Human Factors Hmwk 2
Assignment 2 – Human Cognition and Information Processing
Due: On Collab: January 12, 2013 by 8:00 AM, 50 possible points
1. Name and describe one attention phenomenon (2 points)
Selective attention: Only paying attention to desired stimuli, ignoring the rest
Example: Cocktail party effects - Hearing your name in a noisy party (pop out effect)
2. Why should you avoid and when should you use ALL CAPS? (6 points)
It's harder to distinguish all caps versus lower case. Using all caps violates the repetition principle of small multiples since there is a lack of difference with cap letters (no shape coding)
Furthermore, it takes up more space.
In isolated cases, ALL CAPS can be used for emphasis.
3. What is the proximity-compatibility principle for interface design? (2 points) The Proximity principle states that conceptually related items should be in close proximity and conceptually unrelated items should be distant
4. Consider the task of using a calculator . (10 points) What would be an example of a:
a. "Gulf of Execution"?
A gulf of execution is a disparity between the user's intentions and allowable actions. User having trouble trying to evaluate a polynomial graphically, which requires a number of input steps in order for the calculator to produce a graph. If the user is not familiar with the process, the user may not be able to produce a graph.
b. "Gulf of Evaluation"?
A gulf of evaluation is not being able to tell if the user's action had the desired effect. For the calculator example, a user could input a long series of basic math operations (add/subtract), with the calculator only displaying the last product (no feedback to check if he/she input the correct functions - this is usually possible with a graphing calculator)
c. Skill-based behavior?
Skill based behavior involves a real-time signal, directly coupled to the environment. An example with a calculator is turning the calculator on or off by pressing the "on/off" button.
Due: On Collab: January 12, 2013 by 8:00 AM, 50 possible points
1. Name and describe one attention phenomenon (2 points)
Selective attention: Only paying attention to desired stimuli, ignoring the rest
Example: Cocktail party effects - Hearing your name in a noisy party (pop out effect)
2. Why should you avoid and when should you use ALL CAPS? (6 points)
It's harder to distinguish all caps versus lower case. Using all caps violates the repetition principle of small multiples since there is a lack of difference with cap letters (no shape coding)
Furthermore, it takes up more space.
In isolated cases, ALL CAPS can be used for emphasis.
3. What is the proximity-compatibility principle for interface design? (2 points) The Proximity principle states that conceptually related items should be in close proximity and conceptually unrelated items should be distant
4. Consider the task of using a calculator . (10 points) What would be an example of a:
a. "Gulf of Execution"?
A gulf of execution is a disparity between the user's intentions and allowable actions. User having trouble trying to evaluate a polynomial graphically, which requires a number of input steps in order for the calculator to produce a graph. If the user is not familiar with the process, the user may not be able to produce a graph.
b. "Gulf of Evaluation"?
A gulf of evaluation is not being able to tell if the user's action had the desired effect. For the calculator example, a user could input a long series of basic math operations (add/subtract), with the calculator only displaying the last product (no feedback to check if he/she input the correct functions - this is usually possible with a graphing calculator)
c. Skill-based behavior?
Skill based behavior involves a real-time signal, directly coupled to the environment. An example with a calculator is turning the calculator on or off by pressing the "on/off" button.