Tutorial: 28. Avoiding Damned Lies: Understanding Statistical Ideas

Alan Dix, Staffordshire University

Benefits
You will gain an understanding of key statistical concepts. You will learn to understand and interpret statistics generated by yourself or others.

Origins
This is an update of a highly rated tutorial from BCS HCI 96.

Features

• see how random the world really is
• find out how to see through randomness
• learn about accuracy measures and why square people are a bad idea
• understand what statistical proof is all about
• learn what significance does and doesn't mean
• learn how to design experiments to get the most from your work
• discuss the special problems of HCI

Audience
Anyone who reads, writes or reviews HCI literature. Researchers and practitioners who have used statistics or learned about it, but feel they need more depth of understanding.

Presentation
Lecture, demonstrations and group exercises

Instructor
Alan Dix is Professor of Computing and Associate Dean at Staffordshire University, UK. He has worked in HCI research since 1984 with an emphasis on applying formal techniques to HCI and CSCW design. Before moving into HCI he was a mathematician and professional statistician. Dix has published numerous articles and several books including Human-Computer Interaction (with J. Finlan, G. Abowd and R. Beale, Prentice Hall, 1993, the second edition of which will be launched at CHI 98).