P2P Mapper: From User Experiences to Pattern-Based Design

User experience is an umbrella term referring to a collection of information that covers the user’s behavior and interaction with a system. It is observed when the user is actively using a service or interacting with information, includes expectations and perceptions, and is influenced by user characteristics and application or service characteristics. User characteristics include knowledge, experience, personality and demographics. We propose a process and supporting software tool called Persona to Pattern (P2P) Mapper, which guides designers in modeling user experiences and identifying appropriate design patterns. The three-step process is: Persona Creation (a representative persona set is developed), Pattern Selection (behavioral patterns are identified resulting in an ordered list of design patterns for each persona), and Pattern Composition (patterns are used to create a conceptual design). The tool supports the first two steps of the process by providing various automation algorithms for user grouping and pattern selection combined with the benefit of rapid pattern and user information access. Persona and pattern formats are augmented with a set of discrete domain variables to facilitate automation and provide an alternative view on the information. Finally, the P2P Mapper is used in the redesign of two different Bioinformatics applications: a popular website and a visualization tool. The results of the studies demonstrate a significant improvement in the system usability of both applications

Pattern-oriented UI design based on user experiences : a method supported by empirical evidence

User-Centered Design (UCD) is a philosophy surrounding interactive system design, with the purpose of achieving product usability. One challenge with UCD and its related methods is the lack of a concrete process which supports designers in building user interface (UI) designs founded on user experiences. In current practice, design decisions are made based on loosely-defined guidelines, giving rise to a significant "gap" between user analysis and design outcomes. This is especially problematic for novice designers who lack the background and training required to make trade-offs, judgments and interpretations towards a usable design. In this thesis, we propose a Pattern-Oriented UI Design method which is driven by user experiences. It is founded on a set of core UCD principles which we have enriched with "engineering-like" concepts such as reuse and traceability. The method is based on two key artifacts--personas, used to model user experiences, and patterns, used to capture best design practices. Following this method, we define the UX-P Process, a systematic process which is semi-automated and characterized by rigorously-defined steps; designers iteratively create personas, select patterns, and compose patterns into a comprehensive design, based on user specifications and usability considerations. We have built a supporting tool, which allows designers to cluster users into personas and select candidate patterns based on persona specifications. We carried out two empirical studies with end-users. The goal of the first study was to assess the feasibility of the method; the second, to validate the process. Both studies were carried out with Bioinformatics applications and were comparative in nature testing the original design with our prototype. The outcome of these empirical studies indicated a positive increase in usability measures for our design prototypes, including a significant improvement in task times and user satisfaction

Pattern-oriented design for interactive systems

Patterns are a medium created to capture and disseminate design knowledge and are used extensively in the software engineering community. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Patterns focus explicitly on (1) providing design solutions to any problems relating to interactive systems and their users, and (2) aim to help developers with the design of more usable systems. We will address pattern use from a practical standpoint, as a working part of design, and investigate their applicability in different contexts of use. First, the evolutionary use of patterns will be traced from single pattern use to Pattern-Oriented Design. Secondly, the applicability of patterns in redesigning existing systems will be discussed with a practical example of a Bioinformatics web-based system. We will focus on how usability issues in the existing system drove the choice of patterns used in redesigning the site. Finally, we will illustrate the use of patterns in redesigning the user interface of existing systems to different platforms, such as mobile phones and Pocket PCs. This design domain has a number of constraints, such as screen size and image resolution. Design strategies need to be rethought to accommodate the challenges associated with such devices, and we will suggest some new design ideas and patterns

Pattern-Based UI Design: Adding Rigor with User and Context Variables

In current practice, user interface development is often based on a vague and undocumented design process, relying solely on the designer’s experience. This paper defines a pattern-based design process, which adds rigor to user interface design. The process is based on the notion of user variables to capture user requirements in a formal manner – based on discrete values that are amenable for tool support and automated analysis. Other context of use information is captured as context variables. Using these values as input, design patterns are selected to leverage best design practices directly into user interface development. Pattern-Oriented Design is then employed to derive a conceptual design, or early prototype, of the user interface. A case study with a Bioinformatics information site exemplifies the feasibility and applicability of this process

Investigating usability metrics for the design and development of applications for the elderly

Metrics-based benchmarks are crucial for measuring usability, particularly for special end user groups such as older adults. So far, usability metrics that are accessible and useful for software developers are still missing. Although usability standards are continually being developed and adapted to the rapid change in both software and computing hardware, the increasing diversity of elderly populations, both culturally and educationally, requires the development of a specific set of criteria. This paper studies two different aspects of usability for the elderly; passive and active interaction. It explores the limitations of active interaction, its potential causes and results. The long term goal is the development of new methods to counteract potential negative bias with regard to passive interaction. More specifically, we are investigating achievable metrics for the evaluation of passive technology trustworthiness and usability while categorizing them according to applicability for usability testing

informatik.uni-rostock.de

The paper studies relations between patterns and components for user-interface design. It demonstrates how components can be considered as implementations of patterns. It also discusses the support of patterns for reverse- and reengineering of existing software. This can especially support the transfer of software to new platforms and devices

Design for Change: Patterns and Components for Flexible UI Development

The paper studies relations between patterns and components for user-interface design. It demonstrates how components can be considered as implementations of patterns. It also discusses the support of patterns for reverse- and reengineering of existing software. This can especially support the transfer of software to new platforms and devices

Correlating cross-platform usability problems with eye tracking patterns

Evaluating the cross-platform usability of multiple interactive systems has become increasingly essential. Despite eye tracking being used to supplement traditional usability assessment, there is little research on its use for cross-platform usability evaluation. Our exploratory study seeks relationship between eye-tracking metrics and cross-platform usability problems. We user-tested three cross-platform services and identified a set of usability problems. We separated the identified problems into traditional and cross-platform usability problems. Some of the cross-platform usability problems were associated with users' eye-tracking patterns. We found that consistency on many levels is a major problem cross-platform and we recommend some considerations for evaluators to use as indicators to predict possible cross-platform usability problems