Abstract

“A Human-Centered Approach to Design: Gamifying Fundamentals to Aid Computer Literacy”, is a tool to bridge the gap created by design flaws intrinsic to computers. Icons, gestures, and terminology are the fundamentals of navigation through Internet-based or local programs. This project is a prototype of a program that allows a user to practice gestures and become familiar with icons and terminology. The instructional video game is titled, “Human-Centered Approach to Navigating Devices (HAND)”, and it displays some of the main uses of a computer. Engagement is incentivized through a badge and point reward system. The design of the video game is applicable to more content than basic computer skills. Commercial programs can adapt the same design principles in order to better serve their user group. This design pushes the current idea of an ideal user to become more inclusive of the unique experiences of each person. With internet accessibility at the forefront of the design process, this thesis aims to reframe the idea of a “user” and to refocus the design of internet-based programs to better aid the people who use them. 

Background 

Technology develops out of need. Developments such as calculators and the Internet filled the need of being able to compute basic math problems quickly and to communicate efficiently. The complexity of the tasks required of computers intensified as the reliability of technology was proven. Technology has continued to grow parallel to its public access, especially in the realm of healthcare. Personal electronic device development is intertwined with the development of tools to assist the hearing and visually impaired. Visually impaired people made great contributions as programmers. There was a high demand for computer programmers and the non-visual spatial awareness of complex algorithms that the visually impaired people were inclined to was a perfect dynamic to help them be proficient programmers (Petrick, pg. 20). Computers, in its original design, were meant to accompany the pursuits of the user. The focus did not take long to shift from a user-centric perspective to one that is focused on the capabilities of the computer itself. The key difference between these underlying ideologies is that one considers the user and the other does not. The user will ultimately be unable to keep up with the capabilities of the computer.

Research

User-experience design is a field dedicated to improving the technologies we use everyday. Don Norman is a leading voice in the discussion and pursuit of better techniques that are more intuitive to users. 

Design is concerned with how things work, how they are controlled, and the nature of the interaction between people and technology. When done well, the results are brilliant, pleasurable products. When done badly, the products are unusable, leading to great frustration and irritation. Or they might be usable, but force us to behave the way the product wishes rather than as we wish. 

(Norman, pg. 5)

Too often, the third case is true that poor design is usable, but asks the user to conform to the will of the program rather than being a flexible tool that extends the creativity of the user. The goal is to have an enjoyable product that does not hinder the user in any modality. This prototype is a bridge to tie the third case as close to the first until the first case becomes the standard. Norman also discusses the iterative process that helps users better understand how to navigate their devices. By clearly defining what happens at each step through navigation, the user feels more secure and comfortable in being able to move forward and backward from their current position in the program (Norman, pg. 8-9). A current flaw in the computer interface is when a user is presented with critical information, the pop-up disappears by the time the user is ready to use it (Norman, pg. 94). The prototype is useful because it moves at the pace of the user and is customizable to the needs of the individual.

Even if programs met Don Norman’s first case of well-done design, it would only provide limited support for those with disabilities. It is important to consider users with disabilities because this is an increasingly technologically dependent society and there is a predicted likelihood that there will be more users with disabilities in the target audience (Lin, ch. 4.4). The computer has the potential to be an equalizing agent that goes beyond the bounds of ability (Petrick, pg. 9). However, by not including people with disabilities in the testing of the programs, it cannot reach its full potential. When designing programs that have specific disabilities in mind, it benefits everyone. 

Constanza-Chock’s research on design justice covers marginalized groups in terms of race, gender, and ability. My thesis complements their work by adding age as a prioritized factor. While age is not a disability, it does put the older generations at a disadvantage. Technology changes at a rapid pace and requires flexibility and resilience to overcome the poor design that is omnipresent. Many people of the older generations may be well-versed in technology, but still have trouble keeping up with current programs such as any social media platform. The older generations are banks of knowledge that are untapped resources because the current design of the internet is inaccessible to them (Rot, pg. 158-160). Redesigning websites to consider the older generations and people with disabilities does not require copious amounts of effort, but it does take a concentrated effort.

Personal Interest

Gerontechnology became a direct interest of mine in my junior year of college, although I have been observing it my whole life. I am the youngest of a his, hers and ours situation, which means that my parents are a bit older than the parents of my classmates. They often need support with technologies. My nana is from an even older generation and she “breaks” her devices constantly.  She does not physically break her devices although she may feel that way when she gets stuck. My nana gets frustrated when she believes she has made a mistake and, as the case is for many who are uncomfortable with technology, she is unable to work herself out of the mistake. She quickly blames herself for messing up the program and gives up. The purpose of this thesis is to help anyone who feels unconfident in their technology abilities. The program is intended to give the user experience with various gestures, terminology, and icons in a “non-breakable” way to remove the fear that many encounter.

Project

My program is a prototype made with animation software. The animation gives a walk through of how one user may respond to the prompts. The video game style plays into “gamification” which is a technique for retaining engagement. It is meant to create an environment in which the user can enjoyably learn because of the interactivity and reward system. Users earn points and badges as they complete tasks they are presented. The hand animations appear on the first instance that the gesture is required. The first task is “Open the Browser”, a hand showing the single-finger click appears. This is similar to how a regular video game shows a controller highlighting various buttons and explains what each does. Once the browser is opened, the user will be given points and a badge confirming their knowledge of how to click with one-finger and the function of a browser. The animation depicts a series of tasks that will teach the user a mastery of various skills related to the fundamentals of using a desktop or laptop. The design is a simplified glance at the necessary components of a program. This is what makes it portable and transferable to other products.

Future of the Project

The future of the project will be a functioning program that can be installed on someone’s computer to be used as a learning device. More ideally, this project design would be implemented as a feature that begins when a program starts. This project may also evolve to include phone or other device-based software. The development of a fully functioning program would take more time than was available for this thesis, but it is something that I would like to pursue. It would also be more successful in a team setting. An implication of the thesis is that it brings the user-centered approach back into programming. Accessibility rules of design improve readability and legibility for everyone. If programs were built with the least confident users in mind, this would not only help them, but it would help everyone else by avoiding unnecessary technical hoops. There are medical and legal websites that break down jargon in manageable terms to help non-academics in those fields keep up with their health and court circumstances. I see technology as important as medicine and law in a growing technology-dependent society and a missing piece in the pursuit of accessibility. This program is an intermediary step to help forgotten groups become more confident and to speak up about what really needs to change. There is nothing wrong with the user, the mistakes come from flaws in a program’s design.

Bibliography

Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design justice: Community-led practices to build the worlds we need. The MIT Press.

Norman, Don. The Design of Everyday Things. Rev. and expanded ed., Basic Books, 2013.

Petrick, Elizabeth R. Making Computers Accessible : Disability Rights and Digital Technology. 2015.

Rot, A., Kutera, R., & Gryncewicz, W. (2017, April). Design and Assessment of User Interface Optimized for Elderly People. A Case Study of Actgo-Gate Platform. In ICT4AgeingWell (pp. 157-163).

Stephanidis, Constantine, and Margherita Antona. Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction : Design for All and Accessibility Practice : 8th International Conference, UAHCI 2014, Held as Part of HCI International 2014, Heraklion, Crete, Greece, June 22-27, 2014, Proceedings. Part IV. 2014.

Link to Prototype: https://youtu.be/Sh8CEDHGqns