Observing Users (finishing up)

1. Observing Users (finishing up) CS352

2. 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?

3. Input & Output • Input: • Surveys/questionnaires • Interviews • Observation • Documentation • Automatic data recording/tracking • 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?

4. 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 • …

5. Task Outlines • Use expanding/collapsing outline tool • Add detail progressively • Can add linked outlines for specific subtasks • Good for sequential tasks • Does not support parallel tasks well • Does not support branching well

6. Scenarios & Use Cases • Describe tasks in sentences • 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 tje 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. • (See book, p. 506, for the full version.)

7. Scenarios & Use Cases (cont.) • Use Cases • Focus on user-system interaction, not tasks. • Less effective than scenarios for the user 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 ... (See book p. 511 (?) for the full version.)

8. Diagrams, Flow Charts, Viz. • Diagrams, flow charts: • tend to show sequence or relationships • Other visualizations: • eg: count phenomenaover time

9. Visualizations (cont.) • Eg: Co-occurrence of phenomena

10. Visualizations (cont.) • Eg: Across time to show interesting change. Gaps opened (light) and closed (dark) over time. Time