1 Explain what skills are involved in Human computer interaction.

Human-Computer Interaction is an interdisciplinary field of

study interested in design, evaluation and implementation of interactive
technology. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has four main components: the user, task, tools
/ interface, the context. HCI studies requires the evaluation of obtained observations while the user
performs certain tasks and habits of the user together.

Human-Computer Interaction is an interdisciplinary field of study interested in design,

evaluation and implementation of interactive technology. Since Human-Computer Interaction
studies the interaction between human and computer, it is associated with the study fields suach
as human behavior, psychology, cognitive science, computer science and software engineering as
well as ergonomics, graphic and industrial design, sociology, anthropology and educational
sciences Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has four main components: the user, task, tools /
interface, the context. HCI studies requires the evaluation of obtained observations while the user
performs certain tasks and habits of the user together. These data are used in the development
process of interactive systems.

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has four main components:

the user, task, tools / interface, the context. HCI studies requires
the evaluation of obtained observations while the user performs
certain tasks and habits of the user together. These data are used
in the development process of interactive systems.

Q2) What is the main concern of human- computer interaction (HCI) discipline? •

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is the study of how people interact with computers and to what
extent computers are or are not developed for successful interaction with humanbeings. HCI concerns
the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive usable userinterfaces

HCI is concerned “with the design, implementation and evaluation of those interactive computer-
based systems, as well as with the multi-disciplinary study of various issues affecting this interaction”
(Stephanidis, 2001), while the main concern is to ensure 'ease-of-use', operability, discoverability,
simplicity, and .

Q3) why human computer interaction is important in software design? “

Good use of HCI principles and techniques is not only important for the end user, but also is a very
high priority for software development companies. If a software product is unusable and causes
frustration, no person will use the program by choice, and as a result sales will be negatively affected.
HCI is very important because it will be fundamental to make products more successful, safe,
useful and functional. ... Hence, it is important to have someone with HCI focused skills involved in
all phases of any product of system development. HCI is also important to avoid products or project
going wrong or totally fail.

software projects need to be developed with higher quality and especially user friendly. Therefore, the
importance of human-computer interaction emerges clearly. In design and development phases of
software projects, the properties of human which is an important agent for interaction -- such as
behavioral, cognitive, perceptive, efficiency and physical factors have to be considered. This study
aims to express the importance of developing softwares by taking into consideration the human-
computer interaction applications. In this context, firstly a wide literature review is made to examine
software development process and human-computer interaction in detail, the results obtained by using
design methods in this process are explicated and the importance of said interaction is openly expressed
with the exemplary applications in the literature. According to the results of the research, especially in
software life cycle, it is observed that rules of interaction must be implemented before software
development, however, these methods are usually included in software life cycle in the latter stages of
software development process. This situation causes the developed softwares to be user unfriendly and
of low quality. Furthermore, it is observed that when the design methods used in the scope of human-
computer interaction are integrated into software development process during the life cycle, the
developed projects are more successful, have better quality and are more user friendly.

Today, software industry has a rapid growth. In order to resist the competition increased by this growth,
software projects ne0ed to be developed with higher quality and especially user friendly. Therefore, the
importance of human-computer interaction emerges clearly. In design and development phases of
software projects, the properties of human –which is an important agent for interaction- such as
behavioral, cognitive, perceptive, efficiency and physical factors have to be considered. This study
aims to express the importance of developing softwares by taking into consideration the human-
computer interaction applications. In this context, firstly a wide literature review is made to examine
software development process and human-computer interaction in detail, the results obtained by using
design methods in this process are explicated and the importance of said interaction is openly expressed
with the exemplary applications in the literature. According to the results of the research, especially in
software life cycle, it is observed that rules of interaction must be implemented before software
development, however, these methods are usually included in software life cycle in the latter stages of
software development process. This situation causes the developed softwares to be user unfriendly and
of low quality. Furthermore, it is observed that when the design methods used in the scope of human-

4.. Explain what involved analyzing product’s context of use is.

context of use is an essential input to the problem definition, product goals,
requirements, conceptual design, detailed design, and the planning of other
usability methods. Information about the context of use of a product are
generally collected early in the product life cycle and then refined as
 additional data are gathered from usability studies. Collecting and analyzing
detailed information about the intended users, their tasks, and the technical
and environmental constraints. The data for a context of use analysis can be
gathered using interviews, workshops, surveys, site visits, artifact analysis,
focus groups, observational studies, and contextual inquiry.
The main goals are:
• Ensure that all factors that relate to use of the system are identified before design work starts.
• Provide a basis for designing later usability tests
The context of use analysis involves collecting and analyzing detailed information about:
• The intended users
• Their tasks
• The tools that support the users' goals
• The physical environment in which a product will be used
• The user's social and organizational millieu
• The technical environment and associated technical constraints
• Other contextual factors that will affect the user experience

The Context of Use is the actual conditions under which a given

artifact/software product is used, or will be used in a normal day to day
working situation.

5..Which people (activity | context | technology) characteristics are

analyzing the user needs in human computer Interaction

HCI consists of three parts: the user, the computer itself, and the ways
they work together.
It can be critical to the many stakeholders in a design process: customers,
users, service providers, and marketers, as well as designers who want to
build upon the system and the ideas it embodies. Design rationale can
contribute to theory development in HCI in three ways.communication
among the members of the development or supplier organization. It is
important that all concerned groups in the supplier organization
understand the usability requirements before design begins.Inadequate
user requirements are a major contributor to project failure. ... on
designing user interface characteristics that achieve these objectives
(see the section on guidelines ... The context of use of the system is
 identified and analyzed. ... of who (person or machine) will perform
them or the detailed strategies to be used.

HCI is expected to include the following characteristics:

• Ubiquitous computing and communication. ...
• high-functionality systems. ...
• Mass availability of computer graphics. ...
• Mixed media. ...
• High-bandwidth interaction. ...
• Large and thin displays. ...
• Information utilities.

The characteristics that make good interaction design are goal-driven

design, usability, ... on the understanding of real users including
their experiences, goals, needs, ... focus only on the interaction
between users and their computers/device. User Analysis is
concerned with determining those characteristics of the user that
may make an impact on the design of the interface. ... By "task", we
mean the job/activity, and associated goals, that the user wishes to
accomplish while using the interface.

A number of different methodologies have been created to determine the effectiveness

of HCI measurements. These have been refined resulting in the User Needs Analysis of
Lindgaard et al(2006) that suggests how and where user centred design and
requirements engineering approaches should be integrated. After reviewing various
process models for user centred design analysis they suggest a refined approach and
identified the main problems as:
• The decision where to begin and end the analysis needs to be clarified.
• Deciding how to document and present the outcome Lindgaard’s user needs analysis
method involves the following steps
•First: Identify user groups and interview key players from all groups to find the different
roles and tasks of the primary and secondary users
•Second: Communicate this information to the rest of the team by constructing task
analysis data and translating this into workflow diagrams supporting the user interface
design. Create a table that shows the information about user roles and data input
 •Third: Upon submitting the first draft of the user needs analysis report create the first
iterative design prototype of the user interface based on minimising the path of data flow.
(Initially prototyping in PowerPoint was faster and more effective that prototyping in
Dreamweaver).
•Fourth: Prototypes were handed over to developers as part of the user interface
specification package.
•Fifth: Usability testing was used to determine the adequacy of the interface. Feedback
from watching users work with the prototype and discussing with them what they were
doing always resulted in more information.
•Sixth: Prototype usability testing meant that the requirements became clearer which
resulted in more changes to the user interface design and the prototype.
•Seventh: The formal plan involved three iterations of design- prototype- usability test for
each user role (they could not keep to this and had no more that two test iterations and
in most cases only one)
•Eighth: Practical issues of feasibility should not be overlooked in the quest to meet
users’ needs. A highly experienced software developer is a necessity on the user
interface design team in order to ensure that the changes were proposed were feasible (
in some cases interface ideas were dropped because they were not feasible, take too
long or cost too much).

6...How data can be recorded during the data gathering sessions with
stakeholders?

→One-on-One Interviews
→ Focus Group Discussion
→ Collaborative Workshop Mode
→ Surverys
→ Observation

Use a variety of tools for gathering data from the stakeholders:

1. Small group facilitated workshops – in person.
2. Conference call interviews (ideally only when in person not possible)
3. One-on-one interviews in person.
4. Focus groups.
5. On-line surveys.

➢Determining the appropriate stakeholders

➢ Conflict among the stakeholders as to what is needed
 ➢ Inaccurate or incomplete information provided by stakeholders
➢ Uncertainty among the stakeholders as to what the requirements should be
➢ Unrealistic expectations by stakeholders as to what is possible
➢ Lack of participation among some of the stakeholders
➢ Frequent changes to requirements causing scope creep

Use a variety of tools for gathering data from the stakeholders:

• Small group facilitated workshops – in person
• Conference call interviews (ideally only when in person not possible)
• One-on-one interviews in person
• Focus groups
• On-line surveys

7...How interviews are conducted?

INTERVIEWS METHOD
Interviewing involves asking questions and getting answers from participants in a study. Interviewing
has a variety of forms including: individual, face-to-face interviews and face-to-face group
interviewing. The asking and answering of questions can be mediated by the telephone or other
electronic devices (e.g. computers). Interviews can be –
A. Structured,
B. Semi-structure or
C. Unstructured.
Face to face interviews
are advantageous since detailed questions can be asked; further probing can be done to provide rich
data; literacy requirements of participants is not an issue; non verbal data can be collected through
observation; complex
and unknown issues can be explored; response rates are usually higher than for self-administered
questionnaires.
Disadvantages of face to face interviews include: they can be expensive and time consuming; training
of interviewers is
necessary to reduce interviewer bias and are administered in a standardized why they are prone to
interviewer bias and
interpreter bias (if interpreters are used); sensitive issues maybe challenging.
Telephone interviews
yield just as accurate data as face to face interviews. Telephone interviews are advantageous as they:
are cheaper and faster than face to face interviews to conduct; use less resources than face to face
interviews; allow to
clarify questions; do not require literacy skills. Disadvantages of telephone interviews include: having
to make repeated calls
as calls may not be answered the first time; potential bias if call backs are not made so bias is towards
those who are at
home; only suitable for short surveys; only accessible to the population with a telephone; not
appropriate for exploring
sensitive issues.
Structured Interviews

Characteristics of the Structured Interview


The interviewer asks each respondent the same series of questions.

The questions are created prior to the interview, and often have a limited set of response
categories.

There is generally little room for variation in responses and there are few open-ended questions
included in the interview guide.

Semi-structured Interviews
Characteristics of Semi-structured Interviews

The interviewer and respondents engage in a formal interview.

The interviewer develops and uses an ‘interview guide’. This is a list of questions and topics that
need to be covered during the conversation, usually in a particular order.

The interviewer follows the guide, but is able to follow topical trajectories in the conversation
that may stray from the guide when s/he feels this is appropriate.

Unstructured Interviews
Characteristics of Unstructured Interviews

The interviewer and respondents engage in a formal interview in that they have a scheduled time
to sit and speak with each other and both parties recognize this to be an interview.

The interviewer has a clear plan in mind regarding the focus and goal of the interview. This
guides the discussion.

There is not a structured interview guide. Instead, the interviewer builds rapport with
respondents, getting respondents to open-up and express themselves in their own way.

Questions tend to be open-ended and express little control over informants’ responses.

Ethnographic, in depth interviews are unstructured. Fontana and Frey (1994) identify three
types of in depth, ethnographic unstructured interviews – oral history, creative interviews and
postmodern interviews.

How to Conduct an Effective Interview

 1. Put the applicant at ease. Make eye contact and establish rapport by finding a shared topic to
talk about before you get down to the hard questions. ...
2. Ask open-ended questions. ...
3. Listen more, talk less. ...
4. Take notes. ...
5. Understand what you can't ask.

CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW

Now that you are well prepared, you are in a position to conduct a productive interview. If you are
uncertain of your interviewing skills, you can always learn more by contacting your local chamber of
commerce, taking courses at the community college level, or seeking the assistance of companies like
Talent Edge Solutions
• Introduce yourself. Greeting candidates courteously shows respect for them and will help put
them at ease. Tell them something about yourself and the company. This is the first impression
the candidate will make of you, so present a tidy office and turn off your cell phone.
• Set the stage. Set the tone by telling the applicant what to expect for the next half hour or so.
Remember, you too are being observed. Your behaviour will set the tone for the interview. If
you come across as being too casual, an applicant may take the interview less seriously. But
being too serious will likely make the candidate more nervous. In either case, you’re unlikely to
bring out the best in the individual. How you conduct yourself during the interview must also
reflect the image and values of your business.
• Review the job. Spell out what the position involves in more detail than was outlined in the job
posting, so candidates can make sure the job is right for them. Let them know what the core
duties and responsibilities will be, and any working conditions that may affect them. Say
whether the position is permanent or temporary, or on contract.
• Start with generalized questions. Begin by asking a few questions about a candidate’s
background and interest in the position. Get candidates to tell you about how they see
themselves in relation to the job and what they can contribute.
• Review the applicant’s resume. Ask candidates about specific positions on their resume that
relate to the position you are hiring for. Ask them about job details, responsibilities, what they
accomplished, pressures they encountered. Ask about any inconsistencies or gaps in
employment or education, as there may be a simple explanation. Ask about the candidate’s
reasons for leaving a past or current job.
• Ask some consistent questions. Use a specific set of questions for all applicants. This will help
you to compare candidates and find the one whose skills and abilities most closely match what
you’re looking for.
• Vary your questions. It’s important that you ask questions on skills specifically related to the
duties and responsibilities of the position. This will help you uncover candidates’ strengths and
weaknesses. Don’t forget that open-ended questions are best during interviews, such as “What
was the most difficult challenge of your last job?”
 • Give candidates a chance to ask questions. Confidently answering any question thrown at you
means knowing all aspects of the position and being able to clarify your expectations, in
addition to listing the benefits of working for your business. Applicants should be given the
chance both to answer your questions and to ask questions of their own to determine if the job
and the company are right for them. Their questions can help you assess whether candidates
have adequately prepared for the interview and are genuinely interested in the job. An effective
strategy is the 80/20 rule: You do 80 per cent of the listening and 20 per cent of the talking.
• Provide a timeline. Always provide an estimate of the length of time until final selection will
be made. Provide an indication as to when candidates might expect to hear back from you
regarding the final outcome or the next step in the recruitment process.

8...What kind of questions are used in usability questionnaires?

usability questionnaires are questionnaires designed for the

assessment of perceived usability, typically with a specific set of
questions presented in a specified order using a specified format with
specific rules for producing scores based on the answers of respondents.

What are some common usability testing questions?

• Screening: ask basic questions about the users' demographics and experience. ...
• Pre-test: ask questions about psychographics based on your user personas. ...
• Test: ask questions about why users take certain actions and make decisions on your website.

Usability tests are run for many different reasons:

• To validate a prototype
• To find issues with complex flows
• To gather unbiased user opinions
• To get the insights that help create a better overall user experience

Phase 1: screening

During the screening period, depending on which usability testing method you
choose, you should have the opportunity to ask basic demographic and
experience questions. In addition to using this data to evaluate potential
participants, hang on to it and use it later in your analysis of the final results.
Examples of screening questions:
• How old are you?
• What is the highest level of education you've completed?
 • What is your total household income?
• What is your profession?
• When was the last time you purchased an item online?
• Have you ever used [your website]?

Phase 2: pre-test

Once you've selected your test subjects, but before the actual usability testing begins, you have another
opportunity to interview them, either via a questionnaire or through a moderated interview.
During this stage, your goal is to learn about the knowledge and experience that the subjects are
entering testing with: their backgrounds will inform their actions and opinions as they interact with
your product.
The questions during this phase go beyond just collecting demographic data; they can be used to gather
psychographic data about the participants' experiences, behaviors, and attitudes toward the product or
subject being tested

Phase 3: test

During the actual testing stage, your goal is to collect data that explains why users make certain choices
while navigating the assigned tasks.
The test may be highly interactive, with the user talking through their thought process as they complete
each step. Conversely, it could be silent, with users working independently and then answering
questions after each task or section. Either way, questions like the ones below should help illuminate
what the user is doing, and why:

9...How observations results are conducted?

When conducting observations, you are trying to learn habits, patterns,

behaviors, reactions, and general information about people in a particular
environment to better understand what they do and, hopefully eventually,
why they do it (though observations alone often won't tell you the
“why”).

How and When to Collect Observational Data

• Participant observation: the researcher is involved in the activity. ...
• Simple observation: the researcher collects simple numerical data. ...
• Direct observation: the researcher observes an activity as it happens. ...
• Covert observation: the researcher observes secretly.

Observing users interacting with a product can be a great way to

understand the usability of a product and to some extent the overall user
experience. Conducting observations is relatively easy as it doesn’t
require a huge amount of training and it can be relatively fast –
depending on the sample size of users you intend to observe.