F2 – Flow in Games
This article takes a focus on the importance of flow in the experience and satisfaction a video game provides. However, its inferences generally characterize flow as a factor of successful product design. According to psychological terms, flow can be described as a state where the user enjoys a high level of enjoyment during a task in conjunction with commitment and high focus on it. During activities in flow, users ‘lose’ the sense of time. Video games developers take flow seriously, since joyful and fun user experience is the most crucial determinant for the success of a video game. There are many kind of gamers, according to their abilities. Hardcore ones seek for high challenge and can easily become bored if a game is too easy. On the other hand, novice players can feel anxious and quit playing a very tough game. Consequentially, in a 2-varialble axis (challenge, experience) there is a unique zone for every gamer where anxiety and boredom are minimized, and flow is achieved. When developing a video game, we need to ensure that every gamer should be able to wrap in his personal zone. This can be achieved by offering to players many challenge adapting options. But just giving them, option is not enough or even a problematic way. A user doesn’t always know what he needs and a list of many difficulty levels for example may confuse him. Therefore, difficulty adjustment based on abilities, should more come as a natural procedure according to factors like player’s performance so far, also embedded to the core activities of a video game. The less a player is asked the better his experience. Finally, even though the article mainly refers to video games, it provides valuable inferences for design processes and human computer interaction.
F8 – The Complementary Role of Two Evaluation Methods in the Usability and Accessibility Evaluation of a Non-Standard System
The authors of this paper examined how effective are different methods for evaluating usability and accessibility on software. First it is clearly stated the necessity for systems to incorporate high degree of accessibility, which allow a broad range of people with various backgrounds and special abilities or needs to be able to use systems efficiently and easily without needing to redesign the system. Therefore, accessibility should be included and planned from the early stages of usability design process. Accessibility also includes the opportunity to provide internet and computer access to underdeveloped areas around the globe. Digital Doorway(DD) is a project that provides internet access to impoverished or remote communities in South Africa. For the needs of this paper the researchers evaluated the usability of DD. There are multiple evaluation methods, some simple and cost free to perform and others less trivial and demanding in resources. However, there are two major groups; Expert based methods (i.e. Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive Walkthrough) and user based evaluations like interviews, questionnaires, usability testing, etc. Unfortunately, it is impossible to avoid biases and limitations, since no method is perfect. It’s remarkable that specific common types of problems that experts observed during the evaluation didn’t affect users’ experience in general and vice versa. Users reported issues that affected negatively their experience and interference with the system. Those issues where never imagined by experts and their problem-finding patterns. Therefore, as a result, when both types of evaluation are combined more issues and problems arrive in the surface or instead some of them are disregarded. Hence the assessment process automatically becomes more qualitative and descriptive, contributing more to the actual improvement of the system.
Why it is important to cover the respective theoretical aspects when working in a user-centered design project
Theory plays a crucial role in the success or failure of a user-centered design project. Theory is being created by the accumulation of knowledge coming from years of research, empirical observations, lessons learned from mistakes of the past or success stories that left their mark on society by introducing new trends. However, every theory goes together with history. It’s constantly being revised, disregarded or updated according to society’s needs. When designing a user-centered project theory help us learn and understand the user’s needs. There is no clearer example than the quality components of usability theory. It shows they way systems should be developed to be useful in the short and long-term. Therefore, developers and designers need to focus on factors like learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors and satisfaction. However, it is not wise to blindly follow rules and just adhere to theory by ignoring feedback we receive from our environment. Nonetheless theory is an invaluable guideline if we know how to use it with common sense.
The relation between the presented articles and your project work
I’m a member of Ace that interface team and we are working on to create AR glasses that will help bicycle riders navigate easier. Flow is also important for our project. We want the rider to have full focus and concentration on the road, combined with a pleasant riding experience. However, a challenge remains all the auxiliary signals used for navigation, not to distract his attention. Security remains way more important than convenience. Reading of the first article helped to understand better the notion of flow and how to achieve it effectively. Additionally, the second article introduced us many ways to evaluate usability and accessibility. The more methods someone utilizes to assess user’s experience the best the result will become. That’s why we combined multiple evaluation methods like questionnaires during seminar 3, online surveys in fakebook cycling groups and many cognitive walkthrough interviews. The impressions were very positive but there is always room for improvement. For example, we haven’t made any plans so far to incorporate accessibility in our designs.
How you can make use of the theory to inform the final design
The theory showed us the way by proving us many different evaluation methods. Based on the feedback we received we will improve the final design. When users tried in action our project, a call of increased customizability arise. Moreover, examples from the course’s slides from the creation of a persona and scenario to the construction of a prototype, evaluation and beyond worked as a compass to us. We tried to work in a similar way, by following the principles of the respective theory each time. Following a well-tried procedure from the beginning to the end usually provides more secure, tangible outcomes.
Ace That Interface 