Sit 308 Human Computer Interface
Sit 308 Human Computer Interface
SHEM ABERI
SIT 308
HUMAN COMPUTER INTERFACE
CAT 2 ASSIGNMENT
INSTRUCTOR: HARRISON NJOROGE
3. Explain how you would cope with the problem of designing for expert users and
novice users.
Expert user’s systems are much harder to design than regular user systems which at times
have novices who rely on trial and error. Luckily, the solution to coping with the problem of
designing for expert and novice users can easily be solved once you establish the core
requirements of both users and being able to prioritize their wants and needs. Here’s how you
can try to satisfy both users on the same system.
Apply the appropriate personas at each phase of the design phase- User profiles
serve as a depiction of the application's actual users and their behavioral traits, and
they can be used as a guide to verify the design suggestions at different phases.
Persona-driven design methodology is always effective. Before beginning, it is always
a good idea to develop separate personas for novices and experts.
Providing alternate paths to novice and expert users-Help and support domains
can be built for novices while experts will have the chance to skip these steps and go
straight to the task.
Use affordances to leverage prior experience- For beginners and professionals,
knowledge or prior experience with other apps can be used as reference to build
designs that accommodate both experts and novices.
Allow for customizations to match increasing expertise-the system design can be
made in such a way that it allows users to gain a degree of competence where they
start as novices, become intermediaries and soon become experts.
A good example of such an interactive system design for novices and experts is the
Lichess application for playing chess. It has a dashboard where novices can navigate and
learn to play chess while solving basic chess puzzles. Experts on the other hand are provided
with the option to skip the learning part and go directly to the lobby where they can be paired
to play with different people worldwide, customize their profiles and solve complex puzzles.
As a beginner continues training and playing more games, they gain the necessary skills to
improve their game and become experts eventually.