HCI Assignments

Assignments

Homework 1: Observing everyday information aggregation and control
Due date: See class schedule

Note: This is a two-person team assignment. Find a person to do this with, and submit one report with both your names on it. Collaboration is expected between the two of you. See below for the report format.

The purpose of this assignment is to get you out observing how other people interact with an everyday device, trying to perform a well-defined task, and to reflect on why some devices are simple to use, and others are hard to use.

For this assignment, observe another classmate (or at least a willing person) using either (1) a digital thermostat/temperature control panel in a home, or (2) a car infotainment system (typically a touch-panel system mounted in the center consol of recent automobiles, controlling music, video, temperature controls, GPS, etc.). The user's task is to set the temperature to automatically be 70 ddegrees F, on Mondays (or determine that this is not possible, if such is the case, and then simply set the current temperature to 70 degrees). Write down the steps involved (this is a preview of a task analysis), and then inspect the interface and the interaction for anything that would pose a problem for the user in completing the task.

You should focus on the human capabilities of the user such as perceptual abilities (or disabilities); cognitive or mental processing, including memory; and physical movements or responses. How does the physical device, the screen, the buttons, the interface, the flow of the transaction, etc., support or fail to support the user in completing these "simple" tasks? Also, don't forget social considerations like privacy, comfort, preferences, etc. These concepts should tie in with the lectures on human abilities and task analysis. Ask yourself questions like, Were the buttons too small (user's finger size was not considered appropriately by designer)? Was the display too hard to see for the older users, but no problem for the younger ones (design does not support what we know about aging vision)? Did the button-to-action mapping make sense (stimulus-response mappings, cognition issues)? How many times would it take to learn the steps required to complete a task (learning aspects of cognition)?

You are to write a brief report on your observations. In this report, include a clear description (aided by photos, perhaps) of the interface (and its location) you chose and the specific task you wanted to observe people performing. Then you are to summarize the observations you made of other people trying to use the object to perform that task. Finally, try to come up with some sort of story about what, if anything, about the design of this interface succeeded, adn what failed. You should try to use the principles from the DFAB book or the heuristics that Norman describes to back up your story, and support your observations and conclusions with some of the things we know about human abilities amd everyday interactions.

Here is a sample outline of the report you should prepare:

Introduction
Where was the device you observed located, and what specific task(s) was it used for. Briefly indicate if you think the system is hard or easy to use for its intended purpose.

Observational method
Whom did you observe (what are the characteristics of that participant?), and how did you observe that person performing the selected task?

Results of observation
What were the results of your observations?

Analysis
What aspects of the task were easier/harder to complete? Why? How? Provide a theory supported by usability principles from the DFAB or Norman textbook to explain why you think the problem exists. If you observed few problems, discuss the design features that were particularly good and helped avoid problems.

Compare your observations and conclusions to other everyday objects in terms of ease of use. For example, if button size was a problem on the device, on what other everyday objects is it also a problem? On what other devices could it be a problem, but is not?

Homework 2: Cognitive Walkthrough and Comparison of Web Sites
Due date: See class schedule

Note: This homework will also be done in pairs (teams of two 6750 students). However, each student will define a separate detailed task and will submit a separate report. (More details below...)

The purpose of this assignment is to give you practical skills in the important area of "expert usability analysis". These techniques can be used to evaluate either an existing design, or an uncompleted prototype, and do not require the participation of real users. For the purposes of this assignment you will be evaluating existing Web sites, but this technique can also certainly be used as you evaluate your projects, throughout the design process.

First, make sure that you have read DFAB (3rd ed.) Chapter 9, the class notes, and other relevant sources. Your assignment is to compare two web sites (www.xanga.com and www.livejournal.com) for the specific task of setting up an account (registering) from nothing, and posting a comment/blog entry/photo, or whatever. These are both collaborative/blog/community building sites, but are quite different. You will conduct a cognitive walkthrough of each site, given that task, and then compare the sites for usability, based on the results of your analysis.

You will find a partner (choose a different one from your first homework), and each will serve as the "expert" for the other. Note that in the steps below, you should make sure that your two tasks are slightly different. You will each hand in separate reports.

As described in DFAB, you need to:

(Note that a description of the system is usually required at the beginning, but in this case you can skip that step, since we are all dealing with the same two sites.)
Describe the task that the users will perform. Use the task described above as a basic guide, but you need to define the task in a bit more detail. What is typical for real users? Each student in a pair should define a slightly separate task.
List the steps required to complete the task with each system.
Indicate who the users are, and what kind of experience and knowledge you (the expert evaluators) can assume about them.
Observe and document the interaction while an expert in usability (your partner) performs a cognitive walkthrough of the two sites. To clarify, you define a task for one website, and your partner serves as the expert; you also define a similar task for the other website, and your partner also serves as the expert for that walkthrough. Then, the roles are reversed: your partner defines a (slightly different) task for each website, and you serve as the expert in a walkthrough for each of the sites.
Each partner will create their own report, including a summary and conclusions on the two walkthroughs that you planned/observed. This will include information from the partner, of course, since they are the expert in the walkthroughs.
Include in each of your reports a comparison of the usability of the two sites (for your task). This is supposed to be individual work at this point--we want you to work together to paln and collect the data, but then work separately on your conclusions.
Explain what you have learned by doing this assignment, and in particular any surprises.

What to hand in:
You should hand a report that covers each of these steps, as well as the raw materials and raw data sheets you used to gather the data.

Tell me again, where do we get the experts?!!
You will all serve as the usability expert for each other. Note that you can get any student currently in the 6750 class to be your expert. You will work in pairs (i.e., be each other's expert), but you will still need to each hand in separate reports.

Homework 3: Individual Mini-Design
Due date: See class schedule

Being able to come up with a creative and effective design for a system is part of the required skillset for HCI professionsals. This homework will allow you to explore that area, and demonstrate your individual design skills. This clearly requires creativity, but it also requires an understanding of the principles and guidelines for usability that have been covered in the course. Not everyone is as bursting with ideas. Not everyone has drawing or aesthetic skills. If you think you are lacking in these areas, well they can only get better with practice. Here's your chance to practice in a situation where you have everything to gain and nearly nothing to lose. Applying the design and usability principles you now know can overcome a lot of supposed "lack of creativity". You just might surprise yourself!!

You will design, layout, and mockup (paper and pencil) one of the following systems. They represent a range of types of systems, but are all about the same in terms of complexity. The idea is that in the next homework you will actually prototype the system you design here. This allows you to think about the current homework in terms of what kinds of system you want to get some practice with, and what prototyping environment/tools you want to gain practice with.

As an example, if you are thinking about specializing in Web-type systems, then you might want to choose one of the projects below that could be run over the internet. Some are more suitable to that medium than others. Then, you could design it in a manner that would be suitable for deployment on the Web. In the fourth homework you would then use a prototyping tool that is appropriate for mocking up Web pages when you actally mock this up.

Another way to choose what to do in these next two homeworks is based on the prototyping assignment that would follow this design assignment. If you wanted to learn, say, Visual Basic, then you might choose to design a system in Homework #3 that is suitable in a Windows-like environment. That way, you will already have a good design to implement in the prototyping assignment (Homework #4).

Of course, you are free to work in an area you know a lot about, within your comfort zone. Perhaps you already know VB or Director, so you could choose your system in a safe, familiar way. That may very well reduce your workload, if you happen to have the right skills already. It's not the most adventurous approach, on the other hand...

Ultimately, you are completely free to choose any of the following systems. You are also free to make whatever assumptions you think are reasonable, in terms of users, limits of features and functionality, and so on. The goal is to get you designing stuff in a quick but effective manner. This is an individual effort. Show us your creativity and your mastery of the concepts learned so far. The grading, as you know, is generally quite straightforward on the Homeworks (i.e., they definitely matter, but only constitute a small portion of your overall grade). We will give you feedback, and you will get out of this what you put into it.

What to hand in:
You need to quickly describe the task, context, and users, and lay out any assumptions you have made (like age of users, or details of the task). No need to lay out the implications--those should be evident in the design. Then you need to provide an overview of your design, guiding me through its major points, and how a user would interact with it to do the task(s). Then I want to see the design. Just basic stuff here. Not the first scribbled sketches, but also not finished, photoshopped mockups, either. Somewhere in between, even leaning toward the sketch end of things. Note that I'll be looking for features of usability, but also how your design adheres to the assmptions you made about the context, users, tasks, etc. So if you make decisions in your design that you want me to notice, make them explicit. You can provide a bit of discussion after the fact to point out how your interface will be effective, highlight a few examples of the usability in the design, and so on.

Note that there needs to be enough detail that I can really tell what is going on. You may not need to provide great detail about all the parts/pages/screens/devices of your interface, but you may want to detail one to a greater extent so I get the idea of the look and feel, as well as the layout and functioning of the system. But on the other hand, this is a homework assignment, and it is not meant to be a finished product.

Topics:

"Commute Buster": In-Vehicle Information Display. People, especially in Atlanta, spend a lot of time in their cars, and a lot of that time is spent on freeways in a commute. Now we can leverage the power of an in-car infotainment system (carPC), with a continuous broadband connection to the Internet, GPS, satellite radio, etc...What kinds of information and entertainment might be useful to a driver (and any passengers), and how can it be presented in a safe, effective manner, such that driving is not negatively impacted. You can make any assumptions about the driver, passengers, etc. Try to go beyond the typical offerings of CD/MP3/radio. Consider different vehicles, like motorhomes, taxis, family minivans, corporate carpools, motorcycles...and tune your design accordingly.

"Commute Community": Social Network for People Who Commute. In light of the commuting described above, what kinds of social interactions, and social networking could be useful and fun? Within a car, between cars; within families; teams; companies; schools; etc....Design the information space, the kinds of interactions, and some interfaces and related materials. Again, assume all the hardware you want (accurate GPS, access to the car's computer for telemetry, broadband Internet, multimedia, whatever displays seem appropriate in or out of the car. Don't feel constrained to just in-car social networking--it may be that social networking for this community extends out of the car (e.g., carpoolers waiting at home who want to know when their ride is approaching, so they can go outside to the sidwalk). Also note that multi-player GAMES are also an acceptable topic here.

School Bus Information System. The driver of a school bus needs access to a range of information, including the bus, the route/schedule, the neighborhood around the route, what is happening around and inside the bus at all times, the students (varies morning and afternoon, day to day) and any special considerations, the parents, other people who may pick the children up, weather, etc. The parents/cartakers also need lots of information, notably where the bus is, special news and updates, weather, etc. The schools and the bus company also need information. Design a system that serves the needs for some or all of these user groups. It could be a variety of interface types (e.g., different in the bus and in the school's main office).

Make some choices, narrow things down to a managable subset, focus on whatever user group(s) and tasks you want. Again, make any reasonable assumptions about resources and sources of information.

HCI Job Search Interface. When you are looking for an internship or a job in HCI, you can make use of the contacts and information that is maintained by David White in the College of Computing/HCI Masters Program. There is information around about job opportunities, internship opportunities, and also about "friends of the HCI program", who are HCI professionals at companies that might have a lead on a job, even if that job does not currently exist in our database.

The key is to narrow this down, figure out what information is important and relevant in making such a search, and then building an interface that supports the task of wading through the data. You can assume or require any kind of information, even if we don't already have it. Assume the information is in a generic database that could be accessed on a single machine, if you want, or via a kiosk, or via a web page or other interface (hey, get creative if you want). There is no interface currently in place for this, so any good ideas will contribute to the new design that will be built soon (after this class is over).

Dude, Where's My Stuff?. While we can be lighthearted about this one, it is important to remember the serious fact that the destruction of a tornado or hurricane is horrific. The power of storm surge and flood water flow is awesome. The water and huge winds can result in objects being picked up and carried for miles. You will develop a system for helping people locate their mising belongings following such a disaster. A distributed Lost and Found system. It would need to support reporting and cataloging items ("I found a plastic bird..."), as well as reporting losses, and searching for lost items ("Missing, one vintage pink flamingo lawn ornament..."). It would be activated by FEMA in an emergency situation wherever disaster struck. It could be web-based, kiosk, telephone, or some combination, or something completely different. Could use existing infrastructure, or not. It could be designed in a way that facilitates the matching of lost and found reports, for successful return of items. It should not rely on a single central person who does the pattern matching. That should be distributed, automated, or both. Don't forget the issues of notifications when a match is (potentially) made.

Redesign of the Morningside Elementary School Website (http://www.morningsideschool.org). This is a real, live website that is quite functional, but needs a facelift. It serves many audiences, listing info about the school, the people and much more. (Yes, this is a shameless ploy to get some input on the website for my son's school...but I also know who manages the site so your good ideas will actually be implemented, with credit given to the designer(s).)

You would want to work on the look and feel, the navigation, the usability, and access to current information/services, and possible implementation of new features (webcams? weather? bus information?, etc...). Feel free to propose any new features that make sense and can be included in your design. Oh, and you may want to consider the fact that a significant number of users of this site are from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Good ideas will be incorporated into the actual redesign of the site.

Traffic Information System. There are plenty of sources of traffic information out there, ranging from News channels to the formal DOT road monitoring systems. They can pinpoint accidents, lane closures, flooding, and other driving problems. They can also describe traffic flow speeds on the major roadways of Atlanta. your job is to collate, connect, and display this information to the driving public in a timely, appropriate manner. Obviously, there are web-based road maps, but how do you use those in traffic? How do you plan an alternate route? Would it be better to just wait until the traffic dies down?

Communications Devices for People with Speech Impairments. AAC (augmentative and alternative communication devices) for adults with speech impairments. Most of the existing technology is not stylish, user-friendly, sleek, sexy, etc. for the generation of technophiles that have experienced or will experience speech and/or language impairments.

Family Message Center. Develop a message center that a busy family could use to communicate, perhaps across time and perhaps across space. Think about where in the house they might access it. Access from elsewhere? A physical device or/and a virtual space? What kind of messaging does it need to support? What modalities and interactions does it need to support? What other information and services would be integrated into it?

Homework 4: Mocking Up/Prototyping the Individual Mini-Design
Due date: See class schedule

In the final homework you will now take the design that you sketched and planned in Homework #3, and actually implement a prototype. Your choice of prototyping tools will be up to you (though ask if you have questions). You may use software, or hardware or clay or paper or photoshop or, or, or...The point is that you choose a method, or combination of methods, that allows you to create a prototype that could actually be evaluated.

Note that this is a prototype, still, and not a final application or tool or device. You do not need to implement *all* of the functionality. Only enough to get the idea, and enough that you could have users perform representative benchmark tasks with the mockup/prototype.

Part of this is process (i.e., you learning some prototyping tools and techniques), and part is product (i.e., you actually completing something that *we* can evaluate). We want to see how you made decisions between your design sketches and your actual prototype.

Hand in the following:

Documentation of the prototype/mockup. Take photos or screen grabs or video or something to show that you actually did it, and to show us how it looked/worked, etc. If these are large or numerous, upload them to a web site or to the SIWKI site and reference them in the document (see below).
Write up a description of the process of transforming the sketches/design into a prototype. Focus on the decisions you made, why you made them, what criteria and principles you applied. For example, recall some of the many usability principles you have learned--did you apply any explicitly and intentionally? Did you make some decisions in your design that you can look back on and retrospectively label as "good" or "not so good', in consideration of the usability? Also, if you had to trim down your design, and only implement part of it, why did you choose what you chose? How did you decide? What would you like to do, if you had more time or different skills? Were there constraints on your creativity or on the usability imposed by the prototyping environment (or of your level of experience with it)? Would these constraints be overcome in a real implementation of the system? How? Why?

Note that you do not have to actually have someone evaluate it. If you choose to do so, that's fine--just pick a method, and document any findings. But that is not required for this assignment.