HCI Portfolio / Fun on the Playground

This project investigated the differences in design behaviors of specialists in the Computer Science field. Specifically, the way HCI and Systems designers approached a problem from an outside domain. The problem we presented to our users was adjusted from a paper by Cindy Altman, “Verbal Protocol Analysis as a Method to Document Engineering Student Design Processes" which required the participants to design a playground.

We recruited from with the Georgia Tech Computer Science department a number of participants from both fields. Their sessions were observed and video taped. The tapes were analyzed, and each action and statement of the participants coded. Example codes include SAF (Safety Guidelines), EDIM (Explicit Dimensions), SMAT (Structural Materials), and AMAT (Aesthetic Materials).

Our hypothesis was that HCI students would spend the majority of their time on user oriented aspects of the design problem such as Safety, Aesthetics, and Demographics while Systems designers would focus on Structural aspects such as dimensions and materials.

The most dramatic difference between the two sets of subjects were in the EDIM (Explicit Dimensions) and PA (Park Layout). Systems participants spent a great deal of time laying out explicit dimension compared to HCI participants who spent more time concerned with the Park Layout.

You can read the whole report, which details potential confounding factors and anomaliesat:

Fun on the Playground [ Word ].