User experience consulting, staff augmentation, training and products

Cool stuff and UX resources

Bunnies don't like being disturbed on holiday

Over the past 40+ years, much energy has gone into understanding whether exposure to violent media (TV, movies, video games) makes people more accepting of violence – and possibly even more violent. The concern exploded with violent TV. Could watching violent movies/shows make people more aggressive? Would seeing violence as a response:

teach viewers new strategies?
make violence more common and familiar?
make it seem like an OK – or even desirable – way to react?

First-person shooter games (e.g., Doom, Quake, Half-life, Ravin' Rabbit), where players perform actions rather than watch them, has fueled this debate. Can making a decision once or executing a maneuver in a virtual environment make it easier to do so in real life?

In simplified form, the logic of "interaction-to-action" claims goes something like this:

People engaged in a simulation game have experiences and adopt strategic responses they may have never considered without the game.
Certain responses get rewarded with points or other rewards (e.g., promotion to the next level; special powers or resources and ultimately winning the game).
Players repeat / practice / explore "winning" responses in an attempt to do even better.
Responses that are reinforced – or even just experienced – will be easier to think of and execute the next time the player encounters a similar situation – in the game or otherwise.

The point is that actions and decisions that were unknown before (or at least unlikely), become easier to think of and do through of the "experience" of the games. (Anderson, et.al., 2004, Anderson and Bushman, 2001).

It's all a game...

Critics of interaction-to-action claims argue that games are games and players can distinguish games from reality.

The gamers?... Maybe. But their brains can't. (Webber, Ritterfeld and Mathiak, 2006)

fMRI studies reveal that brain activation in response to virtual violence parallels the brain response to actual aggressive thoughts and behaviors.*

In contrast with previous studies, here the researchers report a direct and directional connection between the game playing and the response: "There is a causal link between playing the first-person shooting game in our experiment and brain-activity patterns that are considered as characteristic for aggressive cognitions and affects."*

Deciding to do something in the game feels (neurologically speaking) just like the experience of doing something in (real) life.

*fMRI image & quote source: newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/2532/content.htm

Vroom, vroom

Even if you don't have kids who play violent video games (or don't play them yourself), this may apply to you.

A recent behavioral study of virtual road racing games shows a similar finding pattern. Experiences in the game influence experiences outside the game (Fischer, Kubitzki, Guter and Frey, 2007).

In this study, participants were assigned to play either a soccer game or a virtual racing game that involved committing "massive" traffic violations, crashing into other cars, and driving at very high speeds to win.

After playing their assigned game, participants took the Vienna Risk Taking Test (Schuhfried, 2006). The Vienna Risk Taking Test uses real road video simulations to measure risk taking behavior based on reaction time measures in critical situations.

Participants who played a racing game – particularly men – took greater risks in the Vienna Risk Taking Test than those who had played the soccer game. Critically, those who played the racing game reported it was easier to think about and take bigger risks in the real-world simulation. When they did, they "experienced a kick" from doing so.

So virtual experiences seem to influence thinking and behavior for aggression and risky driving. Can this same approach be applied to generate desirable behaviors as well?

First-person scooper games

Organizations employing the Sesame Street Generation and beyond have begun to use video games to train employees on key, but perhaps not top-of-mind, profitability issues. The ice cream company Cold Stone Creamery uses a simulation video environment to help new employees learn and understand the cost of seemingly minor inaccuracies in portion size. OK, maybe this isn't as fun as some games, but it's not Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, either.

Persuasive interactives are not only for GenY... who hasn't been slowed down by one of these?

(The machine, not the man... though with the man it probably works better... but that's a topic for another newsletter.)

And the interactives don't need to be full fledged games, they just need to be persuasive by offering the user:

the situation
capture of the current decision
a path to vary "behavior" or "decisions" so that various options can be explored
interpretable feedback on the impact of their decision

For instance, Fogg (2003) outlines examples in which photocopiers influence behavior by alerting users how much paper they could save with 2-sided printing. (Have you seen those tree-shaped icons?)

If virtual simulation influences social decision-making, driving, ice cream scooping, and photo-copying, it should also work for financial planning, consumer goods product selection, health risk evaluation, career planning, and other serious topics? Why not?

Consider these questions as you start creating "serious games" for your reality.

What decisions or actions does your site or application try to help people execute?
Can/do you use or embed interactive, self-directed feedback to help users understand the impact of making various decisions?
Are the interactive task flows appropriate, available, and obvious at key decision points?
Are they "walk-up easy" to interact with and use?
Do the interactives invite you to fiddle with them? Or are they just scary?
Can users explore alternate strategies effectively?
Can users translate the feedback to "what-next" action?
Are the interactives engaging and persuasive... from the customer's perspective?

Something to think about on the beach...

References

Anderson, C. (2003). Violent Video Games, Myths, Facts and Unanswered Questions. Psychological Science Agenda, 16(5)

Anderson, C.A. and Bushman, B.J. (2001). Effects of violent games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytical review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12, 353-359.

Anderson, C.A. and Dill, K.E. (2000). Video games and aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the laboratory and in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 772-790.

Didion, J. and Gatzke, H. (2004). The Baby Think It Over™ Experience to Prevent Teen Pregnancy: A Postintervention Evaluation. Public Health Nursing, Volume 21, Number 4, July 2004 , pp. 331-337(7)

Bogost, I. (2007). Persuasive Games; The Expressive Power of Videogames, MIT Press.

Fogg, B.J. (2003). Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.

Fischer, P., Kubitzki, J., Guter, S., and Frey, D. (2007). Virtual Driving and Risk Taking: Do Racing games increase risk-taking congnitions, affect and behaviors? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 13(1), 22-31.

Weber, R., Ritterfeld, U., and Mathiak K. (2006). Does Playing Violent Video Games Induce Aggression? Empirical Evidence of a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. Media Psychology, Vol. 8, No. 1, Pages 39-60.

www.mcs.vuw.ac.nz/~rkhaled/cgi-bin/research.pl?Smoke

Message from the CEO, Dr. Eric Schaffer — The Pragmatic Ergonomist

Reader comments

Thanh Nguyen
BusinessOnLine

I wonder how much of a time gap there were between when users played the virtual racing game and actually took the Vienna Risk Taking Test. I would speculate that if the users took the Vienna Risk Taking Test two weeks after playing the game (instead of right after), their risk-taking behavior would probably be equal to those who played the soccer game.

Eric Stark
U.S.P.S.

Yes, I agree with the Author(s) findings. Especially in the paragragh discussing facing one's fears through graphical intervention or positive role playing. You know, just look up the word "playing" in the New Oxford American Dictionary.

Dimiter Simov
Lucrat

I am curious how people who play shooter games or strategic games in which players build their own worlds and fight other worlds would score in the Vienna Risk Taking Test.

That is, is there a correlation between aggression and risk-taking? It is also curious whether people's personal risk-affinity in games is correlated to the results in the test. Do people who take great risks when playing such games take similarly great risks in life.

John Moore
Human Experience Design

The neural pathways for simulated or imagined activities are very similar to those for the actual activities. using those pathways over and over builds efficiencies that makes those actions, attitudes, and emotions more natural. The Army has been very successfully using simulations for many years in order to overcome soldiers natural resistance to killing other human beings.

Watching violent media and playing violent video games has also been shown (via fMRI) to reduce impulse control and critical thinking.

This effect is far more pronounced in children who's mental processes are more flexible than adults. Of course many media producers, including the MPAA and video game manufacturers, deny that media affects behavior.

Glenna Schindler
Healthcare Services Group

How timely. I was just thinking about how "games" can be substituted for risk management in-service programs and what type of games could be developed to do this. Do you know of any that have already been developed connected to risk management?

Reviewed: 18 Mar 2014

This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which Human Factors International, Inc., an Iowa corporation (“HFI”) collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users (each, a “User”) of its humanfactors.com website and any derivative or affiliated websites on which this Privacy Policy is posted (collectively, the “Website”). HFI reserves the right, at its discretion, to change, modify, add or remove portions of this Privacy Policy at any time by posting such changes to this page. You understand that you have the affirmative obligation to check this Privacy Policy periodically for changes, and you hereby agree to periodically review this Privacy Policy for such changes. The continued use of the Website following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes an acceptance of those changes.

Cookies

HFI may use “cookies” or “web beacons” to track how Users use the Website. A cookie is a piece of software that a web server can store on Users’ PCs and use to identify Users should they visit the Website again. Users may adjust their web browser software if they do not wish to accept cookies. To withdraw your consent after accepting a cookie, delete the cookie from your computer.

Privacy

HFI believes that every User should know how it utilizes the information collected from Users. The Website is not directed at children under 13 years of age, and HFI does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13 years of age online. Please note that the Website may contain links to other websites. These linked sites may not be operated or controlled by HFI. HFI is not responsible for the privacy practices of these or any other websites, and you access these websites entirely at your own risk. HFI recommends that you review the privacy practices of any other websites that you choose to visit.

HFI is based, and this website is hosted, in the United States of America. If User is from the European Union or other regions of the world with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. law and User is registering an account on the Website, visiting the Website, purchasing products or services from HFI or the Website, or otherwise using the Website, please note that any personally identifiable information that User provides to HFI will be transferred to the United States. Any such personally identifiable information provided will be processed and stored in the United States by HFI or a service provider acting on its behalf. By providing your personally identifiable information, User hereby specifically and expressly consents to such transfer and processing and the uses and disclosures set forth herein.

In the course of its business, HFI may perform expert reviews, usability testing, and other consulting work where personal privacy is a concern. HFI believes in the importance of protecting personal information, and may use measures to provide this protection, including, but not limited to, using consent forms for participants or “dummy” test data.

The Information HFI Collects

Users browsing the Website without registering an account or affirmatively providing personally identifiable information to HFI do so anonymously. Otherwise, HFI may collect personally identifiable information from Users in a variety of ways. Personally identifiable information may include, without limitation, (i)contact data (such as a User’s name, mailing and e-mail addresses, and phone number); (ii)demographic data (such as a User’s zip code, age and income); (iii) financial information collected to process purchases made from HFI via the Website or otherwise (such as credit card, debit card or other payment information); (iv) other information requested during the account registration process; and (v) other information requested by our service vendors in order to provide their services. If a User communicates with HFI by e-mail or otherwise, posts messages to any forums, completes online forms, surveys or entries or otherwise interacts with or uses the features on the Website, any information provided in such communications may be collected by HFI. HFI may also collect information about how Users use the Website, for example, by tracking the number of unique views received by the pages of the Website, or the domains and IP addresses from which Users originate. While not all of the information that HFI collects from Users is personally identifiable, it may be associated with personally identifiable information that Users provide HFI through the Website or otherwise. HFI may provide ways that the User can opt out of receiving certain information from HFI. If the User opts out of certain services, User information may still be collected for those services to which the User elects to subscribe. For those elected services, this Privacy Policy will apply.

How HFI Uses Information

HFI may use personally identifiable information collected through the Website for the specific purposes for which the information was collected, to process purchases and sales of products or services offered via the Website if any, to contact Users regarding products and services offered by HFI, its parent, subsidiary and other related companies in order to otherwise to enhance Users’ experience with HFI. HFI may also use information collected through the Website for research regarding the effectiveness of the Website and the business planning, marketing, advertising and sales efforts of HFI. HFI does not sell any User information under any circumstances.

Disclosure of Information

HFI may disclose personally identifiable information collected from Users to its parent, subsidiary and other related companies to use the information for the purposes outlined above, as necessary to provide the services offered by HFI and to provide the Website itself, and for the specific purposes for which the information was collected. HFI may disclose personally identifiable information at the request of law enforcement or governmental agencies or in response to subpoenas, court orders or other legal process, to establish, protect or exercise HFI’s legal or other rights or to defend against a legal claim or as otherwise required or allowed by law. HFI may disclose personally identifiable information in order to protect the rights, property or safety of a User or any other person. HFI may disclose personally identifiable information to investigate or prevent a violation by User of any contractual or other relationship with HFI or the perpetration of any illegal or harmful activity. HFI may also disclose aggregate, anonymous data based on information collected from Users to investors and potential partners. Finally, HFI may disclose or transfer personally identifiable information collected from Users in connection with or in contemplation of a sale of its assets or business or a merger, consolidation or other reorganization of its business.

Personal Information as Provided by User

If a User includes such User’s personally identifiable information as part of the User posting to the Website, such information may be made available to any parties using the Website. HFI does not edit or otherwise remove such information from User information before it is posted on the Website. If a User does not wish to have such User’s personally identifiable information made available in this manner, such User must remove any such information before posting. HFI is not liable for any damages caused or incurred due to personally identifiable information made available in the foregoing manners. For example, a User posts on an HFI-administered forum would be considered Personal Information as provided by User and subject to the terms of this section.

Security of Information

Information about Users that is maintained on HFI’s systems or those of its service providers is protected using industry standard security measures. However, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and HFI cannot guarantee that the information submitted to, maintained on or transmitted from its systems will be completely secure. HFI is not responsible for the circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures relating to the Website by any Users or third parties.

Correcting, Updating, Accessing or Removing Personal Information

If a User’s personally identifiable information changes, or if a User no longer desires to receive non-account specific information from HFI, HFI will endeavor to provide a way to correct, update and/or remove that User’s previously-provided personal data. This can be done by emailing a request to HFI at hfi@humanfactors.com. Additionally, you may request access to the personally identifiable information as collected by HFI by sending a request to HFI as set forth above. Please note that in certain circumstances, HFI may not be able to completely remove a User’s information from its systems. For example, HFI may retain a User’s personal information for legitimate business purposes, if it may be necessary to prevent fraud or future abuse, for account recovery purposes, if required by law or as retained in HFI’s data backup systems or cached or archived pages. All retained personally identifiable information will continue to be subject to the terms of the Privacy Policy to which the User has previously agreed.

Contacting HFI

If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, you may contact HFI via any of the following methods:
Human Factors International, Inc.
PO Box 2020
1680 highway 1, STE 3600
Fairfield IA 52556
hfi@humanfactors.com
(800) 242-4480

Terms and Conditions for Public Training Courses

Reviewed: 18 Mar 2014

Cancellation of Course by HFI

HFI reserves the right to cancel any course up to 14 (fourteen) days prior to the first day of the course. Registrants will be promptly notified and will receive a full refund or be transferred to the equivalent class of their choice within a 12-month period. HFI is not responsible for travel expenses or any costs that may be incurred as a result of cancellations.

Cancellation of Course by Participants (All regions except India)

$100 processing fee if cancelling within two weeks of course start date.

Cancellation / Transfer by Participants (India)

4 Pack + Exam registration: Rs. 10,000 per participant processing fee (to be paid by the participant) if cancelling or transferring the course (4 Pack-CUA/CXA) registration before three weeks from the course start date. No refund or carry forward of the course fees if cancelling or transferring the course registration within three weeks before the course start date.

Cancellation / Transfer by Participants (Online Courses)

$100 processing fee if cancelling within two weeks of course start date. No cancellations or refunds less than two weeks prior to the first course start date.

Individual Modules: Rs. 3,000 per participant ‘per module’ processing fee (to be paid by the participant) if cancelling or transferring the course (any Individual HFI course) registration before three weeks from the course start date. No refund or carry forward of the course fees if cancelling or transferring the course registration within three weeks before the course start date.

Exam: Rs. 3,000 per participant processing fee (to be paid by the participant) if cancelling or transferring the pre agreed CUA/CXA exam date before three weeks from the examination date. No refund or carry forward of the exam fees if requesting/cancelling or transferring the CUA/CXA exam within three weeks before the examination date.

No Recording Permitted

There will be no audio or video recording allowed in class. Students who have any disability that might affect their performance in this class are encouraged to speak with the instructor at the beginning of the class.

Course Materials Copyright

The course and training materials and all other handouts provided by HFI during the course are published, copyrighted works proprietary and owned exclusively by HFI. The course participant does not acquire title nor ownership rights in any of these materials. Further the course participant agrees not to reproduce, modify, and/or convert to electronic format (i.e., softcopy) any of the materials received from or provided by HFI. The materials provided in the class are for the sole use of the class participant. HFI does not provide the materials in electronic format to the participants in public or onsite courses.