January 2012 Archives

Research methods in psychology

By Diliara Nasirova on January 30, 2012 11:00 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Research Methods in Psychology

All sciences require evidence based on careful observation and experimentation. To collect data systematically and objectively, psychologists use a variaty of research methods:

  1. Naturalistic Observation:
    • Systematic study (of animals or human behaviour) in natural setting.
    • Advantages: behaviour observed is more natural, spontaneous and varied than that observed in a laboratory. Provides new ideas and suggests new theories.
    • Limitations: no control (to stop), observer bias (expectations or biases of the observer), results should not be generalized, takes lots of time, presence of observation may alter participants' behaviour.
    • Best practice: team of observers, study is videotaped.
  2. Case Studies:
    • Detailed description and analysis of one or a few people. Variety of methods used to collect information.
    • Advantages and best practice: good for special cases (ex: brain-damaged patients). Useful for forming hypothesis.
    • Limitations: observer bias, results should not be generalized, time-consuming.
  3. Surveys:
    • Questionnaires or interviews, such as polls prior to an election. Provides raw data to describe beliefs, opinions and attitudes.
    • Advantages: can generate a lot of information for a fairly low cost
    • Limitations and best practice: questions must be constructed carefully as to not elicit dishonest answeres, sampling group should be selected with care.
  4. Correlational research:
    • Research technique based on the naturally occurring relationship between two or more variables
    • Advantages: used to make predictions, such as the relation between SAT scores and school success
    • Limitations: cannot be used to determine cause and effect
  5. Experimental Research/Method:
    • Research technique in which an investigator deliberately manipulates selected events or circumstances and then measures the effects of those manipulations on subsequent behavior.
    • Components of an Experiment:
      1. Participants or subjects
      2. Independent variable (IV): Cause (hypothesis), variable that is manipulated by the experimenter
      3. Dependent variable (DV): Effect (result of experiment), variable that is measured by the experimenter
      4. Experimental group: Receives treatment
      5. Control group: Does not receive treatment, but is the same in every other way
    • Advantages: the only research method that can be used to determine cause and effect; can explain behaviour
    • Limitations: artificiality of the lab may influence participants' behaviour; unexpected/uncontrolled variables may confound results; many variables (love, hartred, grief) cannot to controlled and manipulated, ethical issues.
  • Multimethod Research: Studies often combine several methods
  • The Importance of Sampling in Research
    1. Sample: Small representative subset of a larger populationpopulation
    2. Random sample: Every subject had equal chance of being selected
    3. Representative sample: Characteristics of participants correspond to larger population

Ethics and Psychology

  • The first code of ethics was published in 1953
  • After Milgram's Obedience to Authority Experiment (1963) a new code of ethics on psychological experimeentation was approved.
  • The APA code of ethics requires that:
    1. Researchers obtain informed consent from participants
    2. Participants must be informed of nature of research. Deception about the goals of research used only when absolutely necessary.
    3. Risks and limits on confidentiality must be explained.
    4. Deception cannot be used about aspects of research that would affect participant's willingness to participate
    5. If participation is a course requirement in an academic setting, alternative activities must be offered
  • Researchers are required to follow goverment's set of regulations conserning the protection of human participants in all kind of research

References and more info

Heuristic analysis

By Diliara Nasirova on January 24, 2012 12:05 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Ground yourself at the beginning of a project by:

  1. Understanding the current state of a design
  2. Understanding key competitors
  3. Conducting Stakeholders* interviews
  4. Conducting Heuristic analysis

Heuristic analysis

  • Heuristics: "rules of thumb" (best practice) for design
  • Heuristic analysis:
    1. Is: a review of a product against a set of rules (heuristics) for usable design
    2. Used to: evaluate the usability on an existing design. Not a replacement for a true user research. Provides general understanding and helps to identify potential design issues.
    3. Applied to: existing, redesign, competitor
    4. Conducted by: experts
    5. Also called: heuristic evaluation, expert review
  • Heuristic analysis report includes:
    1. heuristics violated (problem area),
    2. descriptions,
    3. impact/importance ratings,
    4. recommendations (for improvement)
  • Heuristic analysis process:
    1. Background check on the product
    2. Choose heuristics, e.g. Nielsen's (see his book "Usability Engineering")
    3. Conduct analysis on prioritized sections of the design
    4. Share results with your team and primary stakeholders

Notes

  • *Stakeholder: anyone who has a significant interest in an enterprise. For example:
    1. Your bosses (Specialists in UXD, ID, HCI, psychology; Investors; Project Leaders)
    2. Development team (Programmers, engineers, etc.)
    3. End users (People who use the interface the most)

References

  1. Russ Unger and Carolyn Chandler "A Project Guide to UX Design: For user experience designers in the field or in the making" (2009), pp 70-73: Heuristic analysis
  2. Human-Computer Interaction & Cognition: reading list

Human-Computer Interaction & Cognition: reading list

By Diliara Nasirova on January 23, 2012 11:28 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Week 1: Introduction & Big Picture

  1. Unger & Chandler Ch1 (8 pages): The Tao of UXD [summary]
  2. Morris & Maisto Understanding Psychology (pp. xix-xxii, 4 pages): Learning methods and "how to be an A student" [summary]
  3. Bettson, "Concept to Code : Code literacy in UX" [html]

Week 2: ID/UXD Intro

  1. Saffer Ch2 (16 pages): The 4 approaches to ID [summary]
  2. Unger & Chandler (pp 70-73, 4 pages): Understanding the current state & heuristic analysis. [summary]
  3. Sharp, Preece, Rogers (2007) Interaction design. Ch. 1 (pp 15-33, 18 pages, section 1.4-1.6): "What is interaction design"
  4. Saffer Ch1 (29 pages): What is interaction design [incl. What, Why, and History of ID]

Week 3: ID Lifecycle Models & Hypothesis Testing

  1. Soudack, "Don't Test Users, Test Hypotheses" [html]
  2. Unger & Chandler Ch2 (pp. 9-11, 21-25, 7 pages): The Project Ecosystem [summary]
  3. Unger & Chandler Ch4 (10 pages): Project Objectives and Approach [incl. SWOT analysis, lifecycle models, waterfall & agile approach] [summary]
  4. Smith-Atakan Ch4 (11 pages): The user-centered design process
  5. Norman Ch7 (13 pages): User-centered design [incl. design guidelines, 7 principles for ID; "design for error"]

Week 4: Needs & Requirements ("Define")

  1. Morris & Maisto Ch1 (pp. 26-35, 10 pages): The science of psychology, incl. research methods in psychology & research ethics. [summary]
  2. Unger & Chandler Ch6 (pp. 85-94, 10/26p): User Research [incl. user groups & research approaches] [summary]
  3. Saffer Ch4 (30 pages): Design Research
  4. Saffer Ch5 (pp. 106-111, 5pages): Personas [summary]
  5. Gomoll 1992 (3 pages): Some Techniques for Observing Users [useful checklist before running userstudy]
  6. Unger & Chandler Ch5 (15 pages): Business Requirements
  7. Unger & Chandler Ch6 (pp. 95 - ?): User Research for details on different apporaches
  8. Unger & Chandler Ch7 (11 pages): Personas [summary]
  9. IAT201 informed consent form

Week 5: Research Methods; (Re)Design

  1. Saffer Ch6: Ideation and Design Principles (14 pages) [summary]
  2. Saffer Ch7: Refinement (42 pages) [summary:
    1. The Law and Principles of Interaction Design
    2. Frameworks
    3. Documentation and Methods of Refinement
    4. Controls and Inputs]
  3. Unger & Chandler Ch9: Transition from Defining to Designing (21 pages) [incl. ideation, visualization, story boarding, balance between business/user/development advocates, prioritization

Week 6: Develop: Prototyping & Implementation

  1. Unger & Chandler Ch9: Transition from Defining to Designing (21 pages) [incl. ideation, visualization, story boarding, balance between business/user/development advocates, prioritization]
  2. Unger & Chandler Ch10: Task Flows (pp. 166, 178-184, 8 pages)
  3. Unger & Chandler Ch12: Prototyping (pp. 204-208, 217-219, 8 pages)
  4. Saffer Ch8: Prototyping, Testing, and Development (24 pages) [skip the coverage of heuristic evaluation]
  5. Unger & Chandler Ch11: Wireframes and Annotations (20 pages)

Week 7: Sensation, Perception & Recognition

  1. Ware Ch1 (23 pages): Visual Queries
  2. Morris & Maisto (pp. 10-11): Science of Psychology
  3. Morris & Maisto Ch3 (44 pages): Sensation and perception

Week 8: Visual Thinking

  1. Ware Ch2 (20 pages): What We can Easily See
  2. Ware Ch3 (22 pages): Structuring 2-dim space
  3. Ware Ch4 (22 pages): Color

Week 9: Designing For Human Capabilities; Start Evaluation

  1. Ware Ch5, Ch6, Ch7 conclusion sections (3 pages)
  2. Ware Ch8 (18 pages): Creative meta-seeing
  3. Ware Ch9 (18 pages): The dance of meaning
  4. Ware Ch6 (22 pages): Visual objects, words, and meaning

Week 10 and 11: Evaluation

  1. Evans & Rooney (2008), Ch1: Introduction to research in Psychology (section "Approaches to Research" on pp. 15-17, 3 pages)
  2. Soudack, "Don't Test Users, Test Hypotheses" [html]
  3. Unger & Chandler Ch13: Design testing with users (skip "concept exploration" section; 20 pages)
  4. Unger & Chandler Ch14: Transition: From Design to Development and Beyond (10 pages)
  5. Morris & Maisto Ch6 (2 pages): page 199 "Attention" incl. fig. 6-1 + page 207 "Improving your memory"
  6. Evans & Rooney (2008), Ch1: Introduction to research in Psychology (26 pages) [incl. scientific thinking/method, research approaches]
  7. Morris & Maisto Ch6 (pp. 196-210): Memory
  8. Kosslyn & Rosenberg: Fundamentals of Psychology Appendix A on Statistics

Reference

Note: the list is gonna increase as semester progresses. Visit the original SFU IAT201 course website

The Marshmallow Challenge

By Diliara Nasirova on January 17, 2012 6:26 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Starting a course with a TED talk!



This is an awesome design and team-building activity. I have conducted it with 18 teams of students as an ice-breaker for Human-Computer Interaction & Cognition course I'm TAing. We had LOTS of fun and really interesting discussions afterwards. It is a good chance for students to practice:


  • Working in teams under constraints of scope and time
  • A chance to get creative and inventive. Team that have built the tallest structure (63.5cm) have stabilized it by splitting a thread into 3 threads! I haven't considered that possibility when we got that type of thread for this activity.

    • The Marshmallow Challenge kit The winning structure
  • Learn about assumptions in design projects. An assumption that marshmallow is light have ruined many structures! Those teams haven't touched their marshmallow until very end.
  • Rapid prototyping, design iteration. Most teams who had only one plan they've worked on have failed at the end.

How does it relate to UX and Interaction Design?

  1. The marshmallow is a metaphor for assumptions about your users. Know your users.
  2. One cannot plan the perfect interface from the first time. When the marshmallow comes along - it may crash.
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