Rhetorical Evaluationof User Interfaces

Omar Sosa-Tzec & Martin A. SiegelIndiana University Bloomington

8th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer InteractionOctober 28, 2014Helsinki, Finland

Context

We live in a world !looded with visual information…

Source of image: World Wide Web.

Including graphical user interfaces

Source of image: World Wide Web.

User interfaces entail meaning

Swipe to the right for Like

Swipe tothe le!t for Nope

Source of image: World Wide Web.

We designers and researchers contribute on deploying artifacts that a!fect people's everyday

lives, including their beliefs and attitudes

The HCI context

Approach

Rhetorical Function

•The action that a visual artifact communicates

•Personal interpretation based on components

Source of image: World Wide Web.

Schema of rhetorical evaluation for user interfaces

evaluator

user interface

Visual ComponentsAudio ComponentsPhysical Components

Schema of rhetorical evaluation for user interfaces

evaluator

function (first detected)

interactionuser interface

Visual ComponentsAudio ComponentsPhysical Components

reflectionLegitimacy / Soundness

Schema of rhetorical evaluation for user interfaces

evaluator

function (first detected)

other function

interactionuser interface

Visual ComponentsAudio ComponentsPhysical Components

UI Section(Changes Over Time)

reflectionLegitimacy / Soundness

Evaluationof an app

Full: goal tracker by Lemonly

Interaction by gestures as embodied commitment

Moving forward

Interaction by gestures as embodied commitment

Moving backwards

Takeaways& Conclusion

• A rhetorical evaluation involves an anti-intentionalist position

Takeaways

• A rhetorical evaluation involves an anti-intentionalist position

• However, interactive systems challenge this idea

Takeaways

• A rhetorical evaluation involves an anti-intentionalist position

• However, interactive systems challenge this idea

• Interaction with the system is crucial

Takeaways

• A rhetorical evaluation involves an anti-intentionalist position

• However, interactive systems challenge this idea

• Interaction with the system is crucial

• This form of rhetorical evaluation is placed between structural approaches and hermeneutic approaches

Takeaways

• A rhetorical evaluation involves an anti-intentionalist position

• However, interactive systems challenge this idea

• Interaction with the system is crucial

• This form of rhetorical evaluation is placed between structural approaches and hermeneutic approaches

• This form of rhetorical evaluation fosters re!lection and criticism

Takeaways

Conclusion

The goal is obtaining a wider perspective regarding the design

of interactive systems, one that takes into account experiences,

communication, and meaning

Thanks!

http://uxdesignpractice.com/

http://tzec.com/

http://profmartysiegel.com/

This work is supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant Award no. 1115532. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily re!lect the views of the entire research team or the NSF. Other project team members include Erik Stolterman, Jordan E. Beck, and Gary Dickson, all from Indiana University.