Usability vs. Enjoyability:
Usability vs. Enjoyability
Importance of fun/entertainment in IT is increasing
Fun is rarely discussed or measured in IT
HCI Trends re: FUN:
HCI Trends re: FUN 3 HCI perspectives on fun:
Usability Reductionism – fun results from ease of use
Design Reductionism – fun features should be added later
Market Reductionism – fun is only an advertising tool
Usability testing focuses on functional aspects
HCI interest in pleasure and fun is growing, but still severely underdeveloped
Why so little research?:
Why so little research? No clear theoretical basis
Cognitive psychology has no tradition for investigating fun
Too many Plato-esque questions
Few methods for evaluation
Data is subjective
Hard to produce significant results
Funding sources scarce
Why should HCI change?:
Why should HCI change? Beauty affects perceived usability
Beauty = best predictor of overall impression of web pages
Positive correlation between aesthetics and perceived usability
Time flies when you’re having fun
Studies of internet surfing
Enjoyment focuses the user without interest in time/efficiency
Fun’s role often trumps traditional evaluation methods in usability testing
What can we do?:
What can we do? Key questions in future HCI research:
What does fun mean in the context of usability?
How can we evaluate fun?
Need a more holistic view
Studies to define and measure different types of pleasure
Studies to measure overall user experience
Key Points:
Key Points Usability testing suffers by focusing solely on functional aspects of products.
Studies have shown that beauty and fun affect the perception of usability.
The definition and evaluation of fun is a key subject for future HCI research.