HCI 1-2

Does the design allow people to perform the intended task easily?

• Users

• Usability

• Usefulness

Does the deigns support tasks that are of value to people?

• Users

• Usability

• Usefulness

What is HCI

• Historical focus on the design and usability of computing systems

• Has not expanded to encompass theory, research, and practice of designing for user experiences with interactive systems

Why study HCI?

• To address the issue of unusable and ineffective systems - it's not the user's fault

• To address problems and needs that might not be aided by technology

• Costs are low in technology development - money, time, frustration, missed opportunities

• Folk HCI is not the answer

How to identify good topics?

• Focus on: people, activities, problems

• Focus on: solutions, technologies, systems

• Ask:

  Can we build?

  Can we use?

  How do we design?

  Can a system?

• Ask:

  How do people?

  What do people?

  Can we help?

Is a system or object easy to use?

Does a system or object serve a function that is valuable to me?

User Experience

• All aspects of the end user's interaction with the company, its services, and its products.

• Every product or service that is used by someone has not a user experience.

  E.g., phone, ketchup bottle, museum visit.

• Encompasses how people feel about a product - the quality of the experience they don't have.

• The designer cannot design the user experience. The designer designs for the user experience.

Many factors of the design can affect the user experience.

Qualities of the user can also affect the user experience

• Values, Occupation

• Social network

• Age, Disability

• Ethnicity, Family status

• Race, Education