Lesson Tool 4: Interaction Design

After studying this lesson tool, you should:

▪ Know and be able to describe the different interface types that
current computer systems have
▪ understand and be able to give examples of specific interaction
design techniques, namely:
▪ low-fidelity prototyping
▪ high-fidelity prototyping
▪ conceptual design including interface metaphor
In this lesson tool, we discuss a small selection of topics that are
associated with interaction design. INF3720 – the third-level
module on HCI – covers the topic of interaction design in detail.
Here we look at the following:
▪ The different forms that interfaces of interactive systems
can take
▪ Some specific interaction design techniques
▪ An overview of the evaluation of interactive systems Prepared by Zwelo Makama -INF1520 eTutor
Interface Types 2. Advanced Graphical Interfaces
 Based on Preece et al (2019),It is important to consider the interface type to be  Graphical user interface (GUI) refers to any interactive system that uses pictures
used at the conceptual design phase or images to communicate information
▪ It is done for both design and practical purposes. ▪ Includes keyboard-based systems that only use graphics to present data.
 Preece et al (2007, 2014, 2019) list the different types of interfaces. ▪ Comprises walk-up and use systems where users interact by selecting
1. Command-Based Interfaces portions of a graphical image.
Advantages of Advanced Graphical User Interfaces
 These were mostly commonly used in earlier interfaces.
 Visibility:
▪ User had to respond to a prompt symbol appearing on the computer
display to which the system responded to.  Graphical displays can be used to represent complex relationships in data
sets that otherwise would not have been apparent – illustrated through bar
▪ Another characteristic: by pressing a combination of keys (e.g. Alt + charts and graphs
Control + Delete).
 Cross-cultural communication:
▪ Some commands included part of the keyboard such as Enter, Delete and
Undo, together with function keys (F5 to display a Power Point  Text-based interfaces have severe limitations in the world market.
presentation).
 Graphical interaction techniques are less limited.
• This interface been superseded by graphic interfaces with commands such as
menus, icons, keyboard shortcuts or pop-ups.  ISO standards for icons provide an international graphics language – a
lingua franca
Advantages of Command-Based Interfaces
 Impact and animation:
 Users find them easier and faster to use than equivalent menu-based systems
when performing certain operations as part of a complex software package. ▪ Graphical images have a greater intuitive appeal than text-based
interfaces, especially if they are animated.
 Been developed for impaired people to enable them to interact in virtual worlds.
▪ The use of such techniques may be beneficial in terms of the quality and
quantity of information conveyed.
▪ It may also be beneficial in improving user reactions to the system itself
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Disadvantages of Advanced Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)
Advanced graphical interfaces
 Clutter Involve interactive animations, multimedia, virtual environments, and
▪ Tendency to clutter graphical displays with a vast array of symbols visualisations.
and colours. Which creates perceptual problems Making it  Multimedia
difficult for users to extract the necessary information.
Includes graphics, text, video, sound and animations that the user
 Ambiguity can interact with.
▪ Graphical user interfaces depend on the fact that users are able to It supports quick access to multiple representations of information
associate some semantic information with the image. and is well suited for training, education and entertainment.

 Imprecision Problem: users tend to favour animations and video clips and ignore
accompanying text and static diagrams.
▪ Where GUI cannot convey enough information without textual
 Virtual reality and virtual environments
annotation.
Graphical simulations that create the illusion that the user is part of
 Slow speed the environment - gives users the experience of operating in 3D
▪ Graphical presentation techniques are unsuitable if there are : environments
Relatively low-bandwidth communication facilities, or Low-quality Virtual objects can be very true to life.
presentation devices.
Users in a virtual environment have either a
▪ The performance problems need not relate directly to graphical
• First-person perspective - see environment through own eyes
processing.
• Third-person perspective - see environment through eyes of
 Network delays may delay the presentation of results: Violates an avatar, an artificial representation of a real person
the rapid criteria for direct manipulation.
 Difficulty finding specific windows - Too many windows are open - can be
difficult for users to find a specific window. Prepared by Zwelo Makama -INF1520 eTutor
[Link]-Based Interfaces
Advantages of Speech Interfaces
 Graphical interfaces that are located on servers connected to the
 Useful to people with disabilities.
internet and are accessed by users through web browsers.
 Current technology allows more natural-sounding speech
 Web design is restricted by the available bandwidth and the than early synthesised speech.
associated download time and still relies heavily on the use of text.
 Expands the possibilities technology offers for children
Advantages of Web-Based Interfaces who cannot yet read.
 Popular speech technology - routing. Companies use
 Provides users with access to large volumes of information at the
automated speech system to enable users to reach one
click of a button (Sophisticated search engines such as Google, their services with the use of caller-led speech.
makes it easy to search for information on specific topics).
 Users can articulate queries by using Google Voice or
 Social Aspect :Allows people to connect quite easily with anybody Apple Siri.
anywhere in the world.  Speech-based apps enable people to use them with their
 However there’s issues (Disadvantages): mobile devices, which makes it more convenient than any
text-based entry.
▪ Large amounts of irrelevant information to search
Disadvantages of Speech Interfaces
through
 Relatively difficult to develop.
▪ Many sources are not trustworthy.
 May not be adaptable to different accents, voice pitches
4. Speech Interfaces and speech defects (lisping).
 Allows the user to talk to a system that has the capacity to interpret  They may misinterpret what the user says.
spoken language. Commonly used in systems that provide specific  The voice response may sound unnatural.
information or perform a specific transaction
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[Link], Gesture and Touchscreen Interfaces Advantages of Pen, Gesture and Touchscreen
➢ Personal digital assistants (PDAs) come with a pen for making on-screen Interfaces
selections, writing notes or making freehand sketches. Objects can also be
manipulated by making swiping or stroking gestures.  Increase speed and accuracy of input.
 Pen-based interfaces  Users use natural gestures to interact.
▪ Suitable for large displays  Provide options for users who may have difficulty
▪ Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
using the mouse and keyboard.
Pen for making on-screen selections, writing notes or making sketches.  Pens allows users to easily and quickly annotate
existing documents.
Objects can also be manipulated by making swiping or stroking gestures.
▪ Digital ink  Children can write with a stylus on a tablet PC
without making too many spelling errors
Convert text written on PDA screen or tablet into digital text.
 Gesture-based input
Disadvantages of Pen, Gesture and Touchscreen
Interfaces
▪ Involves camera capture and computer vision to detect arm and hand
gestures.  The flow of interaction may be interrupted
▪ Makes sign language interpreting systems possible.  Incorrect options may accidentally be chosen
▪ Latest systems use sensor technologies to detect touch, bend and speed  Movement and handwriting may be misinterpreted.
 Touchscreens  On small screens such as a PDA, is that
▪ Allow users to manipulate screen objects with their fingers. handwritten notes can also be converted and saved
▪ Function by detecting presence and location of human touch and react on
as standard typeface text using a pen-based
finger tapping, swiping, flicking, pinching and pushing device.

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[Link] Interfaces [Link] Interfaces
• Designed for handheld devices (cellphones) that are intended for use on  Different ways of interacting – including touch, sight, sound
the move. and speech – are combined so that users can experience or
control information in various ways.
• The space limitations compel designers to use buttons for multiple
purposes  Different input or output methods are used simultaneously
E.g. speech and gesture, or eye-gaze and gesture.
▪ E.g. single cellphone key can represent up to five characters and
is associated with a predefined number of presses of the key. Advantages of Multimodal Interfaces
▪ Elderly users find this particularly hard to use: Cellphones have  Allow more flexible interaction
been designed for elderly, they have bigger buttons and text,
 Can support users with disabilities or very young users
larger displays and big font sizes
Disadvantages of Multimodal Interfaces
 A small screen size restricts the font size and the amount of
information that can be displayed on the screen  Input needs to be calibrated for accurate interpretation
 Handheld devices (smartphones and iPads) : differ from PCs and  They are complex and difficult to implement
laptops in terms of size, portability and interaction style.  Expensive
▪ Early cellphones equipped with hard-wired, small and physical [Link] Interfaces
keyboards.
• Allow more than one user to interact with the system by
▪ Most modern smartphones are touch based with virtual pop-up providing multiple or simultaneous inputs.
keyboards and are interacted with by finger tapping.
▪ Tablets and smartphones are also increasingly used in
classrooms Prepared by Zwelo Makama -INF1520 eTutor
• Tabletop environments already exist that detects touch [Link] Interfaces
input from multiple users at the same time:
▪ Use an array of embedded antennae that each transmits a
• Described by Hornecker and Buur as “a broad range of systems and
unique signal. interfaces relying on embodied interaction, tangible manipulation and physical
▪ The users each sit on their own chair or mat which has a representation (of data), embeddedness in real space and digitally
receiver installed. augmenting physical spaces”.
▪ Through the user’s body, a signal goes from the tabletop to the
receiver and tells the computer which antenna was touched. • Use sensor-based interaction
• E.g. of shareable interface -> Roomware ▪ Usually RFID tags - stickers, cards or disks that store and retrieve
▪ Designed to integrate interactive furniture pieces, walls, table data through a wireless connection with a RFID transceiver
and chairs.
Advantages of Shareable Interfaces • Physical objects that contain sensors react to user input which can be in the
form of speech, touch or the manipulation of the object.
• Provide a large interactional space
• Supports flexible group work and sharing of • The effect can take place in the physical object (e.g. toy that reacts to
information spoken commands) or in some other place (e.g. on a computer screen).
▪ Enables group members to jointly create content • Used for urban planning and storytelling technologies
at the same time.
Advantages of Tangible Interfaces
Disadvantages of Shareable Interfaces
 Generally good for learning, design and collaboration.
• Separating personal and shared workspaces requires
specialised hardware and software and correct  Physical representations of real-life, manipulatable objects enable
positioning at the interface. visualisation of complex plans.
• Expensive to develop  Physical objects and digital representations can be positioned, combined,
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and explored in dynamic and creative ways, and can be held with both
 Suitable for young children ▪ Used for medical applications – such as
▪ Can assist with developing sensory awareness and general cognitive A scanned image of organs or unborn baby is projected onto body of patient to
development and to help understand abstract concepts help doctors to see what goes on inside someone’s body.

▪ E.g. PETS (Personal Electronic Teller of Stories) is a tangible Aviation - show the real plane landing, taking off, and taxiing, and for poor
storytelling system that allows children to create their own interface – a weather conditions
soft, robotic toy. Advantages Augmented and Mixed-Reality Interfaces
 More than one person can explore the interface together and objects can be • Enhance perception of the real world & support training and education
placed on top of, beside and inside each other. (simulators).
▪ Encourage different ways of representing and exploring a problems • Everyday graphical representations such as maps, can be overlaid with
space. additional dynamic information, such as with:
Disadvantages of Tangible Interfaces ▪ Fish finders
• Development costs
▪ AR apps can guide a person holding a phone while walking.
• Inaccurate mapping between actions and their effects Disadvantages Augmented and Mixed-Reality Interfaces
• Incorrect placement of digital feedback • The added information could become distracting
• Users may have difficulty to distinguish between the real and the virtual world
[Link] and Mixed-Reality Interfaces • Expensive systems
 Virtual representations = superimposed on physical devices and objects
11. Wearable Interfaces
 Mixed-reality environment = views of the real world are combined with views  Involve input and output devices that are integrated with normal apparel
of a virtual environment.
such as headgear or goggles.

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Advantages of Wearable Interfaces  Designed to be used with games that encourage users to
• Mobile and less restrictive than desk-based technologies or even mobile explore different parts of a game or story by clicking on different
technologies. parts of the screen.
• Create a sense of realism  Developed for mostly training, educational and entertainment
• Provide immediate feedback
purposes.

▪ Helpful in the detection of medical conditions  Hands-on interactive simulations have also been incorporated
as part of multimedia learning environments.
• E.g. A sensor built into running shoes so their progress during a race can
be monitored Advantages of Multimedia Interface
Disadvantages of Wearable Interfaces  Ability to facilitate rapid access to multiple representations of
• Uncomfortable because of their size and weight information.

• Restricted battery life ▪ Work well in digital libraries because they provide an
assortment of audio and visual materials on a certain topic.
[Link] Interfaces
[Link] Reality (VR)
• Implies the use of a combination of different media within a single interface,
namely graphics, text, video, sound and animation. • Uses computer-generated graphical simulations to create the
illusion of participation in a synthetic environment.
• Link the different combinations of media with other forms of interactivity. o
E.g. users can click on hotspot or link in an image or text that leads to • Refers to the experience of interacting with an artificial
another part of programme where user might find a video or animation. environment.
• Combining media and interactivity provides better ways of presenting • Widely used in retail and property sectors.
information and of doing it in different formats.
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Disadvantages of EARLY VR:  Robots
• Users found head-mounted displays difficult to use and ▪ Computational devices that have the physical appearance and
uncomfortable to wear. behaviour of humans or animals.
• Caused motion sickness ▪ Can go into small or dangerous places or do manual repetitive tasks.
• Too expensive. ▪ Domestic robots can help in the house, and assist the disabled /
elderly to pick up objects from the floor or to cook meals.
Yet, VR headsets are now more affordable and more accurate
head tracking allows developers to create compelling games, ▪ Pet-like robots - developed to host events or act as a companion
movies, and virtual environments.
 Drones
Advantage of Virtual Reality
▪ Unmanned aircraft controlled remotely
• Provide opportunities for new kinds of immersive experience by
enabling users to interact with objects and navigation in 3D ▪ Have become more affordable, accessible and easier to fly.
space. ▪ Used:
▪ 3D software toolkits make the programming of a virtual Entertainment industry to carry drinks and food around
environment easier.
Agriculture to fly over farm lands and vineyards to collect data,
• High fidelity of simulations of the real world compared to other
forms of graphic interfaces such as multimedia. ▪ Can fly very low and stream photos to a ground station where
images are stitched onto maps and then used to assist decision
making.
[Link] and Drone Interfaces ➢ Information Visualisation and Dashboard Interfaces
 Enable users to move and steer a remote robot. Information visualisation (infoviz) : Computer- generated graphics of complex
data which are interactive and dynamic.

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Examples ➢ Consumer Electronics and Appliances – includes:
 Tree maps to visualise file systems to enable users to • Machines for everyday use in public, at home or in a car.
understand why they are running out of disk space or realise
how much space different applications take up ▪ Washing machines, microwaves, dish washers, DVD
 Represent changes in stock prices and shares over time players, navigation systems.
Aim of information visualisation interfaces: • Personal devices
• Amplify human cognition by enabling users to see patterns, trends ▪ MP3 players, digital clocks and digital cameras.
and anomalies in the visualisation and to gain insight from it.
What does the use of consumer electronic appliances
• Facilitate discovery, decision-making and the explanation of
phenomena. have in common with personal devices?
Dashboards  Users try to get something done in the shortest period of
• Popular form of visualising information time. E.g. switching on washing machine, watching a TV
programme, buying a ticket, setting the time, or taking a
• Show screenshots of data updated over periods of time to be read at
snapshot.
a glance.
• More interactive and slices of data depict the current state of a  Consumers are unlikely to read a manual to see how they
system or process. are supposed to use the appliance.
Disadvantage of dashboards
• Poor visual design of dashboards by software vendors.
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Continues……Lesson Four
INTERACTION DESIGN TECHNIQUES
The iterative interaction design process involves:
1. Identify users’ needs and requirements
2. Develop alternative designs according to those requirements
3. Build interactive versions (prototypes) of those designs
4. Evaluate the users’ experience of the product.

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 Good interaction design is the philosophy of user-centred Prototypes
design, which means that users are involved throughout the
development.  Limited representation of a design that allows users to interact
and to explore usability.
 Can range from a simple, paper-based storyboard of the
interface screens to a computer-based, functionally reduced
version of the actual system.
 Advanced into 3D printing technology.
Prototypes have several functions:
1. Provide a way to test different design ideas, especially during
the evaluation of ideas.
2. Act as a communication medium within the design team
Members test their ideas on the prototype and the team
discusses their ideas.
3. Act as a communication medium between designers and
Williges and Williges users or clients.
• Classic model of software development - interface design Designers can explain to users and clients their own
drives overall design process. understanding of what the system should look like and what it
• Idea = by identifying user requirements early on in the software should be able to do and get feedback.
development process, code generation and modification effort 4. Help designers to choose between alternative designs.
will be reduced.
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Low-Fidelity Prototypes Examples of low-fidelity prototyping are:
 A cheap mock-up of a system. • Storyboards
 Does not use the material that the final product will be ▪ A series of simple images representing the screens show how the
made of, and it may not even look like the intended user will progress through an application.
system.
 Conveys basic components and functionality of the ▪ Used to demonstrate to consumers how they need to navigate
system and can fulfil the purpose. through a task.

 A prototype will use materials such as paper and • Sketching - More detailed sketches of the interface, including what the icons
cardboard rather than electronic screen material with will look like. Requires better drawing abilities than storyboards.
limited functionality, or only represent the functions but
not perform any. • Index cards

Advantages of Low-Fidelity Prototypes ▪ Each card represents a screen or an element of a task, and the user
can be taken through different sequences of these.
▪ Cheap and simple, and can be produced or
adapted very quickly • Wizard of Oz
▪ Useful if designers have just begun and still need ▪ A basic software-based prototype, but it still lacks functionality.
to explore different ideas.
▪ User uses it as if it had all the functionality - feedback provided by
 Low-fidelity prototypes are not meant to become part of someone in a different room at a computer connected to the user’s
the real system – they are usually thrown away when computer.
they have served their purpose (or are kept for
sentimental reasons). High-Fidelity Prototypes
 Resemble the final system - Usually use same materials that would be
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• Developed by modifying and integrating existing components – hardware and Conceptual Design
software
• Involves turning users’ needs and requirements into a conceptual
▪ Requires software tools and programming skills.
• Conceptual model, according to Preece:
▪ Windows programming languages, like Delphi and Visual Basic, are
powerful prototyping tools and can be used by someone with basic ▪ A “high-level description of how a system is organised and operates”
programming skills. • Described by Shneiderman as:
• Can gradually develop into the final product = evolutionary prototyping ▪ “transforming requirements into a conceptual model.”
• It is not a description of the interface but it gives an idea of what users can do
with a system and what concepts they need to be familiar with in order to use it.
▪ Prototypes is a way of getting the conceptual model of the intended
system right.
Principles by Preece to follow when doing the conceptual design:
• Keep an open mind but always think of the users and their context.
• Discuss the design ideas with all stakeholders as often as possible.
• Use low-fidelity prototyping to get quick feedback.
• Iterate and repeat the above until have the correct conceptual design.

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The conceptual-design process requires the designer to Two important factors in conceptual design are interface metaphors
determine: and the interface type.
▪ How the functions to be performed will be divided between the Interface Metaphors
system and the users
• Important component of any conceptual model.
▪ How these functions relate to each other
• Provides a structure that is similar to some aspects of a familiar
▪ What information should be available to perform these entity, but it also has its own behaviours and properties.
functions.
• Used to explain something that is hard to grasp by comparing it with
With the conceptual model, it is important to understand how people will something that is familiar and easy to grasp.
interact with the product - Interaction with product requirements will
emerge from functionality requirements. • E.g. Windows desktop–computer screen is like a desktop and folders
and applications are like things we could in real-life have on top of a
Preece identified a variety of issues which concept designers desk.
should understand.
• Metaphor chosen for an interface must fit the task and be suitable for
They relate to how to interact with a product: intended users.
▪ Who will the user be? ▪ Metaphors that appeal to adults may have no meaning for
children.
▪ What kind of interaction will be used?
• Can also be used to turn something that is potentially boring into an
▪ What kind of interface will be used? engaging experience – E.g. learning multiplication - Timez Attack
▪ Terminology, metaphors, and the application domain need to children’s game
be understood. • Purpose of a metaphor is to provide a familiar structure for
interaction.

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Interface Types
Evaluation of interactive systems - key aspect of HCI (Interaction design in particular)
• When doing the conceptual design:
• Evaluation refers to validation of an interactive system against HCI requirements.
• Designers should not be influenced by a specific
predetermined interface type. • Any design should be assessed and all systems should be tested to ensure that they meet the
user requirements.
May stifle design process and cause good solutions
to be overlooked. • Not a single phase that comes at end of the design process, but activity repeated throughout
design process to provide feedback on the design right from the beginning.
• Reinterpret an initial conceptual design for all the different
types of interfaces and consider the effect that the change in 3 main goals of evaluation
interface type has on the design.  To assess the extent of the system’s functionality
Preece identified 4 different types of interaction:  To assess the effect of the interface on the user
1. Instructing  To identify specific problems with the system
2. Conversing
3. Manipulating and Dix and Williges and Williges (1984) distinguish between formative and
4. Exploring summative evaluation.

These interaction types will depend on:

• The application domain
• The kind of product being developed
• If it would be suited to the current design.
Any system comes with constraints on the type of interface that
can be used.

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We can summarise how evaluation fits into the design life cycle as 3 Main Evaluation Approaches
follows:
[Link] Testing
• During the early design stages, evaluation is done to:
• Usability laboratories with audio & video recording facilities, and
▪ Predict the usability of a product or an aspect of it specialised hardware & software to record and analyse users behaviour
▪ Check if design team understands user requirements by evaluating when using a system.
how an existing system is being used in the field Gives evaluator control over conditions of the study but removes
▪ Test ideas quickly and informally as part of envisioning a possible the natural context which may be important in the use of the system.
design • During usability testing,
• Later in the design process, the focus shifts to:
Typical users perform selected tasks while their actions are recorded.
▪ Identifying user difficulties so the product can be fine-tuned to meet
their needs The evaluator:

▪ Improving an upgrade of the product • Analyses data collected to judge performance

Evaluation plays a major role in interaction design. Without some form of • Identifies errors
evaluation, it is impossible to know if the system satisfies the needs of the • Explains user behaviour.
users and to determine how well it fits the physical, social and organisational
context in which it will be used. • Should not directly interact with user in a way that can skew
results.
How to Evaluate
Idea = derive some measurable observations that can be analysed
• Can be done in laboratories or in the real-life environment where system
using statistical techniques - requires specialist skills in HCI.
will be used
• Usually supplemented with interviews and satisfaction questionnaires.
• Evaluation methods and the evaluation setting are closely linked.
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[Link] Studies Other evaluation techniques that can be combined with 3 main methods, or performed as part
of these methods are cooperative and scenario-based evaluation techniques.
• Evaluation done in natural settings / real environment – difficult to set up.
Cooperative Evaluation Techniques
• Aim is to understand what users do naturally and to examine how the
technology affects them in the real-life environment. Useful during the formative stages of design.
• The evaluator can be an: Less hypothesis-driven & good way of getting user feedback on partial implementations.
Outsider that observes and records what is happening, or Insider or The approach is extremely simple:
participant to experience impact of the technology first-hand.
▪ Evaluators sit with users while they work their way through a series of tasks.
• Subjects can be influenced by presence of researchers in working
environment. Occur in the working context or a quiet room away from shop floor.

• Avoids irritation that can be created by use of interviews and questionnaires. ▪ Designers use low-fidelity prototyping or partial implementations of final interface.

• Requires a considerable amount of skill ▪ Evaluators free to talk to users as they perform their tasks, but not distract them.

[Link] Evaluation ▪ If user requires help, designer should offer it and note down problems context

 A heuristic evaluation that involves experts who use heuristics and ▪ Main point is that subjects should vocalise thoughts as they work with the system.
knowledge of typical users to predict usability problems, OR, ▪ Records of observations must be kept for analysis - notes or record sessions.
 Walk-throughs where experts “walk through” typical tasks. Advantages
 Users need not be present, and prototypes can be used in the evaluation. Low-cost technique that is very effective for providing rough-and-ready feedback. Users
 Popular heuristics were designed for screen-based applications and are feel directly involved in the development process - Contrast with experimental approaches -
inappropriate for technologies like mobiles and computerised toys. users feel constrained by rules of testing

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Disadvantages: Advantages Scenario-Based Evaluation
 Provides qualitative feedback and not measurable results.
 Different design options can be evaluated against a common test
▪ Process produces opinions and not numbers.
suite.
 Ineffective if designers are unaware of the political and other
pressures that might bias a user’s responses (influence them either ▪ Users can provide focussed feedback about system to
positively or negatively). perform critical tasks.
Scenario-Based Evaluation
▪ Direct comparisons can be made between the alternative
 Scenarios are informal narrative descriptions of possible situations. designs.
 In interface design, it is a sample trace of interaction.
 Scenarios help to identify and test design ideas early on.
 Forces designers to identify key tasks in the requirements gathering
stage of design Disadvantages Scenario-Based Evaluation
 As design progresses, these tasks are used to form a case book
(containing standard tests) against which any potential interface is  Can focus designers’ attention upon a small selection of tasks.
assessed.
▪ Some functionality remains untested, and users become
 Evaluation continues by showing the user what it would be like to
complete these standard tests using each of the interfaces. familiar with small set of examples.
 Typically, users are asked to comment on the proposed design in an  Difficult to derive measurable data from the use of scenario-
informal way. based techniques.
▪ Done by presenting them with sketches or simple mock-ups of the final system.
▪ Must be used in conjunction with other approaches such as
usability testing
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Query techniques Advantages Interviews
 Evaluator can:
The two main types of query techniques are interviews and
questionnaires. ▪ Vary the level of questioning to suit the context
▪ Probe user for more information on relevant issues which arise spontaneously
[Link]
[Link]
 Involves asking users questions about their experiences with
 Consists of fixed questions relating to interaction with the system being evaluated.
the system under evaluation. For an interview to be effective:
 When used for the purpose of evaluation, users complete the questionnaire after
 Interviewer must plan it carefully by preparing specific completing a given task or set of tasks.
questions or making a list of topics to address.
 Less flexible than interviews, but has several advantages:
▪ Help to focus interview and to keep issues discussed with Advantages Questionnaires
different users consistent.
 Larger number of users can be included in the evaluation

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 Should not be overly structured so interviewer can easily adapt ▪ Less time-consuming
questioning to suit users.
▪ Less Labour intensive
 Structured interviews are easier to conduct and analyse than  Results can be analysed more rigorously
flexible interviews.
 Different styles of questions can be used
▪ May miss important details relating to the user’s ▪ Open-ended questions - allows user to freely give his or her opinion
experience which a more flexible interview would have
▪ Closed questions - multiple-choice or ranked questions.
picked up.
 Can be completed in
 A good compromise is a semi-structured interview which is
▪ Fixed sessions or ,
based on leading questions but has the flexibility to investigate
promising or unanticipated directions. ▪ Administered independent of time and place, and without an evaluator
Heuristic Evaluation  Heuristic evaluation should be used along with other techniques
 Developed by Jakob Nielsen and his colleagues (Nielsen  Several evaluators should take part in the evaluation
1994).
List of Nielsen’s evaluation heuristics formulated as questions:
 User interface design experts evaluate the user interface
1. How good is the visibility of system status?
according to usability principles known as heuristics.
2. Is there a clear match between the system and the real world?
The process of heuristic evaluation involves 3 steps:
3. Do users have control when needed and are they free to explore
1. Briefing: Experts are told what to do.
when necessary?
2. Evaluation: Each expert spends a few hours taking at
4. Does the user interface display consistency and adherence to
least two passes through the interface, using the
standards?
heuristics to identify problems.
5. Does interface help users to recognise and diagnose errors, and
3. Debriefing: Experts meet to discuss their evaluations,
to recover from them?
prioritize problems and suggest solutions.
6. How good is the error prevention?
Advantage
7. Does the interface rely on recognition rather than on recall?
 Fewer practical and ethical issues to take into account as
users are not involved. 8. How flexible and efficient is it to use?
Disadvantage 9. How good is the interface in terms of aesthetics and minimalist
(clear & simple) design?
 Experts often identify problems that aren’t really problems. o
Suggests that 10. Is adequate help and documentation available
Prepared by Zwelo Makama -INF1520 eTutor