Exam 1 & 2

Question 1

Describe the general skill set you need as a designer in the HCI field, include some examples of ways to study users.

Answer 1

HCI designer requires a wide range of skills:

Because the field of HCI is interdisciplinary

• This means that many different study areas are included and intertwined within HCI, this includes: Psychology, Cognitive science, Computer science, Design, Ergonomics, Sociology, Culture study and Linguistics.
• This is important because a HCI designer needs to combine together all these fields of study within their designing work and that requires a fair share of knowledge in every field.

Understand features of different materials and systems because dealing with multiple of them at the same time is required when designing interactive systems.

• The line between physical and digital materials is blurred (VR and AR technology)

HCI designers that design interactive systems need to have knowledge on how both hardware and software work, how they work together to provide a seamless experience for the users

HCI design is centered around people, the users.

• Keeping users in mind during the whole design process.
• Understanding requirements, needs and user aspirations.
  This is why HCI designers have to know methods to conduct user search and user studies such as:
• Qualitiative method: Interviews, surveys - Online (zoom, google forms etc) or offline (face to face, papers)
  Three main stuctures of interview: 1. structured interview 2. semi structured 3. unstructured.
  Advantages of surveys being large amount of data, quickly.

Envision the idea

• Prototyping, sketching, wireframes, etc
• Be proficient in softwares such as Figma, Adobe XD to make Hi-fi interactive prototypes
• Be able to communicate with other designers, stakeholders and users.

Question 2

In general, HCI departures from three main concepts: users, interaction and design.
Reason about these three concepts, how they relate to each other and why all three are needed.

Answer 2

Users, interaction and design are three main concepts in HCI area. They are intertwined with one another.

1. Users

• Users are the people interacting with a system/product that the designers have designed (Human in HCI).
• Historically in HCI, the center has moved from machine to human, since the essence of HCI is about human-centered interaction. Since we design the systems for humans.
• Users provide feedback that shapes the design process, especially in user-centered and participatory design approaches.

2. Interaction

• Interaction is the interplay between users and the system.
• It involves users who act as operators of the system/product and the feedback they receive from the system and vice versa.
• Interaction is a way of connecting users with designers. And the interaction that users can have is decided by the design process, which in turn is decided by the requirements, needs and preferences of the users

3. Design

• Design is the process of creating and implementing something new, bringing an idea to real
  form.
• Designers aren’t the sole conductors of the design process, users play a big role in it too, since HCI stresses the ‘human’ as center of focus. ‘Human’ in this case is the user, the most important element of the design process.
• Design is the process of creating systems that solve user problems.
  
  • For this to be done, you need to gather requirements from the users, analyze them and process them through various stakeholders (Designers, researchers etc).
  • It involves prototyping, testing, and refining based on user feedback.

Key Connection
- Participative design: users become co-conductor of the design process and contribute even more to the development and design of a certain product.
- User-centered design ensures that the system aligns with user needs and behaviors.

Users, interaction, and design are interdependent: users shape design through interaction, and design is refined to improve user interaction. This iterative process leads to systems that are intuitive and effective.

Question 3

In order to understand users, we need to understand how humans work. Various perspectives on how the mind works and how we process information are presenting different theories.

• Define distributed cognition and embodied cognition and give examples of how these perspectives can help interpret certain activities.

Answer 3

Distributed Cognition

Distributed cognition means that we humans distribute our cognition and thoughts onto other objects surrounding us.

• Example: Writing thoughts on paper distributes cognition to that object.
• The era of digital technology has allowed for vasts new forms for people to practice distributed cognition.
• Research on distributed cognition has allowed for, and allows for a greater understanding of the reasons why human do certain activities and thus be able to design interactive systems or products based on that knowledge.
  
  • to offload cognitive tasks onto external tools (e.g., digital devices)

Embodied Cognition

• Embodied Cognition is the idea that our thinking is strongly influenced by our body’s interactions with the world.
• Thoughts are shaped not just by our brain but by our physical actions and movements.
  
  • Example: When we move, touch, or handle objects… These experiences help us understand and think about abstract concepts. This means cognition involves the whole body, not just the mind, as we constantly engage with our surroundings.

Examples:

• Gestures and Learning: Studies have shown that using gestures while learning or explaining a concept helps reinforce understanding. For example, using hand movements to describe a shape or trajectory helps individuals to conceptualize abstract ideas.
• Spatial Reasoning: Our ability to understand abstract spatial relationships such as “inside-outside” or “up-down” is informed by sensorimotor experiences, like walking through spaces or climbing stairs. These physical interactions help us think in abstract ways.
• Embodied interact with technology
  • Touch interfaces on smartphones leverage our embodied actions, making interactions more intuitive.

MORE INFO

Embodied Cognition refers to the theory that cognitive processes are deeply rooted in the body’s interactions with the world. It emphasizes that thinking is not just confined to the brain, but also shaped by our physical actions and interactions. This approach views cognition as a function of the entire body, engaging in constant interaction with the environment. For instance, when we perceive the world and act in it, our sensorimotor experiences—like moving, touching, or manipulating objects—inform how we think and understand abstract concepts.

Question 4

Describe various types of interaction with digital systems.
- Define tangible interactions and ubiquitous computing and give some examples these.

Answer 4

Humans interact with digital systems through multiple different ways. The most common methods are:
Input: touching, gesture, speech, eye tracking, keyboard and mouse
Output: Looking through screen, hearing and haptic

Tangible Interactions

• Involves using physical objects to control and interact with digital systems.
• These physical objects are embedded with sensors that detect movements and manipulations, which then trigger corresponding digital responses. Tangible interactions blend the physical and digital world, allowing users to directly manipulate digital information through real-world objects.
• With tangible interaction, users can physically touch and handle parts of the system, making the interaction more hands-on.
  
  • This type of interaction aligns well with how humans naturally interact with the world, making it feel intuitive and easy to use.
• It also provides affordance, meaning: The design naturally shows users how it should be used, without needing instructions. For example, a physical dial invites turning, and a button invites pressing.

Example: A Game controller, users can interact with it by grabbing, give inputs by pressing the buttons or moving analog sticks. It gives output to users by giving haptic feedback. Also, users can learn how to use it intuitively.

Ubiquitous computing

refers to the integration of computers into everyday objects and environments, making technology invisible or seamlessly integrated into daily life. Computing power is being distributed and embedded in different objects around us, therefore the practice of computing will exist everywhere, meaning ubiquitous.
- example: smart watches, smart cars, Smart homes,

• The vision is that people can interact with technology effortlessly, without needing to be consciously aware of the computing processes happening around them.
• This type of interaction moves between the foreground and background of users’ attention, supporting them in their daily tasks without causing distraction.

Example: One example of tangible interaction systems where physical tokens are used to be placed on tabletops to manipulate digital visualisations, such as in urban planning tools where miniature models of buildings change shadows and airflow visualisations in real-time

Question 5

Discuss how collaboration and social interaction are shaped by digital interaction and reason about why it is difficult to support all the nuances present in social interaction face to face through a digital solution.

Answer 5

Digital technology greatly reshaped people’s way of operating collaboration and social interaction.

Collaboration and Social interaction

• Collaboration used to be a group of people sitting and working together in an certain space.
• Collaborating in socializing through digital technology used to be based mostly text-based.
• Through techs like: videoconferencing, shared documents and social media platforms = Has connected people to collaborate and work together even when geographically separated.
  
  • These tools facilitate socialisation, communication, coordination, and collaboration by allowing multiple people to contribute to a project in real time.
  • Example: Google Docs - synchronous editing and commenting, allowing seamless work across different locations and teams
  • But the difficulty lies in translating the subtle, context-specific elements of social interaction into a digital form that feels natural.

What gets lost:

• The full range of social nuances present in face-to-face interactions
• Nonverbal cues: body language, facial expressions, tone of voice
• The immediacy and richness of in-person interactions
  
  • The informal, spontaneous interactions that happen outside of meetings, which occur naturally in physical spaces.
  • Many decisions gets made there = very valuable interactions
• Most of this gets lost because of limitations of the input and output means in digital environments.
  
  • Limited to hearing, visual and voice.
  • YOU DO NOT GET: Body language, sense of smell, physical touch, someone’s bodily presence = All lost.

Question 6

Describe various methods that can be used during the design phase (from conceptual design to prototype).

Answer 6

Design can be broken down into two different parts: Conceptual design and Physical design

1. Conceptual Design
   Conceptual design focuses on: defining what the product will do, identifying user needs, and mapping out the product’s structure and interactions. It involves three elements: Strategy, Scope, and Structure:

Strategy:

• Understand users’ needs and identify key problems to solve.
• Conduct user research methods, like: interviews, observations, and surveys, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
• Persona creation (to represent typical users) and scenario development (to map out specific use cases) help get a clear understanding of the target audience’s goals and expectations.

Scope and Structure:

• This element is about translating user needs into specific features and organizes them logically.
  
  • Affinity diagramming and journey mapping help designers organize and make sense of collected user data.
  • Card sorting is a practical technique here, where users group concepts, revealing their mental models and how they categorize information.

2. Physical Design
   Bring conceptual model to life
   Focus on layout, functionality and overall look/feel of the product.
   Create prototypes to visualize and test the design.

• Low-Fidelity Prototyping:
  
  • Prototyping is used to quickly visualize design ideas and test early concepts.
  • Can be paper sketches, wireframes, or basic digital mockups.
  • Often disposable prototypes that allow for rapid iteration based on feedback.
• High-Fidelity Prototyping:
  
  • Typically used later in the design phase
  • Creating an almost-complete product simulation that allows user interaction and testing.
  • Hi-fi prototypes can be made using tools like Figma or Adobe XD
  • Should include realistic data and interactive elements to emulate the final product as closely as possible.

Question 7

Define and discuss the difference between usability and user experience

Answer 7

Usability vs. User Experience

Usability refers to how effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily users can interact with a product to achieve their goals.

• Good usability involves minimizing the effort users need to be able to understand and navigate a system
• Specific usability goals include:
  
  • Effectiveness: The product’s ability to perform its intended functions accurately.
  • Efficiency: How quickly and easily users can complete tasks
  • Safety: Ensuring minimal user errors and easy recovery from mistakes.
  • Learnability: How quickly one can become proficient with the product.
  • Memorability: How easily users remember how to use the product after taking a break​ from using it

User Experience (UX) is a broader concept that encompasses usability but goes beyond it.

• Usability is focused on functionality and ease of use,
• UX focus is to create a satisfying and meaningful experience for the user.
• UX combines elements of usability with utility and emotional satisfaction, making interactions more than just functional, but also enjoyable and engaging.

The Broader Scope of User Experience (UX)
While usability and utility contribute significantly to UX, user experience also considers the user’s emotional, aesthetic, and social connection to the product:

• Example, a book website may have excellent usability, with clear navigation and no errors, and a high level of utility if it includes functions users need.
  
  • However, if it lacks school books (needed by students), it is not useful for this audience and would provide a poor user experience. Thus, it does not meet users’ broader goals or emotional needs.

Question 8

What is a PACT analysis? Give examples of how it can be used.

Answer 8

PACT analysis is a framework in design that considers People, Activities, Contexts, and Technologies to create user-centered solutions.
Designers can better address user needs by understanding these four elements. Which would lead to more effective and intuitive designs.

1. People

• Focus on charactaristics of the users or influenced by the product
• Different user backgrounds shape their interactions with the product (physical, cognitive, social attributes)
• Persona development is a useful here
  
  • Allows designers to represent differnet users and their behaviors and goals by creating fictional characters.

Example: A design for an ATM, the “users” would include bank customers with varying levels of digital literacy, physical ability, and security concerns.

• By creating personas (e.g., a tech-savvy young adult, a visually impaired user, and an elderly individual) allows the design to address these different needs effectively.

2. Activities
   Activities represent the tasks or processes that people undertake to achieve their goals.

• Understand users actions and sequence they do them in = understand the information they need in each step
  
  • Like frequency, duration and importance of actions. Then design it accordingly.

Example: In the ATM scenario, Each step should be simple, quick, and intuitive to ensure a smooth user experience, especially for users who may be in a hurry or unfamiliar with the machine.

3. Contexts
   Contexts consider the physical, social, and cultural environments where activities occur.

• Location, time of use, distractions, and security considerations.
• Context analysis helps see how the environment impacts user interactions and what special requirements needs to be sorted to adapt the design.

Example: The ATM’s location affects its security design

4. Technologies
   Technologies refer to the devices, tools, or systems that support activities within specific contexts.

• It’s about understanding both current and emerging technologies that could influence or enhance user interactions.
• Hardware, Software, data processing, and accessibility features.

Example: For the ATM, technology includes the card reader, touch screen, PIN keypad, and cash dispenser.
- Understanding how these components work together ensures a secure and efficient transaction.