structured around marketing req ts or the organization of the development team Where do we attend to the overall user experience?

48 The important questions! BBuckley - 48 Who are the users? What are my users trying to accomplish? How do my users think about what they re trying to accomplish? What kind of experiences do my users find appealing and rewarding? How should my product behave? What form should my product take? How will users interact with my product? How can my product's functions be most effectively organized? How will my product introduce itself to first-time users?

49 .. more questions BBuckley - 49 How can my product put an understandable, appealing, and controllable face on technology? how can my product deal with problems that users encounter? How will my product help infrequent and inexperienced users understand how to accomplish their goals? How can my product provided sufficient depth and power for expert users? The remainder of this book is dedicated to answering these questions.

50 Designer s job BBuckley - 50 Look beyond the task identify who the most important users are what are their goals and why that s Chapter 1