UXD740 – Week 4: Feedback cycles

Lehang Tieu
Jan 24, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Jan 25, 2022

15th October 2021, edited 24th January 2022

Feedback cycles

Feedback cycles are the way people interact with the world. For example, we have a user and a system. The user interacts with the system by inputting the task, and the system provides an output back to the user to communicate to them. The output from the system determines the following action the user takes.

Gulf of execution and gulf of evaluation

Image (Source)

"The gulf of evaluation and the gulf of execution describe two major challenges that users must overcome to successfully interact with any device. As indicated by the figure, users are stuck in an (almost) endless cycle, alternating these two issues: after you execute, you must evaluate the outcome, plan to execute your next step, evaluate that outcome, and so on, until you reach your desired end-goal and quit.”

NN Group (Source)

The gulf of execution is defined as "How do I know what I can do?". It is the distance between the user’s goals and the action required to realise those goals. The user identifies the task they need to do in the system by understanding their own goals and the actions they need to do to realise their goals and to execute those actions.

The gulf of execution is defined as “What’s the current system state?”. It is the distance between the actions and the user’s understanding of the results. The user evaluates the new state of the system by reviewing the results of the action they had made and checking if the state completes their goal.

Three levels of processing: Reflective, Behavioural, Visceral

The model of human cognition is based on three levels of processing: Reflective, Behavioural, Visceral. The reflective phase is when the user considers the problem and plans the solution. Conscious decision-making occurs in this stage, involving reflecting and evaluating the actions and results. High levels of emotion such as guilt and pride are determined by what went wrong and right in the process.

The behavioural phase is when the user specifies the behaviour they need to do and interprets the outcome. Actions in this stage are subconscious. Every action planned has an expectation. For example, if you expect a positive outcome, the result is a positive affective response. Feedback is essential because it provides reassurance in your actions, even if the result is negative. If there is no feedback, it gives a sense of lack of control which can cause confusion. Providing constant feedback can solve our expectations and help us design a good user experience.

The visceral phase is the physical activity and raw perceptions. This phase allows users to respond quickly and subconsciously. For example, the sound of a rough surface can be irritating, or a harmonious sound will be pleasant. Style and design are crucial in this stage, such as interface design and sounds. The type of design will either be pleasant or repulsive. It is vital to consider the product's design because good design is used to drive visceral responses.

Project proposal

Writing a project proposal was a new experience for me. It is part of the research paper appendix. I used the project proposal template given in week three as a guideline to follow. I have used other sources like Scribbr to understand the basics of a proposal and what details to include in each section.

Challenge activity: Research methods

Research design

My research design will involve implementing qualitative and quantitative methods in primary and secondary research.

Primary research

I will create a survey to collect quantitative data on how well people sleep, the number of hours of sleep they get and their age groups. I will collect qualitative data on what people do to fall asleep and their experiences with current technology apps to help them get to sleep.

I will also carry out a short case study on three users that will use the Sleep Cycle app for seven days. Each day they use the app, they will document their findings, thoughts and progress in their sleep diary. After the seven days, I will interview them to obtain qualitative information about their personal experiences and discuss their results from their sleep diary.

Secondary research

I will research scientific and peer-reviewed journals and materials to better my knowledge on the subjects: face-to-face cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, digital CBT-I and ethical issues involved.

Methods and sources

I will be sending out my survey to people of all ages that have sleep deficiencies and insomnia. The case study will be on three users that are adults who currently have an insomnia disorder. I will be preparing the case study brief and hoping the research experiment will start the week commencing 18th October 2021. The research tools I will be exploring are Google Scholar, Falmouth library services and the Sleep Foundation website.

Practical considerations

Time limitation: This research is limited to 12 weeks including planning, collecting and analysing data and writing the research paper. A research schedule has been organised to structure the project.
Privacy and security: The case study participants using the SC app enables the sound recorder to capture snoring, sleep talking, sleep movement and other noises. The users’ responses and personal information will be collected. The brief will be sent to the participants that include the purpose of the study and instructions. A written participation agreement will be obtained from the users consenting to their contribution and responses used in the research. Information collected from the users will be anonymised to protect their privacy and confidentiality.
Restricted participants: The survey and case study participant criteria are users who experience sleep deficiencies or insomnia between ages 30 - 45.
A low number of participants: There will be six users participating in the case study. Therefore, there may not be enough data and trends to analyse. The survey will be conducted for two weeks. There may not be enough responses to analyse the data.
Lack of motivation: The users are asked to fill in their sleep diary for seven consecutive days. The users may feel unmotivated or forget to update their sleep diaries.

References

Brown, C.P. 2021. Week 4: Don Norman's Feedback Cycles. [online] Available at: <https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/910/pages/week-4-don-normans-feedback-cycles?module_item_id=55128> [Accessed 24 January 2022].

Norman, D. 2013. In The design of everyday things: Revised and expanded edition. New York: Basic Books, pp. 50–53.

Scribbr. 2021. How to do survey research. [online] Available at: <https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/survey-research/> [Accessed 15 October 2021].

Scribbr. 2021. Designing a questionnaire. [online] Available at: <https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/questionnaire/> [Accessed 15 October 2021].

Sleep Foundation. 2021. Sleep Foundation | Trusted Sleep Health Information and Product Reviews. [online] Available at: <https://www.sleepfoundation.org/> [Accessed 15 October 2021].

Sleep Cycle alarm clock. 2021. Sleep Cycle | Sleep Tracker, Monitor & Alarm Clock. [online] Available at: <https://www.sleepcycle.com/> [Accessed 15 October 2021].