Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
14.2.6 Summary
Users can be viewed as having some aspects that are more uniform and some that
are more unique. There are some communalities across levels that we can point
out:
1. The ABCS note some of these aspects where users have shared communalities
in how they think, interact with the world, and interact with each other; in some
ways users are alike. So, when designing systems, you should not despair that
all users are different.
2. There are also differences between users. There are simple differences in simple
capabilities, such as different input and output speeds and capabilities. In more
complex capabilities, like how to do a task and mental models of systems, users
can vary widely based on previous experience and practice. In cases of goals
and cultural beliefs they can vary the most. So, when designing, you need to
keep in mind that, for some aspects of design, users can differ.
3. Users have limited capabilities. Across the chapters, limitations on how fast
users can move, how fast and how they can think, and their abilities to produce
perfect, error-free performance were noted. Most importantly, user limitations
can be avoided by better design that does not make incorrect assumptions about
users. Many of the bad web site design contests and bad and dangerous
interface galleries are filled with designs that assumed something incorrect
about the users' abilities or interests. So, when designing, you need to design
for what people can do.
4. Users do not always know themselves. You can ask them, but they will
sometimes not provide very accurate descriptions. Designers are also a type of
user, and they suffer the same limitations about knowing users and themselves.
So, when designing, do ask them but also think more broadly about users and
their context. In addition, try to study the user as a domain. Have a theory of
how they perform tasks, test this theory with data, and expand the theory as you
learn and read more.
5. Systems can be helped in a variety of ways because of users. Users can learn,
can then find new strategies, and can help each other. So, when you design,
keep these less obvious changes in mind.
14.3 Models of Users
For the purpose of engineering design, it would be useful to model the human part
of the overall system in a more formalized way, in the same way that engineering
design specifications can be used to present a relatively clear and precise model for
implementation. The model of the user would serve as a shared representation that
could be used to support system design. From the human factors engineer's point
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