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Interaction Design

User Centred Design

+Does the Interface Make sense?

Characteristics of successful ID Products makes sense to the users when they do something useful

They do it in harmony with the rest of the things in the users life

Have a strong clearly defined identity

+Process of Interaction Design

What is interaction in the context of mobile applications? Is it something that technology does? Or how people use it? Relationship between the technology and the user in the wider context in which they are placed

+Three Main Activities in ID in this Context

1. Understanding the user: Limitations Capabilities What constitutes their lives The things they do or use

+Three Main Activities in ID in this Context

2. Develop Design Prototype Representing a proposed design so it can be

demonstrated, altered or discussed

3. Evaluation Show strengths and weaknesses of the design Show where the design process needs to go

+Understanding Users

Large amount of research has been conducted about users by: Psychologists, Biologists, Anthropologists, etc Providing useful insights into the way people live, preferences and abilities

Is it fair to users to assume that all applications have to be easy or user friendly What problems may this assumptions create?

Why is the iPhone so popular? Is it easy to use or sophisticates?

+Understanding Users

Experiments in cognitive psychology tells us that the human brain’s short term memory can only hold up to 7 piece of information at anyone time

Exercise Write down 10 facts and share them with your neighbour

+Understanding Users

Interaction design needs to consider human limitations and human abilities

It makes no sense developing applications which are too complex for users to be able to interact with them

We need to be aware of the users capabilities and limitations

+Understanding Users

What about mobile applications for elderly users?

What needs to be considered for this market?

How useful are the applications on your phone for elderly users?

What would they need?

+Understanding Users

How can we gather information about users? Ethnography: a branch of anthropology

A method which focuses on producing an account of what is going on in real situations by observing moment by moment behaviour of people with others in their environment over an extended period of time

+Other Methods

Others Methods Directed questions Unstructured interviews Using broad open ended questions Formal interview

Results from these investigations feed into the design phase of the prototype application

+Developing a Prototype

The purpose of prototyping is to define your ideas to give them shape so they can be received by others Vital to drive the design process forward Generates new ideas and directions

Prototype may include Sketches Computer based simulations

+Evaluation

Testing with users Usability testing

Asking users to perform specific tasks Later the results are analysed The tasks may be repeated later or new ones added

Application tested in “real world”

Evaluation and testing is an iterative process

+Task In groups of 3, a target age group will be given to you. Children aged 5-8 Teenagers aged 13-18 Young adults 18-25 Adults 25 – 35 Adults 35 – 45 Adults 45 + Elderly people 65 +

You are to design a social networking site for your age group

What are the interface design requirements for each group

What other design considerations are there?