Download - CCT384 – Universal Design and Access
CCT384 – Universal Design and AccessUD Principle: Cognitively Sound
Week 5
Conceptually Sound? Building a knowledge into the designed.
Through: Affordances Mappings and representation Constrains Feedback Language Complexity
Mapping Use mappings to help user form clear conceptual
models.
Mapping
Mapping
Mapping
Mapping
Mapping use the user’s conceptual model match the users’ task sequence minimize mapping between interface and task
semantics
From Microsoft applications
Mapping Present exactly the information the user needs
less is more less to learn, to get wrong, to distract...
information should appear in natural order related information is graphically clustered order of accessing information matches user’s expectations
remove or hide irrelevant or rarely needed information competes with important information on screen
remove modes
use windows frugally don’t add unneeded navigation and window management
Compuserve Information Manager
Services
Telephone Access Numbers
PHONES
Access Numbers & Logon Instructions
United States and Canada
United States and Canada
CompuServe Network
Only 9600 BaudList
? List List by:State/ProvinceArea Code
File Edit Services Mail Special Window Help
Mapping
Good: information all in the same place
Good: information all in the same placeBad: special edit mode
Good: Stable parts of the windowBad: Prescriptions separate from graphics
By previous 481 students Brant LeClercq, Lloyd Yoon, Amy Yang (with permission)
collapsed onto one screen(needs formatting)
Double click to edit (mode buttons gone)
Click to get info
Add Undo
Constraints Use constraints so as to control the course of
actions and prevent or reduce the possibility of users doing the wrong thing.
How do I get out of this?
Constraints
Constraints Users don’t like to feel trapped by the computer!
should offer an easy way out of as many situations as possible
Strategies: Cancel button (for dialogs waiting for user input) Universal Undo (can get back to previous state) Interrupt (especially for lengthy operations) Quit (for leaving the program at any time) Defaults (for restoring a property sheet)
Core Dump
Complexity Tutorial and/or getting started manuals
short guides that people are likely to read when first obtaining their systems encourages exploration and getting to know the
system tries to get conceptual material across and essential
syntax
on-line “tours”, exercises, and demos demonstrates very basic principles through working
examples
Complexity Reference manuals
used mostly for detailed lookup by experts rarely introduces concepts thematically arranged
on-line hypertext search / find table of contents index cross-index
Microsoft Help
Complexity Reminders
short reference cards expert user who just wants to check facts novice who wants to get overview of system’s capabilities
keyboard templates shortcuts/syntactic meanings of keys; recognition vs. recall;
capabilities
tooltips and other context-sensitive help text over graphical items indicates their meaning or purpose
Microsoft Word
Complexity Wizards
walks user through typical tasks but dangerous if user gets stuck
What’s my computer’s name?
Fred? Intel? AST?
Microsoft Powerpoint
Complexity Tips
migration path to learning system features also context-specific tips on being more efficient must be “smart”, otherwise boring and tedious
Microsoft Word
Complexity Computers good at remembering, people are not!
Promote recognition over recall menus, icons, choice dialog boxes vs commands,
field formats relies on visibility of objects to the user (but less is
more!)
From Microsoft applications
Constraints General idea: Forcing functions
prevent / mitigate continuation of wrongful action
Gag deals with errors by preventing the user from continuing
eg cannot get past login screen until correct password entered
Warn warn people that an unusual situation is occurring when overused, becomes an irritant
e.g., audible bell alert box
Constraints Do nothing
illegal action just doesn’t do anything user must infer what happened
enter letter into a numeric-only field (key clicks ignored) put a file icon on top of another file icon (returns it to original
position)
Self-correct system guesses legal action and does it instead but leads to a problem of trust
spelling corrector
Generic system responses for errors
Lets talk about it system initiates dialog with user to come up with
solution to the problem compile error brings up offending line in source code
Teach me system asks user what the action was supposed to
have meant action then becomes a legal one
What is “error 15762”?
Constraints
A problematic message to a nuclear power plant operator
Constraints
Complexity Gives input format, example and default
Complexity Small number of rules applied universally
generic commands same command can be applied to all interface objects
interpreted in context of interface object
copy, cut, paste, drag ’n drop, ... for characters, words, paragraphs, circles, files
context menus
Complexity
Language Provide messages in a language and format that
people using the process or product will understand.
My program gave me the message Rstrd Info.What does it mean?
That’s restricted information But surely you can
tell me!!!No, no… Rsdrd Info stands
for “Restricted Information”
Hmm… but what does it mean???
It means the program is too busy to let you log on
Ok, I’ll take a coffee
Language
Language Terminology based on users’ language for task
e.g. withdrawing money from a bank machine
Use meaningful mnemonics, icons & abbreviations eg File / Save
Ctrl + S (abbreviation) Alt FS (mnemonic for menu action) (tooltip icon)
Language
Feedback Use feedback to keep user informed as to the status
of the entity’s operations and the entity’s response.
Provide feedback Continuously inform the user about
what it is doing how it is interpreting the user’s input user should always be aware of what is going on
> Doit
What’s it doing?
> DoitThis will take5 minutes...
Time for coffee.
Provide feedback
What did I select?
What mode am I in now?
How is the system
interpreting my actions?
Microsoft Paint
Provide feedback Be as specific as possible, based on user’s input
Best within the context of the action
Provide feedback
Drawing Board LT
Multiple files being copied, but feedback is file by file.
Provide feedback Response time
how users perceive delays
<0.1s perceived as “instantaneous”
1s user’s flow of thought stays uninterrupted, but delay noticed
10s limit for keeping user’s attention focused on the dialog
> 10s user will want to perform other tasks while waiting
Provide Feedback Dealing with long delays
Cursors for short transactions
Percent done dialogs time left estimated time
Random for unknown times
cancel
Contacting host (10-60 seconds)
Affordance User affordances to help users clear conceptual
model’s operations
Affordances The perceived properties of an object that suggest how it
can be used.
Popularized by D. Norman in POET The perceptual psychologist J. Gibson had a similar,
but different, notion. Norman contrasts real vs. perceived affordances Subsequent clarifications on affordances by Norman:
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/affordances-and-design.html
Affordances The perceived properties of an object that determine
how it can be used. Knobs are for turning. Buttons are for pushing.
Some affordances are obvious, some learned Glass can be seen through. Glass breaks easily.
Sometimes visual plus physical feedback Floppy disk example
Rectangular – can’t insert sideways Tabs on the disk prevent the drive from letting it be fully inserted
backwards
Norman’s Affordances Affordances:
Have perceived properties that may or may not exist Have suggestions or clues about to how to use these
properties Can be dependent on the
Experience Knowledge Culture of the actor
Can make an action easy or difficult
From McGrenere & Ho, Proc of Graphics Interfaces, 2000
Affordances of a Teapot?
Slide adapted from Saul Greenberg
Real vs. Perceived Affordances
From http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/affordances-and-design.html :
In product design, where one deals with real, physical objects, there can be both real and perceived affordances, and the two need not be the same.
In graphical, screen-based interfaces, all that the designer has available is control over perceived affordances.
Based on slide by Saul Greenberg
Affordances in Screen-Based Interfaces
Designer only has control over perceived affordances Display screen, pointing device, selection buttons,
keyboard These afford touching, pointing, looking, clicking on every
pixel of the display.
Based on slide by Saul Greenberg
Affordances in Screen-Based Interfaces
Most of this affordance is not used Example: if the display is not touch-sensitive, even
though the screen affords touching, touching has no effect.
Example: does a graphical object on the screen afford clicking? yes, but the real question is does the user perceive
this affordance; does the user recognize that clicking on the icon is a meaningful, useful action?
Visual affordances of a scrollbar
UD at the Workplace http://www11.cac.washington.edu/doit/Video/
Wmv/access_tech-h.asx
Usability Principles Visibility
Feedback
Constraints
Mapping
Affordance
Activity
Applying Universal Design – from learning to practice
Class Activity First - Teabreak! Then Lo-Fidelity prototyping exercise
(in groups) Create a lo-fi prototype and present it!
Class Activity Create a lo-fidelity prototype of a restaurant web site
interface.
In class, you will test your lo-fi prototype on at least 1 people from another group. The task that you will ask the participant to perform is: ordering a meal. Team members will play the roles of observer, and what you will observe or what questions you will ask the participant. Post the results of your evaluation in the Wikispaces page with the names of your group.
See some samples: www.orderit.ca, www.pizzahut.ca
Screenshotting
Start with a Blank Page
Use a drawing program to insert items you want
Useful Tricks Use PowerPoint as a way to create interactivity
Print Screen and then cut out elements you like Windows: Alt-PrtScn captures the active window into the clipboard Mac Control - Command (Apple)-Shift-4 captures the “grabbed” area into
the clipboard Mac OSX Grab Utility
Open Grab (located in Applications/Utility).
Use a simple graphics editor like Paint to stitch the images together Copy & Paste many elements for different looks/feels
Web-Based Provides the illusion of interactivity
Can employ screenshots to show parts of your webpage
Can be used as just a “click-through” of screenshots
Good if you are considering adding features to an existing website
User Testing Conducting a Test - We find it takes four people to get the most out of a
test session and that their activities fall into four essential roles: * Greeter. Much the same as the usher in a church, the greeter welcomes
users and tries to put them at ease. We have some forms we ask people to fill out--an experience profile, for example--a job the greeter handles while other team members are setting up for the test.
* Facilitator. Once the test is set up, the facilitator takes the lead, and is the only team member who is allowed to speak freely during the test. Facilitating means three things: giving the user instructions, encouraging the user to express his or her thoughts suring the test, and makingg sure everything gets done on time. This is a difficult enough job that the facilitator should not be expected to take notes during a session.
* Computer. PowerPoint mock-up. * Observers. The rest of the team members quietly take notes on 5-by-8-inch
index cards, writing one observation per card. If they think of a recommended solution, they write it on the same card that records the problem.
References The Principles of Universal Design‚ Version 2.0 (1997) by North Carolina State University (as
cited in Preiser & Ostroff ‚ 2001)
Center for Universal Design (US) Home of the Principles of Universal Design, Exemplars of Universal Design, universal design history, the Design File, Center for Universal Design Newsline, publications, and more. http://www.design.ncsu.edu/
CAST (US) Home of Bobby, the web accessibility analysis tool, Universal Design in Learning and the National Center On Accessing the General Curriculum, and eProducts. http://www.cast.org
DO-IT: Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology, http://www.washington.edu/doit/
Adaptive Environments Center (US) Home of the South Boston Waterfront Project, Designing for the 21st Century Conference, Access to Public Schools, New England ADA Technical Assistance Center, universal design education and consulting, Access to Design Professions, publications and more. http://www.adaptenv.org
Accessible Electronic & Information Technology: Legal Obligations of Higher Education and Section 508, Cynthia D. Waddell, J.D., 1999, http://athenpro.org/node/54
Next class Next class: Universal Design Principle: Flexibly
Sound
Readings: Erlandson, Chapter 9