Shortening the Human Computer Interface Design Cycle: A Parallel Design Process Based on the Genetic Algorithm

Abstract

The software design community considers human factors engineering to be a source of bottlenecks in the computer interface design cycle. This paper suggests a way to shorten and improve the typically linear design process, without skimping on human factors engineering. It proposes a parallel design process based on the genetic algorithm of natural biological evolution. Although the genetic algorithm design process can take place within a facilitated group, it differs significantly from facilitation techniques in several ways: It is a parallel process, each design generation is evaluated against a usability fitness function, successive generations must include components from the previous generation, and evolution continues until convergence (consensus regarding the best design) is reached. The process is demonstrated here by a case study of the interface design for a corporate software program. Participants considered 40 designs and reached consensus on a final design in eight hours, thereby shortening the design cycle from two weeks to one day.

Exploring interface design to support caregivers’ needs and feelings of trust in online content

“…Based on information we gathered from the focus groups, the literature (regarding best practices for building online interfaces for caregivers and older adults and web design and trust), and the interface design elements highlighted in Table 1, we leveraged the parallel design process to explore several creative design possibilities for CARE-RATE. The parallel design methodology produces better outcomes 76–78 by generating diverse ideas (i.e., the chatbot, search bar, and tree structure designs depicted in Figures 1 to 3) and ensuring that the best ideas from each design are integrated into the final concept. We also drew on Adam’s work on online information reliability 79–82 where she purports that reliability, as it relates to information, is composed of three components: (1) the technical components of websites and Internet-based applications, (2) information content, and (3) expected end-user behavior.…”

A carrier's perspective on creating a mobile multimedia service

“…We employed various informal and formal using images unless they were absolutely necessary. design techniques, including McCrew's Parallel Design Process Based on a Genetic Algorithm, to generate these concepts [4].…”

Design and Evaluation of Usable Systems

“…For complex systems this is seldom available. algorithm and modifies it so that it can be used by a group of people (McGrew 2001). By doing so it retains the advantages discussed above (parallel design, handles high dimensionality and non-monotonic variables, converges to a solution) and makes the algorithm available for use outside of a computer (after all not all problems must be or can be solved by a computer).…”

“…This paper discusses a case study of the design and evaluation of a change management system using a facilitated genetic algorithm (a parallel design method) and user decision style analysis (McGrew 2001(McGrew , 1999. The facilitated genetic algorithm reduces design cost and time and the decision style reduces risk of fielding an unusable system.…”