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This text discusses various tools and techniques for observing users and making sense of the collected data, including task outlines, scenarios, use cases, diagrams/flow charts, and visualizations.
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Announcements, Activity • Notice upcoming due dates (web page) • Discussion: • Did your observations have enough detail to make us feel “there”? • If we had been following the inventory guidelines • for Proj. Part 4, what data would we have recorded from the in-class demo?
Input • Input: • Surveys/questionnaires • Interviews • Observation • Documentation • Automatic data recording/tracking
Output • Output: making sense of the input: • List of problems (e.g., Steve Krug min 6-7:30) • When is this what you need? • Task Outlines • Scenarios & Use Cases • After we show these, again ask: when is this what you need? • Diagrams and Flow charts • When is this what you need? • Visualizations with counts of Phenomena • After we show these, again ask: when are these what you need?
Task Outline Using a lawnmower to cut grass Step 1. Examine lawn • Make sure grass is dry • Look for objects laying in the grass Step 2. Inspect lawnmower • Check components for tightness • Check that grass bag handle is securely fastened to the grass bag support • Make sure grass bag connector is securely fastened to bag adaptor • Make sure that deck cover is in place • Check for any loose parts (such as oil caps) • Check to make sure blade is attached securely • Check engine oil level • Remove oil fill cap and dipstick • Wipe dipstick • Replace dipstick completely in lawnmower • Remove dipstick • Check that oil is past the level line on dipstick • …
Task Outlines • Advantages/disadvantages: • Good for sequential tasks • Does not support parallel tasks well • Does not support branching well • When is this what you need?
Scenarios • Describe tasks in sentences. (Especially good if user describes it.) • Effective for communicating general idea of task. • Not effective for tasks with much branching, or parallel tasks • Scenarios: “informal narrative description” • Focus on tasks / activities, not system (technology) use • ~ One path thru a use-case, but from user/task perspective. • “Say I want to find a book by G. Jeffries. I don’t remember the title, but I know it was ... I go to the catalog and enter my ... I don’t understand why I have to do this, since ... However, once ..., I am given a choice of ... or ..., but not ... I chose the ... because ... but now ... When I see this, I realize that in fact I made a mistake on ..., so I ... Finally I see the entry I want.
Use Cases • Use Cases – usually comes from documentation • Focus on supported paths through user-system interaction, not tasks. • Not effective for the user persepctive, emotions and reasoning. • eg: 1. System displays options for ... 2. User chooses the option to find out ... 3. System prompts user for ... 4. User enters ... ... Alternative courses: 3. If the option entered is invalid: 3.1 System displays error message. 3.2 System returns to step 1. 5. If the ...
Diagrams, Flow Charts. • To show sequence, space, relationships…
Other Visualizations • Eg: count user behaviors/phenomena over time
Visualizations (cont.) • Eg: Co-occurrence of phenomena
Visualizations (cont.) • Eg: Across time to show interesting change. Gaps opened (light) and closed (dark) over time. Time
Summary • Inputs: Data from interviews, observations, etc. • Lot of raw test and/or recordings. • Outputs: Ways to make sense of it. • Task outline (understand task) • Scenario (understand one user’s way of doing things) • Use case (shows supported paths thru) • Diagram/flow charts (relationships, paths, sequences) • Visualization (Understand frequencies, patterns and relationships)
