Post on 16-Dec-2015
transcript
Interfaces for Staying in the Flow
Benjamin B. BedersonComputer Science Department
Human-Computer Interaction LabUniversity of Maryland
www.cs.umd.edu/hcilbederson@cs.umd.edu
Human Goals
Life Goal: Happiness Work Goal: productivity, creativity,
recognition, etc.
Flow – Folk Definition
“To move or run freely in the manner characteristic of a fluid”
Concentrate to the exclusion of all else To be “in the zone”
Counter example: Writer w/ writer’s block
Flow – Psychology Definition
“Optimal Experience” – see “Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1990)
Started by interviewing “experts” Then used “Experience Sampling Method”
=> Characteristics of optimal experience=> Flow is universal, and is a combination of
activity, individual and state of mind
1. Challenge and Require Skill
Person must expend effort to acquire skills, and then apply them
Examples: Tennis Programming
Not passive or relaxing Not “go with the flow”
2. Concentrate
Ability to focus attention at length is crucial Focusing enables tuning out of other input People w/ A.D.D. at real disadvantage
Examples: Reading Painting
3. Clear Goals and Feedback
Must define success up front Clearly measure progress along path
Examples: Surgery Factory work
4. Maintain Control
Minimize loss of “objective” control Maximize “subjective” control
Examples: Mountain climbing Counter example: Driving in traffic
5. Transformation of Time
Time flies Or, can slow down
Examples: Pottery New romantic interest
Our Goal
Build computer systems that work as a “tool” to support optimal experience
► But computers could never be that good. You’ve described only simple tools.
► But isn’t flow a fuzzy, unmeasurable and unscientific concept? And even if you could measure it, is it really important?
Interfaces for Staying in the Flow
How do these characteristics of flow apply to interface design?
1. Challenge and Require Skill
Interfaces should be: neither so difficult as to discourage users nor so easy as to be boring
Demo
TimeSearcher
Ch
alle
ng
es
Skills
F
low
Chann
el
Boredom
Anxiety
2. Concentrate
Avoid interruptions Stay in task domain, not interface domain
Guimbretière et al. “FlowMenus: Combining Command,Text Entry and direct manipulation”UIST 2000
Three levels of interaction: 1. Learn from the interface 2. Feedback from the interface 3. Autonomous interaction
(no feedback necessary)
2. Concentrate (cont.)
Maintain object constancy Save short-term memory
Demo
PhotoMesa
3. Clear Goals and Feedback
Help user to specify what they are doing And how they are getting there
Many e-commercewebsites
4. Maintain Control
Challenge of “Expert” vs. “Novice” interfaces (controls vs. wizards) (Microsoft vs. Apple philosophy)
Emacs vs. IDEs (Visual Studio & Eclipse) Difficulty of learning Keyboard vs. mouse control Home keys vs. arrow/nav keys Integrated shell, grep, directory, etc. Filename completion, command history
4. Maintain Control (cont.)
Problem w/ adaptive interfaces: Unpredictable Loss of objective control Leads to frustration and
slow performance
Encourage controllable,configurable interfaces
Demo
Favorite Folders
5. Transformation of Time
Based on pyschology principle: When interrupted, people will overestimate time
Relative Subjective Duration (RSD)Czerwinski et al., “Subjective Duration Assessment: A New
Metric for HCI”, HCI 2001
Avoids positive bias of subjective preference
Demo
DateLens
Summary
Maintain lofty goals “Computer as tool”
should be an extension of our body
Don’t underestimate the importance of speed in supporting: creativity quality enjoyment
Design Principles
Human memory is limited Modes are bad Input device switches are bad Maintain object constancy Minimize use of interface Balance features vs. ease-of-use
Challenge
Design for novices and experts is really hard, but important
Don’t forget the expert!
Suggestion
Add Relative Subjective Duration (RSD) to standard list of metrics
=> Minimizing cognitive load and improving subjective satisfaction can help achieve optimal experience