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INF385P – Intro to Usability
Week 3 – Usability Life Cycle
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Course web site . . .
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• http://courses.ischool.utexas.edu/Bias_R
andolph/2011/Spring/385P/index.html
• Thanks, Jessica.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Design of Everyday Things
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• It ain’t rocket science.
• You’ve already read the book.
• Let me hit just the high points from my point
of view
• While I’m presenting this, see if you can
characterize your good and bad web
designs that you’ve discovered this week in
Norman’s terms.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Chapter 1
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• The PsychoPATHOLOGY of everyday
things
• Assumption: We blame ourselves for
errors, but the real culprit is faulty
design.
• Assumption: There’s nothing special
about computers. They have the same
sorts of design problems as simpler,
everyday things.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Good Design
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• Well designed objects . . .
– are easy for the mind to understand
– contain visible cues to their operation
• Poorly designed objects . . .
– provide no clues, or
– provide false clues.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Natural Signals
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• Natural signals lead to natural design.
• A metal plate “naturally” is to be pushed.
• Visible hinges “naturally” indicate
attachment, and that the other side
swings open. (And swings open
TOWARD me?)
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Mapping
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• Mapping is a relationship between two
things (e.g., between what you want to
do and what is possible).
• Good design allows for a clear (visible)
mapping between . . .
– intended actions and
– actual operations.
• Now -- think of what this might mean in a
web site.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Good Design
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• Principles of good design
– the importance of visibility
– appropriate clues
– feedback of ones actions.
• Just so you’ll know -- others have proposed
OTHER principles of good design. Go
check out the web site of Bruce Tognazzini:
http://www.asktog.com/basics/firstPrinciples.html
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Affordance
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• Affordance is the perceived and actual properties of a
thing.
– Primarily those fundamental properties that determine
how a thing could possibly be used.
– “Affords” means, basically, “is for.”
– A chair affords support, therefore affords sitting.
• Affordances provide strong clues to things’ operations.
• When affordances are taken advantage of, the user
knows what to do just by looking.
– No label, picture, or instruction (“Push”) is required.
• When simple things need pictures, labels, or instructions,
the design has failed.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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The Paradox of Technology
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– Added functionality generally comes along
at the price of added complexity.
– The same technology that simplifies life by
providing more functions also complicates
life by making the device harder to learn
and use.
– The Paradox of Technology should never
be used as an excuse for poor design.
– Added complexity cannot be avoided when
functions are added, but with clever design
they can be minimized.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Chapter 2 -- Psy of Everyday
Actions
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• Norman’s credo on errors -- if an error is
possible, someone will make it.
• The designer must design so as to:
– minimize the chance of errors in the first
place
– minimize the effects of an error
– make errors easy to detect
– make errors reversible, if possible.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Models
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• Mental Models = our conceptual models of the way . . .
– objects work
– events take place
– people behave
• Mental models result from our tendency to form
explanation of things.
• Models are essential in helping us . . .
– understand our experiences
– predict the outcomes of our actions
– handle unexpected occurrences.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Models (cont’d.)
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• We base our models on whatever knowledge we have:
– real or imaginary
– naïve or sophisticated
– even fragmentary evidence.
• Everyone forms theories (mental models) to explain
what they have observed.
• In the absence of feedback to the contrary, people are
free to let their imaginations run free.
• More on models in Chapter 3.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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7 Stages of Action
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•
On p. 47 is a series of four figures that
illustrate Norman’s view of the structure
of action.
• Actions have two major aspects:
1. Doing something (execution)
2. Checking (evaluation)
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Chapter 3 - Knowledge in the
Head and in the World
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• Not all knowledge required for precise
behavior must be in the head. It can be
distributed:
– partly in the head
– partly in the world
– partly in the constraints of the world.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Constraints
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• The power of constraints -- the “memory” for epic poetry
is found to be mostly reconstruction, with the aid of the
constraints of rhyme, meter, etc.
• We use constraints to simplify what we must remember.
• For example, putting mechanical parts together.
– Some are constrained by what will and will not fit
together.
– Also cultural constraints -- screws tighten clockwise.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Memory
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• . . . is knowledge in the head.
• Think of all you can remember. Phone
numbers, postal codes, passwords,
SSN, birthdays, etc., etc.
• It’s tough!
– So, we put memory in the world.
(Daytimers. Smartphones. Address books.
Stickies.)
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Tradeoff . . .
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• . . . between info in the world and in the
head.
– Knowledge in the world acts as its own
reminder.
– Knowledge in the head is efficient. (You can
travel light.)
– Knowledge in the world is easier (no learn
time), but often difficult to use. Relies heavily
on the physical presence of info.
• See Fig. 3.6, p. 79.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Ch. 4 -- Knowing what to do
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• When we encounter a novel object,
either
– We’ve dealt with something similar before,
and we transfer old knowledge, or
– We get instruction.
• Thus, information in the head.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Design
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• How can the design of an object (NOTE:
info in the world) signal the appropriate
actions?
– Natural (physical) constraints
– Affordances, that convey messages about the
item’s possible uses, actions, and functions
• “The thoughtful uses of affordances and
constraints together in design lets a user
determine readily the proper course of
action even in a novel situation.”
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Ch. 5 - To err is human
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• Errors come in several forms
– Slips -- result from automatic behavior,
when subconscious actions get waylaid en
route (“performance errors”)
– Mistakes -- result from conscious
deliberations (“competence errors”)
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Ch. 6 -- The Design Challenge
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• Norman talks about what forces work
against evolutionary, or natural design
(pp. 142-143).
– The demands of time (quick product cycles)
– The pressure to be distinctive (related to the
curse of individuality)
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Pitfalls
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Three reasons why designers go
astray:
1. Putting aesthetics first
2. Designers aren’t typical users
3. Designers’ clients may not be the users
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Ch. 7 - UCD
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• Chapter 7 is the “punch line” of the whole
book.
• User-Centered Design
• Most of the chapter is given over to
describing “seven principles for
transforming difficult tasks into simple
ones.”
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Etc.
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• He goes on to offer a section on why you
might want to design something to be
hard to use ON PURPOSE.
• And he ends with a few sections on
writing, the home of the future, and a
concluding section.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Now . . .
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• Let’s try to put it in Norman’s terms why
the good designs were good and the bad
designs were bad. (“Some important
feature was, or was not, visible.”)
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Homework – Now remember, WHY are we looking
at these? For the yucks?
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http://courses.ischool.utexas.edu/Bias_Randolph/2011/Spr
ing/385P/design_examples.html
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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General, kinda, process flow
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• Someone has an idea for a product/site.
– Maybe there was a problem that needs to be fixed,
or an identified efficiency
• Gotta figure out WHAT to build – Gather user
requirements
• Build something – Scientific underpinnings, Design
support
• Don’t be satisified with the first design – employ
iterative design approach -- Evaluation
• Don’t just thrown your findings “over the transom” -Advocacy
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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User Profiles
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• Or “personas.”
• From www.uxmatters.com: “In the UX world,
we know the value of personas. Personas do
all of this for us:
– They lend a personal face to our user population.
– They provide guidance for design.
– They help us understand who it is we are designing
for.
– They fill in for users when you can’t—or it isn’t
practical to—talk to them.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Some resources
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• http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2009/0
9/whats-my-persona-developing-a-deep-anddimensioned-character.php
• Building A Data-backed Persona by Andrea
Wiggins, boxesandarrows.com
– http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/building-adata
• Getting Started with Building Personas by
Howard Kaplan, FutureNow Inc.
– http://www.futurenowinc.com/resources/FutureNow
_Getting_Started_with_Building_Personas.pdf
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Not just demographics
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• BUT ALSO
– Knowledge
– Interests
– Goals
– Activities
– Expectations
– Influencers
– Frustrations
– Pain points
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Checklist for creating personas
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From “Personas: Focusing on getting the design right – Part 1”
by: Fiona Meighan
http://www.apogeehk.com/articles/Personas_Focusing_on_getting_t
he_design_right_Part1.html
– Find out about user goals through interviews and observing real end
users
– Ensure personas are created based on primary data you've collected
– Ensure personas are specific
– Include the key user goals only
– Ensure each persona has a name, age, family and occupation.
– The persona data should provide enough information for decisions to
be made and feature creep to be avoided.
– Design for a primary persona and possibly a secondary persona. The
goal is to narrow down who your team is designing for
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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General resources
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• http://courses.ischool.utexas.edu/Bias_Randolph/2010
/Fall/INF385P/index.html
• www.useit.com
• http://www.usability.gov/
• http://www.upassoc.org/ and
http://www.upassoc.org/usability_resources/index.html
• http://www.stcsig.org/usability/
• http://www.hfes.org/web/Default.aspx
• http://www.sigchi.org/
• http://hcibib.org/
• You’ll find others!
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Class wiki (template) . . .
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• http://courses.ischool.utexas.edu/rbias/wi
ki/
• Username: seven
• Password: plusorminustwo
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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Let’s do some work on the wiki
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• Pick one of these general categories
• Go look at what’s already up there. THAT’S NOT
ENOUGH.
• See what else you might find to add.
• Check out DocuWiki guide for help with how to add
info.
– Scientific Underpinnings
– Requirements Gathering
– Design support
– Evaluation
– Advocacy/Business
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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So, my vision . . .
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• Over the next 3 or 4 or 5 weeks you wiki “teams” will:
– Find all sorts of pertinent resources, link to them
from our wiki
– Incorporate book reviews and white papers as
appropriate
– Come up with some design-a-rama for the wiki –
maybe some visuals, some IA
– At some point we’ll “go live” – ooh, first perhaps
one team of two will do as their final project a
usability evaluation of the usability wiki!
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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For next week
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• Send me your white paper topics. Due 4
weeks from today.
• Book reviews due in 2 weeks.
• More reading per syllabus.
• Usability test plan (for your final project) due in
6 weeks. Will help with pointers to templates.
R. G. Bias | School of Information | UTA 5.424 | Phone: 512 471 7046 | rbias@ischool.utexas.edu
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