Comparing, Contrasting, and Modifying Websites According to HCI/UX Concepts
Super 8/Ritz Carlton
Humane Society of Huron Valley/Harbor Humane Society
Problem Statement
Identify key features of human behavior and describe their impact on the design of interactive systems. Critique and design low fidelity interactive systems to either improve or worsen the design using Figma on the basis of knowledge of human capabilities and behavior. Describe themes from the research literature in social science and human-computer interaction as they relate to interactive system design.
How do each website’s designs impact human capabilities and behavior in regards to the corresponding class concept? How could the corresponding redesign affect human capabilities and behaviors on the system?
Central Questions
Tools
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Figma
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Google Docs
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It’s virtually impossible to create an interface that fits perfectly with human behaviors and tendencies. For example, on the Super8 website (see right), I reasoned that the “Discounts and Deals” section was too taxing on the working memory of the user, and thus my design modification removed much of the descriptive text, and instead enlarged images and header text to make the site more scannable. However, making the website less taxing on the working memory of the user might have removed information that some users could’ve thought was too important not to display. Striking a balance with concepts such as this is a difficult task for designers, as I came to realize over the course of these projects.
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Additionally, I found that it was often easier to worsen the designs of these sites according to class concepts than it was to improve them. For example, on the Humane Society of Huron Valley website, I removed images/symbols that corresponded with certain buttons on the site in order to negatively impact information processing.
Lessons Learned
Before:
After:
