Week 3 / Second Lecture : Human to machine interaction, techniques for achieving fit, how interfaces affect usage and users. [WeiTing]

Week 3 : 

Human : 

Information Processing : -

• memory, perception, motor skills, problem solving...

Language, communication and interaction : -

• Aspects of language : syntax, pragmatics, body language

Computer : 

• Input and output devices
• Dialogue technique
• Dialogue genre

How can interactive systems be designed (both deliberately and inadvertently) to make people respond in certain ways?

• Expressive Interfaces

A well-known approach to designing affective interfaces is to use expressive icons and other graphical elements to convey emotional states. The appearance of the icon on the screen can also be very reassuring to users, indicating that their computer is working fine. As an example, use a dynamic icons to show the state of the system/program, e.g., a recycle bin expanding when a file is placed into it. 

One of the benefits of these kinds of expressive embellishments is that they provide reassuring feedback to the user that can be both informative and fun. Based on the research, it had been found out that the aesthetics of an interface can have a positive effect on people's perception of the system's usability (Tractinsky,1997). A beautiful graphics might increase the user's patient on waiting for the web pages to load and at the same times, users are likely to be more tolerant of its usability.

Another popular kind of expressive interface is the friendly interface agent. A friendly interface agent will let the novices or users feel more ease and comfortable to interact with the products/software. For instance, creation of Bob by Microsoft.

• User Frustration 

Computer interfaces inadvertently elicit negative emotional responses. By far the most common is user frustration. We do often felt frustrated while using the computer when an application doesn't work properly or crashes, when web pages took too long times to load or when the appearance of the web pages are too messy, noisy, and let us feel don't know what to do with it and  etc.

Often user frustration is caused by bad design, no design, inadvertent design, or ill-thought-out design. It is rarely caused deliberately. However, its impact on users can be quite drastic and make them abandon the application or tool. It does need to take serious attention just in case you don't want your application let user feel that themselves are stupid and make them angry about it.

• Anthropomorphism

What is anthropomorphism? 

As defined in the book of Interaction Studies - beyond human computer interaction by Jennifer Preece, anthropomorphism is well known that people readily attribute human qualities to their pets and their cars, and, conversely, are willing to accept human attributes that have been assigned by others to cartoon characters, robots, toys, and other inanimate objects. 

And as defined by anthropomorphism.org, anthropomorphism is the attribution of human qualities to non-humans. People attribute human qualities to toys, products, and machines, and they design toys, products, and machines to enhance this process.

[Source of reference and further reading : http://anthropomorphism.org/]

Advantages and Disadvantages of Anthropomorphism : 

Information taken from ANTHROPOMORPHIC DESIGN  (pg 7-8) by Ruth Collins (2007) from George Washington University, EDUC220K. Source : http://www.discreate.org/ruthcsmith/GWU%20Papers/AnthropomorphicAgents.pdf 

Further reading about Anthropomorphism : 

i. http://usabilityetc.com/articles/anthropomorphism-on-trial/
ii. http://www.discreate.org/ruthcsmith/GWU%20Papers/AnthropomorphicAgents.pdf

Key points :

• Affective aspects of interaction design are concerned with the way interactive systems make people respond in emotional ways.
• Well-designed interfaces can elicit good feelings in people.
• Aesthetically pleasing interfaces can be a pleasure to use.
• Expressive interfaces can provide reassuring feedback to users as well as be informative and fun.
• Badly designed interfaces often make people frustrated and angry.
• Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human qualities to objects.
• An increasingly popular form of anthropomorphism is to create agents and other vixtual characters as part of an interface.
• People are more accepting of believable interface agents.
• People often prefer simple cartoon-like agents to those that attempt to be humanlike.

Reference : 

Preece, J., Rogers, Y., & Sharp, H. (2002). Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. United State of America: Wiley Publisher.

* Noted : All information taken from the above book unless stated.