Avoiding Average: Recording Interaction Data to Design for Specific User Groups

Abstract

Designing domestic user interfaces for broad user populations means designing for the average user. To design for more personally intuitive interfaces detailed interactive behaviours need to be captured and described in order to better inform the design process. By utilising technologies such as interface skins, log file analysis and user interface description languages, the PROSKIN project is developing an empirical tool for quantitative capture, description and analysis of interactive behaviour in a non-invasive and situated context. The purpose of the tool is to identify user groups by distinguishing behaviour or trait which will allow designers to develop more personally relevant user interfaces. The tool itself facilitates the analyses of large datasets of users and their interactive behaviours. This will allow designers to produce interface skins for user groups of similar interactive profile and subsequently providing a less average user experience.