HCI (CITS3201) Lab Class 3

Week 3 (18th March 2009)

Users

Objectives

In this practical you will put into practice ideas you met in lectures 4 and 5 and chapter 3 of your text book.  Specifically, the objective is to enable you to discuss the userÕs mental models and understanding of a  interactive product in terms of how to use it and how it works.  The exercises below are based on activities in your text book SRP http://www.id-book.com/index.php

 

Allocated Time

3-3:45pm Wednesday 18th March in CS Lab 2.01 (supervised)

OR anytime, anywhere

 

TodayÕs lab can be performed alone or in small groups. You will just need to be able to ask some other people a brief list of questions.

 

 

Task 1

First elicit your own mental model . Write down how you think a cash machine (ATM) works. Then answer the following questions (abbreviated from Payne 1991).

 

á      How much money are you allowed to take out?

á      If you took this out and then went to another machine and tried to withdraw the same amount, what would happen?

á      What is on your card?

á      How is the information used?

á      What happens if you enter the wrong PIN number?

á      Why are there pauses between the steps of a transaction?

á      How long are they?

á      What happens if you type ahead during the pauses?

á      What happens to the card in the machine?

á      Why does it stay inside the machine?

á      Do you count the money? Why?

 

Next, ask two other people the same set of questions.

 

Now, analyze your answers. Do you get the same or different explanations? What do the findings indicate? How accurate are peopleÕs mental models of the way ATMs work? How transparent are the ATM systems they are talking about?

 

Next, try to interpret your findings with respect to the design of the system. Are any interface features revealed as being particularly problematic? What design recommendations do these suggest?

 

Finally, how might you design a better conceptual model that would allow users to develop a better mental model of ATMs (assuming this is a desirable goal)?

 

(Based on the research of Steve Payne)

 

 

UWA CITS 3201  semester 1, 2009