usability & human factors input and selection methods this material (comp15_unit11) was...

Usability & Human Factors

Input and Selection Methods

This material (Comp15_Unit11) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC000003.

Input and Selection Methods Learning Objectives

2

• Provide a rationale as to why input methods are an important consideration in the design process for health technology

• Compare and contrast technology input methods• Select appropriate technology input methods

given different technology uses, user populations and contexts

Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012

Usability & Human Factors Input and Selection Methods

Significance

3Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012


• Light pen• Pen & touchscreen• Mouse• Trackball• Voice recognition• Bar codes,• Special-purpose keyboards• Device touch pads with LCD

screens• Gesture-recognition systems • Haptic control

– Usually in conjunction with keyboard

» Sittig, 2010

Different input methods



• Input selection must be done with: – a view to context (physical,

cognitive)– Task– User population– Other variables

Keyboard/Mouse



Light-Pen



Voice Input/Speech Recognition



Speech Recognition:Advantages



Speech Recognition:Disadvantages



Zick & Olsen 2001

• Comparison of voice recognition and traditional transcription service for ED charts

• Voice recognition faster (avg 3.65min turnaround) v. transcription (39.6min)

• Transcription more accurate (99.7% v 98.5% for voice)

• Voice recognition improves in speed and accuracy; decisions made with current technologies at time of deployment



Tablets



• Example: iPad• Form factor and light weight;

suitable for some applications• 300 medical applications

already developed• Meets many requirements for

healthcare tablet: – WiFi,– Dust/liquid resistant– Fingerprint authentication– Barcode scanning– Integrated camera

Scoble, R. (2010).

Ideal Features for Tablets



Touchscreen Input as Part of a Pharmacy Dispensing Unit

Lester, K. (2009).



Pen Input

• Handwriting recognition: conversion of text in user-drawn image into digital form

• Difficult in practice• Gestural alphabets (palmtops, cell phones) differ by

brand• Digitizer tablets: learn user’s handwriting; uses samples

to train for accuracy• Digital pen and special paper capture and recognize

motion sequence• Slower than keyboard input, virtual keyboards replacing

it



Tablets/Pen Input



Pie Menus



• Faster than linear menus– Depend on direction rather than

distance• Circular menu slices large in

size, near pointer for fast interaction (Fitt’s law: ease of target acquisition is proportional to size and inversely proportional to distance)

• Ideally 3-12 items; 8 or fewer is best

• Muscle memory: experienced users need not look

• Can be nested for many options & pop-up linear menus

• Shows available options, unlike mouse gestures

Microsoft clipart

Pie Menus (cont.)

• Useful for actions with logical grouping choices• Linear menus useful for dynamic large menus without

logical groups• Self-revealing gestural interface• Easy to ‘mark ahead’ because of memory without menu

even showing• Eases transition from novice to expert since every use

rehearses actions which go into muscle memory & item location unconsciously memorized

• Disadvantage: not often available as standard interface widgets (except in games)



Marking Menus

• Similar to pie menus but menu need not appear, multiple actions in chain can select desired item very fast, without need for menu to pop up visibly

• Combine pie menus with gestures

• See the excellent video at http://www.markingmenus.org/



Contextual Menus (Popup Menus)



• Appears on user interaction, in specific context

• Limited choices pertaining to current state

• Solution to need for rapid selection; also requires little memorization of location

• Problems:– Options available only in the context

may be confusing & not let user know of availability

• Screen edge interactions may be different

Screenshot from dropdown menu in Microsoft Office Word, 2012.

Yen (2005)Digital Pen/Paper

• Pen contains camera; records writing pattern on digital paper with 0.3mm dots

• Camera uses dots to track pen location, creating digital representation in memory

• Information transferred to computer; creates digital & paper copies • Study: initial excitement gave way to use interchangeable with

regular pens; preference for conventional pens due to bulk, distraction, not fitting in pockets

• Nurses saw potential, but physical execution needed improvement



Gestural Interfaces



Gestural Interfaces (cont.)

• Multitouch -> 1 point of contact• Gestural commands less obvious, and less obvious than

current GUIs• May involve gloves, sensors, multiple cameras, LCD

arrays used as pinhole cameras• Output can be of multiple forms: music, video, device

control• Examples: http://www.kickerstudio.com/blog/2009/04/a-

collection-of-gestural-interfaces-spring-2009-edition/ • Interfaces can be almost invisible



Mechanics:Touch Screens, Gestural

Controllers (Saffer, 2009)



Gestural Interfaces:Use and Appraisal



Gestural Interfaces: Advantages



Gestural Interfaces:Characteristics of Good Design



Technology/Input Method Selection

• Should be based on consideration of the task, user, and environment

• Current technologies (such as voice input) may progress rapidly, so outdated studies and statistics should not be used

• Users may have a learning curve; comparison of two different methods should allow for training time (e.g. Kotani: study of pen-tablet v. mouse showed initial mouse superiority; then users became more efficient with pen-tablet

• See Mobile Devices for Nursing: a Human Factors Evaluation– http://www.medicine20congress.com/ocs/index.php/

med/med2009/paper/view/317



Appraisal of Input Methods

• Some research on these comes from the field of experimental psychology

• Variables measured may include speed of interaction, speed of data entry, accuracy, muscular and cognitive involvement, long-term, short-term and muscle memory, hand-eye coordination

• Results can vary from experimental laboratory to in-situ; try to test in the setting in which it will be used, with typical users

• Considerations such as size and weight can have significant consequences for whether item will be used, despite sophisticated software or other features



Questions to Ask in Input Method Selection



More Questions



Input and Selection MethodsSummary

• Input methods are an evolving field; standard methods (such as keyboard) will likely persist, but become device-independent

• New methods require research, but open up avenues of control useful in medicine.

• Gestural non-touch methods may be useful in situations where infection control, freedom of movement, lack of physical devices are key (e.g. ED, OR, pediatrics…)

• Matching the input method with senses and modalities involved in other parts of the task is more successful



Input and Selection MethodsReferences

References

1. Sittig, D, Ash J. Clinical Information Systems: Overcoming Adverse Consequences. Jones and Bartlett, Sudbury MA, 2010.

2. Zick.R.G., Olsen, J. (2001). Voice recognition software versus a traditional transcription service for physician charting in the ED. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, vol.19 (4). P.295-298.

3. Retrieved on November 10th, 2010 from http://www.betriebsraum.de/blog/2009/12/11/extremely-efficient-menu-selection-marking-menus-for-the-flash-platform/.

4. Yen, Po-Yin, Gorman PN. (2005). Usability Testing of a Digital Pen and Paper system in Nursing Documentation. AMIA Proceedings 2005, p844-848.

5. Saffer, D. (2009). Designing Gestural Interfaces Touchscreens and Interactive Devices. O;Reilly Media. Canada. Retrieved on October 4th, 2010 from http://www.designinggesturalinterfaces.com/ .

6. Gestural Interfaces. - A collection of gestural interfaces shown on video Retrieved on October 5th, 2010 from http://www.kickerstudio.com/blog/2009/04/a-collection-of-gestural-interfaces-spring-2009-edition.

7. Mc, Curdie, T., Chagpar, A., Cafazzo, J.A. (2009). Mobile devices for nursing: a comparative factors evaluation. Retrieved on October 5th, 2010 from http://www.medicine20congress.com/ocs/index.php/med/med2009/paper/view/317 .

8. Buxton, W. Issues in Manual Input. User Centered System Design: New Perspectives… (Paperback). by Donald A. Norman, Stephen W. Draper Chapter 15, p320-337

9. Betriebsraum, B. 2009). Extremely Efficient Menu Selection: Marking Menus for the Flash Platform.Retrieved on September 3rd, 2010 from http://www.betriebsraum.de/blog/2009/12/11/extremely-efficient-menu-selection-marking-menus-for-the-flash-platform/.



Input and Selection MethodsReferences

Image:

Slide 11: Scoble, R. (2010). Retrieved on November 10th, 2010 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/scobleizer/5492884560/in/photostream/.

Slide 12: Lester, K. (2009). Retrieved on November 10th, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kirby_Lester_KL60_fully-automated_dispensing_system.jpg.

Slide 16: Microsoft- Clipart image, public domain.

Slide 17: Senathirajah, Y. (2010). Screen-shot of Microsoft word personal computer. Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.

Slide 19: Screenshot from dropdown menu in Microsoft Office Word, 2012.



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