Some Good Ideas from the Digital Camera Assignment
• Cartoon character that gives instructions
• Neckstrap • Auto-off (time out), Auto-on (button
press or accelerometer) • Different coloured buttons • Fun sounds • Lots of feedback when picture taken
Overview of the Interaction Design Process
We know there are good designs and bad designs. How can we make sure we end up with a good one?
Answer: Follow a good process
Objectives
By the end of today’s class you will be able to… – Describe the major steps in the interaction design
process – Explain the importance of iterative design and
evaluation – Explain the benefits of involving users in design – Explain why rapid prototyping techniques are useful – Explain how you would apply your knowledge about
the design process to a particular example application.
Traditional ‘waterfall’ lifecycle Requirements analysis
Design
Code
Test
Maintain
Simple interaction design model
Modified Waterfall
Example Design Process: FAST
• “Final approach spacing tool” for air traffic control
• Would assist air traffic controllers (ATCs) with their work
• Commissioned by LATCC (organization related to London Heathrow Airport)
Background: Final approach control
• Goal: most efficient order for landing / maximize runway use
• Aircraft controlled by ATC team: – Intermediate controller: instructs an aircraft
to leave a holding pattern (stack) – Final Director: guides aircraft through final
approach to runway • Advises turns based on wind speed, aircraft
size, etc.
Who are the stakeholders? • Users: air traffic controllers
– Note: various different roles • Other stakeholders
– LATCC – commissioned the work and is the customer • Many roles: business financing, end users,
managers, etc. – People who work at airports & ride in
airplanes KEY Point: you want to involve all
important stakeholders in design
FAST Design Process
• Requirements gathering • Design & Prototype • Evaluate
• ITERATE!
How would you gather requirements for this project?
• What do you want to know? • How will you learn it?
Requirements Gathering: Factors
• ATCs – experience, demographics, personalities
• Tasks they need to accomplish • Environment – physical environment,
communication methods, breaks, etc. • Usability requirements
ATC Environment • What do you
notice that may be important to design?
Requirements Gathering: How?
• Observation of ATCs • Interviews with controllers, individually &
in groups • Hierarchical task analysis, verified with
the users
NOTE: Multiple methods of data collection: increases confidence that findings are correct.
FAST Design was “User Centered”. Why?
• Focused on users & their tasks • Involved users throughout design
process
Benefits of User Centered Design for FAST
• Product works more effectively because users and tasks are understood
• Users contributed ideas designers didn’t think of
• Users committed to adoption
“Well, when I first got involved with FAST…I thought, Why are we doing this? We don’t need this. I mean controllers are professional people, they’re very proud of what they do, and at the end of the day they can provide very accurate and consistent spacing. And I couldn’t see for the life of me why we needed a tool to help us do a job which we’re doing, as far as I could see, very well anyway”
“I think that over the number of trials we’ve done, various benefits have come out of it which weren’t first envisaged. ….none of us realized how much work and effort we were actually putting into it to achieve [aircraft spacing]. With FAST, I noticed you weren’t so tired, you felt more relaxed and at ease…”
Comments from an ATC on the Design Team:
Design & Prototyping
The Final FAST Interfaces
How could you prototype these interfaces?
• Several rounds of paper prototypes (several months!)
• Microsoft powerpoint – to show animation sequences
• C++ prototypes – designed to be fast to alter
• Q. Much of the C++ code was thrown out (not used in final implementation). Was this a waste of time?
How could you test these prototypes?
• Paper & Powerpoint? • C++ prototypes?
FAST Testing Environment
FAST Testing
• Paper & PPT: structured walkthroughs with users, discusssions
• C++: – User testing: observe simulated tasks,
discussions, questionnaires – “Inspections” without users
Q: Why evaluate both with and without users?
Key Points
• Iterate! • Involve users in both design and
evaluation • Use rapid prototyping techniques
• In the rest of the course we will delve into HOW to do all of these things, starting with requirements (next class)
Course Overview
Activity: Design Process You are developing an interactive video game to teach math skills (e.g., addition / subtraction, multiplication / division) to elementary school children, age 6-8.
Part 1: Users & Stakeholders • Who are the direct users? What do we know
about them and what does this imply about the design?
• Who are the other stakeholders?
Part 2: Requirements
• How would you gather information to help you define requirements for the product?
• What questions would you want answers to?
Part 3: Prototyping and Evaluation
• How would you prototype the interface? Early prototypes? Later prototypes?
• How would you evaluate your prototypes?
