540-310 Human Factors in Information Seeking and Use

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540-310 Human Factors in Information Seeking and
Use

• Wooseob Jeong

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Usability Test Assignment (1)

• Part I Select Target Product
• Decide your target device. Anything can be your
  subject paper manuals, electronic devices,
  tools, web sites, software, hardware, but the
  list should not be limited.
• Pick one device, and describe what's the thing
  for what's the expected function, utility, and
  advantage? who use it?
• 200 words No more than 1 page!
• Plus, informed consent form
• Due on 3/17 (5)

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Usability Test Assignment (2)

• Part II Usability Test Report
• Identify any usability problems by testing at
  least three subjects, who should be available
  easily like your room mates or family members.
• Before testing, you should carefully develop
  appropriate tasks. The problems should be
  addressed in terms of usability perspective,
  especially time, effort, and error.
• Based on your findings, you should suggest any
  modification for the improvement of usability.
• 500-1000 words tables figures - 15 
• Due on 4/7

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Logical User-Centered Interactive Design
Methodology

1. Develop product concept
2. Performance research and needs analysis
3. Design concepts and key-screen prototype
4. Do iterative design and refinement
5. Implement software
6. Provide rollout support

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Three principles of a user-centered design

1. An early focus on users and tasks.
2. Empirical measurement of product usage.
3. Iterative design whereby a product is designed,
   modified, and tested repeatedly.

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User-centered design techniques

• Participatory design
• Focus group research
• Surveys
• Design (structured) walk-through
• Paper-and-pencil evaluations
• Expert evaluations
• Usability audit
• Usability testing
• Field studies
• Follow-up studies

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Participatory Design

• One or more representative users on the design
  team itself.
• Typically used for the development of in-house
  systems.
• The representative users can become too close to
  the design team.

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Focus Group Research

• The very early stages of a project in order to
  evaluate preliminary concepts using
  representative users.
• Simultaneous involvement of more than one
  participant.
• To explore a few peoples judgments and feelings
  in great depth, and in so doing learn how end
  users think and feel.
• Structured monitoring

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Surveys

• To understand the preferences of a broad base of
  users about an existing or potential product.
• It can use larger samples to generalize to an
  entire population.
• Any time in the life cycle, but early stages are
  better.
• Languages must be crystal clear and understood in
  the same way by all readers.

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Design (structured) walk-throughs

• First developed by IBM
• To explore how a user might fare with a product
  by envisioning the users route through an early
  concept or prototype of the product.
• Guide monitoring

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Paper-and-pencil Evaluation

• Users are shown an aspect of a product on paper
  and asked questions about it.
• Critical information can be collected quickly and
  inexpensively.
• Ex) Menu system, table of contents in HELP.
• Repeated conducts without big expense

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Expert Evaluation

• A review of a product or system, usually by a
  usability specialist who has no involvement in
  the project.
• Double specialist (usability and the area) is
  more effective than a usability expert.

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Usability Audit/Testing

• Usability Audit
• Comparing the design of a product against
  checklists of standards.
• Usability Testing
• Employs an iterative cycle of tests intended to
  expose usability deficiencies and gradually shape
  or mold the product in question.

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Field Study

• Review of a product that has been placed in its
  natural setting, such as an office or home, just
  prior to release.
• Advantage the exposure of the product to actual
  working conditions
• Disadvantage the loss of control over the data
  collection minimize the effectiveness by let
  us know what you think

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Follow-up Studies

• Conducted after formal release of a product
• Collect data for the next release, using surveys,
  interviews, and observations.
• Unfortunately, rare!

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Goals of Usability Testing (1)

• Of course, to ensure the creation of products
  that
• Are easy to learn and to use
• Are satisfying to use
• Provide utility and functionality that are highly
  valued by the target population
• Specifically,

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Goals of Usability Testing (2)

• Creating a historical record of usability
  benchmarks for future releases.
• Minimizing the cost of service and hotline calls.
  
• Increasing sales and the probability of repeat
  sales.
• Acquiring a competitive edge since usability has
  become a market separator for products.
• Minimizing risk.

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Five Usability Attributes (1)

• Learnability
• The system should be easy to learn so that the
  user can rapidly start getting some work done
  with the system.
• Efficiency
• The system should be efficient to use, so that
  once the user has learned the system, a high
  level of productivity is possible.
• Memorability
• The system should be easy to remember, so that
  the casual user is able to return to the system
  after some period of not having used it, without
  having to learn everything all over again.

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Five Usability Attributes (2)

• Errors
• The system should have a low error rate, so that
  users make few errors during the use of the
  system, and so that if they do make errors they
  can easily recover from them. Further,
  catastrophic errors must not occur.
• Satisfaction
• The system should be pleasant to use, so that
  users are subjectively satisfied when using it
  they like it.

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Limitations of Usability Testing

• Testing is always an artificial situation.
• Test results do not prove that a product works.
• Participants are rarely full representative of
  the target population.
• Testing is not always the best technique to use.

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Usability Lab Tours

• http//www.sois.uwm.edu/Jeong/540310/usability_tou
  r.htm
• In-class demo!
• Career Development
• Rubin, Jeffrey (1994) Handbook of Usability
  Testing, Wiley. 0-471-59403-2

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Four Types of Usability Tests

• Exploratory Test
• Preliminary stage skeleton
• Assessment Test
• Middle stage most typical body
• Validation Test
• Late stage verification, just before release
• Comparison Test
• Different interfaces in the same product with
  competitors products

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Informed Consent Form

• Participants should always be treated with
  respect and should be informed that it is not
  they who are being tested rather, it is the
  software and user interface that are under study.
  
• They should be told about what they will be doing
  and how long they will be expected to stay.
• Participation should always be voluntary, and
  informed consent should be obtained.

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Example of Informed Consent Form

• http//www.sois.uwm.edu/jeong/540310/consent.htm
• I have freely volunteered to participate in this
  experiment.
• I have been informed in advance what my task(s)
  will be and what procedures will be followed.
• I have been given the opportunity to ask
  questions and have had my questions answered to
  my satisfaction.
• IRB approval waived in classroom.

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Typical Test Routine

• Introduction
• Make participants comfortable
• Pre-questionnaire
• Background info like age, sex, experience
• Main Test
• Talk Aloud
• Post-questionnaire
• Confirmation of test results
• Debriefing
• Wrap-up conversation

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Task Component and Description

• Task
• Load paper into the copier.
• Machine State
• Copier with four labels attached and an empty
  cassette tray.
• Successful Completion Criteria
• Test subject loads paper into cassette after
  first fanning the stack of paper.
• Benchmark
• Load correctly within one minute.