[Extremedev-research] Fwd: User Interface Design Newsletter - July, 2007

[Geraldo N. <ger...@gm...>]

Senhores,
eu n=E3o sei se vcs curtem, mas essa lista sobre usabilidade/engenharia de =
fatores
humanos =E9 muito interesante, btw, percebam que todos os celulares da noki=
a
tem uma usabilidade melhor que a da motorola...

eu tenho um nokia e tb um motorola....

Abra=E7os,

Geraldo
ps: eu espero finalmente fazer o 1=BA artigo sobre aplica=E7=F5es ligadas
nesse sabado e de todo jeito segunda =E9 normal...
ps2: Modesto, vc me permite sugeriri uma mudan=E7a no projeto do 2=BA semes=
tre?
a ideia =E9 criar um sistema de monitora=E7=E3o, depois agente conversa mel=
hor
esse projeto tem uma vantagem(imho), =E9 um utilitario, n=E3o precisa de
especifica=E7=F5es
"comerciais"(ok, questao de gosto...)
--=20
site: http://extremedev.sf.net
msn: ger...@ho...
skype: geraldo-netto
icq: 145-061-456
mobile: +55 11 8949-4757

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Human Factors International <hf...@ma...>
Date: 24-Jul-2007 12:50
Subject: User Interface Design Newsletter - July, 2007
To: ger...@gm...



User Interface Design Update Newsletter - July, 2007

_________________________________________________

Each month HFI reviews the most useful developments in UI research
from major conferences and publications.

View in HTML - http://www.humanfactors.com/downloads/jul07.asp
(includes several images not in this text version of the newsletter)

__________________________________________________

In this issue:

HFI Chief Scientist Kath Straub, PhD, CUA, discusses things to
consider when using virtual simulations to affect behavior.

The Pragmatic Ergonomist, HFI's CEO Dr. Eric Schaffer, gives practical advi=
ce.

__________________________________________________

SERIOUS GAMES -
ON USING SIMULATION EXPERIENCES TO ENCOURAGE DESIRED BEHAVIOR

BUNNIES DON'T LIKE BEING DISTURBED ON HOLIDAY

Over the past 40+ years, much energy has gone into understanding
whether exposure to violent media (TV, movies, video games) makes
people more accepting of violence -- and possibly even more violent.
The concern exploded with violent TV. Could watching violent
movies/shows make people more aggressive? Would seeing violence as a
response:

 - teach viewers new strategies?
 - make violence more common and familiar?
 - make it seem like an OK -- or even desirable -- way to react?

First-person shooter games (e.g., Doom, Quake, Half-life, Ravin'
Rabbit), where players perform actions rather than watch them, has
fueled this debate. Can making a decision once or executing a maneuver
in a virtual environment make it easier to do so in real life?

In simplified form, the logic of "interaction-to-action" claims goes
something like this:

1. People engaged in a simulation game have experiences and adopt
strategic responses they may have never considered without the game.
2. Certain responses get rewarded with points or other rewards (e.g.,
promotion to the next level; special powers or resources and
ultimately winning the game).
3. Players repeat / practice / explore "winning" responses in an
attempt to do even better.
4. Responses that are reinforced -- or even just experienced -- will
be easier to think of and execute the next time the player encounters
a similar situation -- in the game or otherwise.

The point is that actions and decisions that were unknown before (or
at least unlikely), become easier to think of and do through of the
"experience" of the games. (Anderson, et.al., 2004, Anderson and
Bushman, 2001).

IT'S ALL A GAME...

Critics of interaction-to-action claims argue that games are games and
players can distinguish games from reality.

The gamers?... Maybe. But their brains can't. (Webber, Ritterfeld and
Mathiak, 2006)

fMRI studies reveal that brain activation in response to virtual
violence parallels the brain response to actual aggressive thoughts
and behaviors.

In contrast with previous studies, here the researchers report a
direct and directional connection between the game playing and the
response: "There is a causal link between playing the first-person
shooting game in our experiment and brain-activity patterns that are
considered as characteristic for aggressive cognitions and affects."

Deciding to do something in the game feels (neurologically speaking)
just like the experience of doing something in (real) life.

VROOM, VROOM

Even if you don't have kids who play violent video games (or don't
play them yourself), this may apply to you.

A recent behavioral study of virtual road racing games shows a similar
finding pattern. Experiences in the game influence experiences outside
the game (Fischer, Kubitzki, Guter and Frey, 2007).

In this study, participants were assigned to play either a soccer game
or a virtual racing game that involved committing "massive" traffic
violations, crashing into other cars, and driving at very high speeds
to win.

After playing their assigned game, participants took the Vienna Risk
Taking Test (Schuhfried, 2006). The Vienna Risk Taking Test uses real
road video simulations to measure risk taking behavior based on
reaction time measures in critical situations.

Participants who played a racing game -- particularly men -- took
greater risks in the Vienna Risk Taking Test than those who had played
the soccer game. Critically, those who played the racing game reported
it was easier to think about and take bigger risks in the real-world
simulation. When they did, they "experienced a kick" from doing so.

So virtual experiences seem to influence thinking and behavior for
aggression and risky driving. Can this same approach be applied to
generate desirable behaviors as well?

FIRST-PERSON SCOOPER GAMES

Organizations employing the Sesame Street Generation and beyond have
begun to use video games to train employees on key, but perhaps not
top-of-mind, profitability issues. The ice cream company Cold Stone
Creamery uses a simulation video environment to help new employees
learn and understand the cost of seemingly minor inaccuracies in
portion size. OK, maybe this isn't as fun as some games, but it's not
Mervis Beacon Teaches Typing, either.

Persuasive interactives are not only for GenY... who hasn't been
slowed down by one of those roadside radar displays?

And the interactives don't need to be full fledged games, they just
need to be persuasive by offering the user:

 - the situation
 - capture of the current decision
 - a path to vary "behavior" or "decisions" so that various options
can be explored
 - interpretable feedback on the impact of their decision

For instance, Fogg (2003) outlines examples in which photocopiers
influence behavior by alerting users how much paper they could save
with 2-sided printing. (Have you seen those tree-shaped icons?)

If virtual simulation influences social decision-making, driving, ice
cream scooping, and photo-copying, it should also work for financial
planning, consumer goods product selection, health risk evaluation,
career planning, and other serious topics? Why not?

Consider these questions as you start creating "serious games" for your rea=
lity.

 - What decisions or actions does your site or application try to help
people execute?
 - Can/do you use or embed interactive, self-directed feedback to help
users understand the impact of making various decisions?
 - Are the interactive task flows appropriate, available, and obvious
at key decision points?
 - Are they "walk-up easy" to interact with and use?
 - Do the interactives invite you to fiddle with them? Or are they just sca=
ry?
 - Can users explore alternate strategies effectively?
 - Can users translate the feedback to "what-next" action?
 - Are the interactives engaging and persuasive... from the customer's
perspective?

Something to think about on the beach...

References and illustrations for this newsletter are posted at:
http://www.humanfactors.com/downloads/jul07.asp

__________________________________________________

The Pragmatic Ergonomist, Dr. Eric Schaffer

Hey, you found that playing one game had an effect on playing another
game with "real road video simulations." I'm not so sure it means
users will really drive wildly when they are actually in the car.

In fact, there is another model (rather Freudian, I admit) where the
game releases pent up frustrations. One could argue that the shooter
game allows release of the tensions of the day, rather then kicking
one's cat or shooting one's boss.

However, the game clearly CAN teach. It can provide information and it
can even persuade. But there are certainly limitations on the
persuasion. Even with the millions of first-person shooter games, we
have a pretty low number of real-person shooters.

__________________________________________________

HFI IS HIRING:
Many positions available at HFI
http://www.humanfactors.com/about/employment.asp

__________________________________________________

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recent research and its practical application.
http://www.humanfactors.com/training/annualupdate.asp.

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http://www.humanfactors.com/training/schedule.asp

__________________________________________________

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HFI editors at mailto:hf...@hu....

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