Human-Computer Interaction: Theory and Practice - Report Example

? Aspectual evaluation of IS in Use Roll No Aspectual evaluation of IS in Use The "Smokey" presentation is a flash presentation about a character name Smokey, and its purpose is to highlight the adverse effects of smoking on human body as well the environment. It’s an interactive presentation which means that the viewers can interact with it to view different parts of the flash presentation. The presentation is useful to its viewers in number of ways. Its viewer can not only benefit from the information that it contains about smoking hazards, but also the character in the presentation "Smokey" brings in an aspect of fun and entertainment to it. Since it is a flash presentation, it can also be put on a website and made available to general public for their interest. Aspectual Evaluation In order to perform aspectual evaluation for this presentation, 4 subjects have been used , which are - My sister, who hate smokers, - My brother, who smokes occasionally, - My father, who is in his 50s and, - My friend, who is a chain smoker Quantitative aspect The presentation provides information to its viewer not only through text but also images and animations. The main screen of the presentation allows user to access 5 different areas which are Story, Facts, Quitting, Gallery and Credits. There is also a Home button which takes the viewer back to the main screen. Upon clicking on Story link, the story of Smokey the smoker is told and Smokey is shown smoking at different places. Upon clicking on the fact button, various facts related to smoking and how it is hazardous to the human body and the environment are shown. The Quitting button shows information and links which are helpful to those who are considering or are in the process of quitting their smoking habit. The Gallery section present users with information in pictures with some revealing images comparing body condition of smokers and nonsmokers. All the people who were shown this presentation liked it very much. They found it easy to navigation due to simple navigation buttons on the main screen and a clearly visible Home button. My friend and my brother were particularly interested in the Gallery section, as they found the images impressive and with a clear message (University of Salford, UK, 2008). Spatial Aspect As the presentation is in Adobe Flash format, it is not only easy to view but also easy to store. The file size of the presentation is less than 1 MB. It can be easily uploaded to a website using any internet connection available today. The presentation has been kept at a low resolution so it doesn’t take up much screen space. It was equally enjoyable on my laptop when viewed by my friend and brother, as well as on my TV when I showed it to my sister and father. Kinematic Aspect The presentation allows it viewers to get a significant amount of information related to smoking and its hazardous through a single point, so they do not have to attend different seminars or lectures. Only my sister and father were required to move to my room in order to view the presentation. Both my friend and my brother viewed it on my laptop when I took it to their respective rooms. Physical Aspect This presentation does not have significant physical Aspect. This presentation require negligible amount of energy to view and understand. In order to view the presentation, the viewer does have to double click on the presentation file to launch it. It does not put load on computer screen or any other computer resource apart from taking some computer cycles required to process the image rendering and animation. It only exists as a magnetic pattern on a metallic platter of a disk drive in a physical world. Biotic/Organic Aspect By viewing the presentations, all four subjects went through different emotions which brought about different biological changes. When viewing Smokey’s animation all four people were really entertained by it , thus changing their feeling to happiness which was evident from their faces. Browsing through Gallery images though, my sister and father looked a bit sad as they got to see how smoking badly damages lungs and other parts of the body. My friend and brother, however, we quite amused to see the images. Psychic/Sensitive Aspect The presentation is view only. It does not have a audible aspect. This lack of audible value brings down the impact that this presentation can have on its viewer. It does, however, made my brother and my friend, both smokers, think about what could happen to their bodies and the impact that it may have on their loved ones. The links embedded within the information does contain some videos though which contains both audio and visual aspect. After viewing the presentation, my father did renew his resolve to stop other from smoking. Analytical Aspect As soon as the presentation starts, it becomes clear to the viewer that the presentation is about smoking, thus they can easily guess what would be in the presentation and thus would be more interested in the presented information. All of the subjects were able to understand how to navigate through the menus and information quite easily. They are easily able to differentiate between various types of buttons and links in the presentation. Formative Aspect In the presentation, my sister and my friend were easily able to make inferences from the Smokey animation. My brother did understand most of the animation; however, my father was helped by my sister in digesting the message in the animation. The Gallery section, however, was pretty self-explanatory. All subjects were able to infer the different ways in which smoking hurts. Furthermore, my friend was also keen in asking questions which were not answered in the presentation and I was happy to help him in finding answers to those. Lingual Aspect The presentation was made in English language which was easy to understand for all four subjects. It not used easy to understand language to convey its information but also used images. The information given in the presentation was easy to understand and remember and provided them with points which the subjects could translate into other languages that they know. The Smokey animation and images, however, did not have a lingual aspect. Social Aspect The social aspect of this presentation is that the viewer of this presentation will be more knowledgeable next they choose where and whom to sit with. This may limit their choices which may lead to lower social contact then they had previously. On the other hand, the knowledge from the presentation is assumed to perceive positively whenever it is used by its viewer. This case is particularly true for my sister and my father, however, my brother and my friend did not seem to have any significant impact on them so it is expected that their social life would continue as it is. The sense of being equal with sitting with other smokers as well as their perception of smoking as a relaxing activity is expected to play a significant role in their continuation of usual habits. Economic Aspect The economic impact of the Smokey presentation on its viewer is insignificant. The simple navigation and division of information into different areas meant that the viewers spent less time in finding the information they need. All the subjects involved in the aspect evaluation exercise spent minimum time in learning to use the presentation. The presentation also did not cost anything as it was designed by me in the spare time that I could afford between different activities. Though this presentation was made on licensed software, it only contains freely available information and images, therefore, it does not have a price or royalty attached to it and can be provided to anyone free of charge (Brooke, 2012). Aesthetic Aspect All four subjects participating in the evaluation found its interface to be aesthetically pleasing. This presentation was made with a viewer’s interest in mind and the methods that could be used to deliver the message of the presentation were evaluated beforehand. My sister in particular, found the Smokey character particularly appropriate. The images used in the presentation are mild and easy to view. My father found the images really helpful in understand the message of the presentation. My friend and my brother found the navigation buttons very pleasing. Judicial Aspect For a presentation on a serious topic such as smoking, it is important to keep interest of the people through it. Therefore animations, graphics and interactions were used to aid in viewers involvement. This was verified by majority of the subjects. They found that the content and method of its presentation was very appropriate and the ease of use of the presentation played a key role in keeping their interest. My brother, however, found the Smokey character to be very cartoonish. Ethical Aspect The message and knowledge conveyed through the presentation can help in significantly improving the ethics of its viewer. By acknowledging the adverse effects of smoking, anybody who smokes would think about health and safety of others before smoking which would be more pleasing for others. For my sister and my father, the presentation raised their general awareness about smoking as well as their motivation to positively contribute to the society and to the environment. For others, it may also help them in quitting smoking once and for all and become better human being. Faith Aspect The presentation was found to be cementing faiths for some people while bringing a change to the beliefs of the others. The presentation strengthen the resolve my sister and my father about the negative aspects of smoking and that they should contribute more positively to the environment. From religious point of view as well, this presentation strikes a chord with the message of being good toward oneself and other, which is preached in Christianity, Islam and many other religion (Stephanidis & Jacko, 2003). Indirect effects of the presentation The indirect social aspect of this presentation would be that it would contribute in providing people in general with a cleaner environment wherever they might be. Smokers who watch this presentation are likely to thinking about cutting down on their habit or leaving it altogether , thus reducing the amount of Carbon Monoxide (CO) released into the atmosphere and thus reducing the global warming phenomenon (Monoxide, 2013). Furthermore, people are likely to spend less money on cigarettes which can then be diverted toward improving the standard of the society. From judicial aspect, it makes all the participants of this evaluation more aware of how serious topic can be discussed and information presented in a candid and frank manner. Thus, next time they have to speak or do a presentation they would be more prepared to do an effective job thus not only making other people more aware of their message but also showing the how to successfully convey a message. From the quantitative point of view, the presentation’s information and images would help in making other people understand the ill impacts of smoking as well. My brother and my friend can use images to post to on their social network profile to show other and make others believe what they believe. My sister can use this presentation to more effectively convey the message to others through her blog. While my father’s resolve for positive contribution to the society, gained through this presentation, would also positively affect other people who may follow his lead. Conclusion It is important to recognize and understand that all human activities are multi-aspectual in nature. Thus by analyzing activities for various aspects, one can easily recognize the good and bad characteristics of a activity and improved it for a maximum positive growth. The analysis of activities from different aspects not only develops the critical perspective but also allows for building on positive ideas and activity and improves society in general. References Brooke, C., 2012. Critical Management Perspectives on Information Systems. s.l.:Routledge. Monoxide, C., 2013. Carbon Monoxide in Cigarettes. [Online] Available at: http://www.carbonmonoxidekills.com/15/carbon_monoxide_cigarettes [Accessed 16 March 2013]. Stephanidis, C. & Jacko, J., 2003. Human-Computer Interaction: Theory and Practice (Part 1). s.l.:Routledge. University of Salford, UK, 2008. ASPECTUAL ANALYSIS. [Online] Available at: http://www.dooy.salford.ac.uk/using/aspanal.html [Accessed 16 March 2013]. Read More