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Sound Usability?

Sound Usability?. Usability heuristics and guidelines for user-centered podcasts. Dr. Jennifer L. Bowie ▪ For the Symposium on Usability, Information Design, and Information Interaction to Communicate Complex Information ▪ February 24, 2012 ▪ East Carolina University. Overview.

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Sound Usability?

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  1. Sound Usability? Usability heuristics and guidelines for user-centered podcasts Dr. Jennifer L. Bowie ▪ For the Symposium on Usability, Information Design, and Information Interaction to Communicate Complex Information ▪ February 24, 2012 ▪ East Carolina University

  2. Overview Podcasting 101 Usability for podcasts • A “definition” • Heuristics • Anatomy of a Podcast • Usability guidelines A pod usable future

  3. Podcasting 101 Podcast: iPod/Personal-On-Demand+ narrowcast Digital media files distributed over the internet • Not just audio & video RSS feeds: subscriptions and delivery Often played on portable media players • Not just for iPods Time-shifted & location-shifted Started as grassroots/independent now with many companies & organizations Increasing popularity

  4. A Definition Effective: Successfully enables users to meet their goals and/or complete the required/desired tasks Efficient: Quickly produces desired results without impacting accuracy or wasting time, actions, and/or resources Engaging & Satisfying: Attracts the attention of the user and creates a pleasant, fulfilling, and enjoyable interaction(s)/use while meeting the expectations, goals/tasks of the user Error Tolerant: Prevents errors and when errors occur does not unnecessarily penalize users and enables a quick recovery Easy to Use & Learn: Requires minimal effort and difficulty to use at any point, “supports both initial orientation [use] and deepening understanding of its capabilities” [1, p. 88] Context Sensitive: Works within the user’s context (including the environment and circumstances) of use Goal and Task Oriented: Enables the user to meet goals and complete tasks Useful: Being of use by serving the needs/desires of the users Developed from [1-2]

  5. Heuristics: Feedback Informative Feedback and Error Prevention: • Regular and timely feedback on the state/location • Information that allows users to navigate • Information & more to prevent errors • Best practices to lighten mental load

  6. Heuristics: S&E Satisfying & Engaging: • Not required: “radio voice” • Strong content • Passionate podcasters • Cleanly edited episodes • Decent theme music • Varies based on genre and podcast Important for survival

  7. Heuristics: EEE Easy, Effective, and Efficient • Enable users to meet their goals without impacting accuracy or wasting resources • Considers time • Require minimal effort from the users

  8. Heuristics: Users & Use Considers Users and Context of Use: • Consider differences • Experience level with content • Accessibility and access issues • User’s language level (beginner, expert,…). • Provides different ways to access the information • Considers how users access • Keep user’s context and use in mind

  9. Heuristics: D&D Appropriate Design & Delivery • Minimizeddistraction/competition • Balances minimalism with aesthetics • Designed for audio • Provides access to other content • Delivered in the best medium and form

  10. Heuristics: Consistency Consistency: • Consistent across and within episodes and genre, including • Publication schedule • Length • Transcripts • Format • Organization of podcast • Topic

  11. Heuristics: Doc Documentation and Support: • Should have transcript or show notes • Easy to access • Available if needed • Referenced in the podcast

  12. Heuristics: Severity 0: Not at all a usability problem 1: Cosmetic 2: Minor Usability 3: Major Usability Problem 4: “Usability catastrophe”

  13. Anatomy of a Podcast Album Art Album Text Pre-Intro Theme Music Intro Musical and Other Transitions Bed Music Main Body Visuals Outro Podcast as a Whole Additional Texts

  14. Guidelines: Album Art

  15. Guidelines: Album Text

  16. Guidelines: Pre–Intro

  17. Guidelines: Theme Music

  18. Guidelines: Intro 1

  19. Guidelines: Intro 2

  20. Guidelines: Musical & Other Transitions

  21. Guidelines: Bed Music

  22. Guidelines: Main Body 1

  23. Guidelines: Main Body 2

  24. Guidelines: Visuals

  25. Guidelines: Outro

  26. Guidelines: Outro

  27. Guidelines: Additional Texts

  28. Guidelines: Additional Texts 2

  29. Podcast as a Whole Guidelines 1

  30. Podcast as a Whole Guidelines 2

  31. Discussion & Testing Usable Passion Further Research Discussion & Questions What to try it out?

  32. Questions? Image: Digital Media Galaxy http://www.digitalmediagalaxy.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/podcast.jpg Reference: • Quesenbury, W. The five dimensions of usability. In Albers M., and Mazur, B. eds. Content and Complexity: Information Design in Technical Communication, LEA, 2003, 81–102. • Nielsen, J. 2005. Ten usability heuristics. Useit. DOI=http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html. Heuristics & Severity also developed from • Zhang, J., et al. 2003. Using usability heuristics to evaluate patient safety of medical devices. Journal of Biomedical Informatics 36, (2003), 23–30. • Nielsen, J. nd. Severity ratings for usability problems. Useit. DOI=http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html. Jennifer L. Bowie, www.screenspace.org blog & podcast, jbowie@screenspace.org @Screen_Space

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