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INTERACTIVE SYSTEM DESIGN & EVALUATION Users (KNOW THE USER (USER…

- - - - EXISTING KNOWLEDGE
        
        USER KNOWLEDGE
        REQUIREMENTS
        
        How much knowledge do you assume the user has about the task that the system supports?
        
        Determines how much support the interface provide the user
        
        Determines the terminolofg used
        
        SYMANTIC KNOWLEDGE
        
        SYMANTIC TASK KNOWLEDGE
        
        About concepts or entities associated with the task to be performed - e.g. parts of a car design in CAD or data requirements in statistics
        
        About concepts or entities associated with the computer system e.g. organisation of file system, access rights to files
        
        SYNTATIC COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE
        Do they need systematic (computer) knowledge?
        
        knowledge of low-level operations and procedures required to achieve a particular state
        
        key bindings - e.g. Control Z = end of file in DOS
        
        command line switches - e.g. ls -al in UNIX
        
        commands - e.g. Alt F S to save a file in windows applications
        
        USER GROUP KNOWLEDGE
        
        How much knowledge do you assume the user group has about computers in general?
        
        Can you assume familiarity with graphical user interfaces (GUI)? If not, dont expect the user to know what a combo box is or how to use it
        
        Can you assume familiarity with using the internet? If so, you can assume familiarity with conventions and common facilities, and with using GUIs
        
        Elderly....
        
        Poor countries...
        
        CATAGORIZATION
        
        NOVICE
        
        Faces a frightening unknown; timid, nerous, in no mood to explore your goodies.
        
        ADVANCED BEGINNER
        
        Less fear: knows basics; still impatient at having to learn how to do tasks.
        
        COMPETENT PERFORMER
        
        Can diagnose simple pproblems and can perform a complex series of tasks
        
        EXPERT
        
        Small group. Can diagnose complex problems. Has a sophisticated nental model of the application. Not typical user
        
        NOVICE USERS
        
        no syntatic knowledge, little semantic knowledge
        
        may have little task knoledge
        *may have anxieties about computer use
        
        KNOWLEDGEABLE INTERMITTENT USERS
        
        can maintain semantic knowledge of task and computer concepts
        
        requirements for consistency of structures in interaction so that user inferences are supported
        
        good help facilities and documentation are required
        
        FREQUENT USERS
        
        well trained in semantic and syntactic aspects
        
        rapid response time
        
        brief feedback
        
        abbreviated command sequences
        
        accelerators to move through dialogue sequences
        
        SPECIAL CATAGORIES
        
        Disabled users
        
        Children
        
        BASELINE USER
        
        Minimum level of domain knowledge
        
        Minimum level of computer competence
        
        USER EXPERTISE
        
        Consistent research findings:
        
        User knowledge of features stagnates at low level
        
        Users learn a few core features quickly, then stop
        
        Users very resistant to putting effort into learning features, unless they need them now
        
        Don't go looking for interesting functionality
        
        Often have no idea what the program can really do
        http://www.nngroup.com/articles/stagnating-expertise/
        
        SUMMARY OF DESIGN IMPLICATIONS
        
        DESIGN FOR DISCOVERY
        
        Designing in discovery enables users to see what the application can do
        
        FINDABILITY
        
        Design in findability: enables users to spot and recognize controls for features
        
        TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
        
        FREQUENT USERS doing repetative tasks, what matters is SPEED
        
        Dont design for occassional novices
        
        Learning time is small part of career as frequent user
        
        Special techniques (such as GOMS) for predicting time skilled users take to carry out tasks
        
        Add learning support to speed-optimised interface
        
        Frequency of use: amount of skill building that takes place and knowledge user is epected to retain
        
        Discretion to use the system: impact of poor usability
        
        Knowledge of the task which the system will support: level of support at interface provided for on how to complete tasks
        
        Knowledge of computers: level of guidance provided
        
        Experience of other similar systems: user expectations and use of familiar interface conventions
        
        Physical differences: assumptions made about presentation of text and use of other modalities
        
        Cultural differences: attitude towards computers; level of help and guidance, and way in which system is introduced to users
        
        Existing skills (keyboard, mouse): choice of interaction style to use to exploit existing skills
        
        THE THIRD USER
        
        PURCHASERS
        
        Care about usability
        
        Can't easily judge it
        
        Easily seduced by illusion of simplicity
        
        Visually simple, suggests interaction is simple
        
        Hides complexity of interaction
        
        NOT route to good usability
        
        DEALER MODE (Bruce Tognazzini - Apple 1970s)
        
        Slick simple-looking design impresses purchasers
        
        Visually simple features hiding complexity
      - PROVIDING SUPPORT
        
        Do you need to support users with diffent degrees of domain understanding?
        
        What if the users have less domain understanding than you expect?
        
        What if the users have more domain understanding than you expect?
        
        Can you meet their needs?
        
        Can you signal the system is inappropriate for them?
        
        Can you do this without affecting the user experience for everyone else?
- - - - Language (how many languages should be supported?)
        
        Education (reading level)
        
        Culture (colour preferences, image choices)
        
        Profession (specialized vocabularies)
        
        Attitudes towards computer systems
        
        Technophobia amongst elderly users
        
        Willingness to explore
        
        Fragile self-confidence amongst children
    - - How can you learn the characteristics of your users?
        
        Not managers. May think they know users but arent users.
        
        Not developers. The worst. The know things about the system users may not know. Reason why Word now has a Ribbon
        
        Users themselves, preferebly in their workplace, are a good source of information