SSD04 Exercise01 个人解答

Observation

 

Introduction

All too often when designing complex systems, developers concentrate their effort on expanding system features or maximizing system performance—neglecting, if only temporarily, the important issue of making the systems usable to people. This tendency is both quite natural and misguided. It is natural because the construction of a rich and fast application poses challenges and uncertainties that seem to require our undivided attention. However, it is misguided because a system with a poorly designed user interface will be used inefficiently and, probably, seldom—no matter what a system's technical merits are.

Though it is increasingly common for developers of new systems to focus specifically on the design of user interfaces, it is still often the case that this important aspect of design is not given the attention it is due. The result is that many new programs overtax peoples' capacities for perceiving, recalling, and acting, and that, therefore, these programs interact with users very ineffectively. Not only is this true for programs and computer systems, but also for many other things—from appliances, to cars, to buildings. Most of us have heard the jokes about "programmable" VCRs, puzzled over simple tasks like heating water in a new microwave oven, or fumbled at the steering wheel while looking for a "scan" button on a car radio. However, how often do we stop to consider why these things are difficult to use and what would make their interfaces more usable?

The Assignment

The goal of this exercise is to focus your critical thought on those features of a computer system that promote usability or hinder it. To this end, you will be asked to write a short essay discussing the usability shortcomings of an application of your choosing. Note that many technically elegant and successful applications are suitable candidates for scrutiny—since, sadly, technical virtue and usability are often not found together.

As you examine the application, think about usability issues in order to find specific reasons why the application's interface fails in some respect, and then propose solutions to correct this failing. As much as you are able, ground your reasons for both the failings and the solutions on the principles of psychology you have just been introduced to. Also, propose a way to test your solution—to see if it really addresses the problem, not merely your individual taste. That is, you will need to propose an experiment that will demonstrate the effectiveness of your solution for real users.

Please note that, to a considerable extent, the tools you need to carry out these tasks successfully are covered in detail in sections of this course that you have yet to take . However, this is not a problem: the purpose of this initial exploration of usability issues is to 1) give you an opportunity to reflect on the importance of good human-centered design, 2) allow you to practice thinking about the psychology of the users in a focused way, and 3) allow you to apply this psychology reasoning to user interface design.

 

What you must do:

1. Choose an application to observe. This can be a Web page, a standard application, a utility program—even a gadget or appliance that has interesting user-interface features.
2. Write an essay of no more than two pages in length. The essay should include:
   • A brief description of the system or application you are critiquing. If at all possible, include a picture or drawing to help us understand this application.
   • A concise statement of the problem you have observed.
   • An explanation of why you believe this is a problem based on the content of "1.1.3 Basic Psychology Needed for Interface Design ." (Don't merely say that a feature is "annoying" or "ugly," but explain how it forces a user to perform the tasks of perceiving, processing, or acting in ways that are difficult for people.)
   • A suggestion for improving the design and a rationale for that suggestion.

     (When proposing a solution, try to be as realistic as possible and not suggest costly or complicated enhancements. For example, it probably would not be reasonable to propose that VCRs should recognize and process human speech, as this would make them very expensive, if not unfeasible to build.)

   • A method for testing your new design to see if it actually solves the problem. This part should include brief descriptions of
     • What you would measure about people's behavior as they use the original application and your modified redesign.
     • The types of people you would use in your test (e.g., computer-savvy experts or novices, etc.).
     • The tasks that you would ask those people to perform.
     • A prediction of the results you might get.
     • What those results would mean if you got them.

 

When you are finished, put your essay into a file (ask your teacher about admissible formats, such as Word or plain text).