The Humane Interface II

Introduction: Jakob Nielsen's "Usability" Studies

In light of the questions we raised at the end of class on Tuesday, after what the phrase "humane interface" can/should really signify for a group as willing and able to adapt as humans, we'll look at the two recent columns by Nielsen and evaluate his definition and application of the term "usability".

Jef Raskin's The Humane Interface I

"As far as the customer is concerned, the interface is the product." (5)

Here are a few questions we might discuss, along with Sarah's question, as we conclude discussion of the first three chapters:

• What do you consider an example of good design (whether in the realm of computers or not)?
• What is an example of an interface you consider "humane" (by Raskin's definition [6]) and one you do not consider humane in this sense (no need to limit yourself to computer interfaces here)
• What claims in chapter 1 do you think should be revised when learning is the primary goal of a computer program's use?
• What would be an example of a design decision in educational software motivated by Raskin's notion of "cognitive conscious"" by the "cognitive unconscious"?
• How do you reconcile Raskin's claims about the locus of attention with the motivations afforded by multimedia and multi-modal design?
• What is a program interface that you think handles "modes" pretty well?
• What claims in chapter 3 do you think should be revised when learning is the primary goal of a computer program's use?

Raskin's The Humane Interface II

We'll continue our discussion of Raskin's book with Vanessa's questions. As with our discussion of earlier chapters, we'll want to eventually ask how Raskin's ideas/principles should be modified or revised when we're designing for learning. For example, if we take Dewey's Experience and Education seriously, we might raise the following questions:

• Recalling Dewey's comment about "collateral learning" (EE 48), we might wonder how a computer-based "learning environment" could be designed to facilitate it.
• Recalling Dewey's distinctions between the "progressive" and "traditional" education, we might wonder how we could design educational software in ways that solicit "the participation of the learner in the formation of the purposes involved in his studying." (EE 67).
• Recalling Dewey's idea of "educative experience," how can a computer-based experience "lead out into an expanding world of subject matter, a subject-matter of facts or information and of ideas." (EE 87).

For Tuesday: We'll meet in 165 CIT for a Director Lab. Anyone without a CS course to their credit should definitely attend. Meanwhile, each team should be hard at work on their storyboard, and we'll begin storyboard presentations on Thursday the 17th (as scheduled in the syllabus).