cs3724: Introduction to HCI

Dr. Chris North

GTA: Purvi Saraiya

WELCOME TO THE

NEXT LEVEL

Toto, I don’t think we’re in 2604 anymore.

• Class discussion, participation• HWs/Projects: open-ended• Group project• Student presentations

Course Mechanics• Prerequisite forms:

• 2604: CS >=C, ECE >=C-, else >F

• Texts:• Shneiderman, Designing the User Interface• Norman, The Design of Everyday Things

• http://courses.cs.vt.edu • Office hours: after class, 619 McB• GTA hours: MW 12-2, 133 McB• Grading: 45%  Projects

20%  Homeworks25%  Exams

5%  Presentation5%  Class Participation

What is HCI?

What is HCI?

Human-Computer Interaction

What is HCI?

Human-Computer Interaction

• Design• Development• Evaluation of user interfaces for computer systems

Huh?

An example:

HomeFinder

Apartments.com

HitList

HomeFinder

The Goal

Usability

People are trying to accomplish their tasks.

UI should maximize their performance.

Who Cares?

• Everything is a User Interface

Doors

More Doors

Your interface to the world

• Output:• 5 senses: vision, taste, touch, smell, hear

• Input:• speech, writing, manual (hands, feet), gesture, …

Who Cares?

• Everything is a User Interface

• The User Interface is Everything

Florida Cares!

• Human error: Who’s fault is it?

                                                                           

                                                                                                           

Why is it so hard?

Why is it so hard?

Programmers stink at UI design

Why is it so hard?

Programmers stink at UI design

• don’t think like normal people• know the software internals• arrogant (my software!)

Design is hard

• People are all different• People are unpredictable• Designer’s pride• New ways to think, break out of the box

How?

Design

Evaluate Develop

Many iterations

What will I learn?

Design

Evaluate Develop

•Interaction Strategies•Metrics, analysis•Principles•Guidelines•Visualization

•GUI programming•Widgets, graphics, animation•Visual Basic, ActiveX•Java, Swing•ASP

•Usability•Heuristic •Controlled experiments•Surveys, data logs

new emphasis!

Grand Goals?

• Get angry!

• Break out of the box

Homework #0: UI Analysis

• See website• Pick a movie of your choice• Task: find a convenient playing time and location• Use 3 different systems:

• 1-800-555-TELL• www.moviefone.com• www.hollywood.com/showtimes/

• Write down the time it takes you for each• Bring your times to class on Thursday