Lecture 2a

Question 1

Outrage of the week: What was the problem with the train ticketing booth?

Answer 1

Clutter, steps aren’t grouped together in logical order, poor design for a stressful environment

Question 2

What is feedback?

Answer 2

confirmation of a systems actions, letting users know that the input has been accepted and/or completed

Question 3

Examples of feedback:

Answer 3

pop-ups, beeps, confirmation messages

Question 4

Why is feedback important?

Answer 4

it promotes user’s confidence in managing the application

Question 5

What should feedback use?

Answer 5

positive language to provide a learning experience for the user

Question 6

What is dynamic input?

Answer 6

shows example of change while changing settings or going through steps, keeps the user in tune with the process and takes guessing out of the expectations

Question 7

What is selective attention? In terms of a flashlight?

Answer 7

selecting different parts of the external/internal environment; the area that a flashlight is pointing at, or lighting up

Question 8

What is focused attention? In terms of a flashlight?

Answer 8

selecting one source of information to pay attention to while ignoring others; the width of the flashlight beam (how much are you taking in at once)

Question 9

What is divided attention? In terms of a flashlight? Synonym?

Answer 9

ability to capture 2 or more channels of information; the width of the flashlight beam (wide angle); also called parallel processing

Question 10

What is sustained attention? In terms of a flashlight?

Answer 10

period of time where attention is uninterrupted; battery of flashlight

Question 11

What is multitasking?

Answer 11

divided attention between tasks

Question 12

How do we measure visual attention?

Answer 12

study eye fixations and movements, in terms of location, UFOV, dwell time, transition probability/sequence

Question 13

What is the main goal as a designer in terms of attention?

Answer 13

manipulate and direct user’s attention, don’t let user choose where to attend

Question 14

What is under sampling?

Answer 14

hiding information in menus, forcing users to discover it…a bad design, need to push info to people

Question 15

What makes target search for efficient?

Answer 15

conspicuous features like large, bright, colorful, changing (dynamic) items; attracted to abrupt onsets like pop-ups and unique stimuli (pop-out effects)

Question 16

Where do we start searches and where do we stay away from?

Answer 16

Start in the upper left and stay away from edges

Question 17

What has little effect on search time/performance?

Answer 17

spatial proximity

Question 18

What is a parallel search?

Answer 18

1 level target along 1 salient dimension gives pop out, like a highlighted word

Question 19

What is the goal of menu design?

Answer 19

allow target item to be found in minimum time

Question 20

What kind of options should be in a menu?

Answer 20

Mutually exclusive options with appropriate grouping

Question 21

Why and how should attention be directed?

Answer 21

important when all info is not present at any one time; use salient coding and pop out effects with implicit methods (attention cues can be over trusted and lose attention over time, if too explicit)

Question 22

What is pre-attentive processing?

Answer 22

bottom up, global, features in the world like affordances, pop out effects, gestalt principles; info influences us before we realize we’re influenced by it

Question 23

What is focused processing?

Answer 23

top down, local, cognition, context and our brain gives information purpose/meaning consciously; like mappings and rules

Question 24

What types of features should a design start with and why?

Answer 24

bottom up features since they’re pre attentive; user immediately abstracts meaning from symbols with will drive focused attention and cognitive understanding