Definitions

User Experience (UX)

Every aspect of the user’s interaction with a product, service, or company that make up the user’s perceptions of the whole. User experience design as a discipline is concerned with all the elements that together make up that interface, including layout, visual design, text, brand, sound, and interaction. UX works to coordinate these elements to allow for the best possible interaction by users.
(as per the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA))

HCI - Human Computer Interaction

Why is UX Importnat

  • Users are NOT silent
  • The system should conform to the user, not vice-versa
  • More holistic approach

Modern UX

  • More than just tangible properties
  • Measurable and Intangible

Perception

  • The way our senses work deeply influences the user experience
    • Vision
    • Touch

Cognition

  • Attention
  • Memory
    • Repetition/Familiarity
    • Association
    • Consistency
  • Exploration

Communication

  • Explicit/Overt
  • Implicit/Covert

Evaluating Software

Correctly designed evaluation is important as otherwise it can lead to incorrect analysis.
Incorrect analysis can lead to incorrect conclusions, which means the succes of interventions is in doubt.

Inductive reasoning

  • Evaluates and then applies to the general population
  • Abstractions of observations of individual instances of members of the same population
  1. Create a hypothesis which, in the best case, cannot be otherwise interpreted and is refutable, such as:
    • “all swans are white”
  2. While we may be able to amass many observations, we must also realise that a statement must be refutable
    • If the hypothesis remains intact it must be correct
  3. One instance of an observation of a non-white swan will disprove the hypothesis

Deductive Reasoning

  • Evaluate a set of premises which then necessitate a conclusion
    • Herbivores only eat plant matter
    • All vegetables contain only plant matter
    • All cows are herbivores

Scientific

To be scientific, a method of inquiriy must be based on the gathering of observable, empirical and measurable evidence, and be subject to specific principles of reasoning.

Evaluation, Design and Analysis

  • Experimental Design
  • Data Collection and Tools
  • Data Analysis
  • Statistical Analysis

Probabilistic Sampling

  • Simple random Sampling
  • Systematic Sampling
  • Stratified Sampling
  • Multistage Sampling

Non-Probabilistic Sampling

  • Quote Sampling
  • Snowball Sampling
  • Convenience Sampling
  • Judgemental Sampling

Ethical Procedures

The ethical process is important as it encourages the UX specialist to focus on the methodology and the analysis techniques to be used within that methodology

Data Collection and Analysis

  • Participant Observation
  • Task Analysis
  • Focus Groups
  • Interviews
  • Social
  • Archive

Dissemination

  • User Stories
  • Use Cases
  • Persona
  • Scenario
  • Wireframe
  • Mockup/Wizard of Oz
  • Storyboard
  • Flow Chart
  • State Transition/State Machine
  • UML