User interface design and evaluation system and hand interaction based user interface design and evaluation system

• US 7,464,010 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2005
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Hyun Bin, Kim, Yong Wan, Yang, Ung Yeon, Son, Wook Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US11/293,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20060199167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 703/21, 703/2, 703/24, 345/474, 345/163, 380/201
• US Class Current: 703/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

A user interface design and evaluation system and a hand-interaction-based user interface design and evaluation system are provided. The user interface design and evaluation system includes: a user interface design unit, a human model interaction design unit, a user interface prototype simulation unit, a human model simulation unit, and a user interface evaluation unit. In order to develop a user interface in consideration of usability of a user, the system provides a usability evaluation feedback system performing optimization of an interface design based on a motion simulation of a body model and user interface model. Through this, an optimum interface design is derived and by reducing the initial usage difficulty of the new interface for a user, the user can easily use the new interface and work performance of the user can be enhanced. In addition, by supporting fast prototyping and evaluation in a new product development stage, efficient production of a product having a short life cycle can be actively implemented.

Claims

1. A user interface design and evaluation system based on interaction, comprising:

a user interface design unit designing a user interface having user interface objects, and providing a motion property to each unit object;

a user interface prototype simulation unit managing interaction information defining the interaction between an internal object of the user interface and the outside, and managing information related to a usability evaluation, and performing simulation of the designed user interface, wherein the information related to the usability evaluation is information related to the usability of the user interface by a user;

a human model design unit designing a human model in relation to a human body to be evaluated when determining the usability of the user interface, and authoring a motion characteristic model of the designed human model;

a human model simulation unit managing information at a time when the human model interacts with objects of the user interface, and performing simulation of the designed human model; and

a user interface usability evaluation unit managing contents-based input data that are the contents of a usability evaluation experiment for evaluating the usability of the user interface by a user using the generated user interface and human model, wherein the user interface usability evaluation unit uses the simulated result of the user interface and the simulated result of the human model to perform a usability evaluation experiment of the user interface in relation to the human model and evaluating the usability of the designed user interface to assign an evaluation result value of the usability evaluation experiment for determining an optimum user interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface design unit supports design of objects of the user interface, and by using an available input and output interface tool, designs a 2-dimensional and/or 3-dimensional user interface and provides a motion property to each of the unit objects.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user interface design unit simulates the motion of a designed user interface according to a predetermined method, and verifies a designed model.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface prototype simulation unit modifies shape information that is physical data of a user interface design;

manages interaction information to be exchanged by the internal object of the user interface with the outside, when an external object, including a human body, interacts with an object of the user interface;

sets initial values of the user interface, including the position of an object, in relation to the usability evaluation;

receives feedback data including evaluation information of the initial values of the user interface from the user interface usability evaluation unit to provide reference information for changing the structure of the user interface;

updates evaluation elements of internal objects of the user interface; and

performs simulation by linking model data defined in the user interface design unit, the user interface shape information, the user interface interaction information, and the usability evaluation information of the user interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the human model design unit supports design of a basic human body model of a human being by forming and displaying a human body using graphic data;

designs a human body model for a user interface usability evaluation experiment;

authors a motion characteristic model of the designed human body model according to a human body anatomy and a movement analysis theory; and

simulates the motion of the designed human body model and verifies the designed model, by using motion data of a normal human body, or using motion data of a state in which predetermined constraints are added, or generating arbitrary motion data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the human model simulation unit changes, when necessary, the shape information of the human body model whose design is completed in the human model design unit;

authoring information items which is includes information of the human body models interaction with the objects of the user interface including the effect interaction with the objects of the user interface has on the human model;

sets initial values of the human body model, including tendencies of a user, in relation to the usability evaluation;

receives feedback data, including evaluation information of the initial values of the human body model, to update internal parameters of a human body simulation model; and

performs simulation by linking model data defined in the human model design unit with human model shape information, human model interaction information and the human model usability evaluation information.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface usability evaluation unit manages contents-based input data that are the contents of a usability evaluation experiment using the generated user interface model and human model;

divides data selected from the input data into units appropriate to a usability evaluation experiment operation, and provides the divided data to the user interface prototype simulation unit;

evaluates usability of the user interface model by a user, by processing a usability evaluation experiment using the selected input data, the simulation result of the user interface prototype simulation unit, and the simulation result of the human model simulation unit; and

sets relations for exchanging interaction information designed in the user interface prototype simulation unit and the human model simulation unit.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the user interface usability evaluation unit outputs to a user, the result of an optimum user interface design in relation to the human body model obtained by processing the resulting values of the evaluation experiment;

and

together with the optimized user interface design result, outputs moving pictures of a situation in which the user interface is used by the body model.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface prototype simulation unit exchanges predetermined feedback data information with the user interface usability evaluation unit.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the human model simulation unit exchanges predetermined feedback data information with the user interface usability evaluation unit.

11. A user interface design and evaluation system based on hand interaction, comprising:

a hand model preparation unit designing human body anatomical parameters that are measuring criteria of a usability evaluation experiment, designing parameters related to an ergonomic analysis, designing internal constraints, and designing external constraints, and providing motion characteristics to the shape of a designed hand model, wherein the usability evaluation experiment determines the usability of a user interface by a user;

an input data preparation unit for a usability evaluation experiment, the Input data preparation unit managing a database for evaluating the usability of a user interface model by a user, and providing input data to be used in usability evaluation simulation, from the database;

a model preparation unit designing a user interface model by designing the external shape of an interface performing direct interaction with a user, and determining interaction of a unit object of the user interface model and a unit object of the hand model to define interaction information to be exchanged between the two objects, changing the motion property value of the user interface model, and updating evaluation elements of the internal element of the user interface model; and

a usability evaluation simulation unit performing the usability evaluation experiment the usability evaluation simulation unit controlling the simulation of the hand model and the user interface model, and evaluating the usability of the hand model by a user by using the resulting data from the hand model preparation unit, the input data preparation unit, and the model preparation unit, and obtaining an evaluation result value based on the evaluation for determining an optimum user interface.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a comparison unit comparing the usability evaluation result value of the usability evaluation simulation unit with a predetermined reference value,

wherein if the usability evaluation result value is not greater than the reference value in the comparison unit, the comparison unit notifies the model preparation unit and the external shape of the user interface is designed again.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the input data preparation unit for a usability evaluation experiment manages a database appropriate for evaluating the usability of a user interface by a user by focusing on a predetermined utilization scenario;

generates input information items by selecting input data appropriate for the usability evaluation simulation from the database, or by generating a random numbers; and

provides the input data to the usability evaluation simulation unit after dividing and/or combining the input data so that the input data corresponds to a minimum interaction unit of a human model and a user interface model to be used in the usability evaluation simulation.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the model preparation unit designs the external shape of the interface directly through interaction with the user;

allows the properties of the designed user interface model in relation to an interaction unit object to be changed in a multi-dimensional area, including spatial and temporal properties, according to an object based design method;

defines the motion property of an interaction object, focusing on input and output;

sets shape information matching with a predetermined experiment criterion;

defines interaction information to be exchanged between objects when an interaction between a unit object of the user interface model and an object of the hand model is performed;

sets the initial values of a user interface model related to the evaluation of the usability of the user interface model by a user;

changes interface motion property values in response to feedback received from the user interface usability evaluation unit; and

updates evaluation elements of internal elements of the interface.