Chapter 1: Human Factors of Interactive Software
• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Goals of System Engineering
– Steps For User-interface Engineering
• 1.3 System - User Interface Design Goals
• 1.4 Motivations for Human Factors in Design
• 1.5 Accommodation of Human Diversity
– Physical abilities and physical workplaces
– Cognitive and perceptual abilities
• 1.6 Goals for Our Profession
Introduction
• User Interfaces Are Products of
Interdisciplinary Work
• What are the Business Ramifications?
… Introduction
• Individual User Level
• International Influences
User Interface Engineering
• Success requires commitment from
designers and managers
• Task analysis to ensure proper
functionality
• Generally alternatives must be compared
• Reliability, Availability, Security, and
Data Integrity
… User Interface Engineering
• Standardization, Integration,
Consistency, and Portability
• Schedules and Budgets
System - User Interface Design Goals
• Define the target user community associated
with the interface
• Communities evolve and change
…System - User Interface Design Goals
• 5 human factors central to community
evaluation:
1. Time to learn
2. Speed of performance
3. Rate of errors by users
4. Retention over time
5. Subjective satisfaction
• Trade-offs sometimes necessary
• Test all design alternatives using mock-ups
Motivations for Human Factors in Design
1.Life-critical systems
2.Industrial and commercial uses
… Motivations for Human Factors in Design
3. Office, home, and entertainment
applications
4. Exploratory, creative, and cooperative
systems
Accommodation of Human Diversity
• Physical abilities and physical workplaces
• Cognitive and perceptual abilities
• Personality differences
• Cultural and international diversity
• Users with disabilities
• Elderly Users
Physical Abilities and Physical
Workplaces
• There is no average user
• Take into account dynamic measures such as reach,
strength or speed
• Account for variances in sense perception
– Vision
– Touch
– Hearing
• Workplace design can both help and hinder work
performance
Cognitive and Perceptual Abilities
• Cognitive processes
• factors affecting perceptual and motor
performance
Personality Differences
• Different theories
• Myers-Briggs
• Gender differences??
Cultural and International Diversity
• special characters
• Left-to-right versus right-to-left
• Date and time formats
• Numeric and currency formats
• Weights and measures
• Telephone numbers and addresses
• Names and titles (Mr., Ms., Mme.)
• ID numbers
• Capitalization and punctuation
• Sorting sequences
• Icons, buttons, colors
• Pluralization, grammar, spelling
• Etiquette, policies, tone, formality, metaphors
Users With Disabilities
• Sight, hearing, mobility
• Plan early to accommodate
• Americans With Disabilities Act
Elderly Users
• Forgotten by largely young technologists
• Fast growing segment in US
• Provide variability
1.6 Goals for Our Profession
• Influencing academic and industrial researchers
– Potential research topics
– Providing tools, techniques, and knowledge for
system implementers
– Raising the computer consciousness of the general
public
End Chapter 1