6 research outputs found
Pattern languages in HCI: A critical review
Get PDFThis article presents a critical review of patterns and pattern languages in human-computer interaction (HCI). In recent years, patterns and pattern languages have received considerable attention in HCI for their potential as a means for developing and communicating information and knowledge to support good design. This review examines the background to patterns and pattern languages in HCI, and seeks to locate pattern languages in relation to other approaches to interaction design. The review explores four key issues: What is a pattern? What is a pattern language? How are patterns and pattern languages used? and How are values reflected in the pattern-based approach to design? Following on from the review, a future research agenda is proposed for patterns and pattern languages in HCI
Evaluating usability evaluation methods for location-aware interactive systems in contextually rich environments.
Get PDFPhDIn
this
research
we
investigate
the
evaluation
of
usability
evaluations
methods
(UEMs).
In
particular
we
are
concerned
with
evaluating
their
suitability
for
the
evaluation
of
location-‐
aware
systems.
Not
all
approaches
for
the
evaluation
of
UEMs
have
been
extensively
validated
for
such
types
of
dynamic
interaction,
while
their
application
is
not
clearly
documented.
We
overview
the
strengths
of
the
current
approach
and
suggest
how
to
improve
them.
We
examine
navigation
systems
as
examples
for
issues
with
location-‐aware
systems
in
a
contextually
rich
environment.
The
setting
is
very
different
to
a
traditional
desktop-‐based
application.
Take
the
use
of
the
navigation
device
for
example.
It
is
a
secondary
task;
the
primary
task
is
to
safely
drive
the
car.
The
interface
is
continuously
changing
to
adapt
to
the
current
location
of
the
user.
The
user
navigates
in
a
complex
dynamic
environment
encompassing
various
stimuli
and
unpredictable
external
factors.
We
present
in
the
thesis
a
methodological
and
systematic
way
to
approach
the
evaluation
of
UEMs.
A
comparative
study
of
analytical
and
empirical
techniques
was
carried
out,
to
assess
them
in
identifying
usability
problems
within
both
static
and
dynamic
contexts
of
use.
Four
analytical
methods
(CW,
UAN,
EMU,
and
Design
Guidelines)
and
one
empirical
were
compared.
In
this
thesis,
we
validate
the
existing
classification
scheme
of
Blandford
et
al.
(2008)
and
highlight
relevant
issues.
We
present
an
alternative
systematic
approach
building
on
this
scheme
(CoHUM),
and
its
shortcomings
with
dynamic
systems.
We
show
how
a
rigorous
and
systematic
error
analysis
identifies
phenotypes
as
the
outcome
of
empirical
techniques,
whilst
genotypes
are
the
outcome
of
analytical
techniques.
Finally,
we
present
new
dimensions
that
previous
literature
had
not
identified
for
the
evaluation
of
UEMs.
This
research
will
help
future
researchers
by
providing
them
with
a
stronger
methodological
approach
for
comparing
UEMs
and,
in
particular,
categories
of
UEMs
The Design and evaluation of the specification framework for user interface design
Get PDFThis thesis presentsthe design and evaluation of an interface specification meta-language(ISML) that has been developed to explicitly support metaphor abstractions in a model-based, user interface design framework. The application of metaphor to user interface design is widely accepted within the HCI community, yet despite this, there exists relatively little formal support for user interface design practitioners. With the increasing range and power of user interface technologies made widely available comes the opportunity for the designof sophisticated, new forms of interactive environments. The inter-disciplinary nature of HCI offers many approaches to user interface design that include views on tasks, presentationand dialogue architectures and various domain models. Notations and tools that support these views vary equally, ranging from craft-based approachesthrough to computational or tool-
based support and formal methods. Work in these areas depicts gradual cohesion of a number of these
design views, but do not currently explicitly specify the application of metaphorical concepts in graphical user interface design. Towards addressing this omission, ISML was developed based on (and extending) some existing model-
based user interface design concepts. Abstractions of metaphor and other interface design views are captured in the ISML framework using the extensible mark-up language(XML). A six-month case study, developing the `Urban Shout Cast' application is used to evaluate ISML. Two groups of four software engineers developed a networked, multi-user, virtual radio-broadcasting environment. A qualitative
analysis examines both how each group developed metaphor designs within the ISML framework and also their perceptions of its utility and practicality. Subsequent analysis on the specification data from both groups reveals aspects of the project's design that ISML captured and those that were missed. Finally, the extent to which ISML can currently abstract the metaphors used in the case study is assessed through the development of a unified `meta-object' model. The results of the case study show that ISML is capable of expressing many of the features of each
group's metaphor design, as well as highlighting important design considerations during development. Furthermore, it has been shown, in principle, how an underlying metaphor abstraction can be mapped to two different implementations. Evaluation of the case study also includes important design lessons: ISML metaphor models can be both very large and difficult to separate from other design views, some of
which are either weakly expressed or unsupported. This suggests that the appropriate mappings between design abstractions cannot always be easily anticipated, and that understanding the use of model-based specifications in user interface design projects remains a challenge to the HCI community
The design and evaluation of the specification framework for user interface design
Get PDFThis thesis presentsthe design and evaluation of an interface specification meta-language(ISML) that has been developed to explicitly support metaphor abstractions in a model-based, user interface design framework. The application of metaphor to user interface design is widely accepted within the HCI community, yet despite this, there exists relatively little formal support for user interface design practitioners. With the increasing range and power of user interface technologies made widely available comes the opportunity for the designof sophisticated, new forms of interactive environments. The inter-disciplinary nature of HCI offers many approaches to user interface design that include views on tasks, presentationand dialogue architectures and various domain models. Notations and tools that support these views vary equally, ranging from craft-based approachesthrough to computational or tool- based support and formal methods. Work in these areas depicts gradual cohesion of a number of these design views, but do not currently explicitly specify the application of metaphorical concepts in graphical user interface design. Towards addressing this omission, ISML was developed based on (and extending) some existing model- based user interface design concepts. Abstractions of metaphor and other interface design views are captured in the ISML framework using the extensible mark-up language(XML). A six-month case study, developing the `Urban Shout Cast' application is used to evaluate ISML. Two groups of four software engineers developed a networked, multi-user, virtual radio-broadcasting environment. A qualitative analysis examines both how each group developed metaphor designs within the ISML framework and also their perceptions of its utility and practicality. Subsequent analysis on the specification data from both groups reveals aspects of the project's design that ISML captured and those that were missed. Finally, the extent to which ISML can currently abstract the metaphors used in the case study is assessed through the development of a unified `meta-object' model. The results of the case study show that ISML is capable of expressing many of the features of each group's metaphor design, as well as highlighting important design considerations during development. Furthermore, it has been shown, in principle, how an underlying metaphor abstraction can be mapped to two different implementations. Evaluation of the case study also includes important design lessons: ISML metaphor models can be both very large and difficult to separate from other design views, some of which are either weakly expressed or unsupported. This suggests that the appropriate mappings between design abstractions cannot always be easily anticipated, and that understanding the use of model-based specifications in user interface design projects remains a challenge to the HCI community.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
