Fall 2004, Tuesdays 9.30-12.15
Course Instructor: Yvonne Rogers
yrogers@indiana.edu
Room: LI 001
Phone: 856-2686
A perennial challenge that faces designers and researchers is whether and how to apply theory when understanding and designing interactive technologies. Having a theoretical grounding when conducting research and design is generally considered preferable to simply adopting a ‘seat of the pants’ approach. Not least, it can provide rigor, systematicity and a structure from which to propose, analyze and evaluate designs. However, it is also well known that it can be very difficult to apply to practical concerns. It has often been noted that there exists a gap between the various theoretical constructs and conceptual frameworks developed in the field of HCI and the actual practice of designing interactive systems. How can this gulf be overcome such that the role of theory is seen to be truly useful?
A main focus of the course is to determine which theories and constructs are appropriate for understanding the use of, informing the design of and assessing the value of information technologies. The course consists of two inter-related strands: theoretical concepts and contemporary issues. The first part provides an opportunity to learn about a range of theoretical approaches that have been developed specifically for use in HCI. Based on this understanding, students will have the opportunity to apply some of them, assessing their value in relation to the design and evaluation of particular interactive technologies. To this end, a number of hands-on practical activities will be carried out alongside reading of the relevant literature. In so doing, a variety of techniques of applying theoretical ideas will be explored and their merits and disadvantages exposed.
The second part of the course will examine contemporary issues surrounding the situated use of interactive technologies. In particular, it will cover ‘hot topics’, including emotion, embodiment, interpersonal and social aspects of interaction. As with the first part, it will explore the value of emerging theoretical accounts for these kinds of phenomena in relation to their utility in informing the design of interactive systems.
Students will have the opportunity to explore in-depth the following topics:
• Core concepts in human-computer interaction
• Contemporary theories developed for accounting for HCI issues and user behaviour
• Cognitive, affective, interpersonal and social aspects of interaction design
• The application of theoretical constructs for analyzing user behaviour and system use
• A range of theory ‘transfer’ techniques for informing system design
• The role and function of theory
The course is primarily project-based, with an emphasis on putting into practice what is covered in the readings. Projects will be carried out both individually and also as part of a class/group exercise. The projects that count towards your formal assessment are presented below:
1. A report on the user experience (due week 4) (25%)
This assignment requires you to assess an existing handheld device, using an appropriately selected set of user-experience criteria. These should be based primarily on those covered in the first two classes. Details of what is required for this assignment will be handed out in the first week of class.
2. Essay (due week 9) (25%)
A 3000 word essay on:
"Theory weary, theory leery, why can’t I be theory cheery? (Erickson, 2002, p.269). Discuss Erickson’s dilemma in relation to HCI research and practice."
More details provided in class.
3. (i) A project report and (ii) presentation - (i) due end of course (20%) and (ii) during last two weeks (10%)
This two-part assignment requires you to develop and apply a framework for assessing and designing the affective aspects of online shopping experiences. It includes (i) writing up a report based on the project outlined in class and (ii) to present it verbally as a presentation. More details on this project will be presented in class.
4. Discussion and class participation (20%)
Reflecting on and discussing the arguments presented in papers is an important part of understanding. A central part of the course is for you to show evidence of having read the papers and also the ability to reflect and critique the issues presented in them.
There is no set textbook for the course but a series of articles and chapters. The following are recommended.
Yvonne Rogers, Jenny Preece and Helen Sharp. (2002) Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. Wiley
Carroll, J. (2003) (ed) HCI Models, Theories, & Frameworks: Toward a Multidisciplinary Science.
Paul Dourish (2001) Where the Action Is: The Foundations of Embodied Interaction. MIT Press ISBN 0-262-04196-0
Suchman, L. (1987) Plans and Situated Actions.
Carroll, J.M. (2002) (ed) Human-Computer Interaction in the New Millennium. Addison-Wesley Publishing ISBN 0-201-70447-1
Winograd, T. and Flores, F. (1986). Understanding Computers and Cognition. Addison Wesley: Wokingham.
Winograd, T. (1996) Bringing Design to Software. Addison-Wesley, ACM Press,
Baecker, R. et al (1995)
Greenbaum, J and Kyng, M. (1991). Design at Work: Cooperative design of computer systems. LEA, New Jersey.
Laurel, B. (1990). (ed) The Art of Human-Computer Interface Design. Addison Wesley: Wokingham.
Green, W. S. and Jordan, P. W. (2001). Pleasure With Products: Beyond Usability, Taylor & Francis ISBN 0-41523704-1
Norman, D. (1988). The Design of Everyday Things. Basic Books: New York.
Norman, D. and Draper, S. (eds) (1986). User-Centred System Design. LEA: Hillsdale.
Classes run on Tuesdays, 9.30 -12.15. First class is on 31st August 2004. There will be no class on September 7th.
This class will cover some of the core concepts in HCI relating to users and technology use. These include the notions of the interface, interactivity and interaction. Traditional ways of characterizing these aspects of the relationship between technology and users will also be examined in terms of various usability aspects.
Required reading:
Grudin, J. (1990) interface. In Proceedings of CSCW’90, ACM: NY. p. 269-278 (ISBN 0-89791-402-3) Available at ACM digital library
Additional reading:
Bannon, L. (1990) From Human Factors to Human Actors. In Greenbaum, J. and Kyng, M. (eds.) Design at Work .
Norman, D. (1988/2002) The Psychology of Everyday Things. Basic Books. ch 1
Grudin, J. (1990) The Computer reaches out: The historic continuity of interface design. In Proceedings of CHI’90 Conference, Addison Wesley. p.261-268 (ISBN 0-201-50932-6)
Spool, J. (2004) The cost of frustration. http://www.uie.com/articles/cost_of_frustration/
Hands-on activity: Assessing the usability of a hand-held device, using some of the basic concepts identified as central to human user interaction.
Recently, there has been much discussion about the limited notions surrounding usability. The notion of the user experience has begun gathering momentum, providing a more encompassing account of how people interact and use technologies. This class will cover some of this new ground, looking at the range of concepts that have emerged.
Required reading:
Forlizzi, J. and Ford, S. (2000) The building blocks of experience: an early framework for interaction designers. Proceedings of DIS’00, p.419-423. ACM.
Wright, P. and McCarthy, J. (2003) Making sense of experience
http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~pcw/
Additional reading:
Alben, L. (1996) Quality of experience: defining the criteria for effective interaction design. Interactions, 3.3 May+june, ACM, p11
Websites:
User Experience Design
http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000029.php
Measuring the user experience
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/quantify-user-experience
Hands-on activity: The assignment at the end of chapter one of Rogers et al, 2002.
HCI emerged as an interdisciplinary field where cognitive psychology was a central player. There have been several approaches to applying different types of theory to understanding user-system behavior and informing system design. In the next two classes we will look at a range of the ‘traditional’ cognitive approaches and assess their value in terms of their contribution to HCI.
Required reading:
Rogers et al (2002) Interaction Design. Chapter 3.
Norman, D.(1988) Ch 2. The psychology of everyday actions
Additional reading:
Hutchins, E. el al, Direct manipulation interfaces. In Norman, D. and Draper, S. (eds) (1986). User-Centered System Design. LEA: Hillsdale. Chapter 5, 87-124
John, B. Information Processing and skilled Behaviour. Carroll, J (2003) Ed. HCI Models, Theories, & Frameworks: Toward a Multidisciplinary Science Chapter 4. 55-101.
The concept of mental models was popular in HCI in the late ‘80s and early 90s. This class will examine how and why this phenomenon arose and how useful the concept has been for (i) understanding user experience and (ii) informing system design.
Required reading:
Rogers et al (2002) Interaction Design. Chapter 3, 92-95.
Payne, S. Users’ mental models: the very ideas. (2003) Mental Models In Carroll, J (2003) Ed. HCI Models, Theories, & Frameworks: Toward a Multidisciplinary Science Chapter 6, 136-156.
Additional reading:
Rogers, Y., Rutherford, A. and Bibby, P. (1992) Models in the Mind. Academic Press.
Hands-on activity: Examining the usefulness of the concept of mental models within HCI. The assignment at the end of chapter 3 of Rogers et al (2002) will be carried out.
One of the criticisms of cognitive theories in HCI is that they are based exclusively on processes occurring inside people’s head, while not taking into account how people use external representations and other forms of cognitive artifacts in their everyday and working lives. An alternative approach to studying cognition is to examine the role played by external representations and cognitive artifacts in conjunction with putative internal cognitive processes. Norman and Hutchins are well known for their pioneering work in this area. In this class we will examine the external cognition approach, focusing in particular on Scaife and Rogers (1996) framework.
Required reading:
Norman, D. (1993) Things That Make Us Smart. Addison-Wesley, Reading, Mass. Ch 3, 43-76.
Scaife, M. and Rogers, Y. (1996) External Cognition: how do Graphical Representations Work? International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 45, 185-213.
Additional reading:
Rogers and Scaife (1997) An introduction to external cognition.
http://www-sv.cict.fr/cotcos/pjs/TheoreticalApproaches/ExtCogandRepr/ExtCogandReppaperRogers.htm
Maglio, P., Matlock, T., Raphaely, D., Chernicky, B., & Kirsh D. Interactive skill in Scrabble. In Proceedings of Twenty-first Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. 1999. Available at http://adrenaline.ucsd.edu/kirsh/articles/cogsci-final2/cogsci-final2.html
Hands-on activity: Examine how different computational devices offload the cognition involved in performing different tasks.
There have been a number of other theoretical approaches that have been imported into HCI as a way of understanding people’s use of technologies in everyday practice. Three approaches that have received considerable attention over the last 10 years are distributed cognition, Activity theory and the situated action approach. Nardi’s paper (1996) provides a critique of the three approaches, comparing and contrasting their merits and differences. In this class we will begin by reading her paper and then examining in more detail the Activity Theory approach.
Required reading:
Nardi, Bonnie. "Context and Consciousness: Activity Theory and Human-Computer Interactions." ACM Interactions, October 1995.
Kuutti, K. (1996). Activity Theory as a potential framework for human-computer interaction. research. In Nardi, B. (ed), Context and Consciousness. Chapter 2, 17-44.
Additional reading:
For a set of short overviews on Activity Theory see:
http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/act_dff.html
http://www.acm.org/interactions/vol2no4/depts/book.htm
A web resource on Activity Theory can also be found at http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/activity.html
In this class we explore the distributed cognition approach.
Rogers, Y. (2004) An updated introduction to Distributed Cognition. To appear in the Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. 2nd Edition. Available from http://www.slis.indiana.edu/faculty/yrogers/publications.html
Hollins, J., Hutchins, E. and Kirsh, D. (2000) Distributed Cognition: Towards a new foundation of HCI. TOCHI, 7, 174-196.
Additional reading
Perry, M. (2003) Distributed cognition. In J.M. Carroll (Ed.) HCI Models, Theories and Frameworks: Toward a multidisciplinary science. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann, 194-233
Rogers, Y. and Ellis, J. (1994) Distributed Cognition: an alternative framework for analysing and explaining collaborative working. Journal of Information Technology, 9 (2). Available from www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/users/papers
Halverson, C. (2002) Activity theory and distributed cognition, CSCW, 11, 243-267
Obtainable from: http://www.isr.uci.edu/~jpd/classes/ics234bs03/
Wright, P., Fields, B. and Harrison, M. (1998) Modelling human-computer interaction as distributed cognition. Available at: http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/wright98modelling.html
Hands-on activity: Working in small groups we will carry out a distributed cognition analysis using an adapted version of Wright’s Resource model.
Having looked at a range of theories primarily adapted in HCI for the analysis of cognitive artifacts and the understanding of user behaviour, we will then examine at a general level the role of theory in interaction design and HCI. How difficult is theory to put into practice? Which theories have been most successful? We will explore current discussions on this topic, focusing on the views espoused by several eminent HCI researchers at the CHIplace discussion forum. Also we will examine my own review of this recurring issue.
Required reading:
Rogers, Y. (2004) New theoretical approaches for HCI. ARIST: Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, (Eds. B. Cronin and D. Shaw), 38.
Available from: http://www.slis.indiana.edu/faculty/yrogers/publications.html#6
Castell, F. (2002) Theory theory on the wall. Communications of the ACM, Volume 45. Issue 12 (available at the ACM digital library)
Websites:
CHIplace discussion forum on “HCI theory is like the public library”
http://www.chiplace.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=227
Shneiderman’s class exercise: http://www.cs.umd.edu/class/fall2002/cmsc838s/tichi/
Hands-on activity: A debate on the pros and cons of using theory, based on reading of views presented in the CHIplace discussion
Following the previous week’s debate we will examine alternative approaches of translating theory into design. We will begin by exploring the view that what is needed is a common language that practitioners can use in a variety of contexts. We will look at the two languages of ‘cognitive dimensions’ and ‘technomethodology’ as possible candidates. We will also explore the role of frameworks specifically developed for inspiring design (in contrast to being used to analyze existing systems).
Required reading:
Button, G. and Dourish., P. (1996) Technomethodology: Paradoxes and possibilities
Obtained from http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chi96/proceedings/papers/Button/jpd_txt.htm
Green, T. and Blackwell, A. (1998) Cognitive dimensions of informational artifacts: A tutorial. www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~afb21/CognitiveDimensions/ CDtutorial.pdf
Additional reading
Blackwell, A.F. and Green, T.R.G. (2003). Notational systems - the Cognitive Dimensions of Notations framework. In J.M. Carroll (Ed.) HCI Models, Theories and Frameworks: Toward a multidisciplinary science. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann, 103-134.
Gaver, B., Beaver, J. and Benford, S. (2003) Ambiguity as a resource for design. CHI’03 Proceedings. 233-240. ACM
In this class, we move on to consider new ways of conceptualizing the user experience, in terms of social and embodied aspects.
Required reading:
Paul Dourish (2001) Where the Action Is: The foundations of embodied interaction. MIT Press. Pages ch 5 (also draft overview paper available, called “Embodied Interaction: Exploring the Foundations of a New Approach to HCI” ).
Hoff, T., Oritsland, T. and Bjorkli, C. (2002) Exploring the embodied-mind approach to user experience. Proc of Nordchi, ACM. 271-278.
Additional reading
Battarbee, K. (2003) Co-experience: the social user experience. In Proc. CHI 2003, ACM. 730-731.
Clark, A. (2003) Natural born Cyborgs.
In this class, we will examine other ways of conceptualising the user experience, in terms of affective and interpersonal aspects. We will look at the nature of these aspects together with the theories and frameworks that have been proposed for explaining them.
Rogers et al (2002) Interaction Design. ch 5
Norman, D. Emotion and design. Chapter 1. Attractive things work better. (Paper can be downloaded from his website)
Additional reading
Marcus, A. (2002) The cult of cute: the challenge of user experience design. Interactions nov/dec, 29-34, ACM (available on ACM digital library)
Fogg, B.J. (2003) Persuasive Technology.
Jordan (2002) Designing pleasurable products.
Hands-on activity: Designing a pleasurable user experience
The focus of this activity is to consider how to design a pleasurable user experience, based on a particular ‘user experience’ framework. This should be written up as a report and presented as part of the final assignment. More details will be provided in the first weeks of the course.
This class will provide an opportunity to reflect on the themes, issues and dilemmas that have been covered in the course. In particular, it will focus on the different approaches that have evolved for informing design of interactive technologies.
HCI resources on the web
A diversity of HCI resources can now be found on the web. To get started have a look at the starters section in:
www.id-book.com
Also look at the HCI portal:
http://usableweb.com/
and CHIplace
http://www.chiplace.org/
Another portal of HCI sites is:
http://www.hal.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~pasqual/hci.html
From the UK, is the BCS HCI site (http://www.bcs-hci.org.uk/), which provides a good definition and from the USA is SIGCHI (http://sigchi.org/)
The BCS HCI group also has an affiliated usability site with the latest news on it:
The SIGCHI site has its online HCI magazine interactions (http://sigchi.org/dis2004/)
Gary Perlman has over the years has compiled a range of HCI resources (http://www.hcibib.org/) and links. Includes definitions, recommended readings, articles on usability, HCI glossary, and most frequently cited authors.
HCI-index (http://degraaff.org/hci/) provides a range of pointers, including ‘what’s new in HCI’ (and kept up-to-date)
Mikael Ericsson from Sweden developed a portal of HCI resources (http://www.ida.liu.se/labs/aslab/groups/um/hci/), including ‘hot stuff’, such as PhD theses. Sadly not updated since 1998, but still a good archive of stuff.
A great site to visit to find examples of bad design is called ‘Bad human factor design’ (http://www.baddesigns.com/). It provides a wonderful scrapbook of illustrated examples of things that are hard to use because they do not follow interaction design principles. It is put together by Michael J. Darnell and has won various awards.
Boxes and Arrows (http://www.boxesandarrows.com/) has some great articles on interaction design, interface design, information architecture and seeks to provoke thought and push boundaries.
Tog’s AskTog column (http://www.asktog.com/), Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox (http://useit.com/alertbox/) and Jared Spool (http://www.uie.com/articles/) provide regularly updated ‘soundbites’ on their websites, which are well archived. Have a look at Tog’s first principles article (http://www.asktog.com/basics/firstPrinciples.html), which provides an extensive set of design principles.