Human-Computer Interaction 3e Dix, Finlay, Abowd, Beale

extra material, case studies etc.

overview

Extra material to extend and support the book.

more coming ...

online!

why study human–computer interaction?

This video looks at a variety of examples to explore the different reasons why human-computer interaction is an important and exciting area to study.

making the most of stakeholder interviews

Working with stakehoders takes a lot of organising and consumes both your tmem and theirs. Make the most of the precious time you have with them.

act it out

Reading a scenario can be helpful, as can talking through a user's activities in an interview. However, sometimes physically acting things out adds an extra dimension.

early lessons: it's not all about technology

Lessons from an 1960s Systems Analysis book - why it's important to watch the users, and problems aren't always solved with a computer.

how many computers?

see exercise page 60. How many computers do you have in your home? How many computers do you normally carry with you in your pockets or bags?

desire and disaster

There are always more things you would like to do when creating or updating a system: problems to fix, new features to add, ways to make what you have easier to use, more slick, more appealing. How do you choose which to do first?

are five users enough?

Along with Fitts’ Law and Miller’s 7+/-2 this “five is enough” must be among the most widely cited, and most widely misunderstood and misused aphorisms of HCI and usability.

Spitfire or not a Spitfire?

see page 49. Design Focus: Human error and false memories
Well it did seem such a good story we told in the second edition, the Spitfire with a confusing ejector seat button ... but unfortunately not quite accurate!

the strange story of Draken Sierra 44

This is the full story of the ill fated Draken and its drop tanks. Courtesy Kai-Mikael Jää-Aro.

as others see - colour blindness

basic facts about colour blindness ... and how the e3 site looks to the colour blind

Moore's law

see box page 115. Computer speeds and capacities are increasing exponentially - what does this mean for the user and where is it leading us?

Cultural probes - methods to study new environments

see page 200. Design Focus: Cultural probes

Technology probes

Technology probes are a means for users and designers to envisage radically new technology or applications through the use of early high-fidelity prototypes.

Cybernetic Understanding of Fitts' Law

Fitts' Law is perhaps the most commonly known 'law' of psychology used in HCI, but why is it true and what are its limitations?

menu breadth - not a case of Miller's 7+/-2

see page 200. How to choose the best trade-off between menu breadth and dpeth, and why Miller's 7+/-2 is not the way to do it.

case studies

Mute Wars

When network race conditions can render you speechless.

Eye contact in recorded video

A simple tip to help mainain appropriate eye contact and gace direction when creating prerecorded video for education or presentations.

Just try it once – (very) early evaluation

An unsuable coffee grinder reminds us that some faults just need us to try things out.

Ghost Orders – getting the job done

When new systems do not match working practices, those on the ground develop workarounds, tweaks and subversions of the systems in order to 'get the job done'.

Values, Conflict and Cows

Different stakehoders may have different value systems. Do we use technology to help resolve conflicts or to simply allow the dominant party to exert power through the technology?

Pensions printout

Some lessons about designing novel technology ... from a paper printout.

War stories: lessons from UI disaster stories

Things go wrong in even the most large-budget, popular products. Here are links to some of Alan's blog posts about times when things went wrong, and some of the the ways you can prevent this happening to the systems you design.

Gmail – colours in a mess

Sometimes even major internet companies make simple, yet serious mistakes. In this short case study we see how easy it is to mess up colours not only making text unreadable, but potentially undermining the confidence of users in your message.

The dynamics of trust

see Section 3.9.2 designing experience
Trust in a website ebbs and flows - getting this right is crucial to a site's success.

Hermes - electronic doorplates

see page 86. Design Focus: Hermes a situated display

Absolutely crackers!

see page 157, Section 3.9.2 designing experience
The design of virtual crackers and why they work

HCI book search - designing value

see page 160. Section 3.9.4 Managing value

Digitising Hospital da Trofa

see page 468. Design Focus: tomorrow's hospital - using participatory design

Car courtesy lights - designing incidental interaction

see page 655. Design Focus: Designing a car courtesy light

SPAM - coordination in residential care using SMS

see page 673. Design Focus: SMS in action

Ambient Wood

see page 723. Design Focus: ambient wood - augmenting the physical
A rich learning experience in a technologically enhanced wood in Sussex.

Arts and technology meet

see page 726. Design Focus: Exploring intimate computing in the arts
How interactive technology can be used in the arts and how arts installations and performances can teach us about interaction.

Mack Room - visiting together ... but not together

see page 732. Design Focus: Shared experience
How mixed reality allows people to share a gallery visit even when they are not all there.

Excel mode error

a real example of closure, modes and design

scenarios

Nuclear Reactor

used in exercises 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 8.3, 16.5, 17.9

Nuclear Reactor – variant 2

used in exercises ...

Mobile Phone

used in exercises 15.6, 16.6, 17.8

Soap Booth

used in exercises ...

Train Booth

used in exercises ...

how e3 home page appears to yellow-green colour blind users

Hermes door display

cultural probe pack

something strange
in Ambient Wood