• Human Computer Interface (HCI) was previously known as the man-machine studies or

man-machine interaction. It deals with the design, execution and assessment of

computer systems and related phenomenon that are for human use.
• . Some of the areas where HCI can be implemented with distinctive importance are
mentioned below −
• Computer Science − For application design and engineering.
• Psychology − For application of theories and analytical purpose.
• Sociology − For interaction between technology and organization.
• Industrial Design − For interactive products like mobile phones, microwave oven, etc.
• The world’s leading organization in HCI is ACM − SIGCHI, which stands for Association for
Computer Machinery − Special Interest Group on Computer–Human Interaction. SIGCHI
defines Computer Science to be the core discipline of HCI. In India, it emerged as an
interaction proposal, mostly based in the field of Design.
• Objective
• The intention of this subject is to learn the ways of designing user-
friendly interfaces or interactions. Considering which, we will learn
the following −
• Ways to design and assess interactive systems.
• Ways to reduce design time through cognitive system and task
models.
• Procedures and heuristics for interactive system design.
Interface Design Guidelines
General interaction, information display, and data entry are three categories of HCI design
guidelines that are explained below.
General Interaction
Guidelines for general interaction are comprehensive advices that focus on general instructions
such as −
• Be consistent.
• Offer significant feedback.
• Ask for authentication of any non-trivial critical action.
• Authorize easy reversal of most actions.
• Lessen the amount of information that must be remembered in between actions.
• Seek competence in dialogue, motion and thought.
• Excuse mistakes.
• Classify activities by function and establish screen geography accordingly.
• Deliver help services that are context sensitive.
• Use simple action verbs or short verb phrases to name commands.
• Information Display
• Information provided by the HCI should not be incomplete or unclear or
else the application will not meet the requirements of the user. To provide
better display, the following guidelines are prepared −
• Exhibit only that information that is applicable to the present context.
• Don't burden the user with data, use a presentation layout that allows
rapid integration of information.
• Use standard labels, standard abbreviations and probable colors.
• Permit the user to maintain visual context.
• Generate meaningful error messages.
• Use upper and lower case to aid in understanding.
• Use analog displays to characterize information that is more easily
integrated with this form of representation.
• Consider the available geography of the display screen and use it
efficiently.
• Data Entry
• The following guidelines focus on data entry that is another important
aspect of HCI −
• Reduce the number of input actions required of the user.
• Uphold steadiness between information display and data input.
• Let the user customize the input.
• Interaction should be flexible but also tuned to the user's favored mode of
input.
• Disable commands that are unsuitable in the context of current actions.
• Allow the user to control the interactive flow.
• Offer help to assist with all input actions.
 Guidelines in HCI

Lecture 7:
Cognitive Walkthrough
 Cognitive walkthrough
Cognitive walkthroughs are used to examine the usability of a product. They
are designed to see whether or not a new user can easily carry out tasks
within a given system. It is a task-specific approach to usability (in contrast
to heuristic evaluation which is a more holistic usability inspection). The idea
is that if given a choice – most users prefer to do things to learn a product
rather than to read a manual or follow a set of instructions.
Cognitive model
Cognitive Walk Through Fundamental Definitions:

• Task: A task is what the user desires to accomplish when he /she sets out
to use a particular device or interact with an interface. A task may consists
of a series of subtasks. Such a task is called as compound task. When the
end goal or purpose is achieved the task is said to have been completed.
• Action: When a specific physical movement is executed. A series of
‘actions’ in a defined sequence form an ‘interaction’ cycle between the
device and the user.
• Mental model: The mental concept the user has of the system and its
working / functioning. It is how the user has understood the system &
visualized its working . A user is said to have a mental model if he /she can
predict or explain his /her interactions with the system.
• Cognitive walkthrough is a usability method that focuses on
evaluating a design (existing or proposed) for ease of learning
particularly by institute explorations.
• In the cognitive walkthrough, the sequence of actions refers to the steps
that a user will require to perform on the interface so as to accomplish a
task. The evaluators then ‘ walked through’ that action sequence to check
it for potential usability problems. Usually, the main focus of the cognitive
walkthrough is to establish how easy a system is to learn by operating it.
• The focus is on learning through exploration. In its earlier form cognitive
walkthrough was done by software developers involving presentation of a
proposed design to a closed group and requesting them to review as they
are ‘walked through’ the demonstration. The peers evaluated the solution.
• Today it is a ‘cognitive’ technique used to evaluate a proposed interface in
context of one or more specific user tasks.
Theory underlying the walkthrough
• Cognitive Walkthrough is based on the Cognitive model of human exploratory learning.
• When a learner ( User) is put in a problem solving situation a user chooses among alternative actions based on
similarity between the expected consequences of an action and the current goal.
• After an action gets executed the user evaluates the system response and decides whether progress is being
made to achieve the goal or not.
• If goal is reached through the chosen action it leads to positive decision of storing the action inlong term
memory as a ‘ rule’. While executing an action a user first attempts to use applicable rule from long term
memory which matches current context.
 Cognitive Walk Through has two phases:

Preparation phase Evaluation phase

i) Building A prototype { paper; mock up;
screen based } with description. It need not
be perfect or complete in all request.
i) Conducting the Walkthrough session
ii) Recording the Observation
iii) Analysis
i)Making a list of selected tasks you want the iv) Inferences
user to ‘walk through’ the interface along with v) Recommendation to Interface Team
you. The task should have ready well defined
sequences for Goals and sub goals with
written actions used to complete each
individual task.

i) A clear understanding of the user , his /her

background; level of expertise in the domain;
prior experience of using similar software etc.
The evaluator should prepare to look for answers to Questions in table:

The purpose of conducting the walk through must be clear to the

evaluator prior to starting the walk through.

Question
Can the users understand &
reach the goal –the very
purpose of the assigned
task ?
Will users be able to locate
the buttons / GUI elements
for the action they are
supposed to perform given
the task ?
Does the interface provide
understandable feed back at
every action in the task
sequence ?
This will yield what the user is thinking once a task
is assigned. Most of the time users do not think or
act the way as the interface designer expects or
wants them to
Often it is very difficult for the user to find the
control/element to start . This is even more
confusing to the user when there are several or
multiple possibilities to start the sequence - on the
GUI.
Often even if the users are able to locate the right
GUI control /element can they tell with high degree
of confidence that this is the right control for the
action they want to perform and that they will
indeed reach the goal. Intermittent feed back
assures users that they are indeed proceeding in
the right direction. Feed back can be in the form of
sound or labels or motion or change in status.
Over view of the actual Walkthrough
Processes
Pre-preparation:

1. Define Users : Who are the users. Identify them.

(Catagorise them as Novices, Intermittent & Experts)

2. Identify the tasks for the evaluation

Ex: Evaluation for “Checking out Balance on an ATM”
Prepare notes on what the user must know prior to performing the task and what
the user should be learning while performing the task.

3. Prepare action sequences for completing the Tasks

Make a “ AND THEN “ list of Goals & sub class. Ex:
Overall Goal: Find out balance from the ATM
Subgoal1 : Activate ATM [Physical action Insert Card]
Subgoal2: Identify self [ Input pin code]
Sub goal 3 : Get balance [ press action button with label] Sub
goal 4: Get a print out [ if required]
Sub gaol 5: Log out from ATM .

4. Conduct the Walk Through Session

Observation during the Walk Trough

• The above task is assigned to a user. The user is asked to proceed

executing the task on a mock up / paperprototype .

• The user is asked to achieve a goal ( of forwarding a call in his

absence and informed about the sequence of actions.

• The sequence of inputs as carried out by the user are observed.

• The errors committed (deviation from the expected sequence and

corresponding action) are noted.

• The difficulties are mutually discussed with the user. Why a user acted in
particular way and did not act in ways that was expected is explored.
Advantage:
• The biggest benefit of a cognitive walkthrough (or
walkthroughs) is that it is extremely cost-effective
and fast to carry out when compared to many
other forms of usability testing.
• It can also be implemented prior to development
during the design phase which can give rapid
insight before budget is spent on developing an
unusable product.
Significance:
• Walkthroughs help answer interfaces design questions like:
• How will the user approach a task ?
• What is the correct action sequence for each task and how it needs
to be described to the user.
• How to achieve the desired action sequence from the user with
minimum human cost and maximum efficiency .
• How quickly will the user learn & becomes comfortable with the
interface.?
In short:
 Example of where CWT is useful

When ATMs were first introduced one of the questions on the design of
operational sequence was –

Should balance in account be displayed simultaneouslyevery time the

user access the ATM ?
Or
Is it better to displaybalance after the transaction is over.

Seeking ‘Balance’ is a sub goal either before starting of a transaction or after a

transaction is over. In either case it needs to be an independent Goal by it self
rather than a sub goal of accessing the account. Users approach ATM more often
for Withdrawal than for knowing Balance.
• Task: Print Document.
• Should a printer be selected first and then Press PRINT
Or
• Press PRINT first and then chose the Printer ?
• A ‘prompt’ will have to instruct the user to first select a printer and
then press print button.
• If the user keeps on pressing the print button multiple times
without selecting the printer - either nothing happens or
unwanted multiple copies are spit out by the machine !
• Walk through identifies such gaps and prevent errors.
 Make a recording of observations in a Recording
Sheet .
Description Did the Did the user Did the user Did the user Did the Comments
of step. user try notice that confidently understand user /
to the correct know that the the Complete Alternative
achieve action choice being feedback the Task suggestion
the end choices are made by after every With s/ solutions
goal or available. him/her is action satisfactio /
did he Yes – the right one n discussion
give up PARTLY-No ? Yes points.
At the YN PARTL
start Y
itself. No
A1. YES PARTLY YES YES YES
Activate
call
interface.
A2. Press YES YES YES NO PARTLY Was not
#2 paying
attention
( Command to sound
to cancel feed back
call
forwarding)
as it was
not
expected.
Example:
In short:
Example:
Example:
Assignment:
Conduct a Walkthrough for a new product being designed to train Computer servicing technicians.
Users: College dropouts ( education upto Plus 2 + - 1)
Context: Undergoing training for routine computer maintenance Job : Running Virus Scans in a
Computer service centre.
Level of expertise : Novice. Users knowledge of computers includes starting a computer accessing
files and folders , opening and closing files.

Task:
Schedule a virus scan of System Files for a given
time and date.
List of Actions: As given bellow in sequence.
1. Select target Scan from Virus scan Software
files on computer
2. Select & Open MY Computer
3. Select Windows Folder
4. Select OK
5. Select Schedule
6. Select Enable
7. Determine Time for Scan
8. Set Weekly as Schedule
9. Select Tuesday
10. Select OK to complete task
11. Check if Scan is Scheduled as per settings
• Introduction: Contextual inquiry is a field based data collection
technique employed to capture detailed information about how users
of a product interact with the product in their normal work
environment or in other words- interact with the product in its
context of use. Whether a product already exists and needs
improvement or a new product is under conceptualisiation –in both
these cases Contextual inquiry is found to be a effective design
research method to extract users information
• Contextual inquiry is a semi-structured interview method to obtain
information about the context of use, where users are first asked a set
of standard questions and then observed and questioned while they
work in their own environments. ...
• Context - Go to the customer's workplace and watch them do their
own work
In Human Centered Designing methodology, understanding the users, their needs,
the context in which these needs raise and the context in which the user attempts to
fulfill needs - is the first step

Specific techniques have been developed to identify and specify

the context of use.

This process is called “Contextual Inquiry”.

Contextual Inquiry is a scientific way of understanding users needs,

their intentions and their practices.
• Because users are interviewed in their own environments, the analysis data is
more realistic than laboratory data. Contextual inquiry is based on a set of
principles that allow it to be molded to different situations. This technique is
generally used at the beginning of the design process and is good for getting rich
information about work practices, the social, technical, and physical
environments, and user tools.
• The four principles of contextual inquiry are:
• Focus - Plan for the inquiry, based on a clear understanding of your purpose
• Context - Go to the customer's workplace and watch them do their own work
• Partnership - Talk to customers about their work and engage them in uncovering
unarticulated aspects of work
• Interpretation - Develop a shared understanding with the customer about the
aspects of work that matter
• The results of contextual inquiry can be used to define requirements, improve a
process, learn what is important to users and customers, and just learn more
about a new domain to inform future projects.
Advantages of the Contextual Inquiry method
over other user data collection methods.
•Marketing based data or information on the user as a
‘customer’ or ‘ consumer’ is of limited use for a HCI designer as it
does not givemental & psychological insights while the user is using
the device .

• This method being open ended makes it valuable deep- mining of

tacit knowledge from the user. Tacit knowledge is that knowledge
which normally the user is not consciously aware of themselves.

• It helps to develop a shared understanding between the

device interface creator and the user.
disadvantage
• Some field based difficulties:

• Gaining confidence of shy and suspicious users can pose a

problem

• Users may not want to be seen as stupid and hence may exhibit
extra smartness (mislead). It is well known that when observed
humans do things different from the way when alone.
• In short the method involves:
•Going to the user’s environment
•Observe real work in natural conditions
• Seek clarifications and confirmations through questions.
•Conceive the field observed data into a model.
 Data gathering
processes
Inquiry alternates between observing and discussing
/ clarifying from the user as to what the user did and
why.

In this technique the researcher interprets and shares

insights with the user during the interview /
discussions.

Often the researcher’s understanding stands

corrected by the user.

Researcher needs to take care that the discussions do

not move away from the focus of the
contextual inquiry.
Planning for a
Contextual
Inquiry
Define the issue / problem /context as well a suppose well for which the
Inquiry is being planned.

Plan for identifying users, their location, their numbers, and their
willingness to cooperate.

Work on the briefing that will be given to the participating users.

Prepare a list of possible questions to start the dialogue with the
users.

Prepare documenting mediums such as cameras, voice recorders

etc.
 Tools / Instruments used in Contextual Inquiry
• Open ended questioning based on observations
• Pre-prepared Questionnaire (User Survey)
• Ethnographic observation dairy with notes
(These notes are converted into Affinity diagrams)
• Focus group interviews
• Structured discussions
• Photo / video documentation.
• Hierarchy diagrams
• Story boards
• Mind maps
•Affinity diagrams : Data that
have affinity to each other based
on are grouped together to form
a category.
•Affinity diagram contains one or
more categories .
•Cards on which labels / words
describing a characteristic are
moved around on a board to
ultimately result in ‘groups’.
Groups are given labels.
Stages of a Contextual Interview Greetings.
Explaining the
Warm Up purpose. Rights of
the subjects for
protection of
Noting down context personal
information.
Setting the interactive task if a device is involved Prejudging the
user.
Observe Behavior & actions Gathering
usage data &
experience
data of the
Share /discuss Interpretation user.

Refine Interpretations , make notes

Thank & wrap up

Analyzing the data collected in
Contextual inquiry

Data collected from contextual inquiry is analyzed , interpreted

and finally visualized and represented by the researcher using
one or all the following models which are part and parcel of the
HCD process.

• Flow Model
• Sequence Model
• Cultural Model

• Artifact Model
• Physical Model
 Descriptions of the
Models

•Flow Model
Flow model represents the
coordination, communication,
interaction, roles, and
responsibilities of the people in a
certain work practice. This model is mainly use to depict
the logic behind the flow of
It is based on the logic of flow of
information
information between different
entities making up the system Critical communicati on link
within the context. Team Lead 2 is missing
Tas
k
Team a
Lead1 Tas Task
k d
b
Focuses on the roles of
Task different users, and how
c they communicate and
coordinate to get work
Team done
Lead2
Sequence model - Enters the code with
the specific error
represents the steps users go through - to
accomplish an activity.
User
Sequence models are liner and sequential in error
nature. Sequence models of a number of smaller
tasks when integrated represent the HEL
interconnected sequence within a larger system P
as shown in figure :
Under
Draw the Select
Select a Select the sketch tool
rectangle Extrude
plane sketch tool select line
shape tool
tool

Low-level, step-by-step information

on how work is actually done"
Includes the intent behind the
action, the trigger that led the user
to this action, and breakdowns that
create problems

Document flow in an Indian Matrimonial pre

exchange is shown on the right.
Cultural
model -
represents the norms,
influences, and practices that
are present in the work
environment and which are
specific to a particular region or
are traditionally followed as
local norms.
Often culture specific
comments or differences are
mentioned using either flow
diagrams or sequence In Indian culture parents are the ones
diagrams or both. who establish the first contact and
Language for example is a collects information of a prospective son
Culture model variable. in law /daughter in law.

This flow model is not evident for a

person from another culture.
Artifact model -
represents the documents or
other physical things that are
part of the work / task
execution. These artifacts are
aids to the tasks created while
working or are used to support
the work. Example would be a
Paper based voucher
simultaneously filled up in a
particular step of a sequential
task flow.

Interviewers should inquire into the

structure, content, presentation and
usage of the artifact.
Physical model - represents
the physical lay out of the environment
where the work tasks are accomplished.

Simple examples would be office layout,

network topology, or the layout of icons on
a computer display environment.

The flow of work as it moves in the

physical environment is represented as a
map. Example w ould be of a retail sh op.

Hands Who
Packs / Hands Who puts it
Includes the
Selects, over to weighs and Sticks
Pick Counter enters item Seals
Label
Back to
Customer
in his trolley organization of
Person code
space, the
grouping of
people, and
their movement
in the space
Consolidating Work Models :
All flow models are taken for each user and their interconnectedness to
form a whole system is attempted. The groups are formed based on roles
played by individual users. Extracts from the flow models represent
abstracts of communications, responsibilities and constraints. The same
thing is done with other models.

A report on the contextual inquiry is generated for designing team.

Model Group Abstract

Flow Roles Responsibilities,
Communications,
Constraints.
Sequence Tasks Triggers, Activities,
Intents
Artifact Role Parts, Structure, Intent,
Usage
Physical Work Spaces Places, Structure,
Movement Patterns
Cultural Influencers Influences
Example .
Form a Group (2-4 people)
Choose a Project for Contextual Inquiry.
( Example: Course registration system at the beginning of the
semester)

Identify Users / Stakeholder s categories.

Conduct a Contextual Inquiry and draw the Flow , and other

models.

Generate Five Work Models

The Ten Principles Listed :

• 1. Visibility of system status

• 2. Match between system and the real world
• 3. User control and freedom
• 4. Consistency and standards
• 5. Error prevention
• 6. Recognition rather than recall
• 7. Flexibility and efficiency of use
• 8. Aesthetic and minimalist design
• 9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
• 10. Provision of Help and documentation
• Visibility of system status :
• The system should always keep users informed about what is going
on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.
Explanation: This means the user needs to be constantly made aware
of his/her interaction with the interface while interacting. The control
response ratio ( input – output time) need to be as small as possible.
Any interface needs to communicate that it is in a ready state to be
operated upon – at the start of an interaction cycle. ( A glowing LED /
flashing element indicating that the interface is live.)
Match between system and the real world
• The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases
and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms.
Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a
natural and logical order.
• Explanation: An interface need to allow smooth transition from
contextual ‘reality’ world to artificial machine world or in other
words from ‘ reality’ to ‘digitality’. Tendency to use programming
language and syntax on the display , while understandable to the
software programmer, will certainly be a mismatch to a user.
User control and freedom
• Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a
clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without
having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo.
• Explanation: Sequential thought process in a user that follows a
simple everyday human logic need to be reflected in the dialogue
between the machine and the user via the interface. This leads to the
feeling in the user that the machine is obeying the user’s command
and therefore the user is in control during the interaction. Being in
control implies that one can choose to stop interacting on time
rather than be forced or trapped by the interface into inaction.
Consistency and standards
• Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations,
or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.
• Explanation: Within an interface if multiple words or actions are
used to mean the same thing , it only leads to confusion in the user
due to perceived lack of consistency. Interaction pattern gets
disrupted. When pattern becomes complex, user’s cognitive load
increases. Consistency in dialogue as well as in visual elements is
achieved by specifying and adhering to a dictionary of words / labels/
symbols/ colors which together form a ‘ standard’ – a prescribed set –
compulsorily to be followed.
Error prevention
• Even better than good error messages is a careful design which
prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate
error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a
confirmation option before they commit to the action.
• Explanation: Errors can happen regardless the level of expertise of
the user or familiarity of the interface. A good principle of design is to
seek out error prone interactions , build in error prevention within
the dialogue. Forewarning, restricting , prompting , retracing or
recovery routes , etc are means of addressing errors. Errors lead to a
situation wherein users feel subdued by a machine. Anticipating for
errors and incorporating preventive measures ensures fear free and
ego free user .
Recognition rather than recall
• Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and
options visible. The user should not have to remember information
from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the
system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
• Explanation: If an interface requires specialised training and use of
memory to operate , it will be quickly abandoned by the human user.
• Analogy, metaphor, symbols, sounds, etc are used as design elements
in an interface to ease recall thereby eliminating the need for ‘
thinking while interacting’ and memory loads for the user.
Flexibility and efficiency of use
• Accelerators -- unseen by the novice user -- may often speed up the
interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both
inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent
actions.
• Explanation: Once a user becomes clear at using an interface , he/she
upgrades into a higher level user from a novice. Such users will
always seek to complete the task faster . An interface need to allow
this. It needs to be flexible and make it possible for the user to adopt
quicker dialogues through shortcuts. The user feels efficient as well
as proficient.
Aesthetic and minimalist design
• Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely
needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with
the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative
visibility.
• Explanation: Visual clutter in the interface only adds to inefficiency
however impressive it is visually. Simplicity is equal to efficiency is
equal to elegance is equal to beauty is the aesthetic algorithm in
minimalism. Use of least number of elements ( minimalism) is more
‘scientific’ rather than ‘artistic’.
Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover
from errors
• Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes),
precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
• Explanation: No body likes to be loudly informed that he/ she has
done something wrong. Error messages need to be disused as
suggestions / prompts and precise instructions so as to be able to
correct the error and recover. The learning component in errors so
that the user recognizes the error as it is being made, or recognizes
the reason why the error happened in the first place – helps the user
learn.
Help and documentation
• Even though it is better if the system can be used without
documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and
documentation. Any such information should be easy to search,
focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and
not be too large.
• Explanation: This again is to assist the user learn and understand the
dialogue between the user and the machine or understand where
what went wrong or aid recall during memory lapses due to long
usage time gaps. Adequate support system when the user wants and
at the point where the user wants it - is a good principle of Interface
design.
Norman’s Seven Principles

To assess the interaction between human and computers, Donald Norman in 1988
proposed seven principles. He proposed the seven stages that can be used to
transform difficult tasks. Following are the seven principles of Norman −
• Use both knowledge in world & knowledge in the head.
• Simplify task structures.
• Make things visible.
• Get the mapping right (User mental model = Conceptual model = Designed
model).
• Convert constrains into advantages (Physical constraints, Cultural constraints,
Technological constraints).
• Design for Error.
• When all else fails − Standardize.
• Gmail application:
• Example : u want to delete unnecessary messages.
NORMANS MODEL OF
INTERACTION
 Eight Golden Rules of User
Interface Design attributed to
Ben Shneiderman.
• 1. Strive for Consistency
• 2. Cater to Universal Usability
• 3. Offer Informative feedback
• 4. Design Dialogs to yield closure
• 5. Prevent Errors
• 6. Permit easy reversal of actions
• 7. Support internal locus of control
• 8. Reduce short term memory
1. Strive for Consistency:

• Users need to be able to do the same thing the same way that they have been doing.- every time.
• Interfaces need to exhibit ‘consistent’ quality across screens/ applications both visually as well
as behaviorally.
• Consistency leads to a pattern which is easier to handle.
• Consistency such as ‘similar sequence of actions in similar situations’ makes it easy to learn.
• Consistency can be achieved through graphical elements such as fonts, colour, shape, position
being consistently same in all menus&screens, across, categories.
• For a particular software. For example is the ON button is on the right in the first screen and
moves to middle in the third screen then positional inconsistency has occurred.
• GUI designers use a background grid to place interactive elements in a consistent and orderly way
so as to make them appear both physically as well a visually at the same place across the entire
softwarepackage.
• In case certain exceptions are required to be made, they should be comprehensible, distinct and
limited in number.
2. Cater to wide range& type of Users
• Universal design strives to cater to as wide a range of human users of
different characteristics (age, culture, educational level, disability)
with a single design.
• Users are classified as Novice, Intermediate and Experts. Experts tend
to use lesser interactions at a faster pace. Abreviations short cuts keys
etc are some of the techniques used. Interfaces need to cater to all
levels of users novice to experts.
3. Offer Informative feedback
• Interfaces need not just be to communicate but also inform the ‘user
‘in terms of learning & feed -back which tells them that they are
proceeding in the right direction.
• For every action of the user there needs to be a feedback – only then
‘ interaction’ ( in HCI) is said to take place.
• Specific error messages composed in a positive tone give affirmative
feedback. Unless the user gets a feed- back he/she cannot proceed or
is unsure of the correctness of the action.
4. Design Dialogs to yield closure
• In an interaction - dialogue needs to have a closure which is
recognized by the user as end of an action.
• Sequence of actions need to proceed in a dialogue by engaging the
user in a step by step manner.
• Like in a mathematical expression, every enclosing bracket needs a
corresponding closing bracket. So also subsequence of actions needs
to be grouped with intermittent closing of each sub group followed
finally by a closer action of the group. Ex: A message at the end of a
sequence of events of sending a SMS.
• Your message has been sent.
5. Prevent Errors
• Interfaces need to minimize errors. Human Computer dialogue can
be designed to minimize and prevent errors made by users . Users
can make errors while interacting with computers as well as while
inputting information.
• Even if the user makes an error the system needs to be designed to
detect it, take corrective or precautionary steps to arrest it. It also
needs to offer a way out for recovery.
• A default system unchanged message needs to be communicated to
the user if an error has happened .
6. Permit easy reversal of actions
• Interactions need to build in retracing backwards /reverse actions if
need be so as to give relief from anxiety to the user.
• One way to do this is to provide a re traceable path backwards of all
actions and permit their nullification.
• Ex: Word based applications have reversal in both the direction –
backwards ( last action) and forward ( post action)
7. Support internal locus of control
• Make aware and allow user to always feel in control of the system and
of the situation. User should believe that they are controlling the
system and not the other way around. . The bearing of where the
user presently is helps the user to orient or reorient the interaction.
The user should never allow feeling lost.
8. Reduce short term memory
Module IV:
Guidelines in HCI

Self Evaluation

1. Choose any common software interface. Analyze its interfaces by navigating to find out if it
adheres to the eight Shneiderman Rules .

Use a Novice User as your reference.

Example: Excel Sheet .

User: 10th standard student.
Present your findings in terms of number of violations per rule for the chosen software.

2. Chose a Software interface and conduct an evaluation using Norman's seven principles.

3. Draw an' interaction model' based on Norman's model for the following Interface: Assume all
data.
An interface for checking number of Leaves (absence with permission) availed off by a student and
their type (Medical, Vacation; Conference visits;) . Refer to the student leave rules of your
institution for necessary constraints and other relevant data.

4. Draw the Users Mental Model for a Transfer of Money from one account to another on an ATM
Using Normans seven principles draw a Normans Interaction Diagram for 2 Tasks in any application
software of your choice.

5. Chose any Interface of a device or a website and conduct an audit to identify

Where the ten rules have been

(i) adhered to (ii) not adhered to.
Suggest corrections.
6. For the same Google Earth application conduct a Heuristic evaluation for all ten Nielsen's
heuristics and fill up the space under Evaluator 2 in the table.

What new aspects did you as an expert identify that the first evaluator did not

7. Form a Group (2-4 people)

Choose a Project for Contextual Inquiry.
( Example: Course registration system at the beginning of the semester)
Identify Users / Stakeholder s categories.
Conduct a Contextual Inquiry and draw the Flow , and other models.
Draw Affinity Diagram
Generate Five Work Models

8. What's the difference between a Heuristic Evaluation and a Cognitive Walkthrough?

Conduct a Walkthrough for a new product being designed to train Computer servicing technicians.
Users: College dropouts ( education upto Plus 2 + - 1)
Context: Undergoing training for routine computer maintenance Job : Running Virus Scans in a
Computer service centre.
Level of expertise : Novice. Users knowledge of computers includes starting a computer accessing
files and folders , opening and closing files.
Task:
Schedule a virus scan of
System Files for a given time
and date.
List of Actions: As given
bellow in sequence.
1. Select target Scan from
Virus scan Software
files on computer
2. Select & Open MY
Computer
3. Select Windows Folder
4. Select OK
5. Select Schedule
6. Select Enable
7. Determine Time for Scan
8. Set Weekly as Schedule
9. Select Tuesday
10. Select OK to complete
task
11. Check if Scan is
Scheduled as per settings
 NPTEL Course on

Human Computer Interaction

- An Introduction
Dr. Pradeep Yammiyavar Dr. Samit Bhattacharya
Professor, Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Design, Dept. of Computer Science
IIT Guwahati, and Engineering,
Assam, India IIT Guwahati, Assam, India

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

 Module 1:
Introduction to HCI

Lecture 2:
A Brief History

Dr. Samit Bhattacharya

 How HCI Evolved

• From the early computers which performed

batch processing, we now have come to the
user-centered design, the hallmark of HCI
• There were several milestones along the way,
which are mentioned with brief discussion in
the subsequent slides
 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• Early computer (e.g. ENIAC, 1946)
− Improvement in H/W technology (vacuum tube 
transistor  IC) implied massive increase in
computing power
− People started to think about “how to use this
power by equivalent explosion of ideas”, which
leads to the idea of human centered computing (J.
C. R. Licklider)
 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• By mid 1950’s, researchers realized the need
for VDU
– Earliest application that used VDU was SAGE
(semi automatic ground environment) – an air
defense system of the USA air force
 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• The development of the Sketchpad by Ivan
Sutherland (1962)
– People started to realize that computer can be used
for more than data processing (computer can be
made to use more human language rather than the
opposite)
 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones

• Douglas Engelbart, in his article “ A

conceptual framework for augmentation of
man’s intellect” (1963), introduced the idea of
programming toolkits
– “toolkit” concept: larger systems can be created
from composition of small, well understood
components
 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones

• Their group Augmentation Research Center at

the SRI was responsible for many of the
interaction techniques and devices that we
now-a-days take for granted
– Introduced concept of word processor, mouse

– Designed NLS (oNLine System) - 1968

 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• The idea of personal computer
− Allan Kay (1970’s) thought of Dynabook –
influenced by Engelbart as well as Seymour Papert’s
LOGO
− Developed “smalltalk” (a visually based
programming environment) at Xerox PARC
 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• Windows and WIMP interfaces
− Humans are able to think about more than one thing
at a time
 In accomplishing some tasks, they frequently interrupt their
current train of thought and switch to some other piece of
work
 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• Windows and WIMP interfaces
− Sequential interaction to complete task is not suitable
for this behavior
− WINDOW system and WIMP interaction developed
to take care of this
− 8010 star information system – Xerox, 1981

− Many common ideas with NLS and Xerox PARC alto

 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• The idea of metaphor (i.e., representing abstract
actions/objects in terms of known artifacts)
− Xerox star and alto were the first systems to use the
concept of metaphors
− Use of metaphor increases affordance which leads to
naturalness of the interface
 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• Direct Manipulation
− Ben Shneiderman coined the term in 1982
− First successful use of the idea in Apple Mac PC
(1984)
− Common GUI operations (move, drag etc)
 Reduces the chances for syntactic errors, learning for
command line interfaces

− WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)

 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• Hypertext
− The idea was first articulated by Vannevar Bush
(1945) in ”As we may think”
 The Memex system

− Ted Nelson coined the term hypertext (mid 1960’s)

to denote the non-linear structure of text (in the
context of reading)

 Related terms: hypermedia (1980’s)/multimedia

 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• Multimodality (late 1980’s)
− Relies on multiple human communication channel
simultaneously for input and output
 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• Computer supported cooperative work
(CSCW)-1990’s
− Computer networks in 1960’s
− Society/sociology comes into picture
− Groupware (CSCW systems built to support users
working in a group)
− Computer mediated communication
 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• WWW
− Tim Berners – Lee (CERN, 1989) was the inventor
of the most popular application layer protocol (which
we used synonymously with networks)

− The year 1991 saw the first text based browser

− The first graphical browser (Mosaic) came in 1993

 Evolution of HCI:
Major Milestones
• Ubiquitous computing – the most active
research area in HCI now
− The field originated from Mark Weiser’s vision,
Xerox PARC, late 1980’s

− Sensor based/context aware computing (1990’s)

− Also known as pervasive computing

 Module 2:
Interactive System Design

Lecture 1:
Concept of Usability Engineering
- an overview
Usability Engineering Overview U
Outline of Usability Engineering
• The need for usability
• What do usability and UE
mean?
E
• What happens without UE?
• UE lifecycle
• User-Centered
Design
Methodology (UCD)
Usability
Engineering
“UE is an approach to the development of software
and systems which involves user participation from
the outset and guarantees the usefulness of the
product through the use of a usability specification
and metrics.”

•UE thus refers to the USABILITY FUNCTION aspects

of the entire process of conceptualising, executing &
testing products (both hardware as well as software),
from requirements gathering stage to installation /
marketing & testing of their use.
Usability
Usability has three components − effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction,
using which, users accomplish their goals in particular environments. Let us
look in brief about these components.
Effectiveness − The completeness with which users achieve their goals.
Efficiency − The competence used in using the resources to effectively
achieve the goals.
Satisfaction − The ease of the work system to its users.

Usability Testing
The scientific evaluation of the stated usability parameters as per the user’s
requirements, competences, prospects, safety and satisfaction is known as
usability testing.
Some definitions ………….

‘Usability’ is the measure of the quality of a User’s

experience when interacting with a product or
system

‘Usability Engineering’ is the processes of deriving,

specifying, measuring, constructing and evaluating
usability features into products and systems.

Usability Study is the systematic analysis based on

heuristics and/or experimental evaluation of the
interaction between people and the products including
the environment of use.
Usability Testing is the scientific verification of the specified
usability parameters with respect to the Users needs,
capabilities, expectations, safety & satisfaction.
 Capabilities
Usability is related to Human Limits
performance Consequences
Intuitiveness
Maximum success for first-time users, with
minimum training, explanation or thought
Efficiency
Maximum success for long-term users, with
minimum time, mental load, physical effort
Usability is conceptualised into the
product by DESIGN
Usability has three
major components in Technology
Design Build Quality
Appearance
Visual Quality
DESIGN

Interaction
Use Quality
Goals of Usability Engineering
Effective to use − Functional
Efficient to use − Efficient
Error free in use − Safe
Easy to use − Friendly
Enjoyable in use − DelightfulExperience
 The UE lifecycle
SYSTEM LIFE CYCLE
FEASIBILITY REQUIREMENTS DESIGN IMPLEMENT RELEASE
USER CONTEXT FUNCTIONAL TECHNICAL PROTOTYPE USEABILITY FEEDBACK
REQs OF USE TESTING

Design Stages
Task Information produced

Knowing the user User characteristics, User background

Knowing the task
User requirements
Setting usability goals
Design process
HCI Guidelines & heuristic analysis
Prototyping
Evaluation with users
Redesign and evaluate with users
Evaluate with users and report
User’s current task, Task analysis
User requirements specification
Usability specification
Design Specification
Feedback for design iteration
Prototype for user testing
Feedback for freezing design
Finished product
Feedback on product for future systems
 •UE is based on a User-
Centered Design (UCD)
User Requirement
approach to analysis and
Analysis
design. It concentrates on
those aspects of products &
services that have a bearing on
their effective, efficient &
Usability pleasurable USE by humans.
USER Conceptual
Evaluation
CENTRED design
& Testing
DESIGN
PROCESS

Implementation

“Human-centered design is an approach

to interactive system development that
focuses
specifically on making systems
usable. It is a multi-disciplinary
activity.”
The UCD Methodology.
User centered design processes
: UCD
Need brief &
constraints User need analysis

User requirements User goals User tasks

System specification

Build prototype Software Development

Test Prototypes

Analyze data

Refine design

Evaluate design

Deliver product Support product

 Definition of UE & other Related fields
HCI : Human Computer Interaction is a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation
and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of
major phenomena surrounding them. ACM - Association for Computing Machinery.

Human Factors & Ergonomics : Stress on human physical

issues ( physiology) and on optimising work processes

User Interface Design: Focuses on interface layer assuming all

deeper functions are fixed.

HCD- Human Centered Design: Approaches to software

engineering with user focus at all stages of software design

ID – Interaction Design : wider scope in terms of devices beyond

computers. More emphasis on cognitive & experiential factors.

UE- Usability engineering focuses on design & implementation

processes. It is essentially research & design based activity .
There are overlaps in the above fields. Each is independent. UE has all of them.
 Usability
Testing
• Analytical evaluation:
– By simulating how the user’s
activity will be performed.
– Heuristic evaluation measures
design against a list of usability
factors.

• Empirical evaluation:
– By building and testing a
prototype.
– Formal usability testing tests a
component of the design
under controlled conditions -
actual users.
– Formal usability testing
requires a usability
laboratory.
 Cost-justifying
usability
$1 spent on usability = $10 saved (Nielsen, 1993).

Rs. 50 spent saves Rs 500 worth of trouble shooting due to poor

design
Ignoring UE …………….
Frustrated users Mobile / Tablet / Device
Low productivity companies now are heavily
Poor user interface
design is the cause investing in UE as the value
High costs
Support/Help desk costs
adder as well as product
Entering data differentiator.
incorrectly Deleting
data
Loss of market share ,
good will They do not consider ‘cost’ as a
Competitors rush in. constraining factor as far as UE
is concerned.
Evolution of HCI and understanding of Users
Nielsen (1993) identified five attributes that contribute to usability:
•Learnability. The user should be able to promptly start performing
their tasks with the system.

•Efficiency. Once the user has learned the system, a high level of
productivity should be possible.

•Memorability. The casual user should be able to return to the system

after not having used it for some time, without having to relearn
everything.

•Errors. Users should not make many errors using the system, and if
they do, they should be able to easily recover from them. Catastrophic
errors should not occur.

•Satisfaction. Users should like using the system and should be

subjectively satisfied when using it. The system should be pleasant to
use.
Learnability - Help the users to master the system
Consistency - Let the users have to learn only once
Familiarity - Build on users' prior knowledge
Standards - Respect established cultural and
- application specific conventions .
Self-descriptiveness -Make objects and controls intuitive
Help - Provide easy access to ‘help’ resource

‘Intuitive’ User Interfaces do not require investing resources in ‘Learning’.

Such interfaces follow the User’s Mental Model of Interaction
 Assignment

Usability Evaluation
Conduct a quick Usability evaluation of your mobile
phone & Compare it with the evaluation of your friends
phone. Rating ut of 10
o
Effective to use - Functional
Efficient to use - Efficient
Error free in use - Safe
Easy to use - Friendly
Enjoyable in use -Pleasurable
Total
:
 Module 2:
Interactive System Design

Lecture 2:
HCI and Software Engineering
 Objective

• In the previous lecture, we have learned about

the idea of “usability”

– While designing an interactive system, what we

should do to take care of usability?

• In this lecture, we shall learn about the

answer to the above question
 Objective

• In particular, we shall learn about the

following
– The difference between a software design and an
interactive system design

– User-centered and participatory design

– The interactive system design life cycle

 The Central Idea

• Suppose you are designing a database

management system (DBMS): what are your
design objectives
– Efficient storage of large databases (storage)

– Efficient way to retrieve results of a query from

database (retrieval)

– Allowing the user to access the database

(interaction)
 The Central Idea

• Note that this is a scenario where the user

interacts with the system (database)

• However, the user is a “computer expert”,

who has “technical knowledge” about the
system
– Through some query language, the user can
access, manipulate and update the database
 The Central Idea

• Now consider a tourist information system

• In the background, it is nothing but a database

of various tourist-related information

• However, its users may or may not be

“computer experts”
– They do not care about what goes on inside
– They just want to “get” the information “easily”
 The Central Idea

• The term “easily” is very significant

– It means, we need to have an interface and
interaction mechanism that do not require any
specialized knowledge

• That is, we need a “usable” system

• Design goal of an interactive system:

increase usability
 What Happens in Software
Engineering

• The waterfall model: the simplest and typical

way to visualize software design

• Design process composed of a series of sub-

stages
– Each sub-stage follows the previous stage and
precedes the next stage (looks like a waterfall)
 The Waterfall Model

Requirements
specification

Architectural
design

Detailed
design

Coding and
unit testing

Integration
and testing

Operation and
maintenance
 What Happens in Software
Engineering

• Note the uni-directional flow (that’s how real

waterfalls work anyway!!)

• In other words,
– Each stage depends on the previous stages but not
vice-versa
 Interactive System Design

• The uni-directional flow is not appropriate for

interactive system design

• In other words,
– Each stage depends on the previous stages. It may
also depend on the next stages (feedback).

• It is no longer the (linear) waterfall model

Interactive System Design

Requirements
specification

Architectural
design

Detailed
design

Coding and
unit testing

Integration
and testing

Operation and
maintenance
 Why This Difference

• We are trying to design “for” the user

– Not for a programmer’s convenience or expert’s
use

• What should we consider

– Abilities and needs of the users
– Their usage context
– Their work setting

• In other words, we have to “know the user”

 Need: Know The User

• A never ending process because there is so

much to know and because the users keep
changing

• An interactive system designer should

consider the human factors that characterize
users
 The Human Factors

• Perception: our ability to perceive our

surroundings
– Can be visual, auditory or haptic (touch)

• Cognition: the way we process the perceived

information in our “mind” and take decisions
• Motor action: this is the mechanism through
which we interact with the surrounding
– Example: hand movement, eyeball movement,
speech
 Need: Know The User

• These factors (user characteristics) vary with

– Age, gender, physical and cognitive (process
of thinking) abilities, personality
– Education, cultural or ethnic background
– Training, motivation, goals

• An interactive system designer should recognize

this diversity
 Need: Recognize Diversity

• Systems used by several communities of users

– No single design can satisfy all users and situations

• Designer faces real challenge to cater to the

need of each community
– Designers must characterize users and situations as
precisely and completely as possible
A Generic User Characterization

• Novice or first time users

– Know nothing about the task or interface concepts

– Often anxious about the computer and its

functionality

• Knowledgeable or intermediate users

– Have stable task concepts and broad interface
concepts
A Generic User Characterization

• Expert users
– Thoroughly familiar with the task and interface
concepts

– Want to get their job done quickly

 So, Why The Difference?

• Designer must know the user

– This knowledge can not be captured at once

• Design involves acquiring new knowledge and

using it to refine design in continuous cycle
(till some “acceptable” design is found)
– The reason for so many “feedbacks” in the waterfall
model
User Centered Design (UCD)

• The design process, where designer collects

feedback about the design from users and use
this to refine design, is known as “user
centered design” or UCD

• UCD is based on understanding the domain of

work or play in which people are engaged and
in which they interact with computers
User Centered Design (UCD)

• Assumptions
– Result of a good design is a satisfied user
– Process of design is a collaboration between
designers and user.
– Design evolves and adapts to users’ changing
concerns, and the process produces a specification
as an important byproduct
– The user and designer are in constant
communication during the entire process
 UCD Drawbacks

• In UCD, user involvement is “passive”

– The designer elicits feedback from user (through
interviews, informal discussions etc)

– Prepares specification on the basis of user response

– Take feedback on the design and makes refinements

 UCD Drawbacks

• Problems with “passive” involvement of user

– User intuition about a new interface may not be
correct (feedback not reliable)

– The interview process itself may not be formulated

properly (designer asks wrong questions)

– It is not possible for the designer to identify all

possible issues to take feedback from users, as the
designer’s knowledge about the user may not be
complete
 Participatory Design

• Solution: make (representative) users a part of

the design team

• Such a design process, where end users are part

of the design team, is known as “participatory
design”
Participatory Design: Key Points

• Users are first-class members of the design

team
– As opposed to their passive involvement in UCD

• Users are considered subject experts

– Know all about their work context

• Iterative design process

– All design stages are subject to revision
Interactive System Design Life Cycle
(ISLC)

• Key stages
– Know the user, propose design, evaluate design by
users, refine design

• Iterative design process

– The above stages are iterated till an acceptable
(determined from user feedback) solution is
obtained
 ISLC:
A Consolidated Diagram

Identify
need
Analyze
data
Propose
design
Implement
and deploy
Evaluate Develop
Prototype
 Life Cycle Stage:
Identify Need
• What is wanted – identify users and their need

• Designers make use of one or more methods

to identify the requirements
 Life Cycle Stage: Identify Need
Such methods include
– Interview (structured, semi-structured, unstructured), Contextual
inquiry
– Cultural probes:Cultural probes are sets of simple artifacts (such as
maps, postcards, cameras, or diaries) that are given to users for
them to record specific events, feelings or interactions in their usual
environment, in order to get to know them and their culture better.
– Ethnography: ethnographies are a form of qualitative research and
are designed to study cultures and groups. Ethnography methods
include the observation of people in their natural setting for an
extended period of time. In-depth interviews are used to clarify
observations.
– User models
 Life Cycle Stage:
Analyze Data
• Analysis of the data collected

• Two types of analysis are performed

– Scenario analysis: analyze data collected

from the user on one or more usage
scenario of the system
– Task analysis: analyze tasks required to be
carried out by the user to operate the system
• System level task analysis: analysis of external
tasks required to operate the system

• Cognitive task analysis: analysis of tasks

performed in the mind of the user
 Life Cycle Stage:
Propose Design
• Design proposal arrived at from the analysis
of collected data

– Guidelines and principles help in the

development of initial design

– Several sets of guidelines (both general and

specific) are there to cater to specific
interface design context
 Life Cycle Stage:
Develop Prototype
• Implement a prototype of the design for
collecting user feedback
• A spectrum of techniques is used in
developing prototypes
– Paper prototype (one extreme)
– Complete software (other extreme)
– Lots in between …
 Life Cycle Stage:
Evaluate Design
• Evaluation of the design by users

• In the initial design phase, evaluation is done

on prototypes
– Cost effective and easier to perform

– Suitable for iterative design process where the

evaluation is performed many times
Life Cycle Stage: Evaluate
Design (cont)
• Evaluation of the design by users

• The full system is typically evaluated at the

end
– Full system evaluation is costly in terms of money,
manpower, time and effort

– Hence, typically done once or a limited number of

times
Life Cycle Stage: Evaluate
Design (cont)
• Several evaluation methods are available

– Checklist/guideline based evaluation

• Heuristic evaluation, cognitive walkthrough

– Model-based evaluation: employs models (of the

system or user or hybrid) for evaluation
• Hybrid models are essentially models that
combines the features of both the system and
the user
 Life Cycle Stage:
Evaluate Design (cont)
• Several evaluation methods are available

– Empirical evaluation – evaluate with real

users
• Involve implementation of the system with full
functionalities
 Module 2:
Interactive System Design

Lecture 3:
GUI Design & Aesthetics
GUI: Graphic User Interface
The interface through which a user operates a program or an application or
an device

Consists of individual or group of ICONS,

buttons, scroll bars, menus, widgets, boxes,
status lamps, labels, instructions, visuals etc -
arranged on the screen in a pattern that is
visually pleasing as well as useable.

Very important and critical component in

facilitating user interaction with the software &
hardware inside the device / product.

GUI determines the Usability Index

of the product as a whole. Gives
the product an identity, personality
& character.
Requirements of a GUI
Should be

FUNCTIONAL:
Useable - Easy to operate ; locate what is required & where it is required
on the screen; and do what is expected of it – without need for learning or
training

AESTHETIC:
Pleasing to the eye ; Highest Visual Quality; Identifiable; Distinct ;
Recognizable, Recallable

COMMUNICABLE:
Express what it represents; how it is to be operated; Unambiguous;
Meaningful; Culturally & Contextually compatible
Aesthetics is a medium for User Experience

Appearance 2
Technology
Visual Quality Appearance Build
Visual
Quality
DESIGN Quality
3
Interaction
Use 1
Quality

Aesthetics (Look & Feel) +

Communication + Use ability

= Total UI Experience
3
5
 Role of Aesthetics –
often misunderstood & underestimated

• Aesthetics is not mere beautification.

• It has as much to do with FUNCTION as with beauty

• Aesthetics is not the surface characteristics of a GUI It

is not decoration. It is not cosmetic

• A ‘good looking’ GUI needs also to function

to communicate
to express
to instruct
to perform
While the judgment of Aesthetics is subjective
the construction / configuration is not.
There are elements & principles of good
aesthetic configuration

ELEMENTS
Line, Shape, Space, Color, Form, Texture, Light

PRINCIPLES
Balance, Emphasis, Rhythm, Unity, Contrast,
Movement
Principles of design in Visuals
Design is composed of manipulating the physical
characteristics of size, shape, texture, proportion,
scale, mass and color.

Order & composition is the arrangement and organization

of elements in relation to each other.

Form follows function is a design approach wherein

the form (overall layout / composition/geometric shape)
of a GUI is determined by what function it does.
Ex: An arrow has a Form having a sharp angular face at one end
expressing the function of pointing to a direction.

An orderly arrangement of
Composition elements using the principles of
design
 Principles of Design

• The Principles of Design can • Balance

be thought of as what we do • Unity
with the elements of design
to express and communicate • Proportion
a predetermined message • Harmony
of Usability, Reliability, & • Direction
Functionality in a harmonious • Rhythm
• Symmetry
fashion.
• Pattern
Notice that many of the terms on the right • Emphasis
figure are also used in Mathematics.
•
Design, therefore has both, Aesthetics and Mathematics, Contrast
underlying it. • Movement
Description of some of the Principles

Rhythm & Movement

• Movement is the path the

viewers eye takes through
the artwork, often to focal
areas. Animation is often
used.

• Rhythm is created when one

or more elements of design
are used repeatedly to create
a feeling of organized
movement / direction.
Emphasis
This is the part of the design that
catches the viewer’s attention. Usually
the Designer will make one area stand
out by using the elements of design in
a contrasting way. There will be a play
with different sizes, colors, textures,
shapes etc.

Contrast
• Differences and Diversities.
• Highlighting similarities

High Low
contrast contrast
 Unity is an overall “sameness”
Unity throughout a screen.. How
harmoniously all the elements
blend together.

Example: Windows 8 GUI

.
Balance Visual balance. Are the various elements visually
balanced in terms of their Size, shape, weight, and
placement. Can the rhythmic order be visually
discernable ?
1.618
Proportion
Size relationships found within an
object or design. Also a comparison in The Golden Rectangle
terms of ratio of size, shape, etc with 1
ratio
neighboring elements. 1: 1.618
Example see proportions of various
buttons within Windows 8 screen
 • Colour is a vast subject of both Physics and Fine Arts.
COLOUR • Graphic Designers use metrics to specify colours.

Hue: refers to the names of the primary colours. (red, green and blue).
Value: lightness and darkness of the hue –
Shade: amount of white or black added.
Intensity: the purity or saturation of the colour
Monochromatic : use of one colour where only the value of the colour changes
Analogous colours: colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel,
e.g. yellow and green are analogous.
The Psychology of Colours

WARM colours include:

yellows, red and orange we
associate these with blood,
sun and fire.
The Psychology of Colours
COOL colours include: violet, blue and green
because of our association with sky, water.
Colour Theme
Choices of colour
given to the User.
Simple Pick & Chose
does not confuse the
user with 100s of
colours to chose from.

A set of
colours are
carefully
decided upon
by a designer
which form a ‘
theme’ .

All screens will

have visual
elements from
the theme.
Graphic Design Principles: Example: mobile screen
The Clustering Principle:
Organizing the screen into visually separate blocks of similar controls,
preferably with a title for each block. Modern WIMP (Windows-Icons-Menus-
Pointer) systems are a natural expression of the Clustering Principle

Cluster
1

Grid
lines

Cluster
2

Information on a screen which is not catagorised into some order ( right

hand screen in the above figure) can be confusing. GRIDS are therefore
used to not only to align & please aesthetically but also catagorise UI
elements according to functions .
Type size and font,
for example: the
Reduced Clutter
Principle would
suggest that one or two
type styles are
sufficient.
Poor Font
readability
Avoid fancy fonts totally
Safe Fonts
• Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif Regional Fonts still have unresolved
• Courier New, Courier, mono problems when used in low resolution
• Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif & small displays screens.
• Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif

ಜನ�ೕ ಜನ�ಭೂ�ಶ�
ಜನ�ೕ ಜನ�ಭೂ�ಶ�
ಸ��ೕ �ದ� ಗ
�ೕಯೕ जननी
� ಸ��ೕ �ದ� ಗ
�ೕಯೕ
�
जन्मभ�ೕ मश्च स्वगार्द �प गर�यसी जननी जन्मभ�ೕ मश्च स्वगार्द �पगर�यसी
ஜநந� ஜந் ம �மிஶ் ச ஜநந� ஜந் ம�மிஶ்ச
ஸ்வர்காதப� க � ய � ஸ்வர்காதப�
Weight of font க�ய�
matters
జ న � జ నమ భ � � శ్చ
BOLD – some times , results in
స్వ �గ్ೕ ద�ೕ గ�య� � ೕ
poor smudged readability on
mobile screens - even on ജനനീ ജന്മഭൂമിശ്ച
AMOLED
സ�ര്ഗാദപി ഗരീയസീ
જનની જન્મ�િೕೕ મ� સ્વગાિદિ પ
Avoid fancy fonts totally
Screen resolution & aesthetics

Caption bar 26 pixels 25 to 30% of the

area is taken by
Address bar 23 pixels
buttons, etc.
Therefore only
about 229 X 255
Content
is effectively
229 X 255 pixels available from a
320 X240
display.
Scroll bar 11 pixels
Menu bar 26 pixels
Some unsatisfactory GUIs.
Too many similar elements.
No colour contrast.
Monochrome colour scheme
is visually too heavy. No
differentiation . No identity.
Functional confusion. Poor
communication.
Difficult to use. Error prone.

No colour contrast.
Too many data fields Icon to depict ‘
undistinguishable. security’ has two
Use of same colour humans . Not
(orange) to for two representational &
different tasks. meaningful.

Confused verbal statement label.

The two buttons offer a dead end. By
executing the action the user is not
visually informed as to what to do.
Case Study 1 : Windows GUI
Aesthetic and minimalist design:

The system is not cluttered with excessive use of icons and buttons.
Tabs are used to separate different functionalities. A simple
rectangle composition arrangement is used to model information.

Recognition rather than recall: The use of colour schemes

and icons act to denote functionalities . Example ‘ Head
Phone icon”. This design feature promotes recognition rather
than recall of system functionalities
Graphic Design – Website Layout

HCI-Designers besides
being Engineers are
Artists in the sense that
they have to become
sensitive to the visual
language and master
the use of visual
elements in accordance Too much of Rhythmic spacing.
Different shapes create
to Principles order. Not
interesting lay out.
Interesting
Assignment

From any computer or mobile screen pick one GUI which you do
not like & one more GUI which you like.

Analyze their constituting graphic / visual elements by applying

principles of aesthetics and find out if you can attribute any aesthetic
reasons for your ‘like’ & ‘dislike’. Keep functional & usability aspects
out of the judgment for the time being.
 Module 2:
Interactive System Design

Lecture 4:
Prototyping
 Objective
• In the previous lecture, we have learned about a
method (contextual inquiry) to gather
requirements for a design

• Designer can come up with design ideas on the

basis of this data
– Typically more than one designs are proposed

• It is necessary to evaluate the alternative designs

to find out the most appropriate one
 Objective
• Interactive systems are designed following a
user-centered design approach
– Evaluation of the alternative design proposals should
be done from user’s perspective

• Employing end users in evaluating designs is not

easy
– It is costly in terms of money, time, effort and
manpower
 Objective
• In the initial design phase, when the proposed
design undergoes frequent changes, it is not
advisable to even feasible to carry out evaluation
with real users

• An alternative way to collect feedback on

proposed design is to develop and evaluate
“prototypes”
 Objective
• In this lecture, we shall learn about the
prototyping techniques used in interactive system
design

• In particular, we shall learn about the following

– Why we need prototyping (already discussed in the
previous slides)?
– What are the techniques available (overview)?
– How these techniques are used (details)?
 Prototyping
• A prototype is essentially a model of the
system
– The prototype (model) can have limited or full
range of functionalities of the proposed system

• A widely used technique in engineering

where novel products are tested by testing a
prototype
 Prototyping
• Prototypes can be “throw away” (e.g., scale
models which are thrown away after they serve
their purpose) or can go into commercial use

• In software development prototypes can be

– Paper-based: likely to be thrown away after use
– Software-based: can support few or all functionalities
of the proposed system. May develop into full-scale
final product
 Prototyping in HCI
• Essential element in user centered design
– Is an experimental and partial design

– Helps involving users in testing design ideas without

implementing a full-scale system

• Typically done very early in the design process

– Can be used throughout the design life cycle
 What to Prototype?
• Any aspect of the design that needs to be
evaluated
– Work flow

– Task design

– Screen layout

– Difficult, controversial, critical areas

 Prototypes in HCI
• In HCI, prototypes take many forms
– A storyboard (cartoon-like series of screen sketches)

– A power point slide show

– A video simulating the use of a system

– A cardboard mock-up

– A piece of software with limited functionality

 Prototypes in HCI
• We can categorize all these different forms of
prototypes in three groups
– Low fidelity prototypes

– Medium fidelity prototypes

– High fidelity prototypes

 Low Fidelity Prototypes
• Basically paper mock-up of the interface look,
feel, functionality
– Quick and cheap to prepare and modify

• Purpose
– Brainstorm competing designs

– Elicit user reaction (including any suggestions for

modifications)
 Low Fidelity Prototypes:
Sketches

Interface of a proposed A sketch of the interface

system
 Low Fidelity Prototypes:
Sketches
• In a sketch, the outward appearance of the
intended system is drawn
– Typically a crude approximation of the final
appearance

• Such crude approximation helps people

concentrate on high level concepts
– But difficult to visualize interaction (dialog’s
progression)
 Low Fidelity Prototypes:
Storyboarding
• Scenario-based prototyping

• Scenarios are scripts of particular usage of the

system

• The following (four) slides show an example

storyboarding of a scenario of stroller-buying
using an e-commerce interface
 Low Fidelity Prototypes:
Storyboarding

Initial screen. Shows the

layout of interface
options.
 Low Fidelity Prototypes:
Storyboarding

Once a stroller is
selected by the customer,
its tag is scanned with a
hand-held scanner. The
details of the stroller is
displayed on the
interface if the scanning
is successful. Also, the
option buttons become
active after a successful
scan.
 Low Fidelity Prototypes:
Storyboarding

However, the customer

can choose a different
product at this stage and
the same procedure is
followed. For example,
the customer may choose
a stroller with different
color.
 Low Fidelity Prototypes:
Storyboarding

Once the customer

finalizes a product, a bill
is generated and
displayed on the
interface. The option
buttons become inactive
again.
 Low Fidelity Prototypes:
Storyboarding
• Here, a series of sketches of the keyframes during
an interaction is drawn
– Typically drawn for one or more typical interaction
scenarios
– Captures the interface appearance during specific
instances of the interaction
– Helps user evaluate the interaction (dialog) unlike
sketches
 Low Fidelity Prototypes:
Pictiv
• Pictiv stands for “plastic interface for
collaborative technology initiatives through video
exploration”
• Basically, using readily available materials to
prototype designs
– Sticky notes are primarily used (with plastic overlays)
– Represent different interface elements such as icons,
menus, windows etc. by varying sticky note sizes
 Low Fidelity Prototypes:
Pictiv
• Interaction demonstrated by manipulating sticky
notes
– Easy to build new interfaces “on the fly”

• Interaction (sticky note manipulation) is

videotaped for later analysis
 Medium Fidelity Prototypes

• Prototypes built using computers

– More powerful than low fidelity prototypes

– Simulates some but not all functionalities of the

system

– More engaging for end users as the user can get better
feeling of the system

– Can be helpful in testing more subtle design issues

Medium Fidelity Prototypes

• Broadly of two types

– Vertical prototype where in-depth functionalities of a
limited number of selected features are implemented.
Such prototypes helps to evaluate common design
ideas in depth.
– Example: working of a single menu item in full
Medium Fidelity Prototypes

– Horizontal prototype where the entire surface

interface is implemented without any functionality.
No real task can be performed with such prototypes.

– Example: first screen of an interface (showing

layout)
Medium Fidelity Prototypes:
Scenarios

• Computer are more useful (than drawing on

paper as in storyboarding) to implement
scenarios
– Provide many useful tools (e.g., power point slides,
animation)

– More engaging to end-users (and easier to elicit better

response) compared to hand-drawn story-boarding
 Hi Fidelity Prototypes

• Typically a software implementation of the

design with full or most of the functionalities
– Requires money, manpower, time and effort

– Typically done at the end for final user evaluations

Prototype and Final Product

• Prototypes are designed and used in either of the

following ways
– Throw-away: prototypes are used only to elicit user
reaction. Once their purpose is served, they are thrown
away.

– Typically done with low and some medium fidelity

prototypes
Prototype and Final Product

• Prototypes are designed and used in either of the

following ways
– Incremental: Product is built as separate components
(modules). After each component is prototyped and
tested, it is added to the final system

– Typically done with medium and hi fidelity prototypes

Prototype and Final Product

• Prototypes are designed and used in either of the

following ways
– Evolutionary: A single prototype is refined and
altered after testing, iteratively, which ultimately
“evolve” to the final product

– Typically done with hi fidelity prototypes

 Prototyping Tools

• For (computer-based) medium and hi fidelity

prototype developed, several tools are available
– Drawing tools, such as Adobe Photoshop, MS Visio
can be used to develop sketch/storyboards

– Presentation software, such as MS Power Point with

integrated drawing support are also suitable for low
fidelity prototypes
 Prototyping Tools

• For (computer-based) medium and hi fidelity

prototype developed, several tools are available
– Media tools, such as Adobe flash can be to develop
storyboards. Scene transition is achieved by simple
user inputs such as key press or mouse clicks
 Prototyping Tools

• For (computer-based) medium and hi fidelity

prototype developed, several tools are available
– Interface builders, such as VB, Java Swing with their
widget libraries are useful for implementing screen
layouts easily (horizontal prototyping). The interface
builders also supports rapid implementation of vertical
prototyping through programming with their extensive
software libraries
 The Wizard of Oz Technique
• In the field of human–computer interaction, a Wizard of Oz experiment is
a research experiment in which subjects interact with a computer system
that subjects believe to be autonomous, but which is actually being operated
or partially operated by an unseen human being.[1]

• A technique to test a system that does not exist

• First used to test a system by IBM called the listening typewriter (1984)

– Listening typewriter was much like modern day voice recognition

systems. User inputs text by uttering the text in front of a microphone.
The voice is taken as input by the computer, which then identifies the text
from it.
The Wizard of Oz Technique

• Implementing voice recognition system is too

complex and time consuming

• Before the developers embark on the process,

they need to check if the “idea” is alright;
otherwise the money and effort spent in
developing the system would be wasted
• Wizard of oz provides a mechanism to test the
idea without implementing the system
The Wizard of Oz Technique

• Suppose a user is asked to evaluate the listening

typewriter
• He is asked to sit in front of a computer screen
• A microphone is placed in front of him

• He is told that “whatever he speaks in front of the

microphone will be displayed on the screen”
The Wizard of Oz Technique

Wall
This is what the user sees: a
Hello world screen, a microphone and the
“computer” in front of a
opaque wall.

Computer
 The Wizard of Oz Technique
This is what happens behind the wall. A typist (the wizard) listen to the
utterance of the user, types it, which is then displayed on the user’s screen.
The user thinks the computer is doing everything, since the existence of
the wizard is unknown to him.

Hello
world
Hello world

Computer
The Wizard of Oz Technique

• Human ‘wizard’ simulates system response

– Interprets user input
– Controls computer to simulate appropriate output
– Uses real or mock interface

– Wizard is typically hidden from the user; however,

sometimes the user is informed about the wizard’s
presence
The Wizard of Oz Technique

• The technique is very useful for

– Simulating complex vertical functionalities of a

system

– Testing futuristic ideas

Interactive System Design
• The objective of this chapter is to learn all the aspects of design and
development of interactive systems, which are now an important part
of our lives. The design and usability of these systems leaves an effect
on the quality of people’s relationship to technology. Web
applications, games, embedded devices, etc., are all a part of this
system, which has become an integral part of our lives. Let us now
discuss on some major components of this system.
Concept of Usability Engineering

• Usability Engineering is a method in the progress of software and systems, which

includes user contribution from the inception of the process and assures the
effectiveness of the product through the use of a usability requirement and metrics.
• It thus refers to the Usability Function features of the entire process of abstracting,
implementing & testing hardware and software products. Requirements gathering stage
to installation, marketing and testing of products, all fall in this process.
• Goals of Usability Engineering
• Effective to use − Functional
• Efficient to use − Efficient
• Error free in use − Safe
• Easy to use − Friendly
• Enjoyable in use − Delightful Experience
• Usability
• Usability has three components − effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction, using
which, users accomplish their goals in particular environments. Let us look in
brief about these components.
• Effectiveness − The completeness with which users achieve their goals.
• Efficiency − The competence used in using the resources to effectively achieve
the goals.
• Satisfaction − The ease of the work system to its users.
• Usability Study
• The methodical study on the interaction between people, products, and
environment based on experimental assessment. Example: Psychology,
Behavioral Science, etc.
• Usability Testing
• The scientific evaluation of the stated usability parameters as per the user’s
requirements, competences, prospects, safety and satisfaction is known as
usability testing.
• Acceptance Testing
• Acceptance testing also known as User Acceptance Testing (UAT), is a
testing procedure that is performed by the users as a final checkpoint
before signing off from a vendor. Let us take an example of the
handheld barcode scanner.
• Let us assume that a supermarket has bought barcode scanners from
a vendor. The supermarket gathers a team of counter employees and
make them test the device in a mock store setting. By this procedure,
the users would determine if the product is acceptable for their
needs. It is required that the user acceptance testing "pass" before
they receive the final product from the vendor.
Software Tools
• A software tool is a programmatic software used to create, maintain, or otherwise
support other programs and applications. Some of the commonly used software tools in
HCI are as follows −
• Specification Methods − The methods used to specify the GUI. Even though these are
lengthy and ambiguous methods, they are easy to understand.
• Grammars − Written Instructions or Expressions that a program would understand. They
provide confirmations for completeness and correctness.
• Transition Diagram − Set of nodes and links that can be displayed in text, link frequency,
state diagram, etc. They are difficult in evaluating usability, visibility, modularity and
synchronization.
• Statecharts − Chart methods developed for simultaneous user activities and external
actions. They provide link-specification with interface building tools.
• Interface Building Tools − Design methods that help in designing command languages,
data-entry structures, and widgets.
• Interface Mockup Tools − Tools to develop a quick sketch of GUI. E.g., Microsoft Visio,
Visual Studio .Net, etc.
• Software Engineering Tools − Extensive programming tools to provide user interface
management system.
• Evaluation Tools − Tools to evaluate the correctness and completeness of programs.
• HCI and Software Engineering
• Software engineering is the study of designing, development and
preservation of software. It comes in contact with HCI to make the
man and machine interaction more vibrant and interactive.
• Let us see the following model in software engineering for interactive
designing.
The Waterfall Method
• Interactive System Design
• The uni-directional movement of the waterfall model of Software
Engineering shows that every phase depends on the preceding phase
and not vice-versa. However, this model is not suitable for the
interactive system design.
• The interactive system design shows that every phase depends on
each other to serve the purpose of designing and product creation. It
is a continuous process as there is so much to know and users keep
changing all the time. An interactive system designer should recognize
this diversity.
Prototyping

• Prototyping is another type of software engineering model that can

have a complete range of functionalities of the projected system.
• In HCI, prototyping is a trial and partial design that helps users in
testing design ideas without executing a complete system.
• Example of a prototype can be Sketches. Sketches of interactive
design can later be produced into graphical interface. See the
following diagram.
• The above diagram can be considered as a Low Fidelity Prototype as
it uses manual procedures like sketching in a paper.
• A Medium Fidelity Prototype involves some but not all procedures of
the system. E.g., first screen of a GUI.
• Finally, a Hi Fidelity Prototype simulates all the functionalities of the
system in a design. This prototype requires, time, money and work
force.
User Centered Design (UCD)

• The process of collecting feedback from users to improve the design is

known as user centered design or UCD.
• UCD Drawbacks
• Passive user involvement.
• User’s perception about the new interface may be inappropriate.
• Designers may ask incorrect questions to users.
Interactive Devices

• Touch Screen
• The touch screen concept was prophesized decades ago, however the
platform was acquired recently. Today there are many devices that use
touch screen. After vigilant selection of these devices, developers
customize their touch screen experiences.
• The cheapest and relatively easy way of manufacturing touch screens are
the ones using electrodes and a voltage association. Other than the
hardware differences, software alone can bring major differences from one
touch device to another, even when the same hardware is used.
• Along with the innovative designs and new hardware and software, touch
screens are likely to grow in a big way in the future. A further development
can be made by making a sync between the touch and other devices.
• In HCI, touch screen can be considered as a new interactive device.
• Gesture Recognition
• Gesture recognition is a subject in language technology that has the
objective of understanding human movement via mathematical
procedures. Hand gesture recognition is currently the field of focus. This
technology is future based.
• This new technology magnitudes an advanced association between human
and computer where no mechanical devices are used. This new interactive
device might terminate the old devices like keyboards and is also heavy on
new devices like touch screens.
• Speech Recognition
• The technology of transcribing spoken phrases into written text is Speech
Recognition. Such technologies can be used in advanced control of many
devices such as switching on and off the electrical appliances. Only certain
commands are required to be recognized for a complete transcription.
However, this cannot be beneficial for big vocabularies.
• This HCI device help the user in hands free movement and keep the
instruction based technology up to date with the users.
• Keyboard
• A keyboard can be considered as a primitive device known to all of us
today. Keyboard uses an organization of keys/buttons that serves as a
mechanical device for a computer. Each key in a keyboard
corresponds to a single written symbol or character.
• This is the most effective and ancient interactive device between man
and machine that has given ideas to develop many more interactive
devices as well as has made advancements in itself such as soft
screen keyboards for computers and mobile phones.
• Response Time
• Response time is the time taken by a device to respond to a request. The
request can be anything from a database query to loading a web page. The
response time is the sum of the service time and wait time. Transmission
time becomes a part of the response time when the response has to travel
over a network.
• In modern HCI devices, there are several applications installed and most of
them function simultaneously or as per the user’s usage. This makes a
busier response time. All of that increase in the response time is caused by
increase in the wait time. The wait time is due to the running of the
requests and the queue of requests following it.
• So, it is significant that the response time of a device is faster for which
advanced processors are used in modern devices.
 Module 3:
Model-based Design

Lecture 1:
Introduction
 Objective
• In the previous module (module II), we have
learned about the process involved in interactive
system design

• We have learned that interactive systems are

designed following the ISLC
– Consisting of the stages for requirement identification,
design, prototyping and evaluation

– Highly iterative
 Objective
• The iterative life cycle is time consuming and
also requires money (for coding and testing)

• It is always good if we have an alternative

method that reduces the time and effort required
for the design life cycle

• Model-based design provides one such

alternative
 Objective
• In this lecture, we shall learn about the model-
based design in HCI

• In particular, we shall learn about the following

– Motivation for model-based design approach

– The idea of models

– Types of models used in HCI

 Motivation
• Suppose you are trying to design an interactive
system
• First, you should identify requirements (“know the user”)
following methods such as contextual inquiry

– Time consuming and tedious process

• Instead of going through the process, it would have been

better if we have a “model of the user”
 Idea of a Model
• A ‘model’ in HCI refers to “a representation of
the user’s interaction behavior under certain
assumptions”

• The representation is typically obtained from

extensive empirical studies (collecting and
analyzing data from end users)
– The model represents behavior of average users, not
individuals
 Motivation Contd…
• By encompassing information about user
behavior, a model helps in alleviating the need
for extensive requirement identification process
– Such requirements are already known from the model

• Once the requirements have been identified,

designer ‘propose’ design(s)
 Motivation Contd…
• Typically, more than one designs are proposed
– The competing designs need to be evaluated

• This can be done by evaluating either prototypes

(in the early design phase) or the full system (at
the final stages of the design) with end users
– End user evaluation is a must in user centered design
 Motivation Contd…
• Like requirement identification stage, the
continuous evaluation with end users is also
money and time consuming

• If we have a model of end users as before, we can

employ the model to evaluate design
– Because the model already captures the end user
characteristics, no need to go for actual users
 Summary
• A model is assumed to capture behavior of an
average user of interactive system

• User behavior and responses are what we are

interested in knowing during ISLC

• Thus by using models, we can fulfill the key

requirement of interactive system design (without
actually going to the user)
– Saves lots of time, effort and money
 Types of Models
• For the purpose of this lecture, we shall follow
two broad categorization of the models used in
HCI
– Descriptive/prescriptive models: some models in HCI
are used to explain/describe user behavior during
interaction in qualitative terms. An example is the
Norman’s model of interaction .These models help in
formulating (prescribing) guidelines for interface
design
 Types of Models
• For the purpose of this lecture, we shall follow
two broad categorization of the models used in
HCI
– Predictive engineering models: these models can
“predict” behavior of a user in quantitative terms. An
example is the GOMS model (to be discussed later in
this module), which can predict the task completion
time of an average user for a given system. We can
actually “compute” such behavior as we shall see
later.
Predictive Engineering Models

• The predictive engineering models used in

HCI are of three types
– Formal (system) models

– Cognitive (user) models

– Syndetic (hybrid) model

 Formal (System) Model
• In these models, the interactive system (interface
and interaction) is represented using ‘formal
specification’ techniques
– For example, the interaction modeling using state
transition networks

• Essentially models of the ‘external aspects’ of

interactive system (what is seen from outside)
 Formal (System) Model
• Interaction is assumed to be a transition between
states in a ‘system state space’
– A ‘system state’ is characterized by the state of the
interface (what the user sees)

• It is assumed that certain state transitions increase

usability while the others do not
 Formal (System) Model
• The models try to predict if the proposed design
allows the users to make usability-enhancing
transitions
– By applying ‘reasoning’ (manually or using tools) on
the formal specification.

• We shall discuss more on this in Module VII

(dialog design)
 Cognitive (User) Models
• These models capture the user’s thought
(cognitive) process during interaction
– For example, a GOMS model tells us the series of
cognitive steps involved in typing a word

• Essentially models are the ‘internal aspects’ of

interaction (what goes on inside user’s mind)
 Cognitive (User) Models
• Usability is assumed to depend on the
‘complexity’ of the thought process (cognitive
activities)
– Higher complexity implies less usability

• Cognitive activities involved in interacting with a

system is assumed to be composed of a series of
steps (serial or parallel)
– More the number of steps (or more the amount of
parallelism involved), the more complex the cognitive
activities are
 Cognitive (User) Models
• The models try to predict the number of cognitive
steps involved in executing ‘representative’ tasks
with the proposed designs
– Which leads to an estimation of usability of the
proposed design
 Syndetic (Hybrid) Model
• HCI literature mentions one more type of model,
called ‘Syndetic’ model

• In this model, both the system (external aspect)

and the cognitive activities (internal aspect) are
combined and represented using formal
specification

• The model is rather complex and rarely used – ,

we shall not discuss it in this course
 Cognitive Models in HCI
• The cognitive models in HCI should be
considered as the models of human perception
(perceiving the surrounding), cognition (thinking
in the ‘mind’) and motor action (result of
thinking such as hand movement, eye movement
etc.)
 Cognitive Models in HCI
• In HCI, broadly three different approaches are
used to model cognition
– Simple models of human information processing

– Individual models of human factors

– Integrated cognitive architectures

 Simple Models of Human
Information Processing
• These are the earliest cognitive models used in
HCI
– Most well-known and widely used models based on
this approach is the GOMS family of models

• Due to its nature, application of such models to

identify usability issues is also known as the
“cognitive task analysis (CTA)”
 Individual Models of Human
Factors
• In this approach, individual human factors such
as manual (motor) movement, eye movement,
decision time in the presence of visual stimuli
etc. are modeled
– The models are basically analytical expressions to
compute task execution times in terms of interface and
cognitive parameters

• Examples are the Hick-Hyman law, the Fitts’ law

Integrated Cognitive Architectures
• Here, the whole human cognition process
(including perception and motor actions) is
modeled
– Models capture the complex interaction between
different components of the cognitive mechanism
unlike the first approach
– Combines all human factors in a single model unlike
the second approach

• Examples are MHP, ACT-R/PM, Soar

Model-based Design Limitations
• As we mentioned before, model-based design
reduce the need for real users in ISLC

• However, they can not completely eliminate the

role played by real users

• We still need to evaluate designs with real users,

albeit during the final stages
– Model-based design can be employed in the initial
design stages
Model-based Design Limitations
– The present models are not complete in representing
average end user (they are very crude approximations
only)

– The models can not capture individual user

characteristics (only models average user behavior)
 Note
• In the rest of the lectures in this module, we shall
focus on the models belonging to the first two
types of cognitive modeling approaches
 Module 3:
Model-based Design

Lecture 2:
Keystroke Level Model - I
 Objective

• In the previous lecture, we have discussed about

the idea of model-based design in HCI

• We have also discussed about the type of models

used in HCI
– We learned about the concepts of prescriptive and
predictive models

– We came across different types of predictive

engineering models
 Objective

• As we mentioned, the particular type of

predictive engineering model that we shall be
dealing with in this module are the “simple
models of human information processing”

• GOMS family of models is the best known

examples of the above type
– GOMS stands for Goals, Operators, Methods and
Selection Rules
 Objective

• The family consists of FOUR models

– Keystroke Level Model or KLM
– Original GOMS proposed by Card, Moran and
Newell, popularly known as (CMN) GOMS
– Natural GOMS Language or NGOMSL
– Cognitive Perceptual Motor or (CPM)GOMS [also
known as Critical Path Method GOMS]
 Objective

• In this and the next two lecture, we shall learn

about two members of the model family, namely
the KLM and the (CMN)GOMS

• In particular, we shall learn

– The idea of the models

– Application of the model in interface design

Keystroke Level Model (KLM)

• We start with the Keystroke Level Model

(KLM)
– The model was proposed way back in 1980 by Card,
Moran and Newell; retains its popularity even today

– This is the earliest model to be proposed in the

GOMS family (and one of the first predictive models
in HCI)
 KLM - Purpose

• The model provides a quantitative tool (like

other predictive engineering models)
– The model allows a designer to ‘predict’ the time it
takes for an average user to execute a task using an
interface and interaction method

– For example, the model can predict how long it takes

to close this PPT using the “close” menu option
 How KLM Works

• In KLM, it is assumed that any decision-

making task is composed of a series of
‘elementary’ cognitive (mental) steps, that are
executed in sequence

• These ‘elementary’ steps essentially represent

low-level cognitive activities, which can not
be decomposed any further
 How KLM Works

• The method of breaking down a higher-level

cognitive activity into a sequence of
elementary steps is simple to understand,
provides a good level of accuracy and enough
flexibility to apply in practical design
situations
 The Idea of Operators

• To understand how the model works, we first

have to understand this concept of
‘elementary’ cognitive steps

• These elementary cognitive steps are known

as operators
– For example, a key press, mouse button press and
release etc.
 The Idea of Operators

• Each operator takes a pre-determined amount

of time to perform

• The operator times are determined from

empirical data (i.e., data collected from
several users over a period of time under
different experimental conditions)
– That means, operator times represent average user
behavior (not the exact behavior of an individual)
 The Idea of Operators

• The empirical nature of operator values

indicate that, we can predict the behavior of
average user with KLM
– The model can not predict individual traits

• There are seven operator defined, belonging

to three broad groups
 The Idea of Operators

• There are seven operator defined, belonging

to three broad groups
– Physical (motor) operators

– Mental operator

– System response operator

 Physical (Motor) Operators
• There are five operators, that represent five
elementary motor actions with respect to an
interaction
Operator Description
K The motor operator representing a key-press
B The motor operator representing a mouse-button press or
release
P The task of pointing (moving some pointer to a target)
H Homing or the task of switching hand between mouse and
keyboard
D Drawing a line using mouse (not used much nowadays)
 Mental Operator
• Unlike physical operators, the core thinking
process is represented by a single operator M,
known as the “mental operator”

• Any decision-making (thinking) process is

modeled by M
System Response Operator
• KLM originally defined an operator R, to
model the system response time (e.g., the
time between a key press and appearance of
the corresponding character on the screen)
 Operator Times
• as we mentioned before, each operator in
KLM refers to an elementary cognitive
activity that takes a pre-determined amount of
time to perform

• The times are shown in the next slides

(excluding the times for the operators D
which is rarely used and R, which is system
dependent)
Physical (Motor) Operator Times

Operator Description Time

(second)
K Time to perform K for a good (expert) typist 0.12
(The key press Time to perform K by a poor typist 0.28
operator) Time to perform K by a non-typist 1.20
Physical (Motor) Operator Times

Operator Description Time

(second)
B Time to press or release a mouse-button 0.10
(The mouse- Time to perform a mouse click (involving 2×0.10 =
button one press followed by one release) 0.20
press/release
operator)
Physical (Motor) Operator Times

Operator Description Time

(second)
P Time to perform a pointing task with mouse 1.10
(The pointing
operator)
H Time to move hand from/to keyboard 0.40
(the homing to/from mouse
operator)
 Mental Operator Time

Operator Description Time

(second)
M Time to mentally prepare for a physical 1.35
(The mental action
operator)
 How KLM Works

• In KLM, we build a model for task execution

in terms of the operators
– That is why KLM belongs to the cognitive task
analysis (CTA) approach to design

• For this, we need to choose one or more

representative task scenarios for the proposed
design
 How KLM Works

• Next, we need to specify the design to the

point where keystroke (operator)-level actions
can be listed for the specific task scenarios

• Then, we have to figure out the best way to

do the task or the way the users will do it
 How KLM Works

• Next, we have to list the keystroke-level

actions and the corresponding physical
operators involved in doing the task

• If necessary, we may have to include

operators when the user must wait for the
system to respond (as we discussed before,
this step may not be ignored most of the times
for modern-day computing systems)
 How KLM Works

• In the listing, we have to insert mental

operator M when user has to stop and think
(or when the designer feels that the user has
to think before taking next action)
 How KLM Works

• Once we list in proper sequence all the

operators involved in executing the task, we
have to do the following
– Look up the standard execution time for each
operator

– Add the execution times of the operators in the list

 How KLM Works

• The total of the operator times obtained in the

previous step is “the time estimated for an
average user to complete the task with the
proposed design”
 How KLM Works

• If there are more than one design, we can

estimate the completion time of the same task
with the alternative designs
– The design with least estimated task completion
time will be the best
 Note

• We shall see an example of task execution

time estimation using a KLM in the next
lecture
 Module 3:
Model-based Design

Lecture 3:
Keystroke Level Model - II
 Objective

• In the previous lecture, we learned about the

keystroke level model (KLM)

• To recap, we break down a complex cognitive

task into a series of keystroke level (elementary)
cognitive operations, called operators
– Each operator has its own pre-determined execution
time (empirically derived)
 Objective

• Although there are a total of seven original

operators, two (D and R) are not used much
nowadays

• Any task execution with an interactive system is

converted to a list of operators
 Objective

• When we add the execution times of the

operators in the list, we get an estimate of the
task execution time (by a user) with the
particular system, thereby getting some idea
about the system performance from user’s point
of view
– The choice of the task is important and should
represent the typical usage scenario
 Objective

• In this lecture, we shall try to understand the

working of the model through an illustrative
example
 An Example

• Suppose a user is writing some text using a text editor

program. At some instant, the user notices a single
character error (i.e., a wrong character is typed) in the
text.
• In order to rectify it,
 the user moves the cursor to the location of the character
(using mouse),
 deletes the character and retypes the correct character.
 Afterwards, the user returns to the original typing
position (by repositioning the cursor using mouse).
Calculate the time taken to perform this task (error
rectification) following a KLM analysis.
Building KLM for the Task

• To compute task execution time, we first need to

build KLM for the task
– That means, listing of the operator sequence required
to perform the task

• Let us try to do that step-by-step

 Building KLM for the Task

• Step 1: user brings cursor to the error location

– To carry out step 1, user moves mouse to the location
and ‘clicks’ to place the cursor there

• Operator level task sequence

Description Operator
Move hand to mouse H
Point mouse to the location of the erroneous character P
Place cursor at the pointed location with mouse click BB
Building KLM for the Task

• Step 2: user deletes the erroneous character

– Switches to keyboard (from mouse) and presses a key
(say “Del” key)

• Operator level task sequence

Description Operator
Return to keyboard H
Press the “Del” key K
Building KLM for the Task

• Step 3: user types the correct character

– Presses the corresponding character key

• Operator level task sequence

Description Operator
Press the correct K
character key
 Building KLM for the Task

• Step 4: user returns to previous typing place

– Moves hand to mouse (from keyboard), brings the
mouse pointer to the previous point of typing and
places the cursor there with mouse click

• Operator level task sequence

Description Operator
Move hand to mouse H
Point mouse to the previous point of typing P
Place cursor at the pointed location with mouse click BB
 Building KLM for the Task
• Total execution time (T) = the sum of all the
operator times in the component activities
T = HPBBHKKHPBB = 6.20 seconds

Step Activities Operator Execution Time

Sequence (sec)
1 Point at the error HPBB 0.40+1.10+0.20 =
1.70
2 Delete character HK 0.40+1.20 = 1.60
3 Insert right character K 1.20
4 Return to the previous typing point HPBB 1.70
 Something Missing!!

• What about M (mental operator) – where to

place them in the list?

• It is usually difficult to identify the correct

position of M
– However, we can use some guidelines and heuristics
 General Guidelines

• Place an M whenever a task is initiated

• M should be placed before executing a strategy

decision
– If there is more than one way to proceed, and the
decision is not obvious or well practiced, but is
important, the user has to stop and think
 General Guidelines

• M is required for retrieving a chunk from

memory
– A chunk is a familiar unit such as a file name,
command name or abbreviation
– Example - the user wants to list the contents of
directory foo; it needs to retrieve two chunks - dir
(command name) and foo (file name), each of which
takes an M
 General Guidelines

• Other situations where M is required

– Trying to locate something on the screen (e.g.,
looking for an image, a word)

– Verifying the result of an action (e.g., checking if the

cursor appears after clicking at a location in a text
editor)
 General Guidelines

• Consistency – be sure to place M in alternative

designs following a consistent policy
• Number of Ms – total number of M is more
important than their exact position
– Explore different ways of placing M and count total
M in each possibility
 General Guidelines

• Apples & oranges – don’t use same policy to

place M in two different contexts of interaction
– Example: don’t place M using the same policy while
comparing between menu driven word processing
(MS Word) vs command driven word processing
(Latex)
 Note

• The previous slides mentioned some broad

guidelines for placing M

• Some specific heuristics are also available, as

discussed in the next slides
 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 0: initial insertion of candidate Ms

– Insert Ms in front of all keystrokes (K)

– Insert Ms in front of all acts of pointing (P) that

select commands

– Do not insert Ms before any P that points to an

argument
 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 0: initial insertion of candidate Ms

– Mouse-operated widgets (like buttons, check boxes,
radio buttons, and links) are considered commands

– Text entry is considered as argument

 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 1: deletion of anticipated Ms

– If an operator following an M is fully anticipated in
an operator immediately preceding that M, then
delete the M

Eg:: OMO
 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 1: deletion of anticipated Ms

– Example - if user clicks the mouse with the intention
of typing at the location, then delete the M inserted

– So BBMK becomes BBK

 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 2: deletion of Ms within cognitive units

– If a string of MKs belongs to a cognitive unit then
delete all Ms except the first

– A cognitive unit refers to a chunk of cognitive

activities which is predetermined
 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 2: deletion of Ms within cognitive units

– Example - if a user is typing “100”, MKMKMK
becomes MKKK (since the user decided to type 100
before starts typing, thus typing 100 constitutes a
cognitive unit)
 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 3: deletion of Ms before consecutive

terminators
– If a K is a redundant delimiter at the end of a
cognitive unit, such as the delimiter of a command
immediately following the delimiter of its argument,
then delete the M in front of it
 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 3: deletion of Ms before consecutive

terminators
– Example: when typing code in C++, we end most
lines with a semi-colon, followed by a carriage
return. The semi-colon is a terminator, and the
carriage return is a redundant terminator, since both
serve to end the line of code
 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 4: deletion of Ms that are terminators of

commands
– If a K is a delimiter that follows a constant string, a
command name (like “print”), or something that is
the same every time you use it, then delete the M in
front of it
 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 4: deletion of Ms that are terminators of

commands
– If a K terminates a variable string (e.g., the name of
the file to be printed, which is different each time)
then leave it
 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 5: deletion of overlapped Ms

– Do not count any portion of an M that overlaps aR
— a delay, with the user waiting for a response from
the computer
 M Placement Heuristics

• Rule 5: deletion of overlapped Ms

– Example: user is waiting for some web page to load
(R) while thinking about typing the search string in
the web page (M). Then M should not come before
typing since it is overlapping with R
 KLM Limitations

• Although KLM provides an easy-to-understand-

and-apply predictive tool for interactive system
design, it has few significant constraints and
limitations
– It can model only “expert” user behavior
– User errors can not be modeled
– Analysis should be done for “representative” tasks ;
otherwise, the prediction will not be of much use in
design. Finding “representative” tasks is not easy
 Module 3:
Model-based Design

Lecture 4:
(CMN)GOMS
 Objective

• In this lecture, we shall learn about another

model in the GOMS family, namely the
(CMN)GOMS
– CMN stands for Card, Moran and Newell – the
surname of the three researchers who proposed it
 KLM vs (CMN)GOMS

• In (CMN)GOMS, a hierarchical cognitive

(thought) process is assumed, as opposed to the
linear thought process of KLM

• Both assumes error-free and ‘logical’ behavior

– A logical behavior implies that we think logically,
rather than driven by emotions
(CMN) GOMS – Basic Idea

• (CMN)GOMS allows us to model the task

and user actions in terms of four constructs
(goals, operators, methods, selection rules)
– Goals: represents what the user wants to achieve, at a
higher cognitive level. This is a way to structure a
task from cognitive point of view

– The notion of Goal allows us to model a cognitive

process hierarchically
(CMN) GOMS – Basic Idea

• (CMN)GOMS allows us to model the task

and user actions in terms of four constructs
(goals, operators, methods, selection rules)
– Operators: elementary acts that change user’s mental
(cognitive) state or task environment. This is similar
to the operators we have encountered in KLM, but
here the concept is more general
(CMN) GOMS – Basic Idea

• (CMN)GOMS allows us to model the task

and user actions in terms of four constructs
(goals, operators, methods, selection rules)
– Methods: these are sets of goal-operator sequences
to accomplish a sub-goal
(CMN) GOMS – Basic Idea

• (CMN)GOMS allows us to model the task

and user actions in terms of four constructs
(goals, operators, methods, selection rules)
– Selection rules: sometimes there can be more than
one method to accomplice a goal. Selection rules
provide a mechanism to decide among the methods in
a particular context of interaction
 Operator in (CMN)GOMS

• As mentioned before, operators in (CMN)GOMS

are conceptually similar to operators in KLM

• The major difference is that in KLM, only seven

operators are defined. In (CMN)GOMS, the
notion of operators is not restricted to those seven
– The modeler has the freedom to define any
“elementary” cognitive operation and use that as
operator
 Operator in (CMN)GOMS

• The operator can be defined

– At the keystroke level (as in KLM)
– At higher levels (for example, the entire cognitive
process involved in “closing a file by selecting the
close menu option” can be defined as operator)
 Operator in (CMN)GOMS

• (CMN)GOMS gives the flexibility of defining

operators at any level of cognition and different
parts of the model can have operators defined at
various levels
 Example

• Suppose we want to find out the definition of a

word from an online dictionary. How can we
model this task with (CMN)GOMS?
 Example

• We shall list the goals (high level tasks) first

– Goal: Access online dictionary (first, we need to
access the dictionary)

– Goal: Lookup definition (then, we have to find out the

definition)
 Example

• Next, we have to determine the methods

(operator or goal-operator sequence) to achieve
each of these goals
– Goal: Access online dictionary
• Operator: Type URL sequence
• Operator: Press Enter
 Example

• Next, we have to determine the methods

(operator or goal-operator sequence) to achieve
each of these goals
– Goal: Lookup definition
• Operator: Type word in entry field
• Goal: Submit the word
– Operator: Move cursor from field to Lookup button
– Operator: Select Lookup
• Operator: Read output
 Example

• Thus, the complete model for the task is

– Goal: Access online dictionary
• Operator: Type URL sequence
• Operator: Press Enter
– Goal: Lookup definition
• Operator: Type word in entry field
• Goal: Submit the word
– Operator: Move cursor from field to Lookup button
– Operator: Select Lookup button
• Operator: Read output
 Example

• Notice the hierarchical nature of the model

• Note the use of operators

– The operator “type URL sequence” is a high-level
operator defined by the modeler

– “Press Enter” is a keystroke level operator

– Note how both the low-level and high-level operators

co-exist in the same model
 Example

• Note the use of methods

– For the first goal, the method consisted of two
operators

– For the second goal, the method consisted of two

operators and a sub-goal (which has a two-operators
method for itself)
 Another Example

• The previous example illustrates the concepts of

goals and goal hierarchy, operators and methods

• The other important concept in (CMN)GOMS is

the selection rules
– The example in the next slide illustrates this concept
 Another Example

• Suppose we have a window interface that can be

closed in either of the two methods: by selecting
the ‘close’ option from the file menu or by
selecting the Ctrl key and the F4 key together.
How we can model the task of “closing the
window” for this system?
• Here, we have the high level goal of “close
window” which can be achieved with either of
the two methods: “use menu option” and “use
Ctrl+F4 keys”
– This is unlike the previous example where we had
only one method for each goal

• We use the “Select” construct to model such

situations (next slide)
 Another Example

Goal: Close window

• [Select Goal: Use menu method
Operator: Move mouse to file menu
Operator: Pull down file menu
Operator: Click over close option
Goal: Use Ctrl+F4 method
Operator: Press Ctrl and F4 keys together]
 Another Example

• The rules state that, if the window appears as an

interface for a game application, it should be
closed using the Ctrl+F4 keys. Otherwise, it
should be closed using the close menu option
Steps for Model Construction

• A (CMN)GOMS model for a task is constructed

according to the following steps
– Determine high-level user goals
– Write method and selection rules (if any) for
accomplishing goals
– This may invoke sub-goals, write methods for sub-
goals
– This is recursive. Stop when operators are reached
 Use of the Model

• Like KLM, (CMN)GOMS also makes

quantitative prediction about user performance
– By adding up the operator times, total task execution
time can be computed

• However, if the modeler uses operators other

than those in KLM, the modeler has to determine
the operator times
 Use of the Model

• The task completion time can be used to compare

competing designs

• In addition to the task completion times, the task

hierarchy itself can be used for comparison
– The deeper the hierarchy (keeping the operators
same), the more complex the interface is (since it
involves more thinking to operate the interface)
 Model Limitations

• Like KLM, (CMN)GOMS also models only

skilled (expert) user behavior
– That means user does not make any errors

• Can not capture the full complexity of human

cognition such as learning effect, parallel
cognitive activities and emotional behavior
 Module 3:
Model-based Design

Lecture 5:
Individual Models of Human Factors - I
 Objective

• In the previous lectures, we learned about two

popular models belonging to the GOMS family,
namely KLM and (CMN)GOMS
– Those models, as we mentioned before, are simple
models of human information processing

• They are one of three cognitive modeling

approaches used in HCI
 Objective

• A second type of cognitive models used in HCI

is the individual models of human factors

• To recap, these are models of human factors

such as motor movement, choice-reaction, eye
movement etc.
– The models provide analytical expressions to
compute values associated with the corresponding
factors, such as movement time, movement effort etc.
 Objective

• In this lecture, we shall learn about two well-

known models belonging to this category
– The Fitts’ law: a law governing the manual (motor)
movement

– The Hick-Hyman law: a law governing the decision

making process in the presence of choice
 Fitts’ Law

• It is one of the earliest predictive models

used in HCI (and among the most well-
known models in HCI also)
• First proposed by PM Fitts (hence the name)
in 1954
 Fitts’ Law

• As we noted before, the Fitts’ law is a model of

human motor performance
– It mainly models the way we move our hand and
fingers

• A very important thing to note is that the law is

not general; it models motor performance under
certain constraints (next slide)
Fitts’ Law - Characteristics

• The law models human motor performance

having the following characteristics
– The movement is related to some “target acquisition
task” (i.e., the human wants to acquire some target
at some distance from the current hand/finger
position)
Fitts’ Law - Characteristics

• The law models human motor performance

having the following characteristics
– The movement is rapid and aimed (i.e., no decision
making is involved during movement)
– The movement is error-free (i.e. the target is
acquired at the very first attempt)
 Nature of the Fitts’ Law

• Another important thing about the Fitts’ law is

that, it is both a descriptive and a predictive
model
• Why it is a descriptive model?
– Because it provides “throughput”, which is a
descriptive measure of human motor performance
 Nature of the Fitts’ Law

• Another important thing about the Fitts’ law is

that, it is both a descriptive and a predictive
model
• Why it is a predictive model?
– Because it provides a prediction equation (an
analytical expression) for the time to acquire a
target, given the distance and size of the target
 Task Difficulty

• The key concern in the law is to measure

“task difficulty” (i.e., how difficult it is for a
person to acquire, with his hand/finger, a
target at a distance D from the hand/finger’s
current position)
– Note that the movement is assumed to be rapid,
aimed and error-free
 Task Difficulty

• Fitts, in his experiments, noted that the

difficulty of a target acquisition task is related
to two factors
– Distance (D): the distance by which the person
needs to move his hand/finger. This is also called
amplitude (A) of the movement

– The larger the D is, the harder the task becomes

 Task Difficulty

• Fitts, in his experiments, noted that the

difficulty of a target acquisition task is related
to two factors
– Width (W): the difficulty also depends on the
width of the target to be acquired by the person

– As the width increase, the task becomes easier

 Measuring Task Difficulty

• The qualitative description of the

relationships between the task difficulty and
the target distance (D) and width (W) can not
help in “measuring” how difficult a task is

• Fitts’ proposed a ‘concrete’ measure of task

difficulty, called the “index of difficulty” (ID)
Measuring Task Difficulty

• From the analysis of empirical data, Fitts’

proposed the following relationship between
ID, D and W
ID = log2(D/W+1) [unit is bits]
(Note: the above formulation was not what Fitts
originally proposed. It is a refinement of the original
formulation over time. Since this is the most common
formulation of ID, we shall follow this rather than the
original one)
 ID - Example

• Suppose a person wants to grab a small cubic

block of wood (side length = 10 mm) at a
distance of 20 mm. What is the difficulty for
this task?

20 mm

Current
hand
position 10 mm
 ID - Example

• Suppose a person wants to grab a small cubic

block of wood (side length = 10 mm) at a
distance of 20 mm. What is the difficulty for
this task?

Here D = 20 mm, W = 10 mm
Thus, ID = log2(20/10+1)
= log2(2+1)
= log23 = 1.57 bits
 Throughput

• Fitts’ also proposed a measure called the

index of performance (IP), now called
throughput (TP)
– Computed as the difficulty of a task (ID, in bits)
divided by the movement time to complete the
task (MT, in seconds)

• Thus, TP = ID/MT bits/s

 Throughput - Example

• Consider our previous example (on ID). If

the person takes 2 sec to reach for the block,
what is the throughput of the person for the
task

Here ID = 1.57 bits, MT = 2 sec

Thus TP = 1.57/2
= 0.785 bits/s
Implication of Throughput

• The concept of throughput is very important

• It actually refers to a measure of
performance for rapid, aimed, error-free
target acquisition task (as implied by its
original name “index of performance”)
– Taking the human motor behavior into account
Implication of Throughput

• In other words, throughput should be

relatively constant for a test condition over a
wide range of task difficulties; i.e., over a
wide range of target distances and target
widths
Examples of Test Condition

• Suppose a user is trying to point to an icon

on the screen using a mouse
– The task can be mapped to a rapid, aimed, error-
free target acquisition task
– The mouse is the test condition here

• If the user is trying to point with a touchpad,

then touchpad is the test condition
Throughput – Design Implication

• The central idea is - Throughput provides a

means to measure user performance for a
given test condition
– We can use this idea in design

• We collect throughput data from a set of

users for different task difficulties
– The mean throughput for all users over all task
difficulties represents the average user
performance for the test condition
Throughput – Design Implication

• Example – suppose we want to measure the

performance of a mouse. We employ 10
participants in an experiment and gave them
6 different target acquisition tasks (where
the task difficulties varied). From the data
collected, we can measure the mouse
performance by taking the mean throughput
over all participants and tasks (next slide)
Throughput – Design Implication

D W ID (bits) MT (sec) TP (bits/s)

8 8 1.00 0.576 1.74
Each value
16 8 1.58 0.694 2.28
indicates
16 2 3.17 1.104 2.87 mean of 10
32 2 4.09 1.392 2.94 participants
32 1 5.04 1.711 2.95
64 1 6.02 2.295 2.62
Mean 2.57

The 6 tasks
Throughput = 2.57 bits/s
with varying
difficulty
levels
Throughput – Design Implication

• In the example, note that the mean

throughputs for each task difficulty is
relatively constant (i.e., not varying widely)
– This is one way of checking the correctness of
our procedure (i.e., whether the data collection
and analysis was proper or not)
 Note

• In this lecture, we got introduced to the

concept of throughput and how to measure it
• In the next lecture, we shall see more design
implications of throughput
• We will also learn about the predictive
nature of the Fitts’ law
• And, we shall discuss about the Hick-
Hyman law
 Module 3:
Model-based Design

Lecture 6:
Individual Models of Human Factors - II
 Objective

• In the previous lectures, we got introduced to the

Fitts’ law
– The law models human motor behavior for rapid,
aimed, error-free target acquisition task

• The law allows us to measure the task difficulty

using the index of difficulty (ID)
 Objective

• Using ID and task completion time (MT), we

can compute throughput (TP), which is a
measure of task performance

TP = ID/MT
Unit of ID is bits, unit of MT is sec
Thus, unit of TP is bits/sec
 Objective

• We saw how TP helps in design

– We estimate the user performance under a test
condition by estimating TP

– The TP is estimated by taking mean of the TP

achieved by different persons tested with varying task
difficulty levels under the same test condition
 Objective

• In this lecture, we shall extend this knowledge

further and learn about the following
– How TP can help in comparing designs?
– How the Fitts’ law can be used as a predictive
model?

• Also, we shall learn about the Hick-Hyman law,

another model of human factor (models choice-
reaction time)
Throughput – Design Implication

• In the previous lecture, we discussed about

one design implication of throughput in HCI
– That is, to estimate user’s motor performance in a
given test condition

• We can extend this idea further to compare

competing designs
Example:
Throughput – Design Implication

• Suppose you have designed two input

devices: a mouse and a touchpad. You want
to determine which of the two is better in
terms of user performance, when used to
acquire targets (e.g., for point and select
tasks). How can you do so?
Throughput – Design Implication

• You set up two experiments for two test

conditions: one with the mouse and the
other with the touchpad

• Determine throughput for each test

condition as we have done before (i.e.,
collect throughput data from a group of
users for a set of tasks with varying
difficulty level and take the overall mean)
Throughput – Design Implication

• Suppose we got the throughputs TP1 and

TP2 for the mouse and the touchpad
experiments, respectively

• Compare TP1 and TP2

– If TP1>TP2, the mouse gives better performance

– The touchpad is better if TP1<TP2

Throughput – Design Implication

• Suppose we got the throughputs TP1 and

TP2 for the mouse and the touchpad
experiments, respectively

• Compare TP1 and TP2

– They are the same performance-wise if
TP1=TP2 (this is very unlikely as we are most
likely to observe some difference)
Predictive Nature of Fitts’ Law

• The throughput measure, derived from the

Fitts’ law, is descriptive
– We need to determine its value
empirically(based on observation)

• Fitts’ law also allows us to predict

performance
– That means, we can “compute” performance
rather than determine it empirically
Predictive Nature of Fitts’ Law

• Although not proposed by Fitts, it is now

common to build a prediction equation in
Fitts’ law research
• The predictive equation is obtained by
linearly regressing MT (movement time)
against the ID (index of difficulty), in a MT-
ID plot
Predictive Nature of Fitts’ Law

• The equation is of the form

MT = a + b.ID
a and b are constants for a test condition
(empirically derived)
• As we can see, the equation allows us to
predict the time to complete a target
acquisition task (with known D and W)
Predictive Nature of Fitts’ Law

• How we can use the predictive equation in

design?
– We determine the constant values (a and b)
empirically (based on observation), for a
test condition
– Use the values in the predictive equation to
determine MT for a representative target
acquisition task under the test condition
Predictive Nature of Fitts’ Law

• How we can use the predictive equation in

design?
– Compare MTs for different test conditions to
decide (as with throughput)
A Note on Speed-Accuracy
Trade-off
• Suppose, we are trying to select an icon by
clicking on it. The icon width is D
– Suppose each click is called a “hit”. In a trial
involving several hits, we are most likely to
observe that not all hits lie within D (some may
be just outside)
– If we plot the hit distributions (i.e., the
coordinates of the hits), we shall see that about
4% of the hits are outside the target boundary
A Note on Speed-Accuracy
Trade-off
• This is called the speed-accuracy trade-off
– When we are trying to make rapid movements,
we can not avoid errors
• However, in the measures (ID, TP and MT),
we have used D only, without taking into
account the trade-off
– We assumed all hits will be inside the target
boundary
A Note on Speed-Accuracy
Trade-off
• We can resolve this in two-ways
– Either we proceed with our current approach,
with the knowledge that the measures will have
4% error rates
– Or we take the effective width De (the width of
the region enclosing all the hits) instead of D
• The second approach requires us to
empirically determine De for each test
condition
 The Hick-Hyman Law

• While Fitts’ law relates task performance to

motor behavior, there is another law
popularly used in HCI, which tell us the
“reaction time” (i.e., the time to react to a
stimulus) of a person in the presence of
“choices”
• The law is called the Hick-Hyman law,
named after its inventors
 Example

• A telephone call operator has 10 buttons.

When the light behind one of the buttons
comes on, the operator must push the button
and answer the call
– When a light comes on, how long does the
operator takes to decide which button to press?
 Example

• In the example,
– The “light on” is the stimulus
– We are interested to know the operator’s
“reaction time” in the presence of the stimulus
– The operator has to decide among the 10 buttons
(these buttons represent the set of choices)
• The Hick-Hyman law can be used to predict
the reaction times in such situations
 The Law

• As we discussed before, the law models

human reaction time (also called choice-reaction
time) under uncertainty (the presence of choices)

– The law states that the reaction (decision) time T

increases with uncertainty about the judgment or
decision to be made
 The Law

• We know that a measure of uncertainty is

entropy (H)
Thus, T  H
or equivalently, T = kH, where k is the
proportionality constant (empirically
determined)
 The Law

• We can calculate H in terms of the choices

in the following way
let, pi be the probability of making the i-
th choice
Then, H =  p log (1/ p )
i 2 i
i
 The Law

• Therefore,T=KH
T= k  p logi 2 (1/ pi)
i1

• When all the probabilities of making

choices becomes equal, we have H = log2N
(N = no of choices)
– In such cases, T = k log2N
 Module 5:
Empirical Research Methods in HCI

Lecture 2:
Introduction to Empirical Research - II
 Objective

• In the previous lecture, we got introduced to the

concept of empirical research
– Which is observation-based investigation

– In the context of HCI, it refers to investigation

about the usability of a system with end users
 Objective

• The investigation was based on testable

research questions
– We saw how to formulate appropriate questions
(the validity of questions, the trade-off and how to
resolve the trade-off)

• We also discussed the process of observation

and measurements
 Objective

• In this lecture, we shall learn about the other

aspect of empirical research

• In particular, we shall learn about the design of

experiments
Themes of Empirical Research

• To recap, the three themes of empirical

research are
– Answer and raise questions (testable research
questions)

– Observe and measure (ratio scale of measurement is

preferable)

– User studies
Themes of Empirical Research

• In the previous lecture, we discussed about the

first two themes (answer and raise questions,
observe and measure)

• The third theme (user studies) is equally

important since we perform observations in such
studies
 User Study

• A user study, in the context of HCI, is a

scientific way of collecting and
analyzing observational data from end
users on an interactive system

• Collection of data involve experiments

and design of experiments
 Experiment Design

• Experiment design is a general term referring to

the organization of variables, procedures, etc.,
in an experiment

• The process of designing an experiment is the

process of deciding on which variables to use,
what procedure to use, how many participant
to use, how to solicit them etc.
 Terminology

• Terms to know
– Participant

– Independent variable (test conditions)

– Dependent variable

– Control variable
 Terminology

• Terms to know
– Random variable

– Confounding variable

– Within subjects vs. between subjects

– Counterbalancing and Latin square

 Participant

• The people participating in an experiment

are referred to as participants
– When referring specifically to the experiment, use
the term participants (e.g., “all participants exhibited
a high error rate…”)
– General comments on the problem or conclusions
drawn from the results may use other terms (e.g.,
“these results suggest that users are less likely to…”
 Independent Variable

• An independent variable is a variable that is

selected or controlled through the design of the
experiment
– Examples include device, feedback mode,
button layout, visual layout, gender, age,
expertise, etc.

• The terms independent variable and factor

are synonymous
 Test Conditions

• The levels, values, or settings for an independent

variable are the test conditions
• Provide names for both an independent variable
(factor) and the test conditions (levels) for the
controlled variable (see examples below)
Factor Levels (test condition)
Device Mouse, trackball, joystick
Feedback mode Audio, tactile, visual
Task Pointing, dragging
Visualization 2D, 3D, animated
 Dependent Variable

• A variable representing the measurements

or observations on a independent variable
• It is required to provide a name for both the
dependent variable and its unit
– Examples: Task completion time (ms), speed (word
per minute, selections per minute, etc), error rate (%),
throughput (bits/s)
 Control Variable

• Circumstances or factors that might influence a

dependent variable, but are not under
investigation need to be accommodated in
some manner

• One way is to control them or to treat them

as control variables (e.g., room lighting,
background noise, temperature)
 Random Variable

• Instead of controlling all circumstances

or factors, some might be allowed to
vary randomly

• Such circumstances are random variables

 Confounding Variable

• Any variable that varies systematically with

an independent variable is a confounding
variable

– For example, if three devices are always

administered in the same order, participant
performance might improve due to practice;
i.e., from the 1st to the 2nd to the 3rd condition;
thus “practice” is a confounding variable
(because it varies systematically with “device”)
 Within Subjects, Between
Subjects
• The administering of levels of a factor is either
within subjects or between subjects
– If each participant is tested on each level, the
factor is within subjects

– If each participant is tested on only one level,

the factor is between subjects. In this case a
separate group of participants is used for each
level
 In short:

Between-subjects (or between-groups) study

design: different people test each condition, so that
each person is only exposed to a single user
interface.
Within-subjects (or repeated-measures) study
design: the same person tests all the conditions (i.e.,
all the user interfaces)
 Within Subjects, Between
Subjects
• The terms repeated measures and within
subjects are synonymous
• A relevant question is, which of the two
approaches (within subject and between
subject) should be chosen in designing
an experiment
 Within Subjects, Between
Subjects
• Answer: It depends!
– Sometimes a factor must be between subjects (e.g.,
gender, age)

– Sometimes a factor must be within subjects (e.g.,

session, block)

– Sometimes there is a choice. In this case there is

a trade-off
Factor Levels (test condition)
Device Mouse, trackball, joystick
Feedback mode Audio, tactile, visual
Task Pointing, dragging
Visualization 2D, 3D, animated
 Within Subjects, Between
Subjects
• The advantage of within subject design is,
the variance due to participants’
pre-dispositions should be the same across
test conditions

• Between subjects design, on the other hand,

has the advantage of avoiding interference
effects (e.g., the practice effect while typing
on two different layouts of keyboards)
 Counterbalancing

• For repeated measures designs, participants’

performance may tend to improve with practice
as they progress from one level to the next
– Thus, participants may perform better on the second
level simply because they benefited from practice
on the first (this is undesirable)

• To compensate, the order of presenting

conditions is counterbalanced
 Latin Square

• Participants are divided into groups, and a

different order of administration is used for each
group
• The order is best governed by a Latin Square
(The defining characteristic of a Latin Square is
that each condition occurs only once in each
row and column)
 Latin Square

• Example: suppose we want to administer 4

levels (denoted by A, B, C and D) of a factor to
4 participants (represented by P1, P2, P3 and
P4)
– We can construct a 4×4 Latin square arrangement
to depict the order of administering the levels to
each participant
P1 A B C D
P2 B C D A
P3 C D A B
P4 D A B C
 Latin Square

• In a balanced Latin Square, each condition both

precedes and follows each other condition an
equal number of times
– We can construct a balanced 4×4 Latin
square arrangement for the previous example

P1 A B C D
P2 B D A C
P3 D C B A
P4 C A D B
Expressing Experiment Design

• Consider the statement “3 x 2

repeated-measures design”
– It refers to an experiment with two factors, having
three levels on the first, and two levels on the second.
There are six test conditions in total. Both factors are
repeated measures, meaning all participants were
tested on all test conditions

• Any type of experiment is expressed similarly

 Note

• In this and the previous lectures, we have

learned about the fundamental ideas associated
with empirical research (namely, question
formulation, observation and measurement and
experiment design)

• In the next lecture, we shall see another

important aspect, namely the case for
statistical analysis of empirical data
 a
W
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NPTEL • Human Computer Interactions Anno unc ement s Abo ut t he Co ur se Ask a Quest i o n Pr o gr ess Ment o r

Unit 2 - Welcome to HCI class

Course outline Assignment 1

H o w to acces s t he p o rt al T he d ue d at e fo r s ub mi t t i ng t hi s as s i g nment has p as s ed . Due on 2019-09-11, 23:59 1ST.
Wel co me t o H CI cl as s As p e r o u r r ec o r d s yo u h a v e no t s u b mi t t e d t hi s a s s i g n m ent .

Introduction to course I ) What are t he p oi nts t hat need to b e kept I n mi nd w hil e d esi gning an appl i catio n? 1 point

K eep U s ers i n the lo op

Understand the activity for which the application is being built
What a HCI? Commonalities
and Chfferences in Interfaces U nd ers tand the co nt ext o f t he us e.

All or the abo ve

Week • 1 Feedback
No, the answer is incorrect.
O u t s A s s i g n m e nt 1 Sco re: 0
Accepted Answers:
Contextual Inquiry and
Af fi ni t y D i ag r a ms All of the above

2) P i c k u p t he co mp o n ent s o f t h e H CI a p p ro a ch t o d es i g n? 1 paint
IRB documents
T as ks
U nd ers t and i ng us e r need s U s abilit y
H um a ns
D es i g n and P ro to t ypi ng T echnol og y

No . the answ er is i nco rrect.

Sco re: 0
Design Patt erns and Material
Accepted Answers:
D es i g n
Tasks
Humans
U s a b l e s e cu ri t y
Technology
U s abl e Securit y and Vis ual
D es i g n 3) Ca r e ful l y o b s e r v e t he i ma g e b el o w a nd cho o s e t he b es t co r re s p o nd i ng o p t i o n : 1 point

Vi s ual D es i g n

1 largraffird
P ro t e ct D e mo s

DOWNLOAD VIDEOS W I

I H M E M OC I C I U M M = 1 1

F M B W I E R E I N E I

F
(i)
(i) is a bad design whereas (II) is a good desig n because el is aethi cally unappealing.
(9 and I l i ) b o t h are g o o d d es i g ns b ecaus e o f ° WE EP Y ke yb o ard t heme w hi ch i s eas y t o us e.
i s g o o d d es i g n b ecaus e t he b ut t o ns are co nca ve s hap ed t hat p re vent er ro rs , and l o ng - p al m res t s up p o rt w ri s t s .
(i) i s go od desi g n b ecaus e t he b ut to ns at eli er and thin.

No , t h e a ns w e r i s i n co r r ec t
Sco re: 0
Accepted Answers:
0/ is good design because the buttons are concave shaped that prevent errors. and long-palm rest support
wrists.

4) Whi c h o f t h e fo l l o w i ng i s no t t h e g o al o f a g o o d d e s i g n? 1 point

L.rnablity
Memo rabilit y
S a f e t y U t i l i t y None
of the above

No, theo answer is incorrect.

S c o r e :
Accepted Answers:
None or the above

5) O b s e r v e t h e i m ag e b el o w an d s el e ct t he b es t co r re s p o nd i ng o p t i o n : 1 point

T hi s Is goo d d esig n b ecaus e t he d esi g n Is new and i nno vati ve.

T hi s I s b ad d e s i g n b e. u s e t h e d es i g n ca n l ea d t o i n j uri es .
T hi s i s g o o d d esi g n b ecaus e i t l o o ks very co o l and ap p eal i ng .
T hi s is bad d esig n b ecaus e it has l es s capacit y,

No, o,,,,othe oanswer is incorrect.

Accepted Answers:
This is bad design because the design car lead to injuries.

6 ) ` G o o d D e s i g n i s m o r e t h a n l u s t us e r i nt e r f a c e . 1 point

True

Fals e
Ma y b e

ZI% t he
. e o answer is incorrect.

A cc e p t e d A ns w e rs :
True

7 ) Whi c h o f t h e fo l l o w i ng s t at e m e nt s r s fal s e ? 1 point

A g eed UI d esi gn alw ays co nt ai ns the co mpo nents w hi ch are ess enti al .

A new and i nno vat i ve d es i g n can b e a B ad U I d es i g n b ecaus e i t mi g ht b e hard t o us e.

A g oo d UI d esi gn s aves ti me and effo rt.

The UI desig n does n't matter as long as the prod uct is great

ft r. the o answer is incorrect.

S c o r n :
Accep ted Ans wers :
The UI design doesn't matter as long as the product is great

8 ) I d ent i fy t he 'i nt eract i o n" co mp o nent o ut o f t he H CI co mp o nent s (i . e. humans . co mp ut e r. a nd i nt era ct i o n) i n t he fo l l o w i ng s cenari o : 1 point

" A d o cto r perfo rms an ult ras o und o n the ult ras ound machi ne usi ng t he hand held d evi ce."

A d o cto r
p erfo r ms an ul t ras o und
t he ul t ras o und machi n e
t he hand hel d d e vi ce

No, the answer is incorrect.

Sco re: 0
Accepted Answers:
performs an ultrasound

9 ) Whi c h o f t h e fi el d s a r e t o g et h e r d raw n b y NC I? / point

P s yc ho l o g y
Literature
D esig n
Co mp ut e r Sci e nc e

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Psychology
Design
Computer Science

1 0 ) O b s e r v e t h e We b s i t e d es i g n b el o w an d s el e ct t h e b e s t co r r es p o nd i ng o p t i o n : 1 point

This Is a goo d desig n because a lot of information is p rovid ed i n one go

Thi s i s a b ad d esi g n b ecaus e a l ot o f info rmatio n is p ro vi d ed in o ne g o

Bot h a and b

No , the answ er is i nco rrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
This is a bad design because a lot of information is provided in one go

1 1 ) Wh at i s t h e p ri n ci p al i nt er a ct i o n mo d e f o r a Mi cr o s o ft K i n e ct ? 1 point

Haptic Interface
Mo us e P o i nt e r

Exp lo ri ng and B row si ng

Ge s t ur e a nd Bo d y Mo v em e nt s

No, the answer is incorrect.

Sco re: 0
Accepted Answers:
Gesture and Body Movements

1 2 ) Whi ch one o f t hes e wo ul d no t b e fo und i n a goo d MCP 1 point

I c o n s t h at c a n h a v e s p e c i fi c m e a n i n g s
Co mmon sho rt cuts , li ke CTR LyZ fo r undo.
So und s t hat co nve y me ani ng s .
A lo ng co mmand l ine to achi eve a functi on

Score:the o answer is incorrect.

Accepted Answers:
/A long command line to achieve a (unction

1 3 ) O b s e r v e t h e i m ag e b el o w an d s el e ct t he b es t co r re s p o nd i ng o p t i o n : 1 point

T hi s I s goo d d esig n b ecaus e it eas y to s ee w here t o hol d t he s cis so rs fro m and not g rab t he bl ad e
T hi s is bad d esig n b ecaus e t he handl e i s t oo bi g
T hi s is goo d d es ig n b ecaus e t he co lo ur s cheme i s soo thing
T hi s is bad d esig n b ecaus e 9 is eas y t o mi st ake the b lad e fo r the handl e and injure our hand

No , the answ er is i nco rrect.

Sco re: 0
Accepted Answers:
This is good design because it easy to see where to hold the scissors from and not grab the blade

1 4 ) Whi ch o f t he fo l l o w i ng i s t he mo s t l i kel y i nt erface met ap ho r us e d b y a s ma rt p ho ne c al end ar? 5 point

Take-out Menu A
p a p e r d i a r y Mo b il e
T echno l o g y A
t ouchs creen

No, the answer is incorrect.

Sco re: 0
Accepted Answers:
A paper diary

1 5 ) Whi c h I s mo r e i mp o rt a nt w hi l e d es i g ni n g a p r o d um ? 1 point

User Experience
User Int erface
Both al and b )

No , the answ er is i nco rrect.

Sco re: 0
Accepted Answers:
Both a) and 2%9
 swayam lJ revtewe,40noto fitm.acir

NPTEL » Human Computer Interactions Announcements About the Course Ask a Question Progress Mentor

Unit 3 - Contextual Inquiry and Affinity Diagrams

Course outline
Assignment 2
How to access the portal
T h e d u e d a t a f or s u bmi t ti n g t hi s a ssi g nm e nt h as p as se d .
Welcome to HCI class
As p er o u r r ec or ds yo u h a v e n ot s u bmi tt e d t hi s assi g nm e nt .
Due on 2019-09-11, 23:59 1ST.
Contextual Inquiry and
1) What is the use of a healing brush in p hotoshop?
Aff i nity Di agrams
to paint the area to bring back previous darkness
 Door handle. Elevators,
Contextual Inquiry, Affinity to fade the colors of an area centered on the cursor
Diagrams to sample part of the photograph and use it to paint over another part

Lab Session - Contextual None of the above 1 point

Inquiry
No, the answer is incorrect.
Lab Session - Affinity Score: 0
Diagrams Accepted Answers:
to sample part of the photograph and use it to paint over another part
Ramat on Photoshop

2) Sel e ct the t hings t ha t yo u c a n do with Photos ho p?

1 point

Tutorial on UI Designing using Restori ng ol d photographs

Photoshop Creati ng ori gi nal art -w orks
Creati ng Fl ash mo vi es
Week 2 - Feedback - Visuali zi ng histograms of a gi ven image
Introduction to Human
Computer Interaction No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Qui z Assi gnment 2 Accepted Answers:
Restoring old photographs
IRB documents Creating anginal art-works
Visualizing histograms of a given image
Und ers ta nding us er needs
3) With r esp ec t to P hot oshop , w hat ar e " Layers'? I point
Design and Prototyping
Previous Versions of the Image
I
D esi g n P at t er ns a n d M a te ri al Images stacked on each Other
Design Bri ghtness correctness of the Image
Applied fibers of the Image

U sabl e security No. the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
U sabl e Securi ty and Visual Accepted Answers:
Design Images stacked on each other

Visual Desi gn 4) Whi ch of the following is a heuristic usability evaluation method? 1 point

Protect Demos Cogni ti ve w al kthrough

Market Research
D OW N L OA D V I DE OS Contextual i nqui ry
None of the above

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
None of the above

5) Whi ch of the following is not true for contextual inquiry? 1 point

With contextual inquiry, you l earn a few thi ngs about a thousand people
With contextual inquiry, you l earn a thousand things about a few people
Focus is on w hat peopl e say

Focus is on w hat peopl e do

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
With contextual Inquiry, you ?earn a few [lungs about a thousand people
Focus is on what people say

6) Why do you thi nk Market Research i s important for your busi ness? 1 point

It helps to understand the Customers

It gives an insi ght into the competitors an d how they approach the market

11 helps in the growth of the business

All of the above

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
All of the above

7) Contextual i nquiry is a qui ck form of which of the following techni ques? 1 point

Ps y ch ol o g y
E thnography

Fo c us G ro u p Di sc us si o ns
None of the above

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Ethnography

B) What are the advantages of Contextual Inqui ry? 1 point

Renders "obvious" thi ngs that the users usuall y don't mention
Easy to anal yze unstructured data

Both a and b
None of the above

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Renders "obvious" things that the users usually don't went on

9) If w e have to make an App for Mi crowave, w hat are the f eatures that you thi nk are not important? 1 point

12 00
 oil
 Empty

Remotely start/stop the Microwave

Video of the Food being prepared
Op en t he Microw a ve Remot el y
Check w hen the Timer goes off

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Open the Microwave Remotely

10) Whi ch of t he f ol l ow i ng are a pa n of th e ge neral process o f maki ng an af f i ni ty di agr am? 1 point

One key concept or observation per sti cky note

Cluster similar items as you go

Label emergi ng themes
Decide the themes of clusters i n the beginning
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
One key concept or observation per sticky note
Cluster similar items as you go
Label emerging themes

11) Ch oos e t h e o p ti o n w i t h t h e cor r ec t or d er . 1 point

Cogni ti ve w al kt hrou gh Af f i ni ty di agram Contextual i nqui ry

Cognitive walkthrough Contextual inquiry Affinity di agram

Context ual i n qui ry Af f i ni ty di a gram Cogni ti ve w al kthrough

Affinity diagram Contextual Inquiry Cognitive walkthrough

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Cognitive walkthrough -> Contextual inquiry -> Affinity diagram

12) Whi ch of t he f ol l ow i ng i s not rel at ed to Con text ual Inq ui ry? 1 point

To understand strongl y how a parti cul ar user w orks

Opportunity to build a relationship with the user

Having the users sign a consent form

None of the above

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
None of the above

13) To reposi tion a l ayer i n the i mage. you w oul d cli ck the l ayer listi ng on the Layers panel , then drag the image wi th w hich too l? 1 point

Sel ecti on tool

Hand tool Move

tool None of the
Above

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Move tool

14) Cl ocki ng a nd hol di ng th e mo use butto n or Ri ght - cl i cki ng o n a tool bar i co n do es w ha t? 1 point
I n c r e a s e s t h e s i z e o f t h a t t o o l L o c k s t h a t t o o l a s t h e d e f a u l t a c t i o n R e v e a l s h e l p t e x t f o r t h a t t o o l Shows additional tools rel ated to that tool

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Shows additional tools related to that tool

15) "Th e I T d ep artme nt of a comp an y i de nti f i es a hi g h resi g n ati on rat e of i ts hi g hl y ski l l ed empl oye es. T her e w as i nf or mati on a va i l abl e f rom exi t 1 point
i ntervi ews about thei r reasons for l eavi ng the company. This avail abl e i nf ormati on w as disorgani z ed and uncl ear". How can w e deal with thi s probl em?

a) U se af f i ni ty di agrams to u nd erstan d w h y p eopl e are l ea vi ng

b) Inv esti gat e a nd r ed esi gn t hei r res ponsi bi l i ti es i n the comp any

c) Both a and b
d) T h e pr o bl e m i s n ot r el a te d t o d esi g ni n g s yst e ms.

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
c) Both a and b
 tia.6-Ai reviewenanptel iitrn act^

NPTEL Human Computer Interactions Announcements About the Course Ask a Question Progress Mentor

Unit 4 - IRB documents

Course outline
Assignment 3
The d ue dat e f or submi tti ng thi s assi gnm ent h as pass ed. Due on 2019-09-18, 23:59 1ST.
How to a ccess t he portal As p er o u r r ec or ds yo u h a v e n ot s u bmi tt e d t hi s assi g nm e nt

1) Choose the option(s) that participants need to gi ve access w hile testi ng the app In real -time in 100kbaCk.10? 1 point
Wel co m e to HC I cl as s
E nabl e Camera
E nabl e Mic
Contextual Inquiry and
E nabl e Screen
Af f i ni ty Di a gr ams
Enable contacts
I R S d oc u me n ts
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0

• Institukonai Rev,. Board,

Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
Enable Camera
Ethics committee. IRB Enable Mic
documents I application.
Enable Screen
consent form

Tutorial on Promo
2) If you need to perf orm an Interacti ve Task Anal ysis of your app and you need to use l ookback.l e f or user testi ng, you wil l use: 1 point
Tutorial on Lookback
Lice Moderated Testing
Week 3 Feedback
U nmoderat ed S el f -Testi ng
Outs : Assi gnment 3 In-Person Testing

Understanding user needs All of the above

No, the answer is incorrect.

Design and Prototyping Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
Live Moderated Testing

Desi gn Patterns end Materi al

D esi g n 3) is complet ed by t est participants in their own envir onment wit hout a facilitator pres ent. 1 point

Um Moderated Testing
U sa bl e s ec u ri t y
Unmoderated Testing
U sabl e Securi ty and Visual
In-Person Testing
D esi g n
None of the above
Vi su al D esi g n
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Pro j e ct D em os Accepted Answers:
Unmoderated Testing
DOWN LOA D V IDEOS

4) L o o k b a c k . l o c a n b e u s e d ?po int
To perform user research in reel-time
Invi te coll aborators and parti ci pants
Both a anti

None of the above

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
Both a and b

5) An I RB proposal al l ow s the commi n ee to c hec k w hi c h of t he f ol l ow i ng: - 1 point

W i l l t h e s t u d y l e a d t o a f e a si b l e r e s ul t W h a t
kind of d at a is b eing coll ect ed Are the
researchers qualified to conduct the study

Who am the partici pants i n the study

No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
What kind of data is being collected
Who am the participants in the study

6) Whi ch of the f oll owi ng cri teri a does IRB use duri ng the review of research? 1 point

Informed consent is property documented.

Presence of conflict of interest

Risks to subjects are minimized.

All of the above

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
ot the above

7) Which of the following requires en explicit signature of the IRS? 1 point

Flier

Co ns e nt F ar e
Roth a & b

Neither a nor b

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
Consent Form

B) Which of the following can be used to add i nteractions in Preto.io? 1 point

No, the answer is Incorrect.

Score: 0

Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
9 Which of the following is/are an important part of the IRS proposal? 1 point

Goals of the research

Confidentiality of the data
Ethics i n research

Results of the pre-experimental questions

No, the answ er is incorrect.

Sc ore 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
Goals of Me research
Confidentiality of the data
Ethics in research

10) Which term(s) is not analogous to the consent form? 1 point

IRS proposal
IRB appli cati on
Pre and Post experimental questions
None of the above

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
IRB proposal
IRB application
Pm and Post experimental questions

11) Why are post -e xperi me nt qu esti ons i mportant i n a stu dy? 1 point

They help ascertain if the subject has done the study for the money

They hel p decide if your parti cipant is feasible for the study
They help to evaluate the difficulty level of the task performed

None of the above

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
They help to evaluate the difficulty level or the task performed

12) Whi ch of the f oll owi ng buttons can be f ound i n the Materi al Design Li brary of proto.i o: 1 point

Acti on Button
Rai sed Button
Round Button
Icon Button

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
Action Button
Raised Button
Icon Button

13) To ad d r esourc es l i ke i mag es to prol ei o proj ect, i t m ust b e dra gg ed an d dro ppe d i nto th e window 1 point
Project Asset
Layers
Images
Inspector

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
Pm e ct As se t

14) Pro to .i o c an cr e at e a p ro to t yp e f o r? 1 point

IPhoneX

Smart Dustbi n
Web Desktop
All of the above

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
lPhoneX
Web Desktop

15) Whi ch of t he f ol l ow i ng tool s/ servi ces are comp ati bl e w i th protei o? 1 point

P ho tos h op
Dropbox
Illustrator
All of the above

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Ac c ep t e d A nsw ers:
Photoshop

Dropbox
 f.E0:74Aq
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NP TEL H um a n Com puter I nt era ctio ns Announcements About the Course Ask a Question Progress Mentor

Unit 5 - Understanding user needs

Co urs e Out line

How to

Welcome
access

to
the portal

NCI class
Assignment 4 Due on 2019-09-25, 23:59 1ST.

T h e d u e d at e fo r s ub mi t t i ng t hi s as s i g n m e nt ha s p a s s ed .
Contextual Inquiry and As p er our reco rds yo u have not s ub mitt ed this as sig nment. 1 point

Affinity Diagrams
I) While d esigning a prod uct. things an HCI expert should keep i n mind are:

IRS documents The end-user is never a beginner

Understanding user needs The d esign s hould b e mad e b y keeping both novi ce and experts M mind

• H o w und ers t and us er You should not think of yourself as a typical user
N Both b and c
o
, answer is incorrect.
a
t o
s? Surveys. Accep t ed Ans w ers :
Questionnaire Both b and c

Task Analysis 2) What are Inc things an HCI expert needs to be careful about? 'paint

Week a Feedback Human Users hijacking the discussion during the interview
Computer Interactions A deliberate attempt of a user to provide incorrect information donne a survey
Quiz Assignment a Users hijacking a discussion during an FGD

All of the above Both a

Design and P rototyping
and c None of the Above

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Design Patterns and Material
Accepted Answers:
Design Users Mjacking a discussion during an FGD

Usable security
3) What i s t rue ab o ut FGD (Fo cus G ro up D i s cus s i o n)? 1 point
Usable Security and Visual
its a good way to gather people from similar backgrounds for discussion
Design
its a good way to gather people of different experiences to discuss a topic of interest
The group of discussion is guided by a moderator
Visual Design
AI of the above rcithe
Project Demos the
answer is incorrect.
DO WNLO AD VID EO S
Accepted Answers:
All of the above

4) Whi ch o ne i s no t t he p urp o s e o f a Su rv ey? t point

To narrow down the data collection for your problem

To understand the needs of a large set of users

A statistical representation of the population of interest
Let you confidently make informed decisions
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
To narrow down the data collection for your problem

5) A s urvey can b e co nd uct ed in w hi ch o f t he follo wi ng w ays ? 1 point

Telephone
Web
Hybrid
All of the above
No, the is incorrect.
s 4 c , , e
Accepted Answers: All
of the above

6) Whi ch o f t he fo llowi ng s urvey techni ques has t he low est res po ns e rat e 1 point
Email
Telephone
Personal
Web
N o ,
theansw er is inco rrect.
Accepted Answers:
Email

7) Which of the statements about the well-designed questionnaire is False 1 point

11 should meet the research objectives.
11 should obtain the most complete and accurate information possible.
11 need not be always to the point wry the topic.
It should be kept interesting for the respondents)
No,the,,theo in
answ er is co rrect .

Accepted Answers:
It need not be always to the point oath the topic.

8) Sel ect T rue o p t i o ns ab o ut cl o s ed Q ues t i o ns ? 1 point

Closed questions are easy re cede because they are not mutually exclusive
They might introduce bias in the study
Closed questions are time-saving
They allow for greater creativity than open-ended questions
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score/0
Accepted Answers:
They might introduce bras in the study
Closed questions are lane-saving

9) Whi ch o f Me fo llowi ng Is not t rue ab o ut o p en- end ed q uestio ns? t point

They are easy to analyze
Allow users to express their ideas without restriction
They incur greater time cost. compared to closed questions
All of the above
No, the is incorrect.
n : „ . .

Accepted Answers: They are

easy to analyze

1 0 ) What is an Id eal composition of tas ks In a tas k anal ysis? 1 point

All easy tasks All difficult tasks More easy tasks and less difficult tasks
None

ts,Jno&etheoanswer is incorrect.
Accepted Answers:
None

1 1 ) An ' o p en re s p o ns e - o p t i o n" i s o n e w hi ch 1 point

Is both open-ended and includes specific response-options
can avoid the potential problems of poor memory
requires the researcher to have a good pnor knowledge of the subject
All of the above

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score :0
Accept ed Answers: Al
of Inc above

1 2 ) Whi ch o f t he fo llowi ng t echni q ues can b e us ed t o underst and t he need s o' a user? 1 point
Focus Group Discussions
Interviews

TV advertisements

None of the above

lo,.,,,,,tha eanswer is incorrect.

Accepted Answers: Focus

Group Discussions
Interviews

1 3 ) Wit h res pect to p utt ing q ues tio ns . a meani ng ful o rd er and fo rmat s hould have 1 point
Difficult Opening questions
Questions that now in some kind o' psychological order
Questions on one subject kept together

None of the above

rs■lcoi,treneoanswer. is incorrect.
Accepted Answers:
OuestIons that now in some kind of psychological order
Questions on one subject kept together

1 4 ) Which of the following can help you und erst and t he mistakes that you've made in questionnaire desig n as w ell the mistakes use rs are making in 1 point
warding respons es to the questions?

Focus Group Discussions

Cognitive walkthrough
Survey
Plot study

Z I,neothea nswer is incorrect.

Accepted Answers:
Pilot study

1 5 ) Choose the option with the most optimal order Fo cus Gro up Di s cus sio ns
I nt ervi ew s Surveys Surveys Fo cus Gro up Di s cus sio ns Interviews Surveys ->
Interviews -> Focus Group Discussions I nterviews -> Focus Group Discussions
Survey No. the is incorrect

Accepted Answers:
Internees -› Focus Group rkscussIons -5 Survey t po int

1 6 ) Which of the following factors does not govern the choice of the survey mode?

Time and budget constraints

Quality o' the experts that will evaluate the survey The response rate desired
The complexity of the questions to be asked

No , ire theanswer is incorrect.

Accepted Answers: 1 p oi nt
Quality of the experts that will evaluate the survey

1 7 ) Which of the statements about 'Cognitive Walkthrough' is False , It is used to

examine the usability of a product

It's designed to see how easily users can ca rry out a task its similar to heuristic
evaluation
Its cost-effective process

1 poi nt
Ilo.t c eanswer is incorrect. s c o r e : Ac cep t ed A ns w ers :
It, similar to boons. evaluation

1 8 ) What is/are the goal/s of Task Analysis? To determine the tasks that the actual
users of the product are most likely to perform
To determine how often are the tasks performed
To identify the tasks that the developers of the product designed into the
product
To identify the time constraints on the tasks 1 point
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score/0
A cc e nt . A ns w e rs :
To determine the tasks that the actual users of the product are most likely to perform
To determine now often are Me tasks performed
To iciently the time constraints on Me tasks

19) while navigating on an e-commerce weesite. a difficult task is to? 1 point

Create an account/Login Cancel a purchase

And a product and add to can
Checkout and proceed to purchase

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Cancel a purchase

2 0 ) Wit h res pect to t he St anfo rd P ris on Exp eri ment . one p rob lem w as? 1 point
Participants' privacy Violation
Severe repercussions on the participants (Ethical issues)
Not given enough time for the task to Participants
Participants found the task very simple
N o .
the Is incorrect.
s
Accepted Answers:
Severe repercussions on the participants (Ethical issues)
 3,-yo-A reviewe, 4@iipteliitmacin s.•

I NPTE L n Human Computer I nteractions Announcements About the Course Ask a Question Progress Mentor

Unit 6 - Design and Prototyping

Course outline
Assignment 5
How to access the portal Evaluation

Welcome to HCI class T h e d u e d a t e f o r s ub m i t t i ng t h i s a s s i g n m e n t h a s p a s s e d . Due on 2019-10-02, 23:59 1ST.

As per our records you have not submitted this assignment.
Contextual Inquiry and
Affinity Diagrams 1) After we have Understood the User needs, which is the immediate next Designing phase that follows 1 point

IR B d o c um e nt s Prototyping
Building the Application
Understanding user needs
Testing
Design and Prototyping
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
• Prototyping Low fidelity and Prototyping
High fidelity
User-Centered Design 2) What is not True about the Prototyping phase? 0 points

Lab Session: Task Analysis It consists of a number of inexpensive scaled-down versions of the product.

Additional learning matenal A prototype may be tested within as well as outside the design team.

Quiz Assignment 5 By the end of this phase. the design team will have a clear idea of how the real users will behave
All of the above

No, the answer is incorrect.

Design Patterns and Material Score: 0
Design Accepted Answers:
All of the above
Usable security
3) The pros of Low-fidelity prototyping are
1 point
I t 's Extr em ely lo w-co st It's very fast to make
Usable Security and Visual
Unclear while testing what may work and what may not
Design
It simulates group work
Visual Design No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Project Demos A c c e p t e d A ns we r s :
It's Extremely low-cost
DOWNLOAD VIDEOS
It's very fast to make
ft simulates group work

4) Paper and pen-based sketches used for prototyping are? 1 point

Rapid prototyping

High-fidelity prototyping
Low-resolution prototyping
Low-fidelity prototyping
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Low-fidelity prototyping

5) Which of the following statements is/are true? 1 point

It is easier to incorporate user feedback during high-fidelity prototyping compared to low-fidelity prototyping.
It requires more effort and resources to incorporate user feedback during high -fidelity prototyping
It is easier to incorporate user feedback during low-fidelity prototyping compared to high-fidelity prototyping
It requires more effort and resources to incorporate user feedback during low -fidelity prototyping
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
It requires mom effort and resources to incorporate user feedback during high-fidelity prototyping
It is easier to incorporate user feedback during low-fidelity prototyping compared to high-fidelity
prototyping

6) Indicate whether the following statement is true or false: / point

"High-fidelity prototypes resemble and perform as alike as possible to the a ctual product that will ship."

True
False

No. the answer is incorrect.

Score. 0
Accepted Answers:
True

7) The pros of High-fidelity prototyping are 1 point

Meaningful feedback while usability testing

Testability of precise UI elements or interactions.

Prototypes are profoundly realistic in their interactions.
All of the above
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
All of the above

8) Which of the following is true about good design? 1 point

Good design is not just cool graphics
Good design is just common sense
Good design comes from an iterative process with the user in loop
Good design can come from fixing the Li! at the end
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Good design is not just cool graphics
Good design comes from an iterative process with the user in loop

9) Which of the following is true about the Waterfall strategy? 1 point

Waterfall strategy is optimal for user experience
II is infeasible because it is difficult to adapt
Waterfall strategy implies that testing should be done all at once
Waterfall strategy uses a fail-fast approach
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
It is infeasible because it is difficult to adapt
Waterfall strategy implies that testing should be done all at once

10) T
he following describes the Iterative Design process: 1 point
Design-Code-Launch
Design-Prototype-Launch
Design-Prototype-Evaluate
Design-Evaluate-Code
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Design-Prototype-Evaluate

11) W
hich of the following should not be a pan of your low -fidelity process? 1 point
A black and white layout
Creating a colorful logo for your app
Paper cutouts
Deciding on a colour scheme
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Creating a colorful logo for your app
Deciding on a colour scheme

12) You
want to test the intuitiveness of the functionality of the application. For this task, you will use: 1 point
L ow f id elit y pro toty pe s H ig h fi de lit y proto ty pe s Wa ter f all pr otot yp es All of the above

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score :0
Accepted Answers:
Low fidelity prototypes

13) You
want to test whether the colour scheme of the application is appropriate. For this task, you will use: 1 point
L ow f id elit y pro toty pe s H ig h fi de lit y proto ty pe s Wa ter f all pr otot yp es Any of the above

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
A c c e p t e d A ns w e r s :
High fidelity prototypes

14) W
hich of the following are downsides of high fidelity prototyping? 1 point
Users give a lot of feedback about functionality of the application
Users focus too much on minute details like logo
Building high fidelity prototypes is time-consuming
Users don't like high fidelity prototypes
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Users focus too much on minute details like logo
Building high fidelity prototypes is time-consuming

15) W
hich of the following is/are a step in the waterfall strategy? 1 point
Requirements specification
Prototyping
Integration and Testing
Coding
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Requirements specification
Integration and Testing
Coding
 Lsyralanil ( ; )
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NPT EL Hu man Co mp ute r I nt.IledO ne Announcements About the Co urse Ask a Ques

Unit 7 - Design Patterns and Material Design

Cours e outline

H o w t o ac c e s s t h e po r t a l
Assignment 6
T h e d u e d a t e f o r s u b m i t t i ng t h i s a s s ig n m e n t h a s p a s s e d.
Due on 2019-10-09, 23:59 1ST.
Welcome to NCI class A s p e r o ur r e co r d s yo u h a v e n o t su f f i e n t a r t t h i s

assignment

and

Contextu al Inquiry 11 Consid er th e follow ing c ha rac ter.. of Ma te r.. ma t ron:

A f f i n i t y D i ag r a m s
I.O.uments
U n d e r s t a n d i n g
Motion should be responsive
IL Motion should be aware of as surroundings
M o tion s hou ld oc. r el em en t b y el em en t
N. Monon should feel natural
u s e r n e ed s n d s

Design and Prototyping Which of the pews mentioned above are true:

li and Iv
Design Patterns and material 1 and ill
D e sig n
it and II
 D e s i g n P al t e r . I. II and ei

L a b S e s s i o n P a t e n s ) D e. , No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Week e r.rears Ac c epted Answ ers:
aid
21 Slate e or False Top and bottom ape bars use an apph primacy color,
Tom 1 noon
Outs : Assignment 6
True
Usable securit y
False
Sco
Usable Security and Wsual
D e sig n No, rethe0 answer is Incorrect.
Accepted Answers:

Titre
Visual Design
31 M i. sh ad e se ri es i s u su all y u se d o r Tool ba r s accor ding to th e M a te na l Des ig n S t yl e G uid eli ne s 1 point
Protect Demo s
3 6 0 a 4 0 0 s 5 6 0 s 70 05
D OWN LO AD V ID EOS
No. insIncorrect.

Accept. Answers:
5 .

 Which of the following statements about Material Dee.: are false'. /poet

M a t en al D esi gn is a Ws. La ng ua ge d evelo p ed b y D.O le In 05 1 5

M a t er ial D e sig n sin s to uni f y de sig n acro s s d in er en t de v ice s an d scr e en s aes

Material design I s not ins•rad b y rasellt e elemen ts
M a t er ial D e sig n c an be u se d to c re a t e app s for An dro s:1 0in . ch ro me 05
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Ac c epted Answ ers
aestanal Design IS a Visua tesn2.29. nnyne2P2 . dy Gcnge In 2015
matenal Cle9gn rs not Manned by reel-ele eleMen.
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51 conch of the rooming a re a font Ile tow. /point

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incorrect.

Accepted Answers: td
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CHA
.fr, .tot

6) Identity th e decal patt ern in the folloffing interlace: 1 point

Site Branding Above

the Fol d Reviewing
Community

None of the Above

Ch e c k- O ut t i me

R evi ew s

Feel
Feb 200

Greisy is a g reat host, she mad e e very thing

eas y. g a ve us so me gr ea t tips and plac e s to
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experienced. highly rated hosts who are 0
c o mmit te d to pro viding gre a t s ta v e fo r

Mauehie credit. f687

28140 p e r nig h t
Ise.. no
Check availabilhy

troanswer is incorrect.
Accepted Answers:
Review, Community

 What is tne name of the class used in Ina eackerel to set the tent are a nurnAreve /paint

T ype rac e

F on tC la s s
Font
F on tF ac e

No. the answer e mooed.

5c0m1

accepted Answers:
TYPeFace

8) Wh a t is t he n am e o f th e fold e r wh e re you s houl d sa v e yo ur co lor s. xm l: 1point

Layout
AS is
R.
Values

t s r = v o a n s w e r i s in co r r e c t .

A c c e p t. A n sw e r s :
Values

9) w hat i s t h e n a m e o f t h e fo ld e r . e r e yo u . o ul d s a v e y o u r f o n t al e : 'POW

Res
Values
A s sa s t s
Layout
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
A c c e p t. A n sw e r s :
Assests

10 What ishre the advantages of design patterns , t point

D e s ign is r e adil y a v ail abl e

Users are new to me design
Helps in quick prototyping
D o . enc o ur age us e o f c r ea ti vi ty

ts ittre he o answer Is incorrect.

Accep t. Answ ers:

Destgn readily evadable
Helps n snack protatypng
WWI encourage use a/novenae,

11) Identify the marked design pattern in the image I paint

CroSS-selling
 'unnel

S e e- br an din g
Obvious links

No. the answer is incomffit.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Sole-branding

12) Consider the following statement about the app interlace 1 point

1 7196 app interface has Location Bread Crumbs present In it

t s = h e o d n e w e r i s i nc o r r ec t

Accepted Answers:
/rue

'CIFIUX COM

Lean. Dreamy Nada Lltrary

Horne Num $011111O1 A P p i m u e n D

First Look at Opera 10: Can it Make a Dent in the

Desktop?

131 Cod ng the final h no t ... SW f or d igi tal 000 .in g • 1 ',Wet

True
he

tol o%ro answer incorrect

Accepted Answers:
!roe

19) Which design pansm does the followno screen signify? / point

Sire branding
Obvious Lin.
L oc a tion gr. dcr um los

C ro ss - se llin g

No, the answer is incorrect

co
S
re: 0 Accep ted Ans wer s.

I home Isall
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forums

 v v
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Obvious Links

15) What of the following is :rue .out design patterns? 1 print

Encourages the use of creati vity

Using design patterns might hinder creativity
Tbey area shorth and for eSta.hed solutions to known emblems.
N one, the Abo ve

No, the answer is incorrect.

Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Using Cestgn patterns neon! lancer meanly
They are a Ndeland 60r eStabli - ShEd SalurKKIS m known prOblern,

NPTEL H uman Computer i ntera cti ons
Unit 8 - Usable security
Course outline
How to access the portal
Welcome to HCI class
Contextual Inquiry and
Affinity Diagrams
IR B d o c um e nt s
Understanding user needs
Design and Prototyping
Design Patterns and Material
Design
Usable security
• Usable security
Lab Session: Task Analysis - 2
Quiz Assignment 7
Usable Security and Visual
Design
Visual Design
Project Demos
D O WNL O AD V ID EO S
reviewerzlenotaitm.acir
Announceme nts About the Course Ask a Question Progress Mentor
Assignment 7
The due date for submitting this assignment has passed. Due on 2019-10-16, 23:59 1ST.
As per our records you have not submitted this assignment.
1) How are Usability and Security related with respect to an application? 1 point
Effective security comes at the expense of usability
Usability came at the expense of security
Both a and b
None of the above
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Both a and b
2) Which of the following can be used to make secure systems more usable? 1 point
Making use of invisible security, i.e. make it "just work"
Making security more intuitive
Making security less relatable
Both a and b
NI of the above
No, the answer is incorrect.
Scam: 0
Accepted Answers:
Both a and b
3) What does the following statement mean in the context of the lecture? f point
"Humans am the weakest link" Humans don't form strong social connections
Most security breaches are attributed to "human error"
Humans are mentally weak while tackling problems
Humans are emotionally weak
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Most security breaches am attributed to "human error'
4) An example of "Invisibly strengthening security" is f point
Strengthening the spam fitters and various algorithms
Train the user to make them realize what an actual threat looks like
Making the user realize when he/she faces a threat.
Training the anti-virus software algorithms to make them work better
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Strengthening the spam filters and various algorithms
Training the anti-virus software algorithms to make them work better
5) The system 'Grey' discussed in the lectures was used for which of the following purposes? 1 point
Messaging someone remotely
Data collection
Granting access to doom remotely
Tracking someone remotely
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Granting access to doors remotely
6) The techniques that can be used to train users against phishing attacks are? 1 point
Learning science principles
Teachable moments
Fun activities
All of the above
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
All of the above
7) Consider the following statement: 1point
"Phishguru warns a user about phishing scams as soon as the user clicks on a malicious link"
Which of the following embedded training principles is used by Phishguru in the above -mentioned scenario:
Story-based agent principle
Contiguity principle
Learning-by-doing principle
Personalization principle
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
A c c e p t e d A ns w e r s :
Learning-by-doing principle
8) "Duolingo is a very popular language-learning platform. It has an Owf as its mascot character which walks one through the lessons and uses a 1 point
friendly and interactive approach to learn a popular language."
Which of the following embedded training principles is used by Duolingo?
Story-based agent principle
Contiguity principle
Learning-by-doing principle
Personalization principle
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
A c c e p t e d A n s w e r s : Story-
based agent principle
9) What are the patterns that can be observed in order to prevent phishing? 1 point
Emails containing poor grammar. punctuation or an illogical flow of content
Any messages asking to enter or verify personal details or bank/credit card information
Warming content full of warnings and potential consequences
All of the above
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
All of the above
10) S
ome of the advantages of a high-fidelity prototype are: 1point
Interactive prototypes are made as close to the true graphical representation of the products as they can.
The availability of interactive prototypes can improve collaboration with developers.
Participants in usability testings may not feel comfortable mak ing critiques or pointing out flaws in the designs.
The high-fidelity prototypes are more expensive to make.
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Interactive prototypes are made as close to the true graphical representation of the products as they can.
The availability of interactive prototypes can improve collaboration with developers.
11) T
he questions we would ask in a task analysis on a high fidelit y prototype are? 1 point
Which functionality did the user find particularly difficult
What does the user think about the colour scheme of the application
Questions about the layout and design of certain Ul elements
Will the application be useful to the user in his day to day life
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
What does the user think about the colour scheme of the application
Questions about the layout and design of certain UI elements
12) So
me of the tools for performing high-fidelity prototype are: 1 point
Proto.io
Vision
Pixate
Pizar
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Proto.io
Pixate
13) Yo
u would want to receive inputs regarding the intuitive nature of buttons and icons in your application in: 1 point
Task analysis on a Low-Fidelity prototype
Contextual Inquiry
User survey
Task analysis on a High-Fidelity prototype
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Task analysis on a High-Fidelity prototype
14) C
onsider the following statement with respect to Prototypes 1 point
"It is much cheaper to change a product early in the development process than to make a change after you develop the site."
True
False
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
True
15) T
he set of inferences received from performing task analysis on low -fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes were: 1 point
Almost the same
Qualitatively different
Not feasible to be incorporated
All of the above
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Qualitatively different

I NPTEL Human Computer Interactions
Unit 9 - Usable Security and Visual Design
Course outline
How to access the portal
Welcome to HCI class
Contextual Inquiry and
Affinity Diagrams
IRS do cum e nts
Understanding user needs
Design and Prototyping
Design Patterns and Material
Design
Usable secunty
Usable Security and Visual
Design
• Usable Secunty - 2
Vrsuai Des-gn
Week S - Feedback
Quiz Assignment 8
Visual Design
Project Demos
DOWNLOAD VIDEOS
reviewe, lenptel.iitrnacin
Announcements About the Course Ask a Question Progress Mentor
Assignment 8
No, the answer is incorrect.
The due date for submitting this assig nment has pa ssed. Due on 2019-10-23, 23:59 1ST.
As per our records you have not submitted this assignment.
1 point
1) Given a scenario where you have a very small user base, which evaluation strategy would you select:
Between groups
Within groups. fixed order tasks
Within groups, randomized tasks
Within groups, a combination of fixed and random tasks
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Within groups, randomized tasks
2) We want to compare two car-rental sites A and B by looking at how participants book cars on each site." A Between -group study would follow as: 1 point
Each participant could test a single car-rental site and book a car only on that site.
Each participant could test both car-rental sites and book a car on each.
Both a and b
A None of the above.
c
c No, the answer is incorrect.
e
Score: 0
p
t
ed Answers:
Each participant could test a single car-rental site and book a car only on that site.
3) The Independent Variable is the one which is directly manipulated by the researcher 1 point
True
False
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
True
4) Select the Two statements about Control Group in user experiment. 1 point
In a single-blind study. the researcher will know whether a particular subject is in the control group, but the subject will not know.
In a single-blind study, the subject will know whether a particular subject is in the control group, but the researcher will not know.
Both a and b
None of the above
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Ina single-blind study, the researcher will know whether a particular subject is in the control group, but
the subject will not know.
5) What was the idea behind changing the Phishguru cartoon character during the intervention iterations built for Phishguru? 1 point
The previous character was found to be stereotypical during user studies The users did not feel connected to the previous cha racter during the user study The
researchers conducting the study wanted the character to be gender neutral None of the above
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
The previous character was found to be stereotypical during user studies
The researchers conducting the study wanted the character to be gender neutral
6) Within-group designs require fewer panicipants and are cheaper to run. 1 point
True
False
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
True
7) Which of the following inferences were received from the Phishguru lab studies? 1 point
Security notices are an equally good medium to educate users as embedded :raining
Embedded training was more effective at teaching users to make better decisions than those sent security notices
Phishguru was effective in teaching users, but they could not retain the knowledge for mare than 3 -4 days
Users trained with non-embedded did better than users trained with embedded training
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Embedded training was more effective at teaching users to make better decisions than those sent security
notices
8) Phishguru evaluation study employed which of the following? 1 point
Between-group design
Within-group design
False-positive error analysis
None of the Above
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Between-group design
False-positive error analysis
9) Consider the following statement and mark two or false: 1 point
The least important aspects of HCI is scientifically evaluating the design,"
True
False
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
False
10) "What you see first influences what you see next." 1 point
Which of the following phenomenon does the above statement correspond to?
False-positive error analysis
Learning effect
Embedded training
Between-group design study
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Learning effect
11) Which of the following was inferred from the Phishguru user study? 1 point
Training the users had little effect on the users clicking phishing URLS in emails
Trained participants were less likely to fail for phishing URLS in emails
The participants trained with two training messages consistently performed better on ALL days than the ones trained with a si ngle training message
Trained participants remembered what they learnt 28 days back
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Trained participants were less likely to fall for phishing URLS in emails
Trained participants remembered what they learnt 28 days back
12) What is the main purpose of Control Group in user experiment? 1 point
Deal with extra people
Establish a baseline
Evaluate the de fault behavior of people
Distract people
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Establish a baseline
Evaluate the default behavior of people
13) What signifies the effectiveness of training the user during the Phishguru experiment? 1 point
In the control group, the percentage of people who clicked on the phishing link in the email on Day 0 was much less than the people who clicked on the
phishing link towards the end of the study
In the trained group, the percentage of people who clicked on the phishing link in the email on Day 0 was much more than the people who clicked on the
phishing link towards the end of the study
In the control group, the percentage of people who clicked on the phishing link in the email on Day 0 was much more than the people who clicked on the
phishing link towards the end of the study
In the trained group, the percentage of people who clicked on the phishing link in the email on Day CI was much less than the people who clicked on the
phishing link towards the and of the study
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
In the trained group, the percentage of people who clicked on the phishing link in the email on Day 0 was
much more than the people who clicked on the phishing link towards the end of the study
14) Which of the following statements is true? 1 point
Two-train participants are equally likely than one-train participants to click on a phishing URL on days 16 and 21
Two-train participants are less likely than one-train participants to click on a phishing URL on days 16 and 21
Both one-train and two train participants are less likely than the control group users to fall for a phishing URL
Training the users does not have a significant effect on users providing information after clicking on a phishing URL
No, the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Two-train participants are less likely than one-train participants to click on a phishing URL on days 16 and
21
Both one-train and two-train participants are less likely than the control group users to fall for a phishing
URL
15) Which of the following statements is not true? 1 point
Phishguru training did not affect the way people clicked on legitimate URLS in the emails
Phishguru training did affected the way people clicked on legitimate URLS in the emails
The False positive rate of identifying legitimate URLS as phishing URLS actual ly increased as a result of a side-effect of the Phishguru training
The False positive rate of identifying legitimate URLS as phishing URLS wasn't affected
No. the answer is incorrect.
Score: 0
Accepted Answers:
Phishguru training did affected the way people clicked on legitimate URLS in the emails
The False positive rate of identifying legitimate URLS as phishing URLS actually increased as a result of a
side-effect of the Phishguru training