User-Centered
Interaction Design
understanding human factors and design
fundamentals to create satisfying experiences
by Chris Avore, Erova Studios LLC
March 20, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009

Today’s Discussion
who I am and how I got here (I’ll be brief, trust me)
introduction to User Centered Interaction Design
understand how people interact with systems
how to understand your audience
how to design for your audience
next steps: academic and career paths in UCD/IxD
Friday, March 20, 2009

Who am I?
Chris Avore
User Experience pro
Erova Studios LLC
Strange obsession with
English Bulldogs
Friday, March 20, 2009

How’d I get here?
BA: English UMD, 1998
studied multimedia & web design
Graduate study at UMBC, 2007
human factors & human-computer interaction
Freelance since 1999, completed over 50 jobs
clients include National Geographic, Amazon,
Blockbuster, Kodak, Smithsonian, more
Friday, March 20, 2009

So what is User-Centered
Interaction Design?
Interaction Design (IXD) defines the structure and
behavior of interactive products and services.
Interaction Designers create compelling relationships
between people and the interactive systems they use,
from computers to mobile devices to appliances.
Interaction Designers lay the groundwork for intangible
experiences.
from the Interaction Design Association
Friday, March 20, 2009

In other words...
Interaction designers strive
to create useful and usable
products and services.
Friday, March 20, 2009

User-Centered means what?
The systems we design are balanced between:
user goals
business objectives
technological capabilities
and involve user feedback & research throughout
the entire design and development process
Friday, March 20, 2009

So let’s talk about users.
Fundamental information can
shape everything:
how people work
how people think
and how people live
Friday, March 20, 2009

How People Work:
Human Factors Ergonomics
how human beings design of equipment
interact with to reduce operator
technology fatigue, discomfort and
injury
how technology
affects human science of designing
performance equipment to better fit
the human body
Friday, March 20, 2009

How People Work:
Human Factors
Perceived Affordance:
assumable use (knobs, buttons)
Visible Constraints:
electric plugs, firearm safety locks
Causality:
blame/credit, feedback
Mapping:
possible relationships
Fitts’s Law:
pointing & acquiring targets
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How People Work:
Ergonomics
Friday, March 20, 2009

How People Think
Cognitive Psychology:
memory
(short & long term)
mental models
aesthetics/
appreciation
GOMS/KLM
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How People Live
Ethnography
observational technique
rooted in sociology and
anthropology
immerses an individual
researcher or research
team in the everyday
activities of an
organization or society
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That’s our foundation.
Now let’s get specific.
Friday, March 20, 2009

Know your Audience
unfortunate, likely truths:
you are probably not your
target audience
neither is your boss
and you probably don’t know
as much about your target
market as you should
(but don’t worry, no one else
does either)
Friday, March 20, 2009

Know your Audience
User Segmentation:
break users into manageable chunks
demographics: gender, age,
education, income, etc.
consider attitudes toward technology
and lifestyle:
how much time using computers,
online activities, enjoy technology, etc.
look at server logs and customer data
listen everywhere: forums, Twitter,
blogs, Facebook
Friday, March 20, 2009

Know your Audience
With a grasp on who your
audience is, you can begin user
testing to confirm your
assumptions
contextual inquiry:
on-site observation
card sorting (tests labeling
and subject matter)
usability testing:
test task flows, wireframes,
prototypes, live sites
Friday, March 20, 2009

these various elements.
Concrete Completion
Web as software interface
Visual Design
Visual Design: graphic treatment of interface
elements (the \"look\" in \"look-and-feel\")
Now let’s put
Interface Design: as in traditional HCI:
design of interface elements to facilitate
Interface Design Navigation Design
user interaction with functionality
Information Design
Information Design: in the Tuftean sense:
everything
designing the presentation of information
to facilitate understanding
together Interaction Information
Interaction Design: development of
time
Design Architecture
application flows to facilitate user tasks,
defining how the user interacts with
site functionality
how to create those
Functional Content
Functional Specifications: \"feature set\":
satisfying experiences
detailed descriptions of functionality the site
Specifications Requirements
must include in order to meet user needs
(inUser Needs: externally derived goals
5 slides)
User Needs
for the site; identified through user research,
ethno/techno/psychographics, etc.
Site Objectives
Site Objectives: business, creative, or other
internally derived goals for the site
task-oriented Abstract Conception
This picture is incomplete: The model outlined here does not account for secondary considerations (such as those arisin
that may influence decisions during user experience development. Also, this model does not describe a development pr
user experience development team. Rather, it seeks to define the key considerations that go into the development of us
Friday, March 20, 2009

Understand Heuristics
Guidelines used to review existing software and guide
design of new systems
source: UseIt.com
Visibility of Recognition, Helpful
system status not Recall Error Messages
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Use Patterns & Components
Don’t reinvent the wheel:
Patterns and Components can be your best friend
Reduce your ability to screw up tried and true
interactions
Friday, March 20, 2009

Sweat the Details
Think of all touch-points, not
just primary tasks:
site registration
error messages
wish lists
shipping confirmations
email support
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Plan for Mistakes
People will use your system differently than you assume
Poka Yoke: forcing functions limit harm or damage
web examples: inline validation, no Clear buttons, etc.
Friday, March 20, 2009

Usability is an Ideal
baseline usability to tasks you
defined at beginning, not arbitrary
myth (fold, # of links)
don’t be penny-wise and pound
foolish with usability
(neatly aligned form labels in a
useless form)
stark difference between usable
and simple
some tasks will always be difficult
Friday, March 20, 2009

After the Launch
Your job’s not over yet:
continue to assess usability
use server logs to confirm people are using the site
like you expected
continue monitoring the groundswell:
twitter, blogs, forums, etc.
Friday, March 20, 2009

Interested in learning more?
University of Maryland
PSYC 309V: The Psychology of Video Games and Entertainment
PSYC 444: Cyberpsychology: An Introduction to the Psychology of HCI
CMSC 434: Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction
UMBC
IS 303 Human Factors in Computer System Design
IS 387 Web Content Development
IS 403 User Interface Design
and many more...
Friday, March 20, 2009

Useful Sources
Friday, March 20, 2009

Thank you
Thanks for your time and your attention.
Chris Avore
avore@erova.com | www.erova.com
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Friday, March 20, 2009