Examples of user centered design A few examples of systems (partially) inspired by studying users
Jan 18, 2016
Examples of user centered design
A few examples of systems (partially) inspired by studying
users
Example 1:Virtual desktop
Study of document organizationin a physical office/on a desk
Malone (1983) http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=malone+%22How+do+people+organize+their+desks%22
•At time of study, virtual desktop was still a recent innovation•Malone wanted to identify problems with paper media to inform designs of computerized interfaces•He found “subtle but useful aspects” of paper media “that might inadvertently be lost in the new technology”•Office workers have difficulty categorizing papers, and identifying what categories are appropriate to use•Use of both piles and folders for organizing papers
• The former is looser, and can serve as a reminder, allowing categorization decisions to be left until later
•Documents are placed not only to allow later retrieval, but to serve as reminders of tasks to be done (approx. 2/3 of piles)
How can computers help ?
• Allow users to defer decisions about classification• Allow documents to be members of more than one
collection simultaneously• Perform automatic classification / support for
searching• Allow users to use documents as visual reminders of
tasks to do
Studies of Document Organizationon Computers
Barreau and Nardi (1995) http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=barreau+nardi+%22Finding+and+reminding%3A+file+organization%22
•Studied habits of users with respect to searching•Users overwhelmingly prefer “location based” search (e.g. browsing folders), and use “logical search” (e.g. by keyword) as a last resort•Users have trouble remembering what names they give files•Users use documents as reminders
• Leaving email messages in inbox• Placing documents on the desktop in a special location
•Users keep “ephemeral” information (short lived todo lists, memos, etc) loosely filed, as opposed to “working” information or “archived” information•Management of ephemeral information is a major stumbling block
Status quo: virtual desktop
• Was this designed to afford the habits described? Or simply as a familiar metaphor?
• Is this scalable to large numbers of files?
Piles (Mander et al. 1992, Xerox PARC) http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=mander+salomon+wong+pile+metaphor
Piles (Mander et al. 1992, Xerox PARC) http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=mander+salomon+wong+pile+metaphor
Piles (Mander et al. 1992, Xerox PARC) http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=mander+salomon+wong+pile+metaphor
Michel Beaudouin-Lafon, 2001http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=%22Novel+interaction+techniques+for+overlapping+windows%22
Video: http://www.acm.org/uist/archive/videos/2001/p153-beaudouin-lafon.mov
Fold-n-drop (Pierre Dragicevic, 2004)https://www.lri.fr/~dragice/foldndrop/
http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=dragicevic+%22Combining+Crossing-Based+and+Paper-Based%22
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAWnIGo9Kro
BumpTop (Agarawala et Balakrishnan, 2006)http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=agarawala+balakrishnan+keepin+%22Pushing+the+desktop+metaphor%22
http://bumptop.com
Videos:•Prototype: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0ODskdEPnQ
•Hip-hop version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUVpSY4eBCc
•Parody: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQL9V2dnKFY
•TED talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/anand_agarawala_demos_his_bumptop_desktop
•Commercial version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jhoWsHwU7w
BumpTop (Agarawala et Balakrishnan, 2006)http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=agarawala+balakrishnan+keepin+%22Pushing+the+desktop+metaphor%22
http://bumptop.com
Example 2:Tape Drawing
Tape Drawing
Digital Tape Drawing (Balakrishnan et al. 1999)http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=balakrishnan+fitzmaurice+%22Digital+tape+drawing%22
Video: http://www.dgp.utoronto.ca/~ravin/videos/uist99_tapetool.mpg
DH = dominant hand (usually, the right hand)
NDH = non-dominant hand (usually, the left hand)
Implicit mode changes:
• DH fixed: straight line
• DH moving: curve
– Distance between hands determines curvature
Hands close: More variability
DH
NDH
NDH DH
Hands far apart: Smoother curve
User reactions
• Demonstrated to 5 auto design studios in France, UK, and USA
• Approx. 20 artists tried the system
– After only 1 minute of instructions, the artists were able to produce output that was superior to that of the designers of the system who had had hours of experience
– The skill of the artists transcended the technological limitations (cables, lag, and calibration problems)
– They exhibited common gestures, like sighting down a line
• Asked for a 3D version
3D Tape Drawing (Grossman et al. 2002)http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=grossman+balakrishnan+%223D+curves+with+digital+tape+drawing%22
Video: http://www.dgp.utoronto.ca/~ravin/videos/chi2002_principle3dcurves.mpg
Example 3:Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
Apple Newton (≈1993)
http://oldcomputers.net/pics/newton-right.jpg http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/images/4/2012/01/d0531a85c7fb57d39ebf0a88dd78778a.jpg
Video: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=apple+newton+getting+started
Why was the Newton not successful?
• Focus groups said that handwriting recognition would be cool !
• But the handwriting recognition was not reliable enough
• Device too big• Too expensive
Palm Pilot (≈1997)Basic requirements:• Size: must fit in a shirt pocket• Price: 299 $• Can be synchronized with a desktop computer• Speed: must be as fast as a physical notepad for
writing down an appointment or a person’s contact info. Also :– No wait cursors– No error dialog boxes, especially messages like
"Error xyz, Abort or Cancel?"
Palm Pilot• Size: must fit in a shirt pocket.
Prototype made out of wood and paper:
Palm Pilot
Chosen design principles:• Less is more• Avoid adding features• Strive for fewer steps• Simplicity is better than complexity
The "Zen of Palm"Screen had 160x160 pixels!
Palm Pilot 1000
Graffiti
• Idea: instead of recognizing handwriting,have very reliable recognition of gestures
• Goal is not speed of input• Main goals are reliability and ease of learning
Graffiti
Example 4:Redesign of bank machines
by IDEO
“Future of Self-Service Banking” (IDEO, BBVA)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-DLQp9xb20
Observations• The redesign started with observing users, and
then proceeded with prototypes made from cardboard to simulate use cases
• Terminals are rotated 90° for privacy• Only one slot for money and receipts• User-specific options are displayed, such as
most frequently used accounts• Smooth animations show progress and when
money will come out
Exemple 5:“One laptop per child”http://one.laptop.org/
The XO laptop
The XO laptop
The XO laptop• Screen that can be flipped, supporting
three usage modes: laptop, tablet, and gamepad
• Keyboard is sealed to protect against sand and water
• Optional hand crank to charge the battery
• Antennas for mesh network• Distinctive colors to discourage theft• Target price: $100• Linux with educational software
(drawing, music, photos, programming)