Know your users!

UsersLast week we looked at the

physical and cognitive abilities of humans

Aims this week◦Understand the importance of

knowing your users◦Understand the context in which the

user will interact with the technology / software

◦Look at a number of case studies and real life examples.

User Centred DesignSimple definition is including

users in the design processHowever there is more: ISO 13407, Human-Centred

Design Processes for Interactive Systems, approved in 1999, is a general reference model of user-centred design principles and processes.

UCD Model

Problems of UCD in practiceClients are unhappy with

consultants who fail to understand the domain in which they work, focus only on the users and produce shallow, surface work they could have done themselves.

Donna Maurer. 2006. User centred design in practice: is it working?. In Proceedings of the 18th Australia conference on Computer-Human Interaction: Design: Activities, Artefacts and Environments (OZCHI '06), Jesper Kjeldskov and Jeni Paay (Eds.). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 3-3.

Sonos“Before we even begin to design anything,

we do a lot of work upfront about who our customers are, how they interact with music throughout their day and what they want from our products,” he explains.

“That means that rather than designing something an engineer wants, we’re working on what users want. It lets us simplify designs and focus on everyday use,” Lambourne continues.

SonosFurther research – including

home visits to Sonos users – led to users being able to turn off the Play:3’s display, so its light wouldn’t bother people using one in the bedroom.

User Errors Daily Mail Headline:Mother-of-four dies after blundering

nurse administers TEN times drug overdose

But staff nurse wrongly pumped her with 50ml of the drug over half an hour instead of over five hours, the inquest heard. 

Instead of pressing the 10ml per hour button, the nurse admitted tapping in 100ml per hour on the drug infusion pump. 

Seven Segment DisplaysDon’t use 7-segment displays!Title of a paper at British HCI 2011Rational for use:

◦They make economic sense: they are simple, and with only seven on/off segments, they require little wiring and electronics to support. They are cheap to buy and cheap to use; they make seemingly effective products.

6 and 7

Hexadecimal

PenWhat is the time 10:21 or

12:01???

FiremanSeven segment radiation

dosimeters hanging upside down from the wearer’s belt can easily be read differently by a supervisor and by the wearer, who would lift them up to read them.

Planes fall out of skyUnited Airlines Flight 389 –

1960’sA definitive cause was not

determined by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators. However, it was believed that the crash was most likely the result of the pilots misreading their three-pointer (3p) altimeters by 10,000 feet.

To Err is humanFact is that people make

mistakesNeed to understand human

ability to try and design to minimise these mistakes

Need to understand consequences of mistakes◦Result in lost data◦Business loose money◦Loose Job◦Death

Cancer Treatment to Die For (2000)

Cost: Eight people dead, 20 critically injuredDisaster: Radiation therapy software by

Multidata Systems International miscalculated the proper dosage, exposing patients to harmful and in some cases fatal levels of radiation. The physicians, who were legally required to double-check the software’s calculations, were indicted for murder.

Cause: The software calculated radiation dosage based on the order in which data was entered, sometimes delivering a double dose of radiation.

UsersNot everyone like you!People suffer from range of

disabilities◦Visual impairment◦Auditory Impairment◦Autism◦Dyslexia◦Arthritus◦Etc…

Then there is age!

Age Unlike yourselves older people

have not grown up with computer technology

Generation Y – people born late 70’s – 90’s

Experience important◦Promotes confidence

When I did my degree many essays / coursework still written by hand

ElderlyPhysical disabilities – arthritis,

mobilityHearing derogates over timeMemory issues - Alzheimer‘Confidence sufferSocial Issues - isolation

ChildrenLess developed motor skillsMouse has been redesignedDrag and Drop vs Point and Click

◦Debate on whether drag and drop is too difficult to use for children because they may not be able to hold the mouse button pressed and move the mouse simultaneously

Communication skills

SummaryIt is important to know your usersNeed to know their physical and

cognitive abilitiesNeed to know their environment

in which they will use the technology

Without this knowledge your designs or products can FAIL!