The History Of Human Computer Interaction

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Introduction

In this lesson, interaction design is introduced in terms of reducing the negative aspects of the user and promoting the positive ones. Also, the difference between good and bad design is illustrated through the use of a voice mail system example.

Learning Outcomes

Become familiar with the aim of interaction design.

Understand the difference between good and bad design.

Terminology

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Word

Definition

1.1 Introduction to Interaction Design

Interactive products have become an integral part of our day to day lives. Take a step back and think about the interactive products that you use every day; Mobile phone, computer, remote control, coffee machine, vending machine, ATM, printer, iPod, Navigation system and so on. The list is endless. As well as thinking about the interactive products, think of their usability. Are they easy to use? Effortless? Enjoyable? Some interactive are easy and enjoyable to use such as the iPod or a mobile phone. Other interactive products may be more difficult and complex to use such as an overhead projector that is not recognizing the connected laptop. What makes an interactive product easy to use while making another one difficult?

Interactive products and applications are designed and developed in order to suit the users’ needs, for example a smart phone or social media sites such as Facebook. Applications such as these are generally easy and pleasing to use for the user as they are not complex or too demanding. However, even the smallest function of an interactive product such as switching from TV to DVD mode using the remote control could ruin an enjoyable experience (if the user cannot work out how it is done).

Reducing the negative aspects (anger, user frustration, annoyance) of the user experience is the main aim of interaction design. This also needs to be achieved while promoting the positive aspects (enjoyment, engagement, ease of use, user friendliness). Combining these two aims together, the aim of interaction design is for designers to develop products that are easy, effective, and pleasurable to use from the point of view of the user.

In this lecture, we look at interaction design in terms of good and poor design, identifying the factors that influence the user experience, be it positively or negatively.

1.2 Good and Poor Design

Usability is a focal point when it comes to interactive product design. The products that are designed have to be usable by users, regardless of ability and expertise. For this part of the lecture, we will be comparing well and poorly designed interactive products, as this is the best way in order to communicate the various factors that contribute to the good/bad design. The strengths and weaknesses of each product is identified, giving us a better idea of what makes an interactive product usable. We will look at a voice mail system.

1.2.1 Voice Mail System

This scenario is set at a hotel room where you have just arrived, realizing that you have forgotten your mobile phone, you now have to rely on the hotel’s telephone facilities. You know that the hotel has a voice mail system for each room. You need to find out if you have any messages so you pick up the phone. If you hear three beeps (‘beep, beep, beep’) then there is a message. However, you do not know how to access this message but find a set of instructions beside the phone that you need to read. You read the instructions and follow the first step:

Step 1 – ‘Hit 55’. You press 5 twice on the keypad causing the system to respond as follows:

"You have reached the hotel’s voice message center. Please enter the room number you want to leave a message to"

After hearing this, you presume more options will follow, explaining how you can access your recorded messages but there are no further instructions. Confused, you look at the instruction sheet and follow the second step:

Step 2 – ‘Hit *, your room number, and #’. You press *97# on the keypad the system to respond as follows:

‘The mailbox for room 97 is reached. To leave a message, please type in your password’

Now you realize that this is not what you want to do, as you want to listen to any messages that are left for you, not wanting to leave a message for yourself. As well as being confused, the voice mail system starts to irritate you as you do not know the needed password and you type your room number but it does not work, and you have not been notified of this before hand as well as not been provided with any information on how to find your password. You give up and phone the hotel reception who explains to you how to listen to your messages, record a message as well as telling you your password. After being told that to access your recorded messages, you need to follow a complex 6 step procedure, you decide to go to the shops and buy yourself a new mobile phone!

What are the problems with the hotel’s voice mail system?

It is confusing.

It is not efficient as it demands the user to carry out many steps in order to complete basic tasks, making it difficult to use.

It is not obvious what to do and two sets of instructions existed; one on the sheet of paper and one through the voice mail system itself. Also, the instructions themselves are not clear as they do not explain how one finds out his password for example.

To find out how many messages you have, you need to pick up the phone and follow many steps. This could be solved by displaying the number of messages one has on a display on the handset itself.

Now imagine you went to a different hotel and you realized you have forgotten your mobile and decide to use the hotel’s voice mail system. You approach the telephone handset in your room to find designated buttons for ‘recorded messages’ and a button allowing you to ‘leave a message’ as well as being provided with the password (see Figure 1.1). Finally, this telephone set allows you to instantly know how many messages are left for you. This would save you a lot of time and stress and would make the experience a lot easier and pleasurable to use, compared to the previous, poorly designed system.

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Recorded Messages

Leave Message

Password = Fudge

Number of messages left for you = 6

Figure 1.1: Well designed Telephone/Voice Mail System

1.3 Interaction Design

What is interaction design? It can be defined as follows; "Designing interactive products to support the way people communicate and interact in their everyday and working lives". In other words, it is the creation of an environment that supports and enhances the way people work, communicate, and interact with one another. Other terms such as user interface design, software design, user-centered design, product design, web design, and interactive system design all fall under the umbrella term of ‘interaction design’. All of these terms require many expert developers from many disciplines and fields. Interaction design takes in many disciplines that are needed in order for the design of interactive products to be a user friendly one that facilities and enhances the communication between users. For example, psychology and cognitive science experts are needed as well as experts in the fields of computer science and the social sciences (see Figure 1.2).

Interaction Design

Psychology/Cognitive Science

Design Informatics

Computer Science/Software Engineering

Social Sciences (Sociology, Anthropology)

Ubiquitous Computing

Graphic Design

Product Design

Artist Design

Industrial Design

Film Industry

Academic Disciplines

Design Practices

Figure 1.2: Disciplines and Practices Involved in Interaction Design

Figure 1.2 shows the number of disciplines and practices involved in interaction design. This means that a large number of people are involved in the design and development stage of interactive design. This is due to the fact that designers need to know many things about users before developing a product, they also need to know the technologies that is available to them and how it interacts with other technologies that is needed, in order to develop an interactive product that will provide the user with an effective user experience. Designers need to understand how people interact and communicate with one another and how the emotions of human beings function in order to design products that have the correct aesthetics and desirability. As well as understanding the way humans/user behave and interact, designers also need to understand how the business side of things works, as well as the marketing and manufacturing side. It is however very difficult for one designer to be an expert in all of these disciplines and fields, this is why many experts in their fields are needed such as engineers, designers, programmers, psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists and artists. However, these various personnel are not always present as this depends on the company size (that is making the interactive product), the budget, and the company’s design philosophy.

Summary

In this lesson, the following has been discussed:

In this lesson, interaction design is introduced in terms of reducing the negative aspects of the user and promoting the positive ones. Also, the difference between good and bad design is illustrated through the use of a voice mail system example.

Exercises

See Lecture 2