Inaugural Lecture, Middlesex University 7 th June 2000 1 Interactive System Design: Understanding Users in Context Professor Ann Blandford 7 th June 2000 Abstract Is computer system design primarily concerned with pushing forward the technological frontiers, or with enhancing quality of life and productivity? What are the qualities that we seek in design? The starting point for this lecture is that design should yield systems that are usable, useful and interesting. The question is: how do we achieve systems with such qualities? The challenge of designing and implementing systems grows greater by the year. The technical possibilities are expanding rapidly, from traditional desktop machines through networked computers to nomadic and ubiquitous computing. Despite the rapid technical developments, the users of those systems – arguably the very reason for their existence – are evolving slowly, if at all. The environments within which they work, and their motivations and tasks, change gradually in response to new possibilities. Engineering effective interactive systems demands an appropriately expressed understanding of the properties of users, interactions and contexts of use. In this lecture, we will explore some approaches to representing essential components of interactive systems in context, and how those representations can be used to guide the design and evaluation of systems. We will consider a variety of systems – from safety critical and distributed systems to personal electronic aids. Pre-amble First, a comment about technology. I am choosing to use an overhead projector for this talk rather than (for example) the whiteboard or direct projection from my computer display. I have used a range of sophisticated tools to prepare it, which I could not have done if I were now using the whiteboard, but now I prefer the reliability and look-ahead of slides to the chance to create effects that might make you go “Wow!” and the relative low cost of direct projection. This issue of choice of tools and fitting tools to purpose will be one of the topics that reappears later. Introduction The starting point for this lecture is that design should yield systems that are usable, useful and interesting. That is: computer systems are tools that should be helping people to achieve their goals and aspirations in a satisfying way. Of