Model Answers INF3720 2020 S2 ASS1 Students PDF

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INF3720/102/02/Tutorial Letter 102/02/Human-Computer InteractionINFSemester 2, Assignment 1School of Computing: Information SystemsIMPORTANT INFORMATIONPlease register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail address andmake sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa modulewebsite for INFNote: ...

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Model answers

INF3720/102/02/2020

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Tutorial Letter 102/02/2020 Human-Computer Interaction

INF3720 Semester 2, Assignment 1 School of Computing: Information Systems

IMPORTANT INFORMATION Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail address and make sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa module website for INF3720

Note: This is an online module and therefore it is only available on myUnisa. However, in order to support you in your learning process, you may also receive some study material in printed format.

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INF3720/102/02/2020 Assignment 01 (Covering 5th edition, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 / 4th edition, Chapters 1, 9, 2, 4, 5) Total score = 100 marks (100%) Due date for Semester 1: 3 August 2020 (extended) Unique number: 766839 Answer the following questions. Do all the questions and submit before the due date. Follow the instructions in Tutorial letter 101 when submitting the assignment. All assignments should be typed. No hand-written assignments will be marked. Notes 

Your answers per question should be brief and to the point.

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You are not allowed to copy and paste answers from the textbook, slides or any other sources. Answers that are plagiarised from these and other sources will be awarded a zero mark. If you have to use a direct quotation such as for a specific definition, use quotation marks and reference the citation properly.



Assignments must be typed and uploaded in PDF format to myUnisa before the cut-off date. No other format or submission channel will be accepted. Do not save your file in PDF-A format or add any other protective measures since these formats cannot be marked electronically using Unisa’s marking tools. Incorrectly saved submissions will, therefore, be awarded a zero mark.

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Submit your assignment through myUnisa. Students who submit their assignments beyond the due date will incur a 10% per day deduction for late submissions.

Eat4Health: study case for this assignment Assume that you are a specialist in human-computer interaction (HCI). You are employed by the developers of an app that keeps track of users’ eating habits and nutrition, how many calories they take in on a daily basis and how many they burn, as well as the balance between carbohydrates, protein and fat. You may use any diet app of your choice, e.g. cronometer (https://cronometer.com/), MyFitnessPal (the diet aspects, https://www.myfitnesspal.com/), Keto Manager (https://ketomanager.com/), etc. Please mention which app you have used for this assignment. For the sake of the questions below, the app will be called Eat4Health. When you give an example, criticism or recommendation regarding the app in your answers, you have to be specific to prove that you have done an in-depth review of the app’s functionalities and HCI/interaction design aspects.

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INF3720/102/02/2020 Question 1

Total: 20 marks

1.1 Discuss the definitions, similarities and differences between the concepts of interaction design and human-computer interaction, and give an example of each of these concepts in relation to Eat4Health. Use the table structure below for your answer.

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Note: – unless indicated else, all direct quotes are from: Preece, J., Rogers, Y. and Sharp, H. 2019. Interaction design: Beyond human-computer interaction, 5 edition. Indianapolis, IN: West Sussex. John Wiley & Sons. I have used the following real-life app for this assignment: MyFitnessPal (via Garmin Connect) [1] The app can be found at: Goo gle Play Store [1] Interaction desi gn (ID) Definition [2] “Designing interactive products to support the way people communicate and interact in their everyday and working lives” / “[I]t is about creating user experiences that enhance and augment the way people work, communicate and interact” (Preece et al., 2019:9). Similarity [2]

“Interaction Design (IxD) is the design of interactive products and services in which a designer's focus goes beyond the item in development to include the way users will interact with it. Thus, close scrutiny of users' needs, limitations and contexts, etc. empowers designers to customize output to suit precise demands" (https://www.interactiondesign.org/literature/topics/interactiondesign).

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Human-computer interaction (HCI) Human-computer interaction (HCI) studies “the design and usability of computing systems” (Preece et al., 2019:10).

“Human-computer interaction (HCI) is a multidisciplinary field of study focusing on the design of computer technology and, in particular, the interaction between humans (the users) and computers. While initially concerned with computers, HCI has since expanded to cover almost all forms of information technology design” (https://www.interactiondesign.org/literature/topics/humancomputer-interaction).

So, both ID and HCI study the interaction between software programs and its users/the interface of software applications for human users. Difference [2]

Eat4Health example [2]

Interaction design is an overarching term/concept that describes the wider field of interface design and user experience (UX) (Preece et al., 2019:9). / “[I]nteraction design has a broader scope and includes Human computer interaction as well. which one is more practical” (https://stackoverflow.com/questions/18830 802/human-computer-interaction-vsinteraction-design). When one starts using MyFitnessPal via Garmin, you first have to install the app as well from GooglePlay – this is a slightly irritating interface/user experience on a psychological level. One would have liked to see the linking running seamlessly/automatically in the background.

HCI’s scope is (traditionally) narrower and does not include the wider aspects of theory, research and practice of user experience. It focuses only on the interdisciplinary overlapping areas, and it especially leans towards the technical aspects.

The MyFitnessPal icon of a jumping person is a bit different from the running person used by Garmin Connect for one’s health stats. This hampers the intuitive use of the two apps – they do not form an integrated unit in terms of visual perception.

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INF3720/102/02/2020 1.2 Discuss the definitions, (main) goal, similarities and differences between the concepts of user experience and usability, and give an example of each of these concepts in relation to Eat4Health. Use the table structure below for your answer.

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User experience

Usability

Definition [2]

“how a product behaves and is used by people in the real world ... how people feel about a product and their pleasure and satisfaction when using it” (Preece et al., 2019:13).

Usability is the degree to which a software application fulfils its purpose correctly. Usability can empirically be tested or measured in a laboratory.

Main goal [2]

“A diversity of user experience goals has been articulated in interaction design, which covers a range of emotions and felt experiences. These include desirable and undesirable ones” (Preece et al., 2019:22). “The concepts can be further defined in terms of elements that contribute to making a user experience pleasurable, fun, exciting, and so on” (Preece et al., 2019:23).

“Usability refers to ensuring that interactive products are easy to learn, effective to use, and enjoyable from the user’s perspective. It involves optimizing the interactions people have with interactive products to enable them to carry out their activities at work, at school, and in their everyday lives. More specifically, usability is broken down into the following six goals: ... effectiveness ... efficiency ... safety ... utility ... learnability, memorability” (Preece et al., 2019:19).

Similarity [2]

Includes pragmatic (and hedonic) aspects. “It is important to note, however, that the distinction between the two types of goals is not clear-cut since usability is often fundamental to the quality of the user experience and, conversely, aspects of the user experience, such as how it feels and looks, are inextricably linked with how usable the product is” (Preece et al., 2019:19).

Focuses on pragmatic aspects.

Difference [2]

“... whereas user experience goals are concerned with explicating the nature of the user experience, for instance, to be aesthetically pleasing.” (Preece et al., 2019:19).

“Traditionally, usability goals are concerned with meeting specific usability criteria, such as efficiency ...” (Preece et al., 2019:19). More objective.

Eat4Health example [2]

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More subjective. Having two separate apps without proper integration affects the user’s subjective feeling about the Garmin Connect app. It makes it less pleasurable to use and even a bit frustrating and annoying.

Linking the Garmin Connect app with MyFitnessPal provides extra functionality (e.g. tracking calory intake) to Garmin Connect ensuring better utility and effectiveness of the Garmin app, but it is not optimally efficient, learnable or memorable.

INF3720/102/02/2020 Question 2

Total: 20 marks

2.1 Assume that the Eat4Health developers decided to improve the design of the app. You have been asked to plan the lifecycle of the interactive design for the new version. List and define the four basic (but essential) activities in the process of interaction design (ID). Also state how you plan to implement each activity during the interaction (re-)design of the app. Use the table structure below for your answer.

Name of ID

Definition of ID activity [4]

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How do you plan to implement this activity during the interaction design of the new version of the

activity [4]

app? [4] 1. Discovering

Understanding a new need,

A questionnaire sent to Garmin users to find out if and

requirements for

the target users and the

how they would like to see MyFitnessPal to be

the interactive

software support to be

integrated with Garmin Connect, what functionalities

product

provided

they would like to be included, etc.

2. Designing

Proposing various software

Compile a set of proposed screens to be used on the

alternatives to

ideas to fill the identified gap

Garmin Connect app that use the same type of icons.

address the

– conceptual (abstract) and

Compile detailed specifications that clarify the new

requirements

concrete (detailed) design.

functionalities.

3. Prototyping the

Non-functional software

Interface designs that can be demonstrated in a

alternative designs

examples, or paper-based

workshop to show the development team how users

models combined with role-

will be able to navigate between the various

play.

functionalities of the app.

4. Evaluating the

Establishing the usability and

Testing the design using Garmin Connect users to

product and the UX

suitability of a new design to

ensure that the look and feel of the two apps will be

if offers

improve the design or

the same.

product before

Use a working prototype to determine if the

implementation.

functionality is correct and how users experience the design on an emotional level.

2.2 How will you identify the users of the Eat4Health app and why is this important for the interaction design of the new version of the app? [2] I will get access to a year’s data from Garmin Connect users who also installed and linked MyFitnessPal, use data mining to identify usage patterns and then randomly select an equal number of users in each of these groups, to whom questionnaires will be sent. This is important to design the new version to cater to all large, diverse groups of users’ needs and to identify all stakeholders.

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INF3720/102/02/2020 2.3 How will you determine what the Eat4Health users’ needs are and why is this important for the interaction design of the new version of the app? [2] I will send out questionnaires with some open-ended questions to ask users what their needs are. I will also propose some “un-dreamed-of” options to find out how they would feel about new technologies that they did not know are possible. My questionnaire will not only focus on usability but also user experience goals.

2.4 How will you generate alternative designs for the new version of the Eat4Health app and why is this important for the interaction design of the new version of the app? [2] “[C]ross-fertilization of ideas from different perspectives, individuals, and contexts; the evolution of an existing product through use and observation; or straightforward copying of other, similar products” (p. 58). I will compare the new proposed version of the app with other dietary apps and try to improve on their accuracy and functionality. Or: Workshop ideas with a variety of experts in other industries. It is important to outperform the competition to attract and win users over. The new design should be more efficient and attractive to use.

2.5 How will you choose between alternative designs for the new version of the Eat4Health app and why is this important for the interaction design of the new version of the app? [2] Information gathered from Garmin Connect app users and usage data will inform my design decisions, e.g. touch screen ability for smartphones, automatic saving of data; externally visible and internal system characteristics; prototyping to test technical feasibility; determine measurable usability criteria. It is important to make proper design decisions before the software engineers start coding in order to ensure the efficiency of the building phase.

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INF3720/102/02/2020

Question 3 3.1

Total: 20 marks

Discuss the purpose and core components of conceptual models, and apply these components to the Eat4Health study case by suggesting new or improved functionalities or layout design aspects. Use the following table structure:

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Purpose of conceptual models: [1] One of: A conceptual model is “intended to articulate the problem and design space”; “A model is a simplified description of a system or process that helps describe how it works”; “a high-level description of how a system is organized and operates”; to enable “designers to straighten out their thinking before they start laying out their widgets”; to provide “a working strategy and a framework of general concepts and their interrelations” (p. 74) (including secondary quotes from Johnson & Henderson, 2002). Core components [4] 1. Metaphors and analogies

Discussion of component [4]

Application of component [4]

In MyFitnessPal, I would add the analogy/metaphor of eating the best foods to maximise bodybuilding without using steroids and other medicines or chemical substances.

3. Relationships between concepts

Convey to people how to understand what a product is used for and how to use it for an activity (e.g. browse & bookmark – page/scan through a book and insert an index card on a page that you want to revisit later; put/file a paper document in a metal cabinet, retrieve such a file and make an alphabetised index to assist users to locate files efficientl y). Digital objects that users can “create and manipulate, their attributes and the operations that can be performed on them” (p. 74) (e.g. – a digital version of a book (file), the number of pages in the book, paging through the book and inserting a stick-it note on a page that you want to refer back to; saving a digital file, revisiting a web page; organising the order of search results). A digital file is a concept; it has attributes such as its size and file type; the user can create it using an application, save it, edit it, search for it, etc. = operations/manipulations. How the concepts are connected and integrated (e.g. whether one object contains another: the Home ribbon in MS Word contains i.a. the Design and Layout menus).

4. “The mappings between the concepts and the user experience the product is designed to invoke or support” (p. 75)

The link between task-domain objects (e.g. bookmarks – a list of favoured web sites that facilitates improved usability and elegant user experience, i.e. the user is enabled to revisit favourite sites easily without searching the web; the function that code fulfils to facilitate a wished-for UX that is created – the concept is looking up a favourite web page, the UX is an effective and efficient way to do it, and the mapping is the analysis, design and coding that makes it possible).

2. Concepts to which people are exposed through the product

In MyFitnessPal, the concept will be “Your goal” (building 5kg of muscle), the attributes will include various food types and the amounts that one has to take in daily, and the operations will be the data that you put in to record your progress and a progress bar that shows how you are doing in terms of meeting your goal.

In MyFitnessPal, Goal should be a super-category for items such as body-building targets, losing weight, gaining weight, going keto, manage pre-diabetes, etc. In MyFitnessPal, the concept that I want to add is a new goal called “Maximise muscle gain” that can be activated by a sub-menu or button; the UX will be a pleasurable and easy way to plan the best diet for my goal; the mapping will be the link between the concept and the UX. i.e. the algorithm that has to be compiled to suggest the best foods and amounts to be taken daily, while tracking the user’s progress towards her goal.

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INF3720/102/02/2020 3.2

Search examples of HCI conceptual models on the internet and decide on one as the most suitable option to compile a conceptual model for the new version of the Eat4Health app. State clearly which example you are following, and give the related URL; motivate your choice; and compile a conceptual model of the most basic functionalities of the revised app. Your model should be consistent with the application in Question 3.1. (7) I used a hierarchical concept design found on ResearchGate because it is the most suitable to show the digital route that the user will follow to start and maintain her progress to eat the best foods to maximise her goal to gain 5 kg body muscle. Example (https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Concept-Map-Showing-the-Design-Categories-andQuestion-Classifications-Question-Based-on_fig1_289109808):

Conceptual model of the basic food intake functionalities of a new bodybuilding feature on MyFitnessPal: Bodybuilding

Weight loss

Foods

Carbohydrates

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Weight gain

Muscle gain

Protein

Exercise

Fat

One or more options

INF3720/102/02/2020 Question 4 4.1

Total: 20 marks

Define face-to-face conversations, co-presence interventions and remote conversations (telepresence). State the benefits and disadvantages of each type of intervention. State how each of these conversation types could be used during the redesign of the Eat4Health app while keeping in mind that the team will have to meet during the Covid-19 pandemic. Use the following tabl...