MSc-IT Study Material
June 2010 Edition

Computer Science Department, University of Cape Town
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Human Computer Interaction (HCI)

The Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town

2010


Table of Contents

1. Interactive Systems
Context
Objectives
Interactive Systems
The Past
The Present
The Future
Usefulness and Usability
Usefulness
Usability
Why is HCI important?
Productivity
Quality of Life
Safety-critical systems and disasters
Designing and Evaluating usefulness and usability
Design
Evaluation
The HCI Discipline
History
Who does HCI
Disciplines involved
The Rest of this Course
Online Resources
Activity 6 - Using the ACM Digital Library
Summary
Answers and Discussions
Discussion of Activity 1
Discussion of Activity 2
Discussion of Activity 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 1
Answer to Review Question 2
Answer to Review Question 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 5
Answer to Review Question 6
2. Does HCI Matter?
Context
Objectives
An Introductory Case Study
Activity 1
Unit Outline
Business
Quality of Life
Safety Critical Systems
Standards
Justifying Information System from a Cost Perspective
The Productivity Paradox
Cause and effect
An American phenomenon
Computerisation versus information technology
Refutations of the productivity paradox
So does the productivity paradox exist
Why designing for usability is sound economic practice
Deadlines
Features
Throwing mud against a wall
Releasing versions
The solution
Summary
Review Question 2
Review Question 3
Activity 2
The ethics and legality of usability
Users aren't programmers
An unwritten contract between developers and users
Legal requirements for usability
Safety critical systems
The Kegworth air disaster
The Paddington rail crash
Operator error
A widening of what a system is
Responsibility for safety critical systems
Standards
Usability standards and marketing user friendly products
Standards for software and hardware
Summary
Why usability is not considered an issue
The dancing bear
Jigsaw puzzles
Programmers aren't software designers just as brick layers aren't architects
Technological arrogance
Cognitive dissonance
Conclusion
Discussion Topics
Discussion 1
Discussion 2
Answers and Discussions
Answer to Review Question 1
Answer to Review Question 2
Answer to Review Question 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 5
Answer to Review Question 6
Discussion of Activity 2
Discussion of Activity 4
Some Points for Discussion 2
3. User Centred Design
Context
Objectives
Introduction
Review Question 1
Activity 1
Traditional Software Development
Waterfall Development
Designing
Evolutionary Development
Revolutionary Development
User Centred Design
Guidelines
Problems with guidelines
Usability Engineering
Problems with usability engineering
Rapid Prototyping
Different forms of prototype
Iterative design
Problems with prototyping
Design Rationale
Review Question 6
Modelling Techniques
Task analysis
User modeling
Interactive device modeling
Problems with modeling
Evaluation and User Feedback
Ways of Evaluating User Behaviour
Laboratory set evaluation
Ethnographic studies
Questionnaires
User interviews
Summary
Problems with Evaluation and User Feedback
Review Question 8
Guidelines for User Centred Designing
Extensions
Other development cycles
Is usability a science or craft skill?
The applied science cycle
The task artefact cycle
Psychology and sociology as useful theories for HCI?
Summary
Answers and Discussions
Answer to Review Question 1
Answer to Review Question 2
Answer to Review Question 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 5
Answer to Review Question 6
Answer to Review Question 7
Answer to Review Question 8
Discussion of Activity 1
Discussion of Activity 2
Discussion of Activity 3
Discussion of Activity 4
Discussion of Activity 5
4. Cognitive Psychology
Context
Objectives
Cognitive Psychology
Review Question 1
Review Question2
Visual Perception
Constructivism
Theory - Contextual Information
Application - Contextual information
Theory - World Knowledge
Application : World Knowledge
Gestalt psychology
Theory : Figure and Ground
Application : Figure and Ground
Too much foreground
Theory : Perceptual Organisation and grouping laws
Application : Perceptual Organisation and grouping laws
Grouping too closely
Ecologist
Theory - Optical flow and Invariants
Application - Optical flow and Invariants
Theory : Affordance
Application : Affordances (Donald Norman)
Reinforcing Affordances - Shading Convention
Culture
Activity 9
Discussion Topics
Answers and Discussions
Answer to Review Question 1
Answer to Review Question 2
Answer to Review Question 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 5
Answer to Review Question 6
Answer to Review Question 7
Answer to Review Question 8
Answer to Review Question 9
Discussion on Activity 1
Discussion on Activity 2
Discussion on Activity 3
Discussion on Activity 4
Discussion on Activity 5
Discussion on Activity 6
Discussion on Activity 7
Discussion on Activity 8
Discussion on Activity 9
5. Usability Implications of Perception and Memory - Introduction
Context
Objectives
Introduction
Sound in the Interface
Properties of sound and hearing
Use of sound in current and future interfaces
Implications for user interface design
Other Senses, Other Devices
Touch
Other Senses
Multiple modalities
Not all users are the same!
Review Question 1
Review Question 2
Review Question 3
Attention
Attention is..
The consequences of inattention
Factors that affect attentional focus
Implications for user interface design
The psychology of human memory
Knowledge in the head and knowledge in the world
Implications for user interface design
Discussion Topics
Answers and Discussions
Answer to Review Question 1
Answer to Review Question 2
Answer to Review Question 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 5
Answer to Review Question 6
Answer to Review Question7
Discussion on Activity 2
Discussion on Activity 3
Discussion on Activity 4
Discussion on Activity 7
Discussion on Activity 8
6. Design Guides
Context
Objectives
Introduction
Standards vs Guidelines
Design Guides
Design Principles
Learnability
Flexibility
Robustness
Activities & Review Questions
Activity 1 - Consistency for data display interface design
Activity 2 - Importance of producing standards for interface design
Activity 3 - Design principles and rules
Activity 4 - House style guides - corporate style guides
Activity 5 -User interface design principles
Activity 6 - User preemptive dialog
Activity 7 - Customisability
Review Questions
Discussion Topics
Answers and Discussions
Discussion of Activity 1
Discussion of Activity 2
Discussion of Activity 3
Discussion of Activity 4
Discussion of Activity 5
Discussion of Activity 6
Discussion of Activity 7
Answer to Review Question 1
Answer to Review Question 2
Answer to Review Question 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 5
Answer to Review Question 6
Answer to Review Question 7
7. Models of the User
Context
Review Question 1
Review Question 2
Objectives
Models of User Requirements and Context
Socio-technical Models
Soft-Systems Methodology
Participatory Design
Summary of User Requirements Modeling
Cognitive Modeling
GOMS
Interacting Cognitive Subsystems
Summary of Cognitive Modeling
Summary of User Modeling
Discussion Topics
Answers and Discussions
Answer to Review Question 1
Answer to Review Question 2
Answer to Review Question 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 5
Answer to Review Question 6
Discussion on Activity 1
Discussion on Activity 2
Discussion on Activity 3
Discussion on Activity 4
Discussion on Activity 5
Discussion on Activity 6
8. Task Analysis
Context
Objectives
Unit Plan
Introduction to this Topic
Domain tasks and device tasks
Data Acquisition
Design Evolution and Revolution
Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA)
Example
Exercise 1 HTA for word processing letter
Exercise 2 Re-designing computer-based procedure
Activity 1 - HTA for finding information
HTA Conclusion
Review Questions
Knowledge Based (KB) Analysis
Example
Exercise 3 KB analysis for the word-processor version of the letter writing task
Activity 2 taxonomic assessment of e-commerce sites
Review Question 6
Review Question 7
Entity Relationship (ER) Analysis
Example
Exercise 4 ER analysis for the word-processor version of the letter writing task
Activity 3 entity - relationship assessment of e-commerce sites
Review Question 8
Review Question 9
Review Question 10
Uses of Task Analysis
Discussion Topics
Use of HTA
Comparing KB and ER analysis
Answers and Discussions
Answer to Exercise 1
Answer to Exercise 2
Answer to Exercise 3
Answer to Exercise
Answer to Review Question 1
Answer to Review Question 2
Answer to Review Question 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 5
Answer to Review Question 6
Answer to Review Question 7
Answer to Review Question 8
Answer to Review Question 9
Answer to Review Question 10
Discussion on Activity 1
Discussion on Activity 2
Discussion on Activity 3
9. Evaluation
Objectives
Context
Activity 1 – Benefits of Waterfall Model
Activity 2 Other Models of Software Development
Approaches to Evaluation
Evaluating with Users
Evaluating with Evaluators
Model Based Evaluation
Summary of Evaluation
Purpose of the Evaluation
Stage of System Development
Type of Data
Considerations
Discussion Topics
Answers and Discussions
Answer to Review Question 1
Answer to Review Question 2
Answer to Review Question 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 5
Answer to Review Question 6
Discussion on Activity 1
Discussion on Activity 2
Discussion on Activity 3
Discussion on Activity 4
Discussion on Activity 5
Discussion on Activity 6
Discussion on Activity 7
Discussion on Activity 8
10. Advanced Topic: CSCW
Context
Objectives
Unit Outline
Introduction to CSCW
Review Question 1
Review Question 2
Review Question 3
How CSCW is used
Who uses CSCW systems
The geographical location of the user
The form of interaction
CSCW tools and applications
Computer mediated communication
Meeting support systems
Co-authoring and shared applications
Social interaction issues
Mental models
Social cues
CSCW impacts on social interaction
Communication
Environmental and task factors
Social, organisational and cultural norms
Designing CSCW systems
Designing for multiple users and their social interactions
Designing for collaborative work
Discussion Topics
Discussion 1
Discussion 2
Answers and Discussions
Answer to Review Question 1
Answer to Review Question 2
Answer to Review Question 3
Answer to Review Question 4
Answer to Review Question 5
Answer to Review Question 6
Answer to Review Question 7
Answer to Review Question 8
Discussion on Activity 1
Discussion on Activity 2
Discussion on Activity 3
Discussion on Activity 4
Comments on Discussion 1
Comments on Discussion 2

List of Tables

2.1. The effect of new management structures and IT on productivity. (From Brynjolfsson and Hill, 1998)
7.1. Memory parameters
7.2. Processor parameters
9.1. Between-groups design
9.2. Within-groups design