Reading Notes: Interaction and Evaluation

Evaluation involves considering the user when designing the interface.   Without this consideration, the user may dismiss a powerful and useful system as too complex, irrelevant, or inconvenient.  One such example of this is in medical informatics where systems are often ignored by practitioners who find them unmatched with their needs.

There is not a lot of interest in funding this field of study, although its principles and aims are structured and  well-defined and it has applications in many types of systems: digital libraries, games, websites, internet applications, critical systems, and other programs in industrial, commercial systems, and personal systems.

In terms of Digital Libraries...

Usability goals include:
-the ability of users to access, control, and maintain the system
-with minimal personnel and training
-with reliable and functional interaction between hardware and software
-meeting standards for interoperability
-work is completed on time and according to budget


User Consideration:
-physical comfort, accessibility
-possible barriers to access  (time, budget, environment, etc.)
-age
-ability
-expectations
-context of use
-personality type
-cultural and linguistic factors, etc.

Criteria for evaluating usability should include (Saracevic):
content
process
format
overall system (maintenence, scalability, interoperability, sharability, costs)


Studies have also considered usage patterns, use of materials, usage statistics, types of users, time factors, and intent (Saracevic)

According to Saracevic, ongoing study should also include how digital libraries ultimately affect the environment in which they are used.

Rob Kling and Margaret Elliott "Digital Library Design for Usability" http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/DL94/paper/kling.html

Tefko Saracevic, “Evaluation of digital libraries: An overview” http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~tefko/DL_evaluation_Delos.pdf.

Ben Sheiderman, Catherine Plaisant, "Designing the user interfaces" 4ed. chapter 1. A good introduction about usability and its application in human computer interaction hci4ed-ch1.pdf   

READING QUESTIONS:
-  Can you show us some digital libraries that are unusual in content, context, or user group?
- Can you show us some digital libraries with advanced features, not normally utilized by the general population?
-Are there examples of DLs pertinent to medical informatics?  Can you show us examples?
-What sort of features are available but aren't used due to incompatibility with users and/or the environment of their use?
-What types of jobs are available for people who study HCI?