Human Factors in Information Systems

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Human Factors in Information Systems

• Dr. Barbara Beccue
• ITK 467

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Agenda

• Syllabus
• Class Projects and Assignments
• Groups of three (or four)
• Getting acquainted
• Initial Reading Assignment

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Objectives of the course

• understand the importance of human factors design
• be able to evaluate an existing system with
  respect to human factors
• be able to apply human factor design criteria
  during system development
• understand the psychological principles which
  are relevant to human factor design

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Objectives cont.

• be able to develop an appropriate human/computer
  interface and user aids or support materials for
  a proposed information system
• be able to develop a new system that incorporates
  human factor design elements

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Share with the class about yourself.

• Undergraduate degree
• What classes have you already completed.
• What work experiences have you had.
• Extra courses or thesis topic?
• What software package or feature drives you nuts?

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Human Factors and Computers?

• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
• is about designing computer systems that support
  people so that they can carry out their
  activities productively and safely.
• software is usually designed from the point of
  view of the programmer, sometimes the marketing
  department, and occasionally from the users
  point of view.
• PUT the Users goals first.

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Users Goals

• Not looking stupid
• Not making any big mistakes
• Getting an adequate amount of work done
• Having fun (or at least not being too bored)

- Alan Cooper
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Why cant I go to NEXTgt ???
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Enter a different path name.
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Invalid Path?
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Design Needs

• Users should not have to think about the
  intricacies of how to use a computer.
• Donald Norman
• The Psychology of Everyday Things
• Turn Signals are the Facial Expressions of
  Automobiles

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Key Principles of Design

• Visibility
• visual design.
• most humans
• process information better visually than
  textually.
• learn much more, much faster
• by seeing things whole and in context.
• Affordance
• a subtle design characteristic that conveys the
  correct use of an object.

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Affordance

• Donald Norman
• the perceived and actual properties of the
  thing, primarily those fundamental properties
  that determine just how the thing could possibly
  be used.
• makes interfaces intuitive, because we
  instinctively understand them.
• takes advantage of perception.

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Affordance
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Goals of HCI

• Produce usable and safe systems.
• To develop or improve the safety, utility,
  effectiveness, efficiency and usability of
  systems that include computers.
• Class examples ---

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Disciplines that contribute to HCI

• Computer science
• Cognitive psychology
• Social and organization psychology
• Ergonomics
• Engineering
• Design
• Anthropology

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More Disciplines that contribute to HCI

• Sociology
• Philosophy
• Linguistics
• Artificial intelligence

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Factors in HCI
(From Travel Agency example p. 30 of
Human-Computer Interaction, by Jenny Preece,
et.al.) Category Factors User
staff Motivation, experience level
cognitive capabilities, fear of new
technology, coping strategies User
customer Faster and more efficient service
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Factors in HCI

• Category FactorsUser interfaceWork
  activityOrganizationComfortProductivity