HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION

[GROUP MEMBERS:

MALEEHA AFZAL 00344

AYESYA JAMIL 00248

BESE-3(B)

NUST

SEECS

]

Introduction to the device:

For a long time, it was a challenge to find decent Android tablets .But as Google continues to

refine its mobile operating system, there seems an outburst of high quality android tablets. This

perception gave us an idea to pick the new emerging Google tables, particularly one of the, the

Google nexus 7 2 as our device. We might need a good idea about the specs and a little

description of what this tablet is, before proceeding further.

Overview of the specifications:

Dimensions

200 x 114 x 8.7mm

290g

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n

Bluetooth 4.0 LE with A2DP

A-GPS

NFC

micro USB

3.5mm audio port

Display

7.02" IPS LCD

LED backlit

WUXGA (1920x1200px) resolution

323ppi pixel density

Corning Gorilla Glass

The display is 1200 by 1920 pixels. . That gives it a high resolution of 323ppi (pixels per inch).

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 SoC

Quad-core 1.5GHz Krait 300 CPU

Graphics

Quad-core 400MHz Adreno 320 GPU

RAM

2GB

Storage options

16GB and 32GB option available

Camera

5MP rear camera

- Autofocus

- 1080p video recording at 30fps

1.2MP front camera

Battery

3950mAh Li-Ion battery

Non-removable

Operating system

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

Upgradeable to Android 4.4 Kit Kat when available

(a) From your first impressions, write down what first comes to mind as to what is good and bad about the way the device works.

The first impressions of a device really matters when it comes to the overall user experience.

Here is an overview of what good or bad, any user may feel about the working of nexus 7 2.

THE GOOD

The first thing in a good interface of a tablet is always the screen quality. We measure

the screen quality in terms of pixels (if there is higher concentration of pixels in one

inch, the display becomes sharper)

The screen is fantastic to the eye: Colors pop and the 323 pixels per inch offer total

clarity for text at every size. Images look great too. It’s an IPS display so you can view the

screen from nearly any angle.

The most important feature that a normal day to day user will notice will be the overall

hardware so apart from the screen, there are side bezels. Which are thin. The thin

bezels on the sides are a fine experience because it makes the tablet holding in one

hand easier.

The bezels above and below the screen seem to be a good interactive feature because

they make it easier for a person to hold the tablet in portrait mode.

Build quality in general, appears quite good in a first time encounter.

The power button and volume rockers on the right side are not bumpy and give a

pleasant experience. These buttons are tucked away under the curve of the right hand

edge of the screen. This has the benefit of ensuring they’re not accidentally triggered

when you have the Nexus 7 2 resting on its side,

Apart from interaction with the hardware, a first time user will definitely want an

interactive software as well. It’s fair to say that Google’s second generation Nexus 7 has

some big boots to fill. Its main reason is the software, the interface and the

performance above all. A first time user definitely gets shocked at the stunning

processor speed. And high end gaming support.

One thing that attracts every user is the availability of Google play store.

THE BAD

It is really important to mention fingerprints. This device has a rubber back. Both the

rubber back and the super glossy screen are big fingerprint magnets.

The highly reflecting screen, despite the high pixel density may be difficult to use out in

the sunlight for certain users.

No vibration makes notifications on the go problematic.

(b) Give a description of the user experience resulting from interacting with

it.

In terms of user experience, there can be a lot of things that define the user’s experiences

related to this device. Here is an overview and. a glimpse of people’s comments and user

experiences on nexus 7’s overall performance.

The following things define in detail the experiences that lead us to overall user experience.

Pure android experience

The best feature is that Nexus devices are synonymous with pure Google experiences. This is

the chance to show Android in its purest form.

Look and feel

This device looks and feels good and looks like a premium slab. That gives it a positive edge in

terms of hardware and software both, leading to a pleasurable experience.

Edges

This is an all-black device. The screen just blends into the sides, which curve round to create an

uninterrupted back panel. And if I had to find fault, it would be with this bit. This might prove to

be an irritating experience for some users. Others may find it rather attractive.

Problem in holding because of edges

Firstly, the bezels have been shrunk right down to make the screen almost extend to the edges.

But it makes it difficult to hold the Nexus 7, because the natural act of curling your hand around

the tablet and resting your thumb on the bezel is now impossible without touching the screen

and causing all kinds of annoyances. Instead, you have to rethink how you hold the tablet.

It can be held fully within the palm, but that's quite tiring after a while and not particularly

comfortable. Others have taken to holding the Nexus 7 like a giant phone, which is kind of

awkward.

Display experience

The 7-inch 1920 x 1200 display produces colors that are not only vibrant but, for the first time

ever in a Nexus device, accurate as well. Google really worked on color accuracy this time, with

a two-step calibration process - once at a high level by the panel maker and once again per

device during final manufacturing. The result is just awesome giving crisp and sharp images and

high quality leading to a highly satisfying experience.

The display looks great when viewing everything from photos and movies to web pages and

eBooks. The only complaint about the Nexus 7's display is its size. (Most of the users prefer a

larger screen and may find a smaller screen troublesome)

Screen colors experience

Colors appear vibrant, but never oversaturated, and contrasts are about as perfect as you could

expect from an LCD. You won’t ever see the kind of intensely deep blacks that you would find

on an AMOLED panel, but you won’t really mind either – the Nexus 7’s display never leaves you

feeling amazed.

Outdoor usage experience

The new panel is also incredibly bright. I typically view 500 nits as the threshold for outdoor

usability, and the new Nexus 7 definitely exceeds that threshold. The tablet will drink away all

of your battery life if you leave it at this brightness setting indefinitely, but if you need to

actually use your tablet outdoors, lesser brightness settings won’t work which will lead to

battery drainage. So it might feel annoying.

Software and operating system usage experience

Google does pre-loaded the Nexus 7 with a vast suite of its own software. The whole interface

is highly interactive. Google is to be commended for how well it has implemented landscape

support in Jelly Bean too. Every corner of the OS has been designed to work equally well in

landscape as in portrait mode, including both the home screen and lock screen. This might

seem a bit trivial, but it makes using the Nexus 7 that little bit more enjoyable, reducing the

number of times you’ll find yourself rotating the device, which can otherwise become a bit

tedious.

(c)Based on your reading of Chapter 1 (What is Interaction Design?) and any other material you’ve come across, compile a set of usability and user experience goals that you think will be most relevant in evaluating the device. Decide which are the most important ones and explain why.

Particularly in the evaluation of our product, some of the user experience goals such as

satisfying. Fun or enjoyable, engaging, challenging will be the most important. Apart from that,

the undesirable aspects of user experience goals that need to be analyzed might include

frustrating or annoying experiences..

I particularly chose these few user experience goals because mainly, digital devices are known

for performance. Better performance gives better and pleasurable user experiences. Moreover,

Google’s devices are kind of difficult to get used to so we need to analyze if it’s a challenging

experience. On the other hand, frustrating or annoying, as a user experience is important to

consider since any device might turn out to be a difficult thing to use and get used to for non-

technical people.

The usability goals that we will be considering while analyzing will be efficiency, learnability,

and memorability. Mainly because these four are related to performance and on the whole will

describe the tablet’s usability.

(c) Translate each of your sets of usability and user experience goals into two or three specific questions. Then use them to assess how well your device fares

ANALYSIS WITH USER EXPERIENCE GOALS:

SATISFYING:

Does it meet the user’s needs?

Is it productive?

In terms of satisfaction as a user experience goal, the device functions quite well. It actually

performs all its required tasks, doesn’t lags in terms of performance, and has better graphics.

So overall it’s really productive. Any user might shift entirely to this tablet rather than carrying

around a laptop all day. The picture below is a real life user’s point of view that I found while

surfing the internet.

FUN OR ENJOYABLE:

Were there any frustrations encountered?

Did it feel good to use?

With 323 pixels packed into every inch, you can read text that’s sharper than the printed page,

see images more vivid than the highest quality photo magazine, and watch videos come to life

in vibrant 1080p HD. Apart from that nexus 7 is a high end gaming device. So it totally fulfills the

criteria of enjoy ability as a user experience goal.

ENGAGING:

Does it keep u busy?

With all the gaming multimedia, Google play etc. features packed in, nexus 7 will keep u busy

and engaged.

CHALLENGING:

Does it challenge one in digging out its new and enhanced features?

As already discussed, this device gives a pure android experience. Android by nature is a highly

modifiable operating system. More technical minded users can even root the nexus and set

their device according to their own priorities. Their interests. They can even set custom ROMS.

Thus the device gives users a lot of opportunities. So it is challenging to use it in the best

effective way possible.

FRUSTRATING OR ANNOYING:

Is it sometimes irritating to use because of any reason?

It is really important to mention fingerprints. This device has a rubber back. Both the rubber

back and the super glossy screen are big fingerprint magnets. The highly reflecting screen,

despite the high pixel density may be difficult to use out in the sunlight for certain users. No

vibration makes notifications on the go problematic.

This might lead to a frustrating experience.

ANALYSIS WITH USABILITY GOALS:

EFFICIENCY:

Is the user saving any time/being productive with the system?

The user is achieving efficiency because of larger ram, faster processor and high graphics.

LEARNABILITY:

Is it difficult to get used to?

Can primary (core) and secondary tasks be learned quickly and easily?

This depends on how technical minded the user will be. Overall it’s not that difficult but people

may find things a bit complex that other simple everyday devices.

MEMORABILITY:

Will users remember all the steps used for carrying out a task?

Once the functionalities are learnt, it’s really easy to memorize them.

(e) Repeat (c) and (d) but this time using the design principles outlined in Chapter 1.

The design principles that will be used to analyze the device will be.

Visibility

Feedback

Constraints

Consistency

ANALYSIS USING THE DEIGN PRINCIPLES:

VISIBILITY:

Is every functionality, button etc. of the device clearly visible?

Since this is not a pure mechanical or hardware device, so in terms of visibility, the screen

quality should be good with sharp and vibrant colors. This gives high visibility to nexus 7 and

thus better overall usability.

FEEDBACK:

In the interface, are u constantly given satisfactory feedbacks about the tasks that you have

performed?

There are two notification bars on the interface that are meant for timely feedback thus leading

to better usability.

CONSTRAINTS:

Are there constraints to performing your operation?

In terms of hardware, there are not much constraints. E.g. the MICRO USB plugin on the bottom

can be used for a large number of purposes. From charging to data transfer to connecting a

gaming controller. If nexus is rooted, the port can also be used for memory expansion via an

external hard drive.

In terms of software, there aren’t much constraints either.as discussed earlier, Android by

nature is a highly modifiable operating system. More technical minded users can even root the

nexus and install custom ROMS and make it work, the way they want to.

CONSISTENCY:

Do the design interfaces to have similar operations and use similar elements for similar tasks?

Considering all the home screens, lock screens, notification bars etc., there is sufficient amount

of consistency. This also leads to better learnability of nexus too.

(f) Finally, discuss possible improvements to the interface based on the answers obtained for (d) and (e).

As seen from the answers of part (d) and (e) , the device satisfies almost all user experience and

usability goals. Following improvements might be made.

Increased memory

The rubber back can be improved in terms of the build quality.