Understanding users, usability and user experience Flashcards
(15 cards)
What are the disciplines in user-centred design?
- Interaction design: Creating an intuitive and engaging UI
- Human-computer interaction: Studying how users prefer to interact with computers and applying it to your design
- UX design: Enhancing overall user satisfaction and ease of use
- Requirements engineering: Defining the desired system functions and qualities
What human abilities/capabilities do we need to consider?
- Physiological aspects: senses, movement, fatigue etc
- Cognitive aspects: attention, memory, learning etc
- Affective aspects: engagement, satisfaction, frustration etc
Limitations to understanding users
- Humans are complex; we can’t predict every need or behaviour
- Every user is different
- Users may struggle to articulate needs
- Users’ actual use may be different from what they say
Nielsen’s usability characteristics
- Learnability - the system should be easy to learn
- Efficiency - the system should be efficient to use
- Memorability - the system should be easy to remember
- Errors - the system should have a low error rate
- satisfaction - the system should satisfying to use
What methods are these to evaluate usability?
- Inspection methods
- inquiry methods
- Testing methods
What are inspection methods for usability?
- Heuristic evaluation: experts check usability principles
- Experts simulate user interaction
- Reviewing compliance with standards or guidelines
What are usability heuristics?
general guidelines followed to improve usability. They aim for a sufficient solutions rather than a perfect one
Pros and cons of heuristic evaluation
Pros:
- quick and inexpensive
- no need to recruit users
- no privacy concerns
Cons:
- Requires expertise
- May overlook bigger issues
- Solutions are very general and overlook specific needs
What is the usability testing process?
-Users are assigned tasks and observed
- Performance measures are recorded, such as completion time or number of errors
How does user experience (UX) differ from usability?
- UX focuses on emotional responses and satisfaction
- Usability measures efficiency and effectiveness
What is a dark pattern?
A deceptive UI feature that misleads the user into doing something that benefits the service provider
What is the roach motel dark pattern?
When it is very easy for a user to enter a situation (like a subscription to a service) but difficult to exit it e.g. newsletters
What is forced continuity dark pattern?
Users are forced to give credit card info for a free trial, hoping the user forgets to cancel
What is bait and switch dark pattern?
Users intend to complete one action but an undesirable action occurs instead
e.g. clicking on an item, then being presented with a higher price
What is privacy Zuckering?
Designing confusing user interfaces that deceive users into sharing personal information, using complex and unclear language
