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Tutorials
3.2)
Find out all you can about natural language interfaces. Are there
any successful systems? For what applications are these most
appropriate?
They are used in human computer interfaces to assist and control complex
interactive environments. Natural language provides a solution to control
features such as time and dates and enables users to access information
required by the use of questions.
One successful system is virtual reality which is used in games. It is based in
3 dimensional models. As the player of the game moves around in the game
they may ask the computer through features about what to do and how to
come around it.
3.3) What influence does the social environment in which you work
have on your interaction with the computer? What effect does the
organization (commercial or academic) to which you belong have on the
interaction?
The social environment in which we work in has a big effect on the environment that
we work in:
 Determining what system to use depending on the required out come.
 Depending on the interaction the company needs to produce to reach certain
goals.
 Motivating the user to interact with visual aids and help menus.
 May have to share computers depending on the tasks at hand to save up on
space in offices.
 Competition between colleges when two people have to do the same task.
 Pressure from colleges at higher ranks who may be monitoring the work could
make the user more cautious and accident prone.
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3.4a) Group the following functions under appropriate headings,
assuming that they are to form the basis for a menu-driven wordprocessing system - the headings you choose will become the menu
titles, with the functions appearing under the appropriate one. You can
choose as many or as few menu headings as you wish. You may also alter
the wordings of the functions slightly if you wish.
File- Save, Save as, New, Quit, Open file, Close, copy file.
Edit- Delete, Undo, Cut, Paste, Copy, Clear, Repaginate, Edit, Repeat.
View- print, print preview, page setup, view page, view index, see table of contents,
show alternative document
Insert- add footnote, add page break, insert graphic, insert index entry
Format- Glossary, preferences, character style, format paragraph, layout document,
position on page, plain text, bold text, italic text, change font, decrease point size,
increase point size.
Tools- Find words, Change word, go to, go back, and check spelling, word count,
renumber pages
Table- Table
Help- Help
Mail- Open and send mail.
3.4b) If possible, show someone else your headings, and ask them to
group the functions under your headings. Compare their groupings with
yours. You should find that there are areas of great similarity, and some
differences. Discuss the similarities and discrepancies.
Why do some functions always seem to be grouped together?
As they may be related in one way or another. They may be commonly used
together and easy to find.
Why do some groups of functions always get categorised correctly?
Easy to find out what a function does.
Why are some less easy to place under the 'correct' heading?
Their may be no relation to a heading or may belong to more then one
heading.
Why is this important?
For users to easily find and use.
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Design Basics
5.3) Comment on the use of layout and other elements in the control
panels (figures CS.1, CS.2 and CS.3), including the way in which various
visual elements support or hinder logical grouping and sequence.
CS 1. The layout is all cramped into little
space and hard to read. The colour is only
used in certain parts of the diagram. Extra
information then needed.
CS.2. Basic controls in the layout with the
functions grouped together. The colour is used
more effectively.
CS 3. Not enough colours used. Used for data
input and reading. The data is grouped together
on relationships.
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Design Rules
7.1) What was the problem with the synthesis example comparing a
command language interface with a visual interface? Can you suggest a
fix to make a visual interface really immediately honest?
The problem is that a visual interface would not provide the user with any information
on weather or not a file has been saved or not. In command line interface the only way
a user would be able to find out if it is saved is to go to the destination folder to
confirm it is there. A way to resolve this matter would be to show the destination
folder once the user has saved the file. This would show confirmation that the file is
stored correctly.
(7.3) It has been suggested in this chapter that consistency could be
considered a major category of interactive principles, on the same level
as learnability, flexibility and robustness. If this had been the case,
which principles discussed in this chapter would appear in support of
consistency?
Affordance- a button should always be able to be pushed
Predictability- the system should respond to how the user would expect it to be from
previous experience from related websites.
Response time stability- the system should respond with similar times and actions
depending on its usage.
Familiarity- should relate to previous real world experience by users.
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9.2) what are the benefits and problems of using video in
experimentation? If you have access to a video recorder, attempt to
transcribe a piece of action and conversation (it does not have to be an
experiment - a soap opera will do!). What problems did you encounter?
The advantages would e that it would be accurate and the recordings would be in real
time. You would be able to see it over and over again. How ever it would pick up
every little mistake which would be a problem when live recording. It needs a lot of
special equipment and takes up loads of images to process and store which can clog
systems. You might have to record in more then one angle for certain parts of the
recordings. It would cost a lot of money and time. You can print out still pictures from
the video which can be an advantage if needed.
9.4) Choose an appropriate evaluation method for each of the following
situations. In each case identify
(i) The participants.
(ii) The technique used.
(iii) Representative tasks to be examined.
(iv) Measurements that would be appropriate.
(v) An outline plan for carrying out the evaluation.
(a) You are at an early stage in the design of a spreadsheet package and
you wish to test what type of icons will be easiest to learn.
(b) You have a prototype for a theatre booking system to be used by
potential theatre-goers to reduce queues at the box office.
(c) You have designed and implemented a new game system and want to
evaluate it before release.
(d) You have developed a group decision support system for a solicitor's
office.
(e) You have been asked to develop a system to store and manage
student exam results and would like to test two different designs prior to
implementation or prototyping.
Situation
Spreadsheet
Participants
Academics
Secretaries
Students
Accountants
General users
Technique
Feedback
Representative
tasks
Sorting data Printing
Formatting cells
Adding functions
Producing graphs
Appropriate
measurements
Ease of use
accurate and fast
Outline plan
Test icons
individually and
each formulae
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Theatre
General public
Theatre-goers
Previous
customers
Ask individuals
Tickets for show
changing seats,
booking, ticket and
priority
Ease of use
Easy to
understand
Speed
Error correction
Record
observation
while prototype
is running
New game
Developers
Game players
Easy to use and fault
free
Progression,
speed and
achievements
Finish game and
then evaluate
aspects of it
Solicitors
Solicitors
Clients
Reviews and
opinions of
people
involved
Trial and error
Decision making
Complex issues
Legal matters
Accuracy
Accessibility
Fault free
Ease of use
Error correction
Use it to
perform day to
day tasks.
Student
exams
Examiners
tutors
Testing
Debate
Questionnaires
Editing and storing
marks as well as
security
Ease of use
High security and
error free storage
Test program
while old one is
still in use