All posts about
HCI

The study, planning, design and uses of the interfaces between people (users) and computers. (source: Wikipedia)

The mouse dies: Touch and gesture take center stage

Added on 29 September 2011 Peter Bogaards
A NUI is still an interface, so how natural can it be.

“The moment that sealed the future of human-computer interaction for me happened just a few months ago. I was driving my car, carrying a few friends and their children. One child, an 8-year old, pointed to the small LCD screen on the dashboard and asked me whether the settings were controlled by touching the screen. They were not. The settings were controlled by a rotary button nowhere near the screen. It was placed conveniently between the driver and passenger seats. An obvious location in a car built at the tail-end of an era when humans most frequently interacted with technology through physical switches and levers.”

(Jonathan Reichental a.k.a. @Reichental ~ O’Reilly Radar)

Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction Design

Added on 31 August 2011 Peter Bogaards
HCI 101 in video, ’cause youngsters don’t like to read.

“Through lectures and a project, learn the fundamentals of human-computer interaction and design thinking. Work together in teams of three on a quarter-long project. Each week, in small design studios, present and discuss work with peers. The setting for the course is mobile web applications. The constraints of this small form factor make this an exciting challenge. At the end of the course, present to a jury of IT and design leaders.”

(Scott Klemmer ~ Stanford Open Classroom)

The Difference Between UI and UX

Added on 23 August 2011 Peter Bogaards
As long as there is still confusion among few, these DTDT posts seem relevant. ‘Filed in Graphics’ (sic!)

“In today’s creative and technical environment, the terms UI (‘User Interface’) and UX (‘User Experience’) are being used more than ever. Overall, these terms are referring to specialties and ideas that have been around for years prior to the introduction of the abbreviated terminology. But the problem with these new abbreviations is more than just nomenclature. Unfortunately, the terms are quickly becoming dangerous buzzwords: using these terms imprecisely and in often completely inappropriate situations is a constant problem for a growing number of professionals, including: designers, job seekers, and product development specialists. Understanding the proper separation, relationship and usage of the terms is essential to both disciplines.”

(Shawn Borsky a.k.a. @anthemcg ~ Design Shack)

The Fold Exists but Does it Matter?

Added on 26 July 2011 Peter Bogaards
Paradigms from paper technology (like ‘The Page’) are deeply rooted in our minds.

“Content decisions should be driving the design of each page. As people scan the page, they are looking for content that seems relevant. Following this information scent should lead them below the fold if that is where their target content exists.”

(Emily Smith a.k.a. @emilysmith ~ Design Festival)
courtesy of ronderksen

Understanding Our Interaction Design History

Added on 1 June 2011 Peter Bogaards
“It’s great that we’re starting to make the history of digital technology available, but I believe we should also be doing the same for interaction design. We need to understand the history of digital design on screens and how it has changed. It’s not because the basic interaction design principles change over time, because they haven’t. The principles we introduced in the CHI course – prominence, relationship, flow, clarity, simplicity and consistency – were just as relevant 25 years ago, they probably just had different names. No, the history matters because how we apply those principles has changed as our technology changed.”

(David Rondeau a.k.a. @dbrondeau ~ InContext)

user-interface, user-experience & usability explained

Added on 31 May 2011 Peter Bogaards
“So in short, when I’m ‘interacting’ with a website I’m using its user-interface design. How I ‘feel’ and my ‘preferences’ when using it is my user experience and how ‘easy and intuitive’ it is for me to perform the functions I came to do, is a measure of its usability. As you can see, it’s really hard for someone to specialise in one of these areas without an understanding of the other two.”

(Bernhard Schokman a.k.a. @bernardschokman ~ myware)

Imaginary Interfaces

Added on 24 May 2011 Peter Bogaards
“Screen-less wearable devices allow for the smallest form factor and thus the maximum mobility. However, current screen-less devices only support buttons and gestures. Pointing is not supported because users have nothing to point at. However, we challenge the notion that spatial interaction requires a screen and propose a method for bringing spatial interaction to screen-less devices. We present Imaginary Interfaces, screen-less devices that allow users to perform spatial interaction with empty hands and without visual feedback. Unlike projection-based solutions, such as Sixth Sense, all visual ‘feedback’ takes place in the user’s imagination. Users define the origin of an imaginary space by forming an L-shaped coordinate cross with their non-dominant hand. Users then point and draw with their dominant hand in the resulting space.”

(Hasso Plattner Institute)

The UX of this article

Added on 27 April 2011 Peter Bogaards
“In many respects, when we talk about, evaluate, and revise products from a usability standpoint, we overlook the most important piece: content. Our tendency is to be concerned only with the wrapper or container, navigation through that container, and the interplay of the elements that make up the container. But what about the content which populates this otherwise dead space?” (Brett Sandusky ~ UX Magazine)

Progressive Disclosure in User Interfaces

Added on 5 April 2011 Peter Bogaards
“As designers, we’re always trying to get the most out of our interfaces and maximize whatever space is made available to us. While many solutions have been devised over the years, one above all others has consistently influenced the way visitors access the content they seek. From simple techniques, such as tooltips and drop-down menus, to complex single-page websites powered by Ajax, progressive disclosure has become a formidable force. This article explores the methodology of progressive disclosure and its impact on our interface design work.” (Alexander Dawson ~ Six Revisions)

The Untold Story of How My Dad Helped Invent the First Mac

Added on 17 February 2011 Peter Bogaards
“Jef Raskin, my father, helped develop the Macintosh, and I was recently looking at some of his old documents and came across his February 16, 1981 memo detailing the genesis of the Macintosh. It was written in reaction to Steve Jobs taking over managing hardware development. Reading through it, I was struck by a number of the core principals Apple now holds that were set in play three years before the Macintosh was released. Much of this is particularly important in understanding Apple’s culture and why we have the walled-garden experience of the iPhone, iPad, and the App Store.” (Aza Raskin)

Changing terms for changing times: Usability, HCI, UCD & more

Added on 3 February 2011 Peter Bogaards
“I am also somewhat sceptical about the value of including information architecture in this analysis. For sure, it is a term currently used within the digital community to describe the application of the principles of user centred design to the development of information-rich websites and applications. But the term was in use long before the web was invented (notably by the software industry)…” (Tony Russell-Rose) ~ courtesy of usabilitynews

Windows Phone 7 Series UI Design & Interaction Guide

Added on 15 October 2010 Peter Bogaards
“A clear, straightforward design not only makes an application legible, it encourages usage. This guide will provide design knowledge and fundamentals for this type of UI development. We highly recommend that developers adopt the Metro design style whenever possible. Although requirements may vary based on the application, paralleling this experience will create a more consistent, fluid UI experience from the custom and built-in application view.” (The Windows Phone Developers Blog)

Recommendations for usability in practice

Added on 13 September 2010 Peter Bogaards
“This is the final version of my recommendations for usability in product development practice, based on a PhD research project at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering of TU Delft. In the 25 recommendations I discuss how I would organize a company if the goal is to make usable products. So am I speculating here? Yes, to some extent. But the recommendations are based on evidence I found through the three case studies I conducted. The vast majority of the recommendations were based on actual practices within companies I studied or on suggestions by experienced product development professionals.” (Jasper van Kuik ~ uselog)

Mobile HCI 2010 Tutorials

Added on 12 September 2010 Peter Bogaards
“After more than 10 years of Mobile HCI, providing an overview of the state of the art becomes more and more challenging. During the tutorial days of Mobile HCI 2008 & 2009, a number of well-known researchers in Mobile HCI gave overviews of the state of the art and cover many of the relevant topics. The tutorials also introduced the must read papers in this domain. The audience varied and included new students starting a PhD in Mobile HCI, practitioners wanting a quick survey of the state of the art and educators wishing to get an overview of Mobile HCI for their own teaching.” (Enrico Rukzio) – courtesy of Wolf Noeding

Making the Deal: Supporting Product Demos with User Assistance

Added on 23 August 2010 Peter Bogaards
“Demo software changes the rules. Customers purchase your product only after it has proven its usefulness. Usability barriers in demos often cause customers to decide not to purchase—after all, their commitment to your product is minimal at that point. Plus, product reviewers often use demos to evaluate products. They rate your product based on how well the demo performs for them. A poor review can discourage many potential customers from even trying your demo, let alone purchasing your product. In both of these scenarios, your product’s user assistance can affect how successful a user or reviewer is in getting your product to work for them, in the critical window during which they’re making their judgment about your product.” (Mike Hughes ~ UXmatters)