SIMS 213: User Interface Design & Development

Marti HearstThurs, Feb 21, 2002

Slide adapted from James Landay

Outline

Low-fidelity prototypingWizard of OZ techniqueInformal user interfacesSketching user interfaces electronically

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Why Do We Prototype?

Get feedback on our design faster– saves money

Experiment with alternative designsFix problems before code is writtenKeep the design centered on the user

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Fidelity in Prototyping

Fidelity refers to the level of detailHigh fidelity?

– prototypes look like the final productLow fidelity?

– artists renditions with many details missing

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Low-fidelity Sketches

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Low-fi Storyboards

Where do storyboards come from?– Film & animation

Give you a “script” of important events– leave out the details – concentrate on the important interactions

Ink Chat

Paper prototyping

Main idea:– Sketch out prototypes of the interface on paper– Potential users “walk through” task scenarios using the paper

interface– A designer “plays computer”– Change the design on-the-fly if helpful

Widely practiced in industry– Sounds silly at first, but is surpringly effective– Helps people work together on the design

Readings by Rettig, Cooper, Klee, Spool’s group– This discussion primarily follows Rettig’s article

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Why Use Low-fi Prototypes?Traditional methods take too long– sketches -> prototype -> evaluate -> iterate

Can simulate the prototype– sketches -> evaluate -> iterate– sketches act as prototypes

• designer “plays computer”• other design team members observe & record

Kindergarten implementation skills– allows non-programmers to participate

Slide adapted from James Landay

Why Do We Prototype?

Get feedback on our design faster– saves money

Experiment with alternative designsFix problems before code is writtenKeep the design centered on the user

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The Materials

Large, heavy, white paper (11 x 17)5x8 in. index cardsPost-it notesTape, stick glue, correction tapePens & markers (many colors & sizes)

Transparencies (including colored)Colorforms (toy stores)Scissors, X-acto knives, etc.

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Constructing the Model

Set a deadline– don’t think too long - build it!

Draw a window frame on large paperPut different screen regions on cards– anything that moves, changes, appears/disappears

Ready response for any user action– e.g., have those pull-down menus already made

Use photocopier to make many versions

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Preparing for a Test

Select your participants– understand background of intended users– use a questionnaire to get the people you need– don’t use friends or family

Prepare scenarios that are– typical of the product during actual use– make prototype support these (small, yet broad)

Practice running the computer to avoid “bugs”

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Conducting a Test

Three or Four testers (preferable)– greeter - puts users at ease & gets data– facilitator - only team member who speaks

• gives instructions & encourages thoughts, opinions– computer - knows application logic & controls it

• always simulates the response, w/o explanation– observer(s) - take notes & recommendations

Typical session is approximately 1 hour– preparation, the test, debriefing

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Conducting a Test (cont.)

Greet– get forms filled, assure confidentiality, etc.

Test– facilitator hands written tasks to the user

• must be clear & detailed– facilitator keeps getting “output” from participant

• “What are you thinking right now?”, “Think aloud”– observe -> no “a-ha”, laugh, gape, etc.

Slide adapted from James Landay

Conducting a Test (cont.)

Debrief– fill out post-evaluation questionnaire– ask questions about parts you saw problems on– gather impressions– give thanks

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Evaluating Results

Sort & prioritize observations– what was important?– lots of problems in the same area?

Create a written report on findings– gives agenda for meeting on design changes

Make changes & iterate

Potential difficulties

Interfaces with large focus on content– Dynamic or static; both are ill-suited

• Use word processor for large sets of text– For search/database applications

• Have pre-planned searches (not very realistic)• Write up search results on the fly

– Maybe have a printer nearby that can produced typed results• Bottom line: can only prototype the main interaction this

way; search needs to be hooked up to really test the search mechanism

Potential difficulties

Interfaces that use animation / dynamic graphics– IUE’s answer: maybe it isn’t all that usable to have

flash– Broader answer:

• Only testing the main functionality, not the finer points• The interface should also work without the flash

– Use transparencies, etc, for important rollovers.

Slide adapted from James Landay

Advantages of Low-fi Prototyping

Takes only a few hours– no expensive equipment needed

Can test multiple alternatives Can change the design as you test – If users are trying to use the interface in a way you

didn’t design it – go with what they think! Adapt!

Allows designers to work together

Examples

For more detail, see http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/courses/is213/s01/projects.html

http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/courses/is213/s99/Projects.html

Sho, Shamma, von Krogh, Johnstad

Sho, Shamma, von Krogh, Johnstad

Sho, Shamma, von Krogh, Johnstad

Costa, Chopra, Orr, Stetson

Brandt, Falk, McMahon

Brandt, Falk, McMahon

Hernandez, Liang

Designing a content pageUsing low-fi techniques

Combine low-fi paper prototyping and card sorting– Idea from Peter Merholtz

Start with a page with all the features you might wantCut it up into pieces Have people arrange the components– One set of users sorts into groups, as in card sorting for

categories– Another set of users lays out the information in a way that

would work well for them given certain tasks.

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Quickly Sketch this...

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Add Behavior...

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Transform it to this...

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Drawbacks of Current Tools

Require specification of lots of detail– must give specific instance of a general idea

• e.g., exact widgets, fonts, alignments, colors– designers led to focus on unimportant details– evaluators focus on wrong issues

Take too much time to use– poor support for iterative design

• sketched interface took 5 times longer with traditional tool (no icons)

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Paper SketchesAdvantages– support brainstorming– do not require specification of details– designers feel comfortable sketching

Drawbacks– do not evolve easily– lack support for “design memory”– force manual translation to electronic format– do not allow end-user interaction

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What is SILK

SketchingInterfacesLikeKrazy

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Designing Interfaces with SILK

1)Designer sketches ideas rapidly with electronic pad and pen– SILK recognizes widgets – easy editing with gestures

2)Designer or end-user tests interface– widgets behave – specify additional behavior visually

3)Automatically transforms to a “finished” UI

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Specifying Behaviors

Storyboards– series of rough sketches depicting changes in

response to end-user interactionExpresses many common behaviors

before after

Sequencing behavior between widgets?

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SILK Storyboards

Copy sketches to storyboard windowDraw arrows from objects to screens

Switch to run mode to testSILK changes screens on mouse clicks

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DENIM: Designing Web Sites by Sketching

Early-phase information & navigation designIntegrates multiple views– site map – storyboard – page

sketch

Supports informal interaction– sketching, pen-based interaction