http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Articles/Human-Computer-Interaction/Usability A listing of the most recently indexed works about Articles and Human Computer Interaction and Usability in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Articles/Human-Computer-Interaction/Usability http://tc.eserver.org/33293.html http://tc.eserver.org/33293.html Are touchscreens always good news for users? Our consultants suggest guidelines to ensure touchscreen devices are both usable and useful. http://tc.eserver.org/33300.html http://tc.eserver.org/33300.html In this paper we critically review task analysis models and techniques. These approaches to task analysis are discussed in order to develop a richer picture of human activity, while analyzing their limitations, general weaknesses, and possibilities for improvement. We consider their ability to determine the appropriate set of atomic actions in a task, their effect on workers’ motivational needs, their support of users’ cognitive and sociocultural processes, and their effectiveness in supporting interface design. We note that the major approaches have focused on very different levels of analysis, and call for greater integration of these different levels in task analysis theory. http://tc.eserver.org/33245.html http://tc.eserver.org/33245.html Videotape has become one of the CHI community's mostuseful technologies: it allows us to analyze users' interactions with computers,prototype new interfaces, and present the results of our research andtechnical innovations to others. But video is a double-edged sword. It isoften misused, however unintentionally. How can we use it well, without compromising our integrity? This paper presents actual examples of questionable videotaping practices. Next, it explains why we cannot simply borrow ethical guidelines from otherprofessions. It concludes with a proposal for developing usable ethical guidelines for the capture, analysis andpresentation of video. http://tc.eserver.org/32363.html http://tc.eserver.org/32363.html This study used an applied ethnographic research method to investigate human-computer interaction (HCI) between call center agents and agent-facing software in the context of contact-center culture. Twenty semi-structured interviews were completed, along with non-participant observation at two contact centers, one that followed a user-centered design (UCD) process for software development and another that did not. Agent productivity and satisfaction at the non-UCD center were hampered by poor task-UI integration, ambiguous text labels, and inadequate UI standardization. Agents required multiple applications to complete a single task, leading to long task times and cognitive strain. In contrast, the UCD center used a unified UI that reduced task times and decreased cognitive strain. In both centers, the workflow was reported to be stressful at times; however, management at both companies employed high involvement work processes that mitigated this stress. Implications for possible high-involvement UI design are considered and a strategy for applied ethnographic research is discussed. http://tc.eserver.org/31907.html http://tc.eserver.org/31907.html Should the OK button come before or after the Cancel button? Following platform conventions is more important than suboptimizing an individual dialog box. http://tc.eserver.org/31916.html http://tc.eserver.org/31916.html Application usability is enhanced when users know how to operate the UI and it guides them through the workflow. Violating common guidelines prevents both. http://tc.eserver.org/31869.html http://tc.eserver.org/31869.html Computing technologies are becoming so familiar it can feel as if they have always been here. It is strange to think that the mouse, for instance, was invented by Doug Englebart in the seventies. He must encounter a degree of incredulity when he mentions this to people. “You invented the mouse? Really? How nice. Did you also invent the pen?” http://tc.eserver.org/30011.html http://tc.eserver.org/30011.html This paper addresses the problem of designing service interaction for multiplatform operations and is based on a qualitative study of the services offered by a large retail Portuguese bank in four channels: bank branches, telephone, ATM, and Internet. The functionality of bank services across such channels was captured with essential use cases, which are technology free. When customers are free to decide in which channel they are going to get the service they need, customer experience (non-functional) requirements becoming ever more important. Essential use cases were extended to take account of such customer experience requirements. This additional information in essential use cases is very helpful, as it provides concrete and objective guidelines regarding the most suitable channel for implementing and offering each particular service. Doing essential use case modeling for multiplatform service interaction helps service providers allocate resources to the most likely channels that customers will use. It also allows them to identify areas of interaction experience that need to be improved if services offered are likely to be effectively used in the platform. http://tc.eserver.org/30000.html http://tc.eserver.org/30000.html The purpose of this research is to investigate the usability of DVD interfaces via their menus and navigation, inspired by Donald Norman who has had a pivotal role in user-centred design and usability. The paper encompasses theoretical aspects of interactivity, usability and DVD technology. A usability test was administered with the DVDs chosen. The results from the usability test were the main focus in this research. Such results were supportive of Norman's claims, as participants experienced varying degrees of usability issues. Furthermore, the findings were used to develop a set of guidelines and recommendations designers could follow. If these were adhered to, it would have significantly alleviated the difficulty the participants had in interacting with the DVDs. http://tc.eserver.org/29423.html http://tc.eserver.org/29423.html The trick is to make data-entry forms clear enough that workers understand what you require of them without having to ask. This understanding alone can drastically reduce the frequency of errors, but to turn that understanding into a payback, you'll have to design a label for each field that is truly obvious to the workers. Information designers call these clues "affordances", and if you're lucky enough to have technical writers or editors in your organization, you can probably enlist their aid in designing these clues. http://tc.eserver.org/29354.html http://tc.eserver.org/29354.html Discusses the various opportunities for eye-movement studies in future HCI research, and details some of the challenges that need to be overcome to enable effective application of the technique in studying the complexities of advanced interactive-system use. http://tc.eserver.org/28582.html http://tc.eserver.org/28582.html Why does a web site that rarely changes need HCI people? Learn about the experiences of a new employee, Josh Mittleman, which he shared with the UsabilityNJ meeting in October. http://tc.eserver.org/27543.html http://tc.eserver.org/27543.html This study investigates the breakdown of the psychomotor components of three different input devices, the mouse, trackball, and RollerMouse™ using the Stochastic Optimized Submovement Model. Primary movement time (PMT), Total Movement Time (TMT), Primary Movement Distance (PMD), and Total Movement Distance (TMD) were examined for each device. Results showed that psychomotor variables related to the primary phase of movement help to pinpoint how performance efficiency is affected by a particular device. For example, the relationship between %PMD and efficiency suggests that a device that affords users an initial accurate movement decreases the need for more or longer corrective submovements, thus reducing movement time. http://tc.eserver.org/27542.html http://tc.eserver.org/27542.html This study reports a psychophysical comparison of four ergonomic mouse-type devices to the standard mouse. It was hypothesized that muscle activity transferred from the distal to proximal limbs for some of the ergonomic mice may result in increased load on the shoulders and declines in target acquisition performance. Results revealed a potential tradeoff between performance and safety with the devices as participants performed the best with the standard mouse but reported more wrist exertion with this device. http://tc.eserver.org/27531.html http://tc.eserver.org/27531.html This study examined the effects of mouse pad usage on performance of a target acquisition task. Results indicated no performance difference between three specialized mouse pads, a traditional mouse pad and no mouse pad. In addition, no significant differences were found between each of the mousing surfaces based on kinematic data. The results suggest that manufacturer claims of increased performance cannot be supported by empirical evidence. http://tc.eserver.org/27538.html http://tc.eserver.org/27538.html This study evaluates the usability of computer-based avionics system using a methodology described by Schvanevelt, Berringer & Leard (2004) which calculates the accessibility of information based upon the priorities users place upon the individual information sources. We discuss some of the unique usability issues facing engineers designing hardware and software for technically-advanced avionics systems. http://tc.eserver.org/27377.html http://tc.eserver.org/27377.html Whenever I hear someone making a general statement about what older people can or cannot do I think of my father-in-law. He's 80 years old and regularly runs marathons and competes in triathlons. He wins too. So I'm always suspicious about stereotypes involving technology and older users. http://tc.eserver.org/27361.html http://tc.eserver.org/27361.html An artifact simply means any product of human workmanship or any object modified by man. It is used to denote anything from a hammer to a computer system, but it is often used in the meaning 'a tool' in HCI or Interaction Design terminology. The term is also used to denote activities in a design process. http://tc.eserver.org/26959.html http://tc.eserver.org/26959.html 我们常常看到这样的新闻报道：飞机坠毁夺走了好几百人的生命，某次工业事故导致几百万英镑的损失，某新发现的系统医疗错误致使数千病患重返医院。几个月后，公布的调查结果如下：操作机器设备时的人为错误导致了这些事故。人们使用‘人为错误’一词来表达‘操作上的错误’，而经常的情况是，这些‘人为错误’ 根本就是机器设备的人机界面设计或安装上本身固有的问题。低劣的人机界面会导致使用效率降低或者容易发生错误，严重的则会造成财产和生命损失。 http://tc.eserver.org/26641.html http://tc.eserver.org/26641.html Despite posing well-known risks, websites continue to feature poorly designed scrollbars. Among the ongoing problems that result are frustrated users, accessibility challenges, and missed content. http://tc.eserver.org/25803.html http://tc.eserver.org/25803.html I have always been bothered by how difficult it is to subscribe to RSS/Atom feeds. Consider the user experience -- Someone sees an orange button with an unfamiliar acronym, they click it, and the browser starts spewing undecipherable code. http://tc.eserver.org/25470.html http://tc.eserver.org/25470.html What if something neither looks nor quacks like a duck, but users think it is a duck? The cranky user comments on baby duck syndrome and how it can trap users with systems and interfaces that don't really meet their needs. http://tc.eserver.org/25239.html http://tc.eserver.org/25239.html The study reported here assessed the effects of isolation on attention. Is it true, in other words, that isolating an element in a visual display—moving an element away from other elements and surrounding it with white space—will inspire a greater allocation of attentional resources to the isolated element than to other elements on a page or screen? http://tc.eserver.org/25074.html http://tc.eserver.org/25074.html The phrase 'human error' is taken to mean 'operator error', but more often than not the disaster is inherent in the design or installation of the human interface. Bad interfaces are slow or error prone to use. Bad interfaces cost money and cost lives. http://tc.eserver.org/24521.html http://tc.eserver.org/24521.html Without user observation testing, the usability of your web site is virtually unknown. Surveys are worth little, since those surveyed tend to tell you what they think you want to hear. Staff opinions are nice, but biased and they are not typical users. Heuristic (general guidelines-based) evaluation is helpful, but remains theoretical until tested on actual, representative users as they attempt to find information or perform tasks at your site. http://tc.eserver.org/23303.html http://tc.eserver.org/23303.html The effects of music on performance on a computer-mediated problem-solving task were examined. Participants completed the task in anonymous dyads as they were exposed to either Classical music, Punk music, or No Music. Results indicate that those in the Classical music condition performed better on the problem solving-task than those in the Punk music or No Music conditions. However, those listening to the Classical music offered more off-task comments during the task than those listening to No Music. Implications for website designers are discussed. http://tc.eserver.org/20825.html http://tc.eserver.org/20825.html When asking how many usability specialists it takes to change a light bulb, the answer might well be four: Two to conduct a field study and task analysis to determine whether people really need light, one to observe the user who actually screws in the light bulb, and one to control the video camera filming the event. It is certainly true that one should study user needs before implementing supposed solutions to those problems. Even so, the perception that anybody touching usability will come down with a bad case of budget overruns is keeping many software projects from achieving the level of usability their users deserve. http://tc.eserver.org/20818.html http://tc.eserver.org/20818.html Several new user interface technologies and interaction principles seem to define a new generation of user interfaces that will move off the flat screen and into the physical world to some extent. Many of these next-generation interfaces will not have the user control the computer through commands, but will have the computer adapt the dialogue to the user's needs based on its inferences from observing the user. This article defines twelve dimensions across which future user interfaces may differ from the canonical window systems of today: User focus, the computer's role, interface control, syntax, object visibility, interaction stream, bandwidth, tracking feedback, interface locus, user programming, and software packaging. Keywords: Agents, Animated icons, BITPICT, DWIM, Embedded help, Eye tracking, Generations of user interfaces, Gestural interfaces, Help systems, Home computing, Interactive fiction, Interface paradigms, Noncommand based user interfaces, Prototyping, Usability heuristics, Virtual realities, Wizard of Oz method. http://tc.eserver.org/19297.html http://tc.eserver.org/19297.html ﺔﻣﺪﻘﻣ ﺮﺒﺘﻌﻳ ﺕﺍﺮﻴﻐﺘﻤﻟﺍ ﻦﻣ ﺮﻴﺜﻜﺑ ﺮﺛﺄﺘﺗ ﻲﺘﻟﺍ ﻭ ﺓﺪﻘﻌﻤﻟﺍ ﺕﺎﻴﻠﻤﻌﻟﺍ ﻦﻣ ﺎﻫﺬﻴﻔﻨﺗﻭ ﻥﺪﻤﻟﺍ ﻂﻴﻄﺨﺗ ﻞﻣﺍﻮﻌﻟﺍﻭ. ﺮﺒﺘﻌﺗﻭ ﺎﻫﺭﻮﻄﺗ ﻲﻓ ﻲﺴﻴﺋﺮﻟﺍ ﺐﺒﺴﻟﺍ ﻭ ﻥﺪﻤﻟﺍ ﺔﻴﻤﻨﺘﻟ ﻲﺳﺎﺳ​ﻷﺍ ﻙﺮﺤﻤﻟﺍ ﺔﻴﻋﺎﻨﺼﻟﺍ ﺔﻴﻤﻨﺘﻟﺍ.ﻲﻫﻭ ﺔﻨﻳﺪﻤﻠﻟ ﺔﻳﺩﺎﺼﺘﻗ​ﻻﺍ ﺓﺪﻋﺎﻘﻟﺍ ﺰﺋﺎﻛﺭ ﻯﺪﺣﺇ.ﻁﺎﺸﻨﻟﺍ ﻰﻠﻋ ﺔﻤﺋﺎﻗ ﺔﻨﻳﺪﻤﻟﺍ ﻦﻜﺗ ﻢﻟ ﻥﺃﻭ ﺔﻴﻋﺎﻨﺼﻟﺍ ﺔﻴﻤﻨﺘﻟﺍ ﺔﻛﺮﺤﺑ ﻂﺒﺗﺮﻳ ﻥﺍﻭ ﺪﺑ​ﻻ ﺮﺧﺃ ﻱﺩﺎﺼﺘﻗﺍ ﻁﺎﺸﻧ ﻯﺃ ﻥﺈﻓ ﺎﺳﺎﺳﺃ ﻲﻋﺎﻨﺼﻟﺍ ﺔﺣﺎﻴﺳ ﻭﺃ ﺓﺭﺎﺠﺗ ﻭﺃ ﺔﻋﺍﺭﺯ ﻁﺎﺸﻨﻟﺍ ﺍﺬﻫ ﻥﺎﻛ ءﺍﻮﺳ. (ﺔﻨﻳﺪﻤﻟﺍ –ﺔﻋﺎﻨﺼﻟﺍ )ﻞﻛ ﻰﻠﻋ ﺪﻋﺎﺴﻳ ﻥﺍﺮﻤﻋ ﻦﻣ ﺎﻬﻣﺎﻴﻗ ﻦﻣ ﺪﺑ​ﻻ ﺔﻴﻋﺎﻨﺼﻟﺍ ﺔﻴﻤﻨﺘﻟﺎﻓ ﺮﺧ​ﻵﺍ ﻰﻟﺇ ﺝﺎﺘﺤﻳ ﺎﻤﻬﻨﻣ ﻲﻧﺎﻜﻤﻟﺍ ﺰﻴﺤﻟﺍ ﺭﺎﻃﺇ ﻲﻓ ﺔﻋﺎﻨﺼﻟﺍ ﺪﺴﺠﻳﻭ ﺎﻫﺪﺟﺍﻮﺗﻭ ﺎﻬﺋﺎﺸﻧﺇ. ﻚﻟﺬﻛ ﻩﺭﺍﺮﻤﺘﺳ​ﻻ ﺔﻣﺯ​ﻼﻟﺍ ﻝﺍﻮﻣ​ﻷﺍ ﺱﻭﺅﺭ ﻭ ﻞﻤﻋ ﺹﺮﻓ ﺮﻓﻮﺗ ﺔﻳﺩﺎﺼﺘﻗﺍ ﺓﺪﻋﺎﻗ ﻦﻣ ﻪﻟ ﺪﺑ​ﻻ ﻥﺍﺮﻤﻌﻟﺍ… ﻩﺍﺮﻨﺳ ﺎﻣ ﻮﻫﻭ ﺚﺤﺒﻟﺍ ﻲﻓ.ﻲﻓ ﻥﺪﻤﻟﺍ ﻂﻴﻄﺨﺗﻭ ﻲﻋﺎﻨﺼﻟﺍ ﻂﻴﻄﺨﺘﻟﺍ ﻦﻣ ﻞﻛ ﻦﻴﺑ ﻖﻴﺴﻨﺘﻟﺍ ﻝﻭﺎﺤﻳ ﻱﺬﻟﺍﻭ ﺭﺎﻃﺇ ﺪﻳﺪﺤﺗﻭ ﺎﻤﻬﻨﻣ ﻞﻛ ﺮﺻﺎﻨﻌﻟ ﺎﻨﻤﻬﻓ ﺮﺻﺎﻨﻌﻟﺍ ﻩﺬﻫ ﻦﻴﺑ ﻂﺑﺮﺗ ﻰﺘﻟﺍ ﺕﺎﻗ​ﻼﻌﻟﺍ. ﺞﻣﺎﻧﺮﺑ ﻝ​ﻼﺧ ﻦﻣ ﻚﻟﺫﻭGISﺮﻓﻮﺗ ﻱﺬﻟﺍ ﻭ ﺔﻔﻠﺘﺨﻤﻟﺍ ﺕﺎﻗ​ﻼﻌﻟﺍ ﻢﻬﻓﻭ ﺎﻬﺿﺍﺮﻌﺘﺳﺍﻭ ﺮﺻﺎﻨﻌﻟﺍ ﻩﺬﻫ ﺪﻳﺪﺤﺘﻟ ﺔﻣﺯ​ﻼﻟﺍ ﺕﺍﻭﺩ​ﻷﺍ ﻪﺗﺎﻘﻴﺒﻄﺗ ﺔﻄﻳﺮﺨﻟﺎﺑ ﺔﻘﻠﻌﺘﻤﻟﺍ ﺔﻔﻠﺘﺨﻤﻟﺍ ﺕﺍﺭﺎﺴﻔﺘﺳ​ﻻﺍ ﻰﻠﻋ ﺔﺑﺎﺟ​ﻹﺍ ﻪﻟ​ﻼﺧ ﻦﻣ ﻦﻜﻤﻳ ﺎﻤﻛ ﺎﻬﻨﻴﺑ ﺔﻴﻧﺍﺮﻤﻌﻟﺍ ﺔﻴﻋﺎﻨﺼﻟﺍ. http://tc.eserver.org/18408.html http://tc.eserver.org/18408.html We humans are biological animals. We have evolved over millions of years to function well in the environment, to survive. We are analog devices following biological modes of operation. We are compliant, flexible, tolerant. Yet we people have constructed a world of machines that requires us to be rigid, fixed, intolerant. We have devised a technology that requires considerable care and attention, that demands it be treated on its own terms, not on ours. We live in a technology-centered world where the technology is not appropriate for people. No wonder we have such difficulties. http://tc.eserver.org/15162.html http://tc.eserver.org/15162.html Contends that human factors professionals must look beyond usability and heuristics to maximize a product's appeal. http://tc.eserver.org/14884.html http://tc.eserver.org/14884.html Keyboard shortcut commands not only save time; they help save joint strain and brain power. http://tc.eserver.org/13091.html http://tc.eserver.org/13091.html For each of the last five years, there has been a workshop on HCI Education at the annual CHI conference. What makes these workshops so interesting isn't just the variety of people it brings together or issues discussed, it's the way the workshops have changed over the years. Just as HCI has evolved as a discipline, the topics of these and other workshops have also evolved. These changes are one indication of how much we have learned and what we have left to understand. http://tc.eserver.org/13086.html http://tc.eserver.org/13086.html Education always plays an important role in the annual CHI conference. The tutorial program provides a valuable opportunity for both HCI practitioners and researchers to explore new topics. Other venues, including workshops, panels, special interest group sessions, and papers are also used to explore educational issues. This year HCI Education was represented by a panel, a Special Interest Group, and several short papers discussing issues important to HCI education. http://tc.eserver.org/13084.html http://tc.eserver.org/13084.html This year, the CHI conference placed special emphasis on three application domains: education, entertainment, and health care. The education domain included everything from pre-school for children through continuing education for working professionals. HCI education was well-represented, and was the focus of a paper and a panel. http://tc.eserver.org/13083.html http://tc.eserver.org/13083.html The roots of HCI came from a number of separate disciplines, including computer graphics, human factors, ergonomics etc. (Hewett et al., 1992). In higher education, HCI was also represented as separate disciplines and sub-disciplines with separate courses or modules within the various disciplines. In contrast, the 1980's began to recognize the multi-disciplinary nature of the field. Conferences such as SIGCHI and books on HCI (e.g. Baecker & Buxton, 1987; Card, Moran & Newell, 1983; Norman, 1988; Shneiderman, 1987) appeared that brought the various disciplines together in new ways. http://tc.eserver.org/13089.html http://tc.eserver.org/13089.html As HCI continues to mature as a discipline, we must continue to question the bounds of the field. We must define what is within the realm of HCI and what is not. To begin, we can explore some of the proposed definitions for the discipline. http://tc.eserver.org/10375.html http://tc.eserver.org/10375.html The objective of this study was to investigate whether and how 'cultural standards' influence the use of typical daily products, e.g. a cellular phone. The goal was to provide insight for technical communicators who design information products for Chinese or German users. Hypotheses about differences in learning and information gathering strategies were derived from Chinese and German cultural standards. Methods used were focus groups, usability tests and a questionnaire. In focus groups, the question was raised about how cellular phone users had learned to use the phone. Four focus groups were held in each country (number of participants: China: n=26, Germany: n=24). A questionnaire was designed to provide additional information. During usability tests, the actual information searching behavior was recorded. Results indicate that the following cultural differences exist: The main source of information for Chinese is the sales clerk, whereas for Germans it is the conventional user manual. http://tc.eserver.org/10428.html http://tc.eserver.org/10428.html In this article, I argue that technical communicators should be creating a database of information about users. Over the past 20 years, our field has described many methods for gathering information about users, especially about how they interact with our products in their workplace to solve problems. This information about users is often applied to improving the design of a specific product; however, the information gathered is not usually saved or reused later. Through archiving, organizing, and exploring information about users, designers can become more user-centered, create better designs, train new designers, ensure access to usability information, make the most of company resources, plan future usability investigations, and build more advanced theories about users.