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About
About
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on the design, evaluation, and implementation of interactive computer systems, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the interaction between humans and machines. HCI is concerned with studying how users interact with technology, understanding their needs, and creating user-friendly interfaces that facilitate efficient and satisfying experiences.
This NZQA standard 92006 is an external examination worth 5 Credits. The exam is on the morning of Thursday 26 November 2026.
Understand
Understand
At the start of each lesson have a look at one of the following websites. What makes it a poor design? Each website has a link underneath it to a discussion or explanation for why the website exists.
AI can be asked for summaries of these topics to jumpstart your research.
Task 1: What can go wrong?
Task 1: What can go wrong?
In small groups watch one of these videos and do a quick investigation about one of the scenarios about what could go wrong with software and user interfaces. Then assemble a group of different experts and explain it your classmates.
AI can be used to enhance ideas after class discussion
Task 2: Users and Tasks
Task 2: Users and Tasks
Have a read of the Human Computer Interaction 4.2. Users and Tasks in the Computer Science Field guide and complete the tasks on this worksheet.
Know - Nielsen's Heuristics
Know - Nielsen's Heuristics
Task 3: Neilsens Heuristics
Task 3: Neilsens Heuristics
Watch the following video, look at the slides, and/or explore the CS Field Guide to learn about Neilson Heuristics. Take notes in the document on the left, using your own vocabulary, for each of the key words.
For neurodiverse students it may be useful to use a text to speech tool such as Read Aloud.
Video
Video
Watch the video, read and work through the interactive activities.
AI can be asked for summaries, quizzes, study material as well as in-depth discussions of these topics.
Start Building a Notebook LM
Start Building a Notebook LM
Think of NotebookLM as a supercharged digital notebook that only knows what you teach it. Unlike other AI tools that pull information from the entire internet, NotebookLM focuses exclusively on the documents, videos, and notes you upload. It’s the perfect tool to help you connect the dots across your Human Computer Interaction research and build a personalized study guide for exam revision.
These three resources are an excellent start. As you proceed through this unit, continue to add your worksheets, videos, PDFs, and other useful resources to grow your knowledge base.
Things to try:
Generate an Audio Overview: Watch your notes come to life as two AI voices discuss your HCI resources in a podcast-style conversation.
Create a Quiz: Challenge yourself by generating a practice test based specifically on your uploaded materials.
Build a Study Guide or Mindmap: Use the "Notebook Guide" to see a high-level overview of how all your resources connect.
As you add new resources, remember to regenerate these tools so the AI can include your latest notes and insights!
Do - Apply Nielsen's Heuristics
Do - Apply Nielsen's Heuristics
No AI allowed, these tasks build the core skills you need for your exam.
These exercises will build on your skills of identifying, explaining and evaluating the use of Neilson's Heuristic's in some websites. These skills build on each other:
Identify: To point out and name a specific part of the interface. You don’t need to explain why it’s there yet; you just need to "spot" it and use the correct technical term.
Explain: To connect a specific part of the interface to a heuristic and show how it helps (or hinders) the user. You must answer: "What is the feature?" + "Which heuristic is it?" + "Why does it matter to the user?"
Evaluate: To judge the quality or value of the interface. You aren't just saying what is there; you are deciding how well it works, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and suggesting how it could be better.
You may want to Screen Capture examples as you go:
⊞ + Shift + S on Windows
Command (⌘) + Shift + 4 on Mac
Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows on Chromebook
Task 4: Finding Neilsens Heuristics on AirNZ
Task 4: Finding Neilsens Heuristics on AirNZ
To help with your understanding:
Use the Air New Zealand website
Identify and screen capture an example of each heuristic and explain it in the document.
You can always refer back to the slides, CS Field Guide, or your notes.
Task 5: Nielsen's Heuristics and Consistency
Task 5: Nielsen's Heuristics and Consistency
Now you are an expert, make a copy of this Google doc
Find examples (Write or screen capture) on the Woolworths Online website and work out which heuristic this does/does not meet and explain.
Then compare and contrast the internal and external consistency with New World Online
Fast Finishers
Have a go at Can't Unsee a game primarily about visual consistancy in websites.
Task 6: Confusing terms
Task 6: Confusing terms
People often confuse the following heuristics, make sure you know the difference:
“Error Prevention and Help” with “Users Recognise, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors”
Help Users Recognise, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors will often be marked in RED. An error has happened and the user is informed.
Error Prevention will often be highlighted in GREY to show you cannot interact with them. This will prevent the user from ever entering a state in which an error can occur.
“Flexibility and Efficiency of Use” and “User Control and Freedom”
Flexibility and Efficiency of Use is about being able to do stuff lots of different ways. Look for filters, shortcuts (possibly keyboard), personalisation options.
User Control and Freedom is about being able to CANCEL, UNDO, REMOVE or GO BACK/RETURN. Look for little red x's, Breadcrumb navigation, or any buttons labelled with the key words above.
Know - Mātauranga Māori
Know - Mātauranga Māori
General AI may have a hard time exploring these ideas due to the New Zealand context
Important warning:
When discussing Mātauranga Māori, students should be aware that AI-generated responses are frequently inaccurate or misleading in this context. This is due to limited and narrow training data and can result in content that is culturally inappropriate or factually incorrect.
Use trusted sources and your own reasoning.
The NotebookLM notebook you’ve been developing throughout this unit may be more reliable if it is based on quality sources you have selected from those presented in this unit. You are still responsible for checking accuracy and using information appropriately.
Task 7: Exploring Tikanga and Mātauranga Māori
Task 7: Exploring Tikanga and Mātauranga Māori
Make sure you have completed the resources on Manaakitanga and Kaitiakitanga in Digital Technologies before continuing with this task.
Mātauranga Māori principles are about more than just people that identify as Māori. They are overarching principles that can be used in digital technology to make user centric interfaces.
User Inyerface is an example of an interface that deliberately does not respect its user.
Here are some More, and more interfaces that don't respect their user.
The Computer Science Field Guide has recently released a unit on mātauranga Māori. Read the webpage and awnser the questions on the worksheet. After this read the article by Keegan, T. T. A. G. (2017) about the importance of accessable interfaces to Māori users.
Work through this worksheet as you read the resources on Mātauranga Māori
For neurodiverse students it may be useful to use a text to speech tool such as Read Aloud. Please note that this software has some issues pronouncing Māori words which itself could be failing in some aspects of Mātauranga Māori.
The old version of this worksheet.
This field guide is written to support students in Aotearoa | New Zealand to prepare for NCEA assessments, and one aspect of that is to be able to apply usability principles relating to mātāpono Māori - considerations that embed Māori culture.
This worksheet works along side the Excellent Article on Māori language interfaces by Te Taka Keegan. Each paragraph can be used as a lesson starter after the Computer Science Field Guide has been completed.
The old version of this worksheet.
Keegan, T. T. A. G. (2017). Māori language interfaces. In H. Whaanga, T. T. A. G. Keegan, & M. Apperley (Eds.), He Whare Hangarau Māori - Language, culture & technology (pp. 10–15). Hamilton, New Zealand: Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao / Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies, the University of Waikato. © 2017 copyright with the author. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Know - Accessibility
Know - Accessibility
AI can be used to enhance ideas after class discussion
Task 8: Accessibility in Video Games
Task 8: Accessibility in Video Games
The website Game Accessibility Guidelines (Link) is a comprehensive, developer-friendly online resource dedicated to helping game creators make their video games more accessible to a wider range of players, including those with disabilities. Each guideline explains why it's important and how it can be implemented, often with examples. These guideline can be applied to a wide range of applications including websites, software, and even physical product interfaces.
Extra Reading and Viewing
Extra Reading and Viewing
Ranking arachnophobia modes as someone who's been terrified of spiders for nearly 30 years - By Mollie Taylor for PC Gamer
Do - Examination Revision
Do - Examination Revision
AI can be used to check your answers
Important Terms
Important Terms
Throughout this exam revision there are
Identify: To point out and name a specific part of the interface. You don’t need to explain why it’s there yet; you just need to "spot" it and use the correct technical term.
Explain: To connect a specific part of the interface to a heuristic and show how it helps (or hinders) the user. You must answer: "What is the feature?" + "Which heuristic is it?" + "Why does it matter to the user?"
Evaluate: To judge the quality or value of the interface. You aren't just saying what is there; you are deciding how well it works, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and suggesting how it could be better.
Task 9: Heuristics Game
Task 9: Heuristics Game
This is a little game that you can play to strengthen your Heuristics identification, explanation, and evaluation skills.
Task 10: Quizlet, Kahoot, and Blooket
Task 10: Quizlet, Kahoot, and Blooket
Task 11: Your Own Interface
Task 11: Your Own Interface
You will need to study your own interface before the exam. This worksheet will walk you through choosing a good interface along with some examples.
Practice Exams
Practice Exams
AI can be used to check your answers
Assessment
Assessment
Assessment specifications 2025
For 2025, examples of usability principles will be drawn from:
Mātāpono Māori
Nielsen’s usability heuristics
Usability concepts such as internal and external consistency, and accessibility.
Candidates will study an interface of their own choice before the assessment.
Candidates are expected to write no more than 800–1200 words in this assessment.
2025 Exam
2025 Exam
Figures from Question B part a and b have been erased from the pdf for copywrite reasons. You can use the two wireframes to practise or look up the url to see what the image could have looked like.
Other Past Exams
Other Past Exams
Expired 91886 Exam Resources
Expired 91886 Exam Resources
Past Videos
Past Videos
Here are some of the past videos from the previous HCI standard. These could be useful to study as your own
Extension and Other Cool Stuff
Extension and Other Cool Stuff
Designing Interfaces using Design Principles
Designing Interfaces using Design Principles
ORACULO is a simple web tool that gives you random UX challenges (like a made-up product, a type of user, and a situation) so you can quickly practise designing an interface idea. It’s useful for building your Human Computer Interaction skills because it forces you to think about who the user is, what they’re trying to do, and what could go wrong, before you jump into “making it look cool.” It’s great for quick 5–10 minute warm-ups: sketch a layout, then explain how your choices help the user.
Answers
Answers
Task 2 - Users and Tasks (link)
Task 4 - Gathering Examples Air New Zealand (link)
Task 5 - Heuristics and Consistency (link)
Task 6 - Confusing Terms (link)
Task 7.1 - Exploring Tikanga and mātauranga Māori (link)
Task 7.2 - Exploring Tikanga and mātauranga Māori (link)
Task 8 - Accessibility in Video Games (link)
Task 9 - Heuristics Game (link)
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