Breaking the interdisciplinary Limits of Computer-Human Interaction Design: A Pattern Design

Challenges

A major set back in CHI design is the communication between interdisciplinary design teams. A solution to this problem is to introduce a pattern based approach to lesson the set back involved in interdisciplinary design team communication. A pattern language that includes experience from software engineering, HCI, and the application domain can improve communication and team work throughout the team. This will lead to better products and design rationales. The Telecooperation Research Group built such a language and uses it to improve the design of their current projects.

CHI deals with communication between software engineer and user during development. It is difficult for the user interface experts to communicate their experience and methods to other design team members, from software engineering to application domain experts. These communication problems lead to a lack of understanding of the paradigms, methods and values of the other profession.

Solutions

Pattern Languages are a general structure for design knowledge. There are three fields for pattern a pattern design language to get its knowledge from 1) application domain, 2) HCI, and 3)software engineering. Each of the fields knowledge is used in the making of the pattern language. The following improvements became possible:

1. Views and concepts of each profession become easier to understand for others because the pattern concept of presentation is the same and is geared towards clarity.?
2. Once the three pattern languages are understood, it will be easier to find bridges and analogies between them: Abstract concepts from the application domain may give hints to high0level user interface consideration, which in turn may indicate overall system characteristics. Concrete facts and objects from the application domain may point the concrete physical interaction details, which can be mapped to specific software objects and implementation.

The patterns are developed over a process of many similar projects. The pattern approach helps new employees train easier with a set of rules to follow. It incorporates a easy to remember vocabulary for communication about successful solutions across discipline boundaries.

An Application Example - WorldBeat

WorldBeat, allows users to ?conduct music, play virtual drums and other instruments, hum to tune to find music in the system, and improvise to a Blues band with out playing wrong.? The patterns used in the application deal mainly with the music and how they were represented in the interaction and in the internal software architecture.

There are three Patterns to look at in the unifying pattern:

1. Musical Design Patterns - Jazz is a high level pattern but at the low level this can be represented by notes, rhythmic timing and other musical factors.
2. Interaction Design Patterns - This pattern deals with the interactive design of the user interface. Top level - Visitor instructions. Medium Level - This deals with the user information. (Attract user, Engage user, Deliver user command)
3. Software Design Patterns - These are standard patterns that deal with the implementation of the application in the coding.

Creating an interdisciplinary language from these three pattern languages, they need to be cross linked. ?For example, the high-level concept of a certain musical form will influence the overall design of the user?s interaction with the system and the programs overall structure.

Conclusion

A pattern language spanning several disciplines promises to be very useful method for capturing design experience in interdisciplinary teams.? The interconnection of patterns in the system helps the computer remain efficient as well as allowing the human interaction to remain readable.

Jan O Borchers, Breaking the interdisciplinary Limits of Computer-Human Interaction Design: A Pattern Design, Linz University.