Initial HCI Methods Discussion

HCI Methods.

Howdy all.

Following on from our meeting, here is some of the aspects of HCI that we discussed.

The main issue of HCI that this project will focus upon is that of User Centred Design

The TRUMP basic method of UCD highlights five main parts of the User Centred Design process;
Feasibility;
Requirements;
Design;
Implement;
Release.

Obviously, in this project we will only be able to focus on the first three. Within these three parts of the design process, the TRUMP method identifies two main tasks – stake-holder meeting and prototyping. In our project the main stakeholders will be us, as the group. Our primary objective before we can begin to function as stake-holders will be to come up with the initial idea.

There are several different approaches available for us in this key creative approach. Several different methods have been proposed and these essentially focus on two main approaches that we can take in our group - the refinement of an existing product or the creation of a new product. It would be sensible at this stage not to discount either of these. As we have such a broad brief, we should not limit ourselves during the creative process. However, we should be aware of the different techniques that these different approaches. One key approach is that of reversal. As an example, myself and Max briefly discussed some form of set-top TV/Internet box for elderly people. As these already exist ( although not specifically designed for older people) we could use reversal by asking “How could we make a Sky+ box harder for older people to use?” By identifying the methods and technology that would achieve this, we could therefore identify the opposite and hopefully come up with some ideas for improving upon a product.
Another approach we could take is that of SCAMPER. The Mind Tools website defines this as;
• S - Substitute - components, materials, people
• C - Combine - mix, combine with other assemblies or services, integrate
• A - Adapt - alter, change function, use part of another element
• M - Modify - increase or reduce in scale, change shape, modify attributes (e.g. colour)
• P - Put to another use
• E - Eliminate - remove elements, simplify, reduce to core functionality
• R - Reverse - turn inside out or upside down.

Taking the set-top box idea of earlier this process could be applied in the following way
• S – Substitute - This would really deal with the internals of the system – ie. Use of DVD to record instead of HDD, control via PC rather than remote etc etc.
• C - Combine – the Sky+ offers digital TV and HDD TV recording. It could be combined as part of a whole home entertainment system or include internet access
• A - Adapt – We could change the series link function to include all programs of a similar genre, actors involved etc etc.
• M - Modify – we could make the system more aesthetically pleasing for older people, hide it out pf way for those who dislike having boxes everywhere etc etc.
• P – Could this be used to record radio shows?
• E - Eliminate – Will older people really want to be able to record a program 3 weeks in advance? Or record every single episode of a show?
• R - Reverse – The system records programs automatically based on some pre-defined criteria and only shows those.
A further idea put forward by Mind Tools is that of attribute listing. Another method to improve upon an existing product, this lists every main attribute of an existing product and then we would list all alternatives to each one. This could have the potential to link into brainstorming, which will be the focus of next weeks meeting.
An alternative to this would be the use of a Reframing Matrix. This is the use of a question about an existing product and then questions poised about it from four approaches – people, product, planning and potential. However, it was argued by BJ that this is a more business orientated approach and so would probably not be the best approach for us to take.
So, once we have decided upon a product to improve or a new product to develop, how should we best go about designing it?
Katz-Haaz proposes the following questions, which we deicded to broadly use throughout the design process[1].
• Who are the users of this 'thing'?
• What are the users’ tasks and goals?
• What are the users’ experience levels with this thing, and things like it?
• What functions do the users need from this thing?
• What information might the users need, and in what form do they need it?
• How do users think this 'thing' should work?
• How can the design of this ‘thing’ facilitate users' cognitive processes?
In the answering of these questions, we will need to develop some distinct personas as we are not either 11 year old children or 65+ year olds. In the creation of these, the Design Council of Great Britain suggest two main approaches in the creation of these– engaging with the consumer (or user in our case) and user observation and analysis.[2] In the case of younger children, it may be difficult to get this access, however it was decided that this should not be a problem with older people. One idea that is stated as critical to successful UCD is that of immersion in context. For this we would need to be able to experience what problems our target users have. One idea mentioned was that of a system for wheelchair bound older people, and so for this we would need to observe older people in wheelchairs, identifying what problems they have or else do this ourselves and try to be the personas we create.
Another approach to UCD is taken from the Usability Engineering Team at NASA. One interesting difference in the approach taken by this method (designed primarily for software development) is that of creating plans for training and help systems/menus as the original prototype. This could be an interesting area of research and design when our system is being prototyped – what training will be required and what help will be available to users.
As mentioned, is we all do the reading around these topics, then we should be able to use these HCI theories in the project.

[1] Katz-Haas, R. (1998) “Ten Guidelines for User Centered Web Deisgn”, in Usuability Interface, 5(1).
[2] Black, A. (2006), “The Basics of User Centred Design” [online] Available http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/en/About-Design/Design-Techniques/User-centred-design-/