CS 407 Human Computer Interface

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CS 407 Human Computer Interface

• Class 33
• Wednesday, November 10, 1999

2
Thought for the Day

• UNIX is user-friendly...
• It's just selective about who its friends are.
• Fabio Esquivel

3
Help!

The cartoon that was on this page in class was
found at Todays Cartoon by Randy Bergen.
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Todays Topics

• Finish Chapter 11
• Evaluation Exercise
• Begin chapter 12 Help Documentation

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Project 2 Assignment

• On the web site
• Any questions about Project 2?

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Query Techniques

• informal and subjective
• cheap
• Interviews
• Analyst questions user on one to one basis,
  usually based on prepared questions.

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Query Techniques (2)

• Advantages
• can be varied to suit context
• issues can be explored more fully
• can elicit user views and identify unanticipated
  problems
• Disadvantages
• very subjective
• time consuming

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Query Techniques Questionnaires

• Set of fixed questions given to users.
• Advantages
• quick and reaches large user group
• can be analyzed more rigorously
• Disadvantages
• less flexible
• less probing
• Need careful design
• what information is required?
• how are answers to be analyzed?

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Questionnaires (2)

• Styles of question
• general
• openended
• scalar
• multichoice
• ranked

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Choosing an Evaluation Method

• Factors to consider (see Tables 11.311.5, pages
  435, 439)
• when in cycle is evaluation carried out? design
  vs. implementation
• what style of evaluation is required? laboratory
  vs. field
• how objective should the technique be? subjective
  vs. objective
• what type of measures are required? qualitative
  vs. quantitative

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Choosing an Evaluation Method

• what level of information is required? high level
  vs. low level
• what level of interference? obtrusive vs.
  unobtrusive
• what resources are available? time, subjects,
  equipment, expertise
• Tables 11.4 -11.6 rate each techniques along
  these criteria. (pages 439-440)

12
Heuristic Evaluation Exercise

• Evaluate the design of one of the following (Be
  specific!)
• Your email program Your internet browser
• Your word processor
• Use the following heuristics
• System behavior is predictable.
• System behavior is consistent.
• Feedback is provided.
• The user's memory is not overloaded
• Dialogue is task-oriented.