Question 1: ~1.5 pages
Some time during the week, select a one-hour period to be particularly
cognizant of the tasks in which you are engaging. During this hour, compose
a list or table of the tasks that you are performing, the goals associated with
that task, the interfaces with which you interact to perform those tasks, and
the object (that is, the thing you are manipulating or transforming from input
into output) of your interactions. Note that you have leeway in determining the
scope you’re considering for your task; for example, one person might think of
“Emptying my inbox” as a task, while another might think of “Responding to this
email” as a task. We would expect you to come up with at least 5 tasks (and
their associated goals, interfaces, and objects), and we would expect them to
be relatively different from one another (e.g. your five tasks shouldn’t be
“Answer this email”, “Answer that email”, “Answer the other email”, “Answer
another email”, and “Answer yet another email”).
Note that for many of these, your interface may not be computational; for
example: if your task is driving a car, then the goal would be getting to your
destination, the interface would include the steering wheel, gas, and brake
pedals, and the object of your task would be the car itself. If your task was
adjusting the radio in the car, then the goal might be to find a certain song,
the interface would be the knobs and dials on the radio, and the object would
be the music currently coming out of the system.
The one-hour period you select should not be an hour you spend
driving because (a) we’ve used that example to illustrate the assignment above,
and (b) please don’t work on homework while driving.
Then, for four of the sets you came up with (task, goal,
interface, and object), discuss the level of directness and
invisibility of the interaction. In terms of directness, how far is your
interaction from the object of the interaction? To what extent are you directly
manipulating the object rather than manipulating it at a distance through the
interface? In terms of invisibility, how much time did you spend thinking about
the interface rather than the task? If you focus mostly on the task, did the
interface become invisible through learning or through good design? Was there a
time when you thought more about the interface than you did now?
Hint: We say “carve out an hour” because the challenge with
identifying invisible interfaces is often that we take them for granted. By
being very deliberate for a predetermined set of time, we hope you can focus
more on the tasks that you might not even consider that you do because they’ve
become so invisible and automatic.
Question 2: ~1.5 pages
Select a task (besides driving) that you do on a regular
basis that has become invisible by learning; that is, an interface that you
used to spend a lot of time thinking about, but now ignore in favor of focusing
on the task. Feel free to choose a task you perform that does not currently
have a computational interface (such as a cookbook and thermometer or
hand-written spreadsheet).
First, describe the components of the interface you used to
think about a lot. Then, describe your thought process now,
and especially explain why you no longer have to spend as much
time focusing on the interface. Finally, briefly describe how
you might design or redesign the computational interface to get you to the
point of invisibility more quickly.
Hint: This question is best-suited for an interface with
which you are now an expert despite some early difficulty. Many video games
demonstrate this type of learning curve, as do many pieces of software for
complex tasks. You may also think outside the box: perhaps you used to struggle
with cooking or budgeting, but have since gotten better.
Question 3 : ~1.5 pages.
In the lectures, we discuss three types of human perception that are
commonly used in user interface design (visual, auditory, haptic).
First, select one of the following five task domains:
Using a
diet-tracking application to track your daily caloric intake
Playing an
augmented-reality video game like Pokemon Go
Washing
the dishes, including rinsing in the sink, placing in the dishwasher, and
unloading the dishwasher
Using a
Bluetooth headset to make and receive calls without ever touching the
phone itself
Plugging
in an electric car to charge, or pumping gas into a gas-powered car
Using your chosen task domain, describe how each
of these three types of human perception are used to give the user feedback.
Then, for each type of these three types of human
perception, design how that type of perception could be used to
give feedback about something (within your chosen task domain) that does not
currently use that modality. For example, what kind of haptic feedback might
you give a player in an AR game? What kind of visual feedback might you give a
person using a Bluetooth headset? Make sure to design features that you haven’t
seen before, but don’t worry if the feature actually does exist on a device you
haven’t seen before.
Finally, briefly name a different kind of human perception
outside these three, and describe one way it is or could be
used for feedback in your chosen task domain.
Hint: Here’s a list
of other senses besides the five we recognize most commonly. Remember, you
do not need to focus exclusively on feedback designed into the interface. You
could instead discuss feedback that is inherent to the task: for example, if
this question was about driving a car, the driver can feel the car itself
turning in response to movements to the steering wheel.
Question 4: ~1.5 pages
In the lecture, we give five suggestions for reducing cognitive load in
interface design: using multiple modalities, letting the modalities complement
each other, giving the user control of the pace, emphasizing essential content
while minimizing clutter, and offloading tasks from the user onto the
interface.
Select two of these tips. For each tip, select
an interface from your everyday life that violates the suggestion. Briefly describe
the interface, and then describe violation of the tip.
Then, briefly redesign the interface to incorporate the tip
into its design.
Hint: If you’re stuck, try thinking of an interface that
currently follows the tip, and then try to brainstorm a similar interface that
does not follow that tip. Be cautious with the fifth tip: if you aim to
automate a significant part of the task, then you should focus on the
interaction between the user and the interface that triggers the task and
captures the user’s input rather than how the task is actually automated.
Question 1: ~1.5 pages
Some time during the week, select a one-hour period to be