HCI and Software Engineering

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HCI and Software Engineering

• Lynne Hall

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History (still ongoing)HCI and Structured
Methods

• HCI input mainly in
• Requirements analysis stage
• Testing
• Rollout
• Some methodologies (SSADM 4.0) have specific HCI
  steps in various stages
• Possible to incorporate HCI but often as add-ins
  to the methodology

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The FutureHCI and Object Orientation

• Eclectic, flexible methodology
• HCI input at many stages
• Cyclical incremental software development
  approach
• Many HCI methods incorporated (often with new
  names)
• Added-value / Assimilation not add-in / extra
• Object - Action Interface Model

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HCI and Object Orientation
Where does HCI fit in? Everywhere...
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Inception

• HCI focus often present
• Inception of modifications
• response to user testing
• proactive response to user queries / suggestions
• Inception of new applications
• From HCI literature / research / competition
• A way to electronically support a work function

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Aims are context dependent

• safety-critical systems
• industrial and commercial systems
• office systems
• home and entertainment systems
• exploratory and creative systems
• Context is dependent on who, why, when, and where

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Contextual Profile

• Who are your intended users?
• Department of an organisation
• General population
• 7-9 year olds
• Why are they using the application?
• Part of their job
• Recreational activity
• Educational

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Contextual Profile 2

• Where are they using the application
• work-based
• home-based
• web-based
• When does the user use the application
• Part of a specific weekly performed task
• Whenever they want
• In set time periods

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Elaboration

• Key area for HCI
• HCI of prime importance to determine use cases
• Requirements Engineering
• Competitive Analysis
• Environment Analysis
• User Profiles
• Task Descriptions

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Requirements, Constraints, Opportunities and
Trade-Offs

• When to find out
• Who to ask / Informative Sources
• users
• stakeholders
• electronic / paper information sources
• competitive analysis
• Other members of the team
• Other HCI people

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Requirements Engineering

• User Characteristics
• Task Characteristics
• Environment Characteristics
• Stakeholder Needs
• Documentation Reviews, Interviews, Low Fidelity
  Prototyping, Observing, etc.

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Construction

• Series of iterations
• Each iteration is based on a use case and
  involves
• analysis
• design
• coding
• testing
• integration

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Analysis

• Usability Attributes of Use Cases
• Different user interfaces
• screen
• on-line help
• manual
• Low Fidelity Prototyping, Interviews, Task
  Analysis, Competitive Analysis

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Design

• Objects describe the universe
• Actions the intentions of the actor
• Interaction style
• Dialogue Design / Screen layout
• Design of secondary user interfaces
• guidelines, standards, low fidelity techniques,
  user review, usability testing

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Coding

• High Fidelity Prototyping
• Programming
• Development of interface objects (graphical)
• High Fidelity Prototyping tools, programming
  languages, graphical development environments,
  scanned-in artwork etc.

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Testing

• Testing is vital.
• No interface design / code should be built unless
  you know how to test it
• Until the testing is complete, the software is
  still prototypical
• usability test plan, heuristic evaluation,
  guidelines, usability metrics

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Integration

• Integrating stand-alone functions into a complete
  application
• Importance of consistency (especially relevant in
  big projects)
• User Testing, Evaluation, Horizontal Prototyping,
  Consistency checking

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Transition

• No development to add functionality
• Optimising the application
• Providing secondary user interfaces
• User evaluation, efficiency, accuracy, speed,
  user manuals, training, usability problem
  notification procedures