Primary & Secondary Sources
Good research tends to involve both primary and secondary sources.
Primary sources help illustrate individual experiences or perceptions.
Secondary sources help describe, summarize, or evaluate knowledge.
ah teaches interface design (UI for Humans lecture)
UI for Humans
Lecture outline
A recap of human-specific issues in interface design including (but not limited to) accessibility and culture. Lecture slides will be made available on the day of the lecture (June 19).
Critique prep
Please find yourself a space to set up your project for critique. Makes sure to:
- Open up the process document, pitch and interactive prototype.
- Please close off as many other things as you can.
- Pull out a pen or pencil.
We will start the critique at 9:45am.
Critique reminders
When critiquing, please make sure to:
- Explain what your critique is about.
- Explain why you have this opinion.
- Write your name down on the post-it.
Read through the document
Does the document use images to clarify and support the explanation? Why so or why not?
3 minutes
Read through the document
Is it clear how the project progressed from what was being evaluated to the results and recommendations? Why so or why not?
3 minutes
Read through the document
Are there any 'overstatements' of the outcomes? For example: "Solving these usability problems will fix Canvas usability" Why so or why not?
3 minutes
Read through the document
Is it clear how the project progressed from what was being evaluated to the results and recommendations? Why so or why not?
3 minutes
Read through the document
Do the results and recommendations make effective use of images to support the explanation or argument? Why so or why not?
3 minutes
Read through the document
Do the results clearly explain a theme in the problems found? Why so or why not?
3 minutes
Read through the document
Do the recommendations clearly explain a solution to the theme identified in the results? Why so or why not?
3 minutes
Read through the document
Is the writing in the document using any complicated terminology or jargon that is not explained? How so or how not?
3 minutes
Read through the document
Would a person not in this class understand this? Why so or why not?
3 minutes
Read through the document
Does the design of the document make it clear and easy to follow? Why so or why not?
3 minutes
Critique complete
In a moment you will be given some time to return to review the feedback.
You have 10 minutes to review
Uncovering opportunities
Communicate regularly
As part of setting expectations you will establish how you want to communicate. We recommend you are clear about:
- How frequently you want to communicate?
- Do you prefer lots of short messages, or fewer larger messages?
Set a weekly meeting
This part is important. Set at least one weekly meeting time that you check-in on the project. It is also a good idea to have collaborative 'work times' to both sit on chat and work on the project if schedules permit.
Use collaborative tools
Please pick tools you prefer for communciation and sharing of other project files.
Domains
As part of this week you will decide what domain and context you may want to work in. Be as specific as possible, so when you begin talking with individuals within that context your job in defining the context will be made easier.
Domains
A general structure you could work with to get you started:
- Domain name — i.e. Medical care in B.C.
- Context — an intensive care unit (ICU)
- Audience/users — i.e. nurses
Bias
"[Our] perspectives are coloured by our habits, beliefs, and attitudes."Erika Hall
Course bias
So far this course has been biased towards North American/European design. As part of the next project you may explore contexts beyond this.
Assumptions
Your next project will have you map out your assumptions, and then work on converting them into questions.
Questions we can answer.
Assumptions we cannot.
Listing assumptions
At the start of this project we are going to have you list your assumptions about the domain and/or audience you are working on. For example:
Assumptions:
- ICU nurses are overworked
- ICU nurses are there to do what a doctor says
Assumptions to questions
Turning our assumptions into questions means we can explore and answer them. We want to be careful about writing biased questions as much as possible:
Assumptions-to-questions:
- ICU nurses are overworked; How do ICU nurses describe their workload?
- ICU nurses are there to do what a doctor says; What is the working relationship between doctors and nurses in the ICU?
Research questions
At this stage we are exploring a domain and those connected to it. We want to use exploratory research questions to explore relationships, interactions, effects. For example:
- Is there a 'typical' day for an ICU nurse, and if so, what does it look like?
- What kinds of technologies do ICU nurses use on a day-to-day basis?
Research question development
Some different lenses you can think about:
The history:
- How does nursing experience compare to pre-pandemic?
- How has the role of ICU nurse evolved over time?
Flipping questions around:
- How is nursing experience the same before and during the pandemic?
- How has the role of ICU nurse stayed the same over time?
Connections to larger systems:
- What does nursing in B.C. look like compared to elsewhere in Canada?
- What kinds of technology do nurses use regularly?
What if?
- What if ICU nurses could ___________?
- What if the B.C. ICU had access to _______?
Ethics
As part of this project you will likely be interviewing or working with individuals to collect information about their experience(s). We need to keep in mind:
- Only ask the necessary questions
- Keep their responses and information anonymous
- Destroy any collected data once the course is over
Consent & interview templates
On Canvas we have pre-built consent forms and interview templates. Please note that they require some editing before they are used.
Understanding humans
We need to understand humans so we can design for them.
Accessible design
There is an important distinction for us to make:
Accessible design is when we consider disabilities for easing interaction with an interface.
Inclusive design is when we consider diversity — age, gender, identity, language, social and economic means, etc. — for easing interaction with an interface.
Contrast
Contrast through animation
Visibility
......
Visibility
From Obvious always wins
From @benson
Consider what devices are familiar or used frequently
What already exists?
Remember that "There's an app for that."
Break
See you in 10 minutes.
'Idea' day!
Please find a station to put your 'idea' (sketch) at.
Review the sketch
Do you understand the problem being identified? Why so or why not?
2 minutes
Review the sketch
How would you describe the problem identified?
2 minutes
Review the sketch
Would you describe the problem identified in need of an 'interface' design solution? Why so or why not?
2 minutes
Review the sketch
List all your assumptions about the problem presented.
2 minutes
Review the sketch
Are there any ethical risks with what is being presented? Why so or why not?
2 minutes
Review the sketch
Do you understand the problem being identified? Why so or why not?
2 minutes
Review the sketch
How would you describe the problem identified?
2 minutes
Review the sketch
Would you describe the problem identified in need of an 'interface' design solution? Why so or why not?
2 minutes
Review the sketch
List all your assumptions about the problem presented.
2 minutes
Review the sketch
Are there any ethical risks with what is being presented? Why so or why not?
2 minutes
Idea day
Take some time to chat with others who's ideas you may have been interested in exploring further.
You have 10 minutes.
Groups
Before you are permitted to leave today you need to come meet with one of the instructional team with:
- The names of your group members
- The name of your team
You will be given a team contract to fill out and return next week.
Next week
Guest lecture
"Writing surveys can seem deceptively simple. I'll be reviewing the fundamentals of good survey design, so that you can get clear answers to your most important design questions, and so that the people receiving the surveys can answer your questions without unnecessary effort or confusion."
Allen Bevans is a professional User Experience Researcher who has helped design and development teams get answers to their most pressing questions about video games, personal finance, and automated vehicles.