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The Interaction
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The Interaction
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Outline
Interaction models
Translations between user and system.
Ergonomics
Physical characteristics of interaction.
Interaction styles
The nature of user/system dialog.
Context
Social, organizational, motivational and also
Paradigms
Interactivity
What is interaction?
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Formulates intention Use Edit menu to move a piece of text from
one paragraph to another (Shortcut keys can
be used)
Specifies actions at interface (1) Highlight the text by moving & clicking
a mouse (2) Click the cut button, (3) Move
the cursor to new
position and (4) Click the paste button
Gulfs of evaluation
Mismatch between system’s presentation & user’s
expectation, e.g.,
Failure to notice current system status.
Poor feedback from system.
Human Error - Slips and Mistakes
Human errors are often classified into slips and mistakes. We can
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distinguish these using Norman’s gulf of execution.
Slip
- Understandsystem and goal
- Correct formulation of action
- Incorrect action
Mistake
-users may not even have right goal!(if they do not know the
system well)
Fixing things?
Slip – better interface design.(e.g. putting more space between
buttons)
Mistake – users should have better understanding of system. so
will require far more radical redesign or improved training,
perhaps a totally different metaphor(symbol) for use.
The interaction framework
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(Using Abowd and Beale’s model)
Extension of Norman…….
Each has its own unique language(system, user, input and output)
Interaction translation between languages.
Problems in interaction occurs during translation of each action.
The interaction framework
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(Using Abowd and Beale’s model)
User intentions
Translated into actions at the interface.
Translated into alterations(changes) of system state.
Reflected in the output display.
Interpreted by the user.
There are four main translations involved in the interaction: articulation, performance,
presentation and observation.
Ergonomics
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15 Ergonomics
Study of the physical characteristics of interaction.
addresses issues on the user side of the interface.
Also known as human factors.
Ergonomics is good at defining standards and guidelines for
constraining the way we design certain aspects of systems.
Ergonomics cont.
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Issues addressed by ergonomics :
arrangement of controls and displays.
e.g. controls grouped according to function or frequency of use, or
sequentially.
surrounding environment.
e.g. seating arrangements adaptable to cope with all sizes of user.
health issues.
e.g. physical position, environmental conditions (temperature, humidity),
lighting, noise,
use of colour.
e.g. use of red for warning, green for okay,
awareness of colour-blindness etc.
17 Ergonomics cont.
Inappropriate placement of controls and displays can lead
to inefficiency, frustration and sometimes dangerous
situations.
So arrangement of controls and displays need organization:
E.g. Organization of controls:
Functional: functionally related controls are grouped
together.
Sequential: Controls are organized to reflect the order of
their use in a typical interaction.
Frequency: The most often used controls can be
accessed most easily.
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Common Interaction Styles
Command line interface
Menus
Natural language
Question/answer and query dialogue
Form-fills and spreadsheets
WIMP
Point and click
Three–dimensional interfaces
Command line interface
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In spite of the availability of menu-driven interfaces, it is still
widely used.
Way of expressing instructions to the computer directly
Function keys, single characters, short abbreviations, whole
words, or a combination
Suitable for repetitive tasks
Better for expert than novice users
Offers direct access to system functionality(as opposed to the
hierarchical nature of menus)
Command names/abbreviations should be meaningful!
Today it is supplementary to menu-based interfaces, providing
accelerated access to the system’s functionality for experienced
users.
- Typical example: The Unix system, Linux etc..
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Command Line Cont.
Disadvantages of command-line interfaces:
Options difficult to remember
High error rates
Frustrating for non-expert users
Difficult error corrections.
Fi l e Edi t Opt i o ns Fo nt
Ty p e wr i t e r
Sc re e n
Times
two kinds:
active when menu open – usually first letter
active when menu closed – usually Ctrl + letter
usually different !!!
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Menus design issues
which kind of menu to use.
what to include in menus at all.
words to use in menus(action or description).
how to group items.
choice of keyboard accelerators.
40 Buttons
Individual and isolated regions within a display that can be
selected to invoke an action
Special kinds
radio buttons
– set of mutually exclusive choices.(only one)
check boxes
– set of non-exclusive choices.(more than one)
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Toolbars
long lines of icons …
… but what do they do?
often customizable:
choose which toolbars to see
choose what options are on it
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Palettes
Problem
menu not there when you want it
Solution
palettes – little windows of actions
shown/hidden via menu option
e.g. available shapes in drawing package
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Dialogue boxes
information windows that pop up to inform of an important event
or request information.
e.g.: when saving a file, a dialogue box is displayed to allow the user
to specify the filename and location. Once the file is saved, the box
disappears.
Interactivity
Easy to focus on look
What about feel?
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Look and feel
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WIMP systems have the same elements:
Windows, icons., menus, pointers, buttons, etc.
But different window systems behave differently e.g. MacOS vs
Windows menus
appearance + behaviour = look and feel
Initiative
Who has the initiative?
Old: question–answer– computer
Today: WIMP interface– user
Error and repair
Can’t always avoid errors …
… but we can put them right
Make it easy to detect errors
… then the user can repair them
Context of interaction
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Interaction affected by social and organizational context
The presence of other people in a work environment affects the performance of the
worker in any task.
In order to perform well, users must be motivated.
If the (computer) system makes it difficult for the user to perform a certain task, he
might get frustrated and his productivity could drop.
The user may also lose motivation if a system is introduced that does not match the
actual requirements of the job to be done. In that case the user will reject the
system, be resentful(angry) and unmotivated or adapt the intended interaction to
his own requirements.
A well designed system, however, may also work on motivating the user.
Generally, if you want someone to do something :
Make it easy for them!
Understand their values: individuals value organisational value.
Paradigms
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Why Study Paradigms?
Concerns
How can an interactive system be developed to ensure its usability?
How can the usability of an interactive system be demonstrated or measured?
History of interactive system design provides paradigms for usable designs
What are Paradigms
Predominant theoretical frameworks or scientific world views
E.g., Aristotelian, Newtonian, Einsteinian (relativistic) paradigms in physics
Understanding HCI history is largely about understanding a series of paradigm shifts
Not all listed here are necessarily “paradigm” shifts, but are at least candidates
History will judge which are true shifts
49 Paradigms of interaction
Batch processing
Impersonal computing
Example Paradigm Shifts
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Batch processing
Time-sharing
Interactive computing
Example Paradigm Shifts
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Batch processing
@#$% !
Timesharing
Networking
???
Community computing
Example Paradigm Shifts
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Batch processing
C…P… filename Move this file here,
Timesharing
dot star… or was and copy this to there.
Networking it R…M?
Graphical displays
% foo.bar
ABORT
dumby!!!
Direct manipulation
Example Paradigm Shifts
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Batch processing
Timesharing
Networking
Graphical display
Microprocessor
Personal computing
Example Paradigm Shifts
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Batch processing
Timesharing
Networking
Graphical display
Microprocessor
WWW
Global information
56 Example Paradigm Shifts