More TCUID: Tasks and the Design Process

1. More TCUID:Tasks and the Design Process

2. The Common ink Pen Hall of fame and shame

3. Why some ink pens are hall of fame • Affordances • It affords to be clipped on something • It affords to held on the grip. • It affords to be clicked • Visibility • It looks like a pencil/writing utensil • Looks like it belongs in your hand. • Feedback • You get instant feedback when you write with it. • Also you get feedback when it is empty. • Constraints • Wont work unless you click it.

4. Why some ink pens are bad • Affordances • Both of these pens lack the Affordances of the previous pen. • Visibility • Has the same visibility as the previous pen. • Feedback • Both of these pens give instant feedback when used. • Constraints • These pens have worse constraints than the previous pen. • Either you can lose your constraints(top) • Or you can’t tell how to open the pen(bottom)

5. Light Wiring @ Mills • Good • Bad

6. Y U NO DO WUT MAKES SENSE?! TERRIBLE MAPPING FEEDBACK

7. Solution

8. Objectives for today • Review project deliverables for this week • Continue working through TCUID • Elaborate; relate to other approaches • Try out some techniques

9. Project: what’s coming up • First, check the project guide frequently! • Some of you may have met with your users • …. So, any questions?

10. Deliverables for Week 5 • User Visit Report • 5 Tasks • 2 Scenarios • Other stuff

11. User Visit Report • Summary of the process you carried out • A user description – relevant user characteristics you are considering in your design. • expected range of computer and internet experience • use environment • special user concerns or motivations • … • what users do today to fulfill the needs that your project aims to satisfy in a new way

12. Task Analysis • Descriptions of at least five (TCUID) tasks that users would accomplish with your prototype • For each task description • who are the users • what are they doing • why are they doing it • At least three should be general tasks that users accomplish today • Detailed enough for users to understand and comment on • Not tied to a specific interface

13. Current Usage Scenarios • For two of the tasks, provide a detailed scenario explaining how users accomplish that task today • These scenarios may involve computer software, paper, or other devices, in any combination

14. Other Stuff To Include • Anything else you learned from the user visit not already covered • How effective was your process • Lessons learned – what you’d do different in the future • Any information you could not gather, along with either (a) plans for how you will get it or (b) how you’ll continue without it

15. Be prepared to discuss • What you learned from the analysis • Any changes in your conception of the project

16. Quick Review of Tasks

17. Tasks • A detailed description of a complete job that a specific user wants to accomplish • Doesn’t specify how they would do the job – separate the What from the How; concentrate on the What

18. Using tasks • Set goals for system functionality • Inform design decisions • Thomas: “Let’s add this cool new feature!!!” • Sharon: “Why? Which task does it support?” • Compare design alternatives

19. From Task to Design • Write-up tasks, circulate among users • clarify missing details • Mock up an interface, using existing systems or designs where possible • Sketch out how each task would be accomplished in the interface, then develop scenarios

20. Sample Task • Rita Neus, the on-line production coordinator for the paper sits down at 1:30 AM before going home for the night, and • Selects the stories stokeef.xy, stguns.xy, stvet.xy, stwres.xy, stcomp.sy (in that order) for the “news” section of the website. • She decides that stvet.xy should be the lead story • She realizes that stwres.xy is actually a sports story and moves it to that department.

21. Sample Task Dr. Wenthold, head of the search committee, is in charge of setting up the schedule for the campus visit of a job candidate (Sal Lammy) on February 7th. He schedules • time to take the candidate to lunch, and dinner. • 3:30-4:30 PM for the candidate’s research talk. • 4:30-5:30 for the “wine and cheese reception.” • A 90-minute block for a campus tour which ends with a meeting with the Dean (check with the Dean on availability). He contacts the other members of the department and allows them to schedule 30 minute meetings with the candidate for any time slot not yet taken and to join meals.

22. Exercise • Consider the general task of voting • A voter chooses one (or more) candidate from a set of candidates for a particular office • In a given election, voters may have to make choices for multiple offices

23. Exercise – Part 2 • Now consider tasks • Write 2 task descriptions • Who are the users? • What are they trying to do?

24. Some example “tasks” • Casting a vote • Changing a vote • Casting a ballot • Counting votes • Recounting votes

25. Scenarios • Specific instances of system use • From the what to the how • A particular task • A particular interface • What the user do would, in detail • enough detail for a user to complete without task knowledge

26. Example Scenario Open two command prompt windows. In window #1 type “ls –l” In window #2 type “pico news.ord” Type the following items one per line “stokeef.xy” “stguns.xy” “stvet.xy” “stwres.xy” “stcomp.sy”.

27. Example Scenario Using the cursor keys, move the cursor after the y in the line reading “stvet.xy”. Type “>lead”. Using the cursor keys, move the cursor to the line reading “stwres.xy” Press ctrl-k to delete this line. Press “ctrl-x” followed by “y” to save this file. Type “pico sports.ord” At the end of this file type “stwres.xy” Press “ctrl-x” followed by “y” to save this file.

28. Scenarios aren’t always computer related Obtain a paper copy of the “visitor schedule” sheet from the secretary. In the “who” field write “Sal Lammy.” In the “when” field write “February 7th.” In the “why” field” write “job interview.” Draw a box around the fields for 12:00 and 12:30. Inside this box write “Lunch with Li and others.” Draw a box around the fields for 6:00-8:00. Inside this box write “Dinner with Wenthold and others.” … Pick up the phone and dial 3-1234. Find out what time in the morning the Dean would like to meet the candidate. Draw a box around the time field suggested by the Dean and the hour prior to this. Label the box “tour and visit with Dean.”

29. Properties of Scenarios • Interface-dependent • Detail appropriate to user, task, interface • Make certain issues obvious • how components work together • tricky parts of the interface • First step in evaluation

30. Exercise • Take a look at myUNIverse.uni.edu • Define 3 tasks students might try to accomplish with the site • Remember what tasks are used for

31. Where are we? • Project • This week in Studio • First user visit during week • Visit Report due Friday • Reading • Should have read • DOET • TCUID 1-2

32. Hey wait!!!! • Weren’t we supposed to have some “pop quizzes” from time to time??? • Put everything away except a pen/pencil.