What is usability testing? How do you conduct it?
Usability testing is a technique used in user-centered interaction design to evaluate a product by testing it on users. It is a way to see how easy a product is to use by testing it with real users.
How to conduct it:
- Plan the study: Define the goals of the test and the user group to be tested.
- Recruit participants: Find users who represent the target audience.
- Conduct the test: Observe users as they perform tasks with the product.
- Analyze the results: Identify usability problems and make recommendations for improvement.
Explain the concept of affordance in UI design.
Affordance refers to the perceived properties of an object that suggest how it can be used. In UI design, affordances are clues that tell the user what they can do with an interface element. For example, a button with a shadow effect affords being clicked.
How do you design interfaces for accessibility?
Designing for accessibility means making sure that your interface can be used by people with disabilities. Some key principles include:
- Provide text alternatives for non-text content: This allows screen readers to describe images and other non-text elements to visually impaired users.
- Ensure keyboard accessibility: All functionality should be accessible using a keyboard.
- Use sufficient color contrast: This helps users with low vision to distinguish between text and background.
- Provide clear and consistent navigation: This helps all users to find their way around the interface.
Compare heuristic evaluation and cognitive walkthrough.
Heuristic Evaluation: A usability inspection method where a small set of evaluators examine the interface and judge its compliance with recognized usability principles (the "heuristics").
Cognitive Walkthrough: A usability inspection method that focuses on evaluating a design for ease of learning, particularly by exploration. The evaluators go through a series of tasks and ask a set of questions from the perspective of a new user.
What are Fitts’s Law and Hick’s Law in HCI?
Fitts's Law: A model of human movement which predicts that the time required to rapidly move to a target area is a function of the ratio between the distance to the target and the width of the target. In UI design, this means that larger targets that are closer to the user are easier to click.
Hick's Law: Describes the time it takes for a person to make a decision as a result of the possible choices he or she has. In UI design, this means that the more choices you give a user, the longer it will take them to make a decision.
How do you measure user satisfaction in HCI studies?
User satisfaction can be measured using a variety of methods, including:
- Questionnaires: Using standardized questionnaires like the System Usability Scale (SUS) or the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ).
- Interviews: Asking users about their experience with the product.
- Observing user behavior: Observing users as they interact with the product to identify signs of frustration or delight.
Explain the role of prototyping in HCI research.
Prototyping is the process of creating a preliminary version of a product. In HCI research, prototypes are used to:
- Explore design ideas: Quickly create and test different design ideas.
- Get feedback from users: Get feedback from users early in the design process.
- Test usability: Test the usability of the product before it is built.