User-System Interactiona challenge for the present and the future

Prof. dr. Matthias RauterbergIPO Center for User-System Interaction

TU/e Eindhoven University of Technology

© M. Rauterberg, TU/e

© M. Rauterberg, TU/e

ISO Definition of Quality of Use

• The ISO 9241 standard defines three components of "quality of use" applicable to the design of user interfaces: Effectiveness

Does the product do what the users require? Does it "do the right thing?" Efficiency

Can the users learn the user interface quickly? Can they carry out their tasks with minimum expended effort, including a minimum of errors? Does it improve the productivity/effort ratio? Does it "do things right?"

SatisfactionDo users express satisfaction with the product? Does the new product reduce stress? Do the end users now have a more satisfying job?

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The History of Usability DefinitionsDIN 66 234

part 8 (1988)

EC directive90/270/EEC

(1990)

ISO 9241part 10(1996)

suitability for the task

self-descriptiveness

conformity with user expectations

controllability

error robustness

suitability (activity adapted)

feeback about system states

appropriate format and pace of information presentation

information and instruction of

ease of use applicable to

hearing and participation of

suitability for the task

self-descriptiveness

conformitity with user expectations

suitability for learning

suitability for individualization

controllability

error tolerance

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The Concept of Transparency

transparency

compatibility consistency feedback help support

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The Concept of Individualization

individualisation

individual adaptation

individual selection

flexibility

actual degree of freedom

potential degree of freedom (meta-dialog task)

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What are the research topics of USI?

interactive systemuser

Working domain • Communication / Co-operation• Home / Office Environment• Financial / Medical Sector• Knowledge Management• Product / Process Industry• Transportation / Logistic• Teaching and LearningWorking system

Science• perception• cognition• action

Application

• user-centered design

Engineering• audio interfaces• computer vision based input• speech input / output• tactile input / output

Goal:Pa => Pd

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What is an Interactive System (IS) ?

user interaction system

perception

action(s)

IS := {IS*, Human, ICT component, [additional component]}

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Challenges of USI research

user interaction system

cognitionperception

emotion action

architecturefunctionality

input/output data structure

effectivenessefficiencysatisfaction

?

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The optimization problem

user systemcosts

technical complexity of the user interface

optimum

USI Research Approach

Design relevantknowledge

empiricalvalidation

Interactive systems

synthesis analysis

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Two approaches for Ergonomics

limits attractors

assessment design principles

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What is User-Centred Design?

• ...based on expertise:– state-of-the-art

knowledge for the design

– expert as a designer

– models of users

• ...based on participation:– end-user involvement in

analysis, design and evaluation

– expert as a moderator

– real users

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Why is User-Centred Design necessary?

• decreased time to market

• reduced costs• rapid development• innovative and

usable products

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UCD Research Topics

• Process View:– improving the system design life cycle

• development and validation of evaluation metrics• development and validation of tools and techniques• integration of informal, semi-formal and structure methods

• Product View:– development of a theoretical framework for user-system

interaction• design and test of interaction styles• empirical comparison studies• development of product oriented usability metrics

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UCD Process View• user-oriented requirements analysis• allocation of function between user and system• iteration of design solutions

– e.g. evaluation• active involvement of users

– e.g. participatory design• multi-disciplinary design teams

– e.g. design sessions• embedding design principles in structured methods

– e.g. MUSE/UCD• evaluation of the running system

– e.g. usability testing

• PROCESS QUALITY

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UCD Product View• evaluation of interaction styles

– e.g. speech input/output– e.g. auditory and tactile feedback– e.g. gesture based input/output

• applied cognitive ergonomics– e.g. user/task modelling

• validation of product metrics– e.g. interactive function points

• PRODUCT QUALITY

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Direction of Changes

• Technology is becoming ...– Smaller, faster, cheaper, networked, available at different

locations (absolute and relative), mobile, and will have new interaction styles.

• The “Context of Use” can be described by …– who: different users, what: different products, where: different

locations, when: around the clock, how: different generations of users

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What are the technical challenges?

• New interaction styles– speech input/output– computer vision based input (e.g., gestures)– audio interfaces (e.g., non-speech audio)– tactile and force feedback

• New interface concepts– adaptive and intelligent software– natural user interfaces

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Computer mediated Communication

Same location Different location

Same time(synchronous)

Different time(a-synchronous)

Whiteboard

Work FlowManagementSystem

Telephone,Liveboard,Videoconference

Email,Voicemail,Group Decision Support System

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The Ubiquitous Computing Paradigm

• Two issues are of crucial importance: location and scale

• Location : ubiquitous computers must know where they are

• Inch-scale machines: approximate active Post-It notes

• Foot-scale machines: like a sheet of paper (or a book or a magazine)

• Yard-scale machines: the equivalent of a blackboard or bulletin board

• Prototype tabs, pads and boards are just the beginning of ubiquitous computing

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Two Trends in User Interface Technology

Mobile computing Ambient rooms and Cooperative buildings

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Mobile Computing

Mobile application categories:

• information access• communication• computer supported

collaboration• remote control• local data/applications

Three characteristics differentiate a tab, pad etc. and the kinds of applications that it supports from traditional personal computers:

– Portability: very small form factor, low-weight

– Communication: low-latency interaction between users and system

– Context-sensitive operation

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The PARCtab• The PARCtab is most easily

operated with two hands: one to hold the tab, the other to use a passive stylus or a finger to touch the screen.

• But since office workers often seem to have their hands full, we designed the tab so that three mechanical buttons fall beneath the fingers of the same hand that holds the tab, allowing one-handed use.

• The device also includes a piezo-electric speaker so that applications can generate audio feedback

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The PalmPilot

• The PalmPilot has a lot functionality.

• This device fits with its pocket size into one hand.

• There is a communication channel via IR to the PC.

• Small, and a reasonable price

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Love-Gety• There's a Lovegety for men (blue

underside), and a Lovegety for women (pink underside).

• They notify each other when a Lovegety of the opposite sex is in range.

• The lovegety operates on 300Mhz frequency and uses 2 AAA batteries.

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How to operate a Love-Gety• Turn on the "POWER SWITCH" and select the

"MODE" you want with the "MODE SWITCH".

• You can confirm the "MODE" you just selected while the red indicator blinks.

• The larger "GET" light on the LOVEGETY blinks when someone with a Lovegety of the opposite sex has selected the same "MODE" as your LOVEGETY.

• The "FIND" light on the LOVEGETY also blinks when someone nearby with an opposite sex LOVEGETY, has their LOVEGETY on but under a different "MODE".

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Wearable Computer

• Providing hands-free operation • Sharing the data in real-time with

background • Supporting user comfort • Allowing audio interactions in a noisy

environment • Creating a simple user interface • Keeping costs down

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Wearable Computer

• Providing hands-free operation • Sharing the data in real-time with background • Supporting user comfort • Allowing audio interactions in a noisy environment

• Creating a simple user interface • Keeping costs down

© M. Rauterberg, TU/e

Electronic Performance Support System

• Food processing plant worker with a first-generation prototype wearable computer.

• Possible applications include support for quality control data collection or assistance with environmental auditing.

• This system gives its users the information the users need to perform a task as they actually perform the task.

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Airline Applications• This remarkable ultra-lightweight

computer, worn as a belt, delivers maximum information to users with a minimum of work.

• Designed for individuals who demand mobility, this computer offers voice control and heads up display for complete, hands-free operation.

• Users can enter or retrieve information while going about their jobs, instead of constantly returning to the shop area to check a stationary computer, or stopping work to punch keys.

© M. Rauterberg, TU/e

Home of the Future

• Main characteristics:• Home automation is defined as a process

or system which provides the ability to enhance one's lifestyle, and make a home more comfortable, safe and efficient.

• Home automation can link lighting, entertainment, security, tele-communications, heating and air conditioning into one centrally controlled system.

Bill and Melinda Gates' $97 million house

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Office of the Future

• Main characteristics:

• attentive

• active

• adaptive

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The InteracTable • The current stand-up version of the

InteracTable is built as a vertical rear-projection unit with a touch-sensitive display surface.

• Inside the table, an LCD beamer projects a high-resolution image of 1024x768 pixels to the top of the table.

• The integrated wireless network provides the InteracTable with a high degree of flexibility

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The DynaWall and two CommChairs

• The size of the DynaWall opens a new set of human-computer interactions.

• It is possible that information objects can be taken at one position and put somewhere else on the display or thrown from one side to the opposite side.

• Dialog boxes always appear in front of the current user(s).

• User interface components are always at hand, etc.

© M. Rauterberg, TU/e

Unsolved Research Problems

wearable computing intelligent environments

Penetration of the body space

Penetration of the social space

Isolation in immersive virtual worlds

Privacy in augmented worlds

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The post-industrial society• In the past…

– design of the physical space

– material transport

– pollution

– centralization

• In the future…– design of the

information space

– knowledge transfer

– evolution

– globalization

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To be prepared for the future

• technology driven design• new products• specialists

• customer driven design• new services• integrators

time

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List of relevant books for the area of human-computer interaction (HCI)

• About HCI in general:– D. Norman, S. Draper: User centered system design. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1986.– P. Booth: An introduction to Human-Computer Interaction. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1990.– L. Barfield: The user interface - concepts & design. Addison Wesley, 1993.– A. Dix, J. Finlay, G. Abowd, R. Beale: Human-Computer Interaction. Prentice, 1993.– J. Preece, Y. Rogers, H. Sharp, D. Benyon, S. Holland, T. Carey: Human-Computer Interaction. Addison Wesley,

1994.– L. Macaulay: Human-Computer Interaction for Software Designers. Thomson, 1995.– B. Shneiderman: Designing the user interface. Addison Wesley, 1997, 3rd edition.

• About design principles:– C. Brown: Human-Computer Interface design guidelines. Ablex, 1989.– W. Galitz: Handbook of screen format design. QED, 1989.– D. Hix, R. Hartson: Developing user interfaces. Wiley, 1993.– ISO 9241 (Part 10: Dialogue principles, Part 12: Presentation of information, Part 14: Menu dialogues, Part 15:

Command dialogues, Part 16: Direct manipulation dialogues, Part 17: Form fill-in dialogues)– D. Mayhew: Priniples and guidelines in software user interface design. Prentice, 1992.– C. Gram, G. Cockton (eds.): Design priniples for interactive software. Capman & Hall, 1996.

• About usability evaluation methods:– D. Freedman, G. Weinberg: Walkthroughs, Inspections, and technical reviews. Dorset, 1990.– J. Dumas, J. Redish: A practical guide to usability testing. Ablex, 1993.– A. Monk, P. Wright, J. Haber, L. Davenport: Improving your Human-Computer Interface: a practical technique.

Prentice Hall, 1993.– ISO 9241 (Part 11: Guidance on usability, Part 13: User guidance)– J. Nielsen, R. Mack (ed.): Usability inspection methods. Wiley, 1994.