random practice stuff

Which one of the following about conducting a design critique is incorrect?

• Comments and issues raised should relate to the user’s problem.

• Comments about poor design should be specific.

• Critiques of design should be backed by reference to principles and theories of good design in HCI.

• Questions and comments should lead to constructive improvements to the design.

• None of the above.

Which of the following statements about the Task-Artifact Cycle is correct and why?

• True - The Task-Artifact Cycle explains how users adapt to new tools and technologies, and through their adaptation create new demands, creating a continuous loop of improvements in technology.

• False - The Task-Artifact Cycle describes how technology evolves independently without considering user adaptation, meaning that artifacts do not change based on human interaction.

• True - The cycle focuses on the study of user behavior without taking into account the effect of technological advancements on human tasks and interactions.

• False - The cycle states that artifacts dictate user behavior in a fixed manner, preventing any modifications or refinements in user interfaces based on user feedback.

Douglas Engelbart’s demonstration did not introduce real-time collaborative editing, as the concept of multiple users working on the same document remotely was only developed decades later.

• True - Real-time collaborative editing was not part of Engelbart’s demo, as multi-user editing technologies only emerged with modern cloud-based applications.

• False - Engelbart’s demo showcased one of the earliest implementations of real-time collaborative editing, where multiple users could work on the same document remotely, visualize changes instantly, and interact via shared on-screen content.

• True - The concept of real-time collaboration was introduced only after the advent of the internet and modern networking protocols, making it impossible for Engelbart to demonstrate it in 1968.

• False - Engelbart’s demonstration primarily focused on hardware advancements and did not include software-based collaborative interaction features.

Fitts's Law is a predictive model of human movement, which states that the time required to move to and select a target (such as clicking a button) is a function of the distance to the target and the size of the target.

• True - Fitts’ Law explains that as the distance to a target increases or as the target size decreases, movement time increases. This principle is crucial in UI/UX design, where interactive elements should be sized appropriately and positioned to minimize user effort.

• False - Movement time remains constant regardless of target size or distance, meaning that users take the same amount of time to reach a target irrespective of its placement and dimensions.

• True - Fitts’ Law primarily applies to physical movements in sports and does not have any relevance to digital interfaces, making it unnecessary for UI designers to consider.

• False - The law is applicable to aviation and military applications and does not influence modern interaction design in computing devices, mobile interfaces, or touchscreen systems.

The Object-Action Interface (OAI) paradigm improves usability by allowing users to select an object before choosing an action.

• False - The Object-Action Interface requires users to specify an action first before selecting an object, making it similar to command-line interfaces rather than graphical user interfaces.

• True - The OAI paradigm does not influence usability and is mainly a theoretical framework that has little to no practical application in interface design.

• False - The OAI paradigm is applicable to physical hardware controls and does not apply to modern software interfaces, meaning that UI designers do not need to consider it when designing digital interfaces.

• True - In the Object-Action Interface model, users first select an object and then choose an action to perform on it, making interactions more intuitive and aligned with natural human behavior. This is in contrast to Action-Object interfaces, where users specify an action before selecting an object.

A company designs a new self-checkout system for a supermarket. During initial user testing, many customers accidentally select the wrong item on the touchscreen due to small button sizes. According to Norman’s Seven Stages of Action, at which stage is this error most likely occurring?

• Forming the goal: The user identifies what they want to achieve.

• Translating the goal into tasks: The user determines the actions needed to achieve the goal.

• Executing the action sequence: The user performs the actions.

• Perceiving the system state: The user observes the system's response to their actions.

The 'gulf of expectation' is a concept from Donald Norman's framework of human-computer interaction, outlined in his book The Design of Everyday Things. It refers to the gap between a user's intentions and the actions they need to take to achieve their goals with a system or device. Essentially, it measures how well a system translates the user's goals into actionable steps.

• True

• False

In user interface (UI) design, affordances are the properties of an object or element that suggest how it can be used. Essentially, they give users clues about what actions are possible.

• True - Affordances limit user interactions by restricting available options.

• False - Affordances define how users feel about an interface, not how they interact with it.

• True - Affordances indicate possible actions users can take based on object properties.

• False - Affordances refer to cost-effectiveness in UI development.

One example of poor UI leading to serious errors is the Therac-25 radiation therapy machine incident in the 1980s. The machine, used for cancer treatment, had a poorly designed user interface that contributed to several patients receiving massive overdoses of radiation, resulting in severe injuries and even deaths. One example of an error in the Therac-25 incident involved a race condition in the software. This occurred when operators quickly entered commands to change the treatment mode (e.g., from X-ray to electron beam). If the operator made the change too fast, the software failed to properly update the machine's state. As a result, the machine could deliver a high-energy electron beam without the necessary safety mechanisms in place, leading to massive overdoses of radiation. The type of error described above is:

• A slip, because this is a skill-based error involving incorrect execution, such as accidentally pressing the wrong button or clicking the wrong link. Slips occur when the user knows what they need to do but fails to perform it correctly which in this case is to correctly compensate for race condition.

• A lapse, because this is a skill-based error characterized by forgetting to perform an intended action or losing track of the current goal—for example, forgetting to save a file before closing a program, or to change the machine’s mode from producing X-rays to producing a high energy electron beam.

• A rule-based mistake, because the machine operator applied the wrong or inappropriate rule to a situation. The machine operators followed the normal procedure for inputting commands, but the system did not handle their input as expected due to the race condition. The operators were likely to be unaware of the system's limitations or the 'rules' governing safe operation under such conditions, leading to unintended consequences.

• A knowledge-based mistake, because the operators were likely to be unaware of the race condition, and assumed the system would handle rapid input changes safely, which reflects a lack of knowledge or incomplete understanding about the race condition.

What is the role of rapid prototyping in the ideation process, and what value does it bring?

• Rapid prototyping is employed to quickly create low-fidelity representations of design concepts, facilitating early testing and iteration, and its value is in uncovering insights, exploring ideas, and reducing risk.

• Rapid prototyping serves as a replacement for user testing, saving time and resources during the design process.

• Rapid prototyping helps validate user feedback during the 'Define' phase of the design thinking process.

• Rapid prototyping is used to document final design decisions, and its value lies in creating detailed specifications.