Interfaces Humano-Computador - Aula 04 - Estudos de usuário

Introduction to User Studies

In this section, we will explore the importance of user studies in the field of human-computer interaction. We will discuss the three main stages of user-centered design and focus on understanding the users.

Understanding User Studies

• User studies are conducted to understand how users interact with a product or technology.

• The goal is to bring the user's perspective into the design process and empathize with their needs.

• User studies help identify differences among users, their behaviors, and preferences.

• They also provide insights into how users accept or reject certain technologies or solutions.

Importance of User Studies

• User studies allow us to improve existing designs by identifying user requirements and functionalities.

• They help prioritize features based on user preferences and needs.

• User studies assist in selecting appropriate technologies and resolving conflicts within a diverse user population.

Key Elements of User Studies

• Identifying study objectives is crucial before conducting any user study.

• What do we want to observe?

• What are our goals?

• Defining the target users is essential for effective research.

• Who are the users we want to study?

Example Scenario: Hospital Intervention

Imagine wanting to improve patient reception at a hospital. Conducting a user study would involve understanding the process and identifying key stakeholders involved in patient support.

By conducting thorough user studies, we can gain valuable insights that inform our design decisions and create better experiences for our target audience.

Empathy in Design Teams

This section emphasizes empathy as a crucial element in design teams. It highlights the importance of understanding users' perspectives and challenges assumptions made by designers.

The Role of Empathy in Design Teams

• Design teams often lack direct knowledge about users' needs and contexts.

• Empathy allows designers to see the world through users' eyes and understand their challenges.

• Designing without empathy can lead to ineffective solutions and missed opportunities.

User Studies throughout the Design Process

• User studies should be conducted at various stages of the design process, not just in the initial phase.

• They provide continuous feedback on user behavior and help evaluate the impact of design interventions.

The Pitfall of Designing from a Personal Perspective

• Relying solely on personal perspectives and assumptions hinders effective problem-solving.

• Design teams must step out of their own context and empathize with users to create meaningful solutions.

Objectives and Users in User Studies

This section focuses on defining objectives and identifying target users for user studies. It highlights the importance of clear goals before conducting any research.

Defining Study Objectives

• Clearly defining study objectives is crucial before conducting a user study.

• Objectives guide researchers in observing specific aspects, such as user requirements or usability attributes.

Identifying Target Users

• Delimiting who will be included in the study is essential for effective research.

• Understanding users' roles within a system helps identify their needs, behaviors, and preferences.

By setting clear objectives and identifying target users, researchers can conduct focused user studies that yield valuable insights for designing better experiences.

New Section

The speaker discusses the concept of roles and how different individuals play different roles in a community. They also introduce the idea of primary and secondary users, as well as the importance of understanding user profiles.

Roles and Abstractions

• Different people have different roles within a community, such as patients, receptionists, nurses, etc. These roles are abstractions that represent their responsibilities and interactions within a system.

• The role of a patient or receptionist may not directly interact with the system but still plays an important part in the overall application.

Primary and Secondary Users

• Primary users are those who directly interact with the solution being developed, such as patients using a wristwatch to enter a hospital or receptionists using an application for check-ins.

• Secondary users do not directly use the system but receive information from it or indirectly interact through another user. For example, patients who do not use the system directly would be considered secondary users but still hold importance in understanding their needs.

User Profiles

• User profiles refer to the characteristics that define a population of users occupying a specific role. These profiles are formed by variables like age, education level, experience, attitudes, behavior, and physical capabilities. Understanding these profiles helps in designing appropriate interfaces and meeting user needs.

• User profiles can include socio-economic factors, educational background, task experience (time spent on tasks), tool proficiency (ability to use certain technologies), attitudes, behaviors, and physical attributes like strength or vision.

New Section

The speaker explains how user profiles can influence interface design decisions based on different user populations.

Impact of User Profiles on Interface Design

• User profiles can have an impact on interface design decisions. For example, the age of users may affect their mobility and should be considered when designing interfaces.

• Understanding the distribution of user profiles in a population helps in tailoring the interface design to meet the needs of different user groups.

Example: Profile of Public Transportation Users

• The speaker presents an example of a study conducted by SPTrans that shows the profile of public transportation users. This includes gender distribution and percentage of elderly users.

New Section

The speaker discusses the distinction between roles and profiles, emphasizing their importance in understanding user needs.

Roles vs Profiles

• Roles refer to the different responsibilities and interactions within a system, while profiles represent the characteristics that define a population of users occupying a specific role. It is important to distinguish between these concepts when studying user populations.

Types of User Profiles

• User profiles can be categorized based on usage patterns, such as frequent users, occasional users, novice users, and experienced users. Each category has different expectations and demands from the system or interface design.

New Section

The speaker emphasizes the importance of considering all stakeholders involved in the process when conducting user research.

Involving All Stakeholders

• User research should involve all stakeholders, including primary and secondary users, buyers, managers, marketing teams, and task experts. Each stakeholder has valuable insights into user requirements and needs.

Questions for User Research

• When conducting user research, it is important to ask questions related to user goals, motivations, happiness factors, characteristics (including capabilities), current work situations (what frustrates them), error situations (how they handle errors), and problem-solving approaches.

Contextual Understanding

• Understanding the context and scenario in which users operate helps in comprehending their needs. This includes studying the entire user population, collecting data, and characterizing the user's environment.

Data Collection Methods

• The speaker does not mention specific data collection methods in this section of the transcript.

The Importance of Ethics in Human-Computer Interaction Research

This section discusses the significance of ethics in research involving human participants and highlights the ethical principles that govern the use of personal information.

Ethical Principles for Research with Human Participants

• The National Health Council Resolution 510, issued on April 7, 2016, regulates ethical principles for research in human and social sciences.

• While the risks involved in human and social science research are lower compared to health-related studies, it is still essential to consider ethics.

• Researchers must respect individuals' privacy and obtain their consent before using their personal information or images.

• Adhering to ethical principles is crucial to avoid moral judgment and protect participants' mental well-being.

• Whether a project needs to be submitted to an ethics committee depends on the guidelines outlined in Resolution 510.

Key Highlights from Resolution 510

• Consent and assent: Participants must provide informed consent freely and understand the purpose of the research. They should have the right to withdraw at any time.

• Risk assessment: Researchers should evaluate potential risks and take measures to minimize harm. If harm occurs, compensation may be required.

• Privacy and confidentiality: Participants' rights to privacy and data confidentiality must be ensured.

• Protection of vulnerable individuals: Special care should be taken when involving children or those lacking decision-making capacity. They may require support from others.

• Submission to ethics committees: Depending on the circumstances, researchers may need to submit their projects for review by the National Research Ethics Committee.

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Techniques in Human-Computer Interaction

This section explores different research techniques used in human-computer interaction studies, distinguishing between qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Choosing Research Techniques

• Researchers should select appropriate techniques based on their specific research goals.

• Two main axes of techniques: qualitative and quantitative.

• Qualitative techniques focus on exploring contextual details and understanding phenomena. They are useful when the researcher is still gaining insights into the subject matter.

• Observation vs. reports: Techniques can be based on either observing what people do or relying on what they say.

• Combining techniques: A combination of qualitative and quantitative, observation, and report-based techniques provides a comprehensive understanding of the research domain.

Examples of Research Techniques

• Field studies: Observing how people behave in real-world settings to gain detailed insights into their actions.

• Interviews: Qualitative technique involving direct communication with participants to understand their feelings, motivations, and experiences.

The transcript provided does not cover additional examples of research techniques mentioned in the video.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses techniques of analytics and how they can be used to observe and analyze user behavior in software.

Techniques of Analytics

• The speaker mentions that techniques of analytics are embedded in software to record user actions and gather data on their behavior.

• These techniques allow for a large volume of data to be collected, providing insights into real-time user behavior.

• After conducting user studies, it is important to share the results with the team responsible for developing the product. This involves specifying requirements for the system based on the study findings.

• Requirements are detailed statements about what the system should do and how it should operate. They need to be documented accurately.

• To effectively communicate user empathy within a design team, techniques such as empathy maps and personas can be used.

New Section

This section focuses on conducting user research and studying users in the field.

Conducting User Research

• The speaker suggests starting by identifying stakeholders who have knowledge about users and their interactions.

• Obtain knowledge from these stakeholders about different roles or personas related to your target users.

• Validate if these characteristics are typical within the community of people who perform those roles.

• Choose an appropriate research instrument based on the problem you want to solve, formulate hypotheses about your users, and select a technique accordingly (e.g., questionnaire, interview, observation).

• Collect data by going into the field using your chosen research instrument. Validate or invalidate your hypotheses about users.

• Document the results and conclusions of your user study to share with the design team. This process forms the basis for creating human-centered solutions.

The transcript is in Portuguese, so the headings and notes are also in Portuguese.