Week 3 Overview

 Software is used by people.  You can make assumptions and look at research on average abilities and expectations.  But do all people react the same way to different tasks?  Do all people use a piece of software the same way?  Then you occasionally hear someone say, "I didn't know it could do that!"  

An important part of the process is understanding people.  How do we process information?  Do we all do it the same way?  Are there properties of human perception that we can exploit to enhance the user experience.  

This module presents some of the issues and techniques to create a good (or even great) user experience.  Some of us learn to use things, but just by using them.  Others need detailed instructions, or even step-by-step images.  Can you create software that makes both happy?   

Key Questions: 

3.1   How do the abilities of the human mind impact designing the user interface?  

3.2   How do you account for difference in human abilities?  Must you?  

3.3    How can you collect data/information/insight from users to design that better interface?  

3.4    Are all the solutions actually in the software?  

Details for Week 3:

Topics

• 3a Learning about your users (2b continued)
• 3b Human capabilities

Learning objectives

After successful completion of this week, you will be able to:

• Explain what cognition is and why it is important for interaction design.
• Discuss what attention is and its effects on our ability to multitask.
• Describe how memory can be enhanced through technology aids.
• Explain what mental models are.
• Try to elicit a mental models and be able to understand what it means.

Activities

Readings for Week 3:

• Humans: All of Ch. 3 except 3.3.3

Videos for Week 3: 

• Observations
• Formative empirical work: Outputs
• Memory

Things to get done:

• Project Team Status Report (turn in on Canvas - 1 per group)
• Continue working on your Reflective Journal A