Broadening Access to Statistical Data Broadening Access to Statistical Data by Improving User Interfacesby Improving User Interfaces

Ben Shneiderman Ben Shneiderman Founding Director, Human-Computer Interaction LaboratoryFounding Director, Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory

Professor, Department of Computer ScienceProfessor, Department of Computer Science

Member, Institutes for Advanced Computer Studies &Member, Institutes for Advanced Computer Studies &Systems ResearchSystems Research

University of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Maryland, College Park(ben@cs.umd.edu)(ben@cs.umd.edu)

Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory

Interdisciplinary research community - Computer Science & Psychology - Information Studies & Education (www.cs.umd.edu/hcil)

Scientific ApproachScientific Approach (beyond user friendly)(beyond user friendly)

Specify users and tasksSpecify users and tasks Predict and measure (theory-driven, hypothesis-testing)Predict and measure (theory-driven, hypothesis-testing)

time to learntime to learn speed of performancespeed of performance rate of human errorsrate of human errors human retention over timehuman retention over time

Assess subjective satisfactionAssess subjective satisfaction (Questionnaire for User Interface Satisfaction)(Questionnaire for User Interface Satisfaction)

Accommodate individual differencesAccommodate individual differences Consider social, organizational & cultural contextConsider social, organizational & cultural context

Design IssuesDesign Issues Input devices & strategies

Keyboards, pointing devices, voice Direct manipulation Menus, forms, commands

Output devices & formats Screens, windows, color, sound Text, tables, graphics Instructions, messages, help

Collaboration & communities Manuals, tutorials, training

www.awl.com/DTUI usableweb.com hcibib.org useit.com

Library of CongressLibrary of Congress

Scholars, Journalists, CitizensScholars, Journalists, Citizens

Teachers, StudentsTeachers, Students

Visible Human Explorer (NLM)Visible Human Explorer (NLM)

DoctorsDoctors

SurgeonsSurgeons

ResearchersResearchers

StudentsStudents

NASA Environmental DataNASA Environmental Data

ScientistsScientists

FarmersFarmers

Land plannersLand planners

StudentsStudents

LifeLines

Children as Our Design PartnersChildren as Our Design Partners

Zoomable User Interfaces (ZUIs)Zoomable User Interfaces (ZUIs)

Bureau of CensusBureau of Census

Economists, Policy Economists, Policy makers, Journalistsmakers, Journalists

Teachers, StudentsTeachers, Students

Snap-Together VisualizationSnap-Together Visualization Allow

coordination designers to create novel layouts that combine existing visualizations

Allow users to navigate large datasets conveniently

Census Statistics with MapsCensus Statistics with Maps

Treemap - Stock market, clustered by industryTreemap - Stock market, clustered by industry

Problem: Confusion, frustration, and remorse dominate user experiences Survey of 6000 users finds 5.1 hours/week wasted Incompatible files, interfaces, networks, hardware Poorly designed websites lacking accessibility policy

Solutions: Raise user expectations Conduct research Provide practical tools & methods

Universal Usability Universal Usability

Problem: Confusion, frustration, and remorse dominate user experiences Survey of 6000 users finds 5.1 hours/week wasted Incompatible files, interfaces, networks, hardware Poorly designed websites lacking accessibility policy

Solutions: Raise user expectations Conduct research Provide practical tools & methods

Skeptics corner - Dumbing down - Lowest common denominator

Universal Usability Universal Usability

ACM Code of EthicsACM Code of EthicsIn a fair society, all individuals would

have equal opportunity to participate in, or benefit from, the use of computer resources regardless of race, sex, religion, age, disability, national origin or other such similar factors.

Internet Use by Education - 1998Internet Use by Education - 1998 Percent of U.S. Households Using the InternetPercent of U.S. Households Using the Internet

Total U.S., Rural, Urban, and Central City Areas Total U.S., Rural, Urban, and Central City Areas

Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide www.ntia.doc.gov

Internet Use by Income - 1998Internet Use by Income - 1998 Percent of U.S. Households Using the InternetPercent of U.S. Households Using the Internet

Total U.S., Rural, Urban, and Central City Areas Total U.S., Rural, Urban, and Central City Areas

Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide

www.ntia.doc.gov

Technology variety:Technology variety: Support broad range of Support broad range of hardware, software, and network accesshardware, software, and network access

1 to 100 range in processor speeds

286 486 Pentium

1 to 100 range in screen sizes

Palm devices Laptops Large Desktop or Wall Display 30,000 480,000 3,840,000 pixels

Software Versions Compatibility File conversion Multiple platforms

Device Independence Input: keyboard, speech,... Output: visual, auditory,... Conversion: Text-speech Speech-text,...

1 to 100 range in network bandwidth

9.6K 56K 10,000Kbps

Language & Culture Western, Eastern, developing...Personality Introvert vs extravert Thinking vs feeling Risk aversion Locus of control Planful vs playful

User diversityUser diversity: Accommodate different users: Accommodate different users

Skills Computer newbie to hacker Knowledge Domain novice to expert

Age Young to oldGender Male or FemaleIncome Impoverished to wealthy

Disabilities Visual, auditory, motoric, cognitiveDisabling conditions Mobility, injury, noise, sunlight

Online help Context sensitive, tables of contents, Indexes, Keyword search, FAQs, Newsgroups, Chat rooms Online communities

Gaps in User Knowledge - StrategiesGaps in User Knowledge - StrategiesBridge the gap between what users know and

what they need to know

Design Layered Level-structured Task-oriented Training

Fade-able scaffolding Training wheels Minimalist

Online Learning (evolutionary, phased) Introductory tutorials Getting started manuals, Cue cards Walkthroughs/Demos Minimalist/Active

Customer service Email Phone Help desks

ACM Conference on Universal Usability

Washington, DC November 16-17, 2000 www.acm.org/sigchi/cuu

Broadening Access to Census DataBroadening Access to Census Data Dynamaps

Speeds exploration of geographic data Facilitates comparisons & visibility of extremes

Query Previews Speeds exploration of statistical data Facilitates study of distributions of data

Table browser Speeds exploration of tabular data Facilitates understanding of data patterns

DynamapDynamap

DynamapDynamap

DynamapDynamap

Broadening Access to Census DataBroadening Access to Census Data Dynamaps

Speeds exploration of geographic data Facilitates comparisons & visibility of extremes

Query Previews Speeds exploration of statistical data Facilitates study of distributions of data

Table browser Speeds exploration of tabular data Facilitates understanding of data patterns

Problems with Browsing Large Online TablesProblems with Browsing Large Online Tables

e.g. 1997 US Economic Census Data, for Counties:more than 3000 Tuples

Hard to see overview, gaps, and clusters or find answers to questions without many zero or mega hit queries and large unnecessary downloads

Universal Relation >> 1000 Tuples

ConclusionsConclusions

Visual presentation of dataVisual presentation of data Visual manipulation of dataVisual manipulation of data Continuous immediate feedback on actionsContinuous immediate feedback on actions Easily reversible actionsEasily reversible actions Error prevention instead of error correctionError prevention instead of error correction Better network performance:Better network performance:

No zero/mega hit queriesNo zero/mega hit queries Loading only the metadata prior to query submissionLoading only the metadata prior to query submission

Broadening Access to Census DataBroadening Access to Census Data Dynamaps

Speeds exploration of geographic data Facilitates comparisons & visibility of extremes

Query Previews Speeds exploration of statistical data Facilitates study of distributions of data

Table browser Speeds exploration of tabular data Facilitates understanding of data patterns

Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson

I feel... an ardent desire to see knowledge so disseminated through the mass of mankind that it may...reach even the extremes of society: beggars and kings.

-- Reply to American Philosophical Society, 1808

ACM Conference on Universal Usability

Washington, DC November 16-17, 2000 www.acm.org/sigchi/cuu

Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory

(www.cs.umd.edu/hcil)

ReferencesReferences Hert, C.A. (1999). Federal Statistical Website Users And Their Tasks: Investigations Of AvenuesTo Facilitate

Access: Final Report to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Available at: http://istweb.syr.edu/~hert/BLSphase3.PDF

Hert, C.A. (1998). FedStats Users and Their Tasks: Providing Support and Learning Tools: Final Report to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Available at: http://istweb.syr.edu/~hert/BLSphase2.html

  Haas, S.W. and Hert, C.A. (2000). Terminology Development and Organization in Multi-Community

Environments: The Case of Statistical Information. In Soergel, D. (ed.) Proc. 11th ASIS&T SIG/CR Classification Research Workshop. Chicago, IL, November 12, 2000, p. 51-72

Hert, C.A. and Marchionini, G. (1997). Seeking Statistical Information in Federal Websites: Users, Tasks, Strategies, and Design Recommendations: Final Report to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://ils.unc.edu/~march/blsreport/mainbls.html

  Marchionini, G. (1998) Advanced Interface Designs for the BLS Website: Final Report to the Bureau of

Labor Statistics. http://ils.unc.edu/~march/blsreport98/final_report.html

Marchionini, G. (1999). An Alternative Site Map Tool for The FedStats Statistical Website. http://ils.unc.edu/~march/bls_final_report99.pdf

Marchionini, G. (2000). From Overviews to Previews to Answers: Integrated Interfaces for Federal Statistics Report to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 30, 2000 http://ils.unc.edu/~march/bls_final_report_99-00.pdf