Usability Analysis

1. Usability Analysis • Why Analyze • Types of Usability Analysis • Human Subjects Research • Project 3: Heuristic Evaluation

2. Why Perform Usability Analyses • To provide feedback to designer regarding design decisions • To identify and determine solutions to unforeseen problems • To determine the what is required in instruction manuals and/or online help or to test its effectiveness • To determine how well the product meets the design goals

3. Approaches to Usability Testing • Testing • Typical users performing typical tasks using the system • Results are examined to determine how well the system supports the user • Inspection • Experts in usability examine the system interface • Inquiry • Evaluators get information from the perspective users to evaluate the system usability • Adapted from http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~zwz22/UsabilityHome.html

4. Testing • Performance Measurement • To obtain quantitative data about performance doing tasks • Good for testing alternative or against benchmark performance • Retrospective • Video data is collected and reviewed with the test user • Questions are asked about what was done and why • Generally used in conjunction with other methods • Think-Aloud • Users asked to share their thoughts about interaction with the system while performing predetermined tasks • Helps in understanding the users mental model • Adapted from http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~zwz22/UsabilityHome.html

5. Inspection • Cognitive Walkthrough • Group of evaluator evaluate the system by going through a set of tasks • Generally used during design phase • Feature Inspection • Each feature is analyzed separately to determine its accessibility, learnablity, and other usability characteristics based on various use scenarios • Often done near the documentation phase • Heuristic Evaluation • Evaluators attempt to determine if the design adheres to general design principles and rules of thumb • Generally performed in prototype phase • Adapted from http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~zwz22/UsabilityHome.html

6. Inquiry • Focus Groups • Groups of users brought together to discuss issues relating to the system • Evaluator plays the role of moderator • Logging Actual Use • Computer automatically collect use statistics about the system • Details how users perform their work • Questionnaires • Used to obtain subjective data from a group of users • Adapted from http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~zwz22/UsabilityHome.html

7. Human Subjects Protections • Began with Nuremberg Code after WWII • "the voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential" • Informed consent is the cornerstone of human subjects research • In US, regulations went into effect May 30, 1974 • Respect for the persons • Recognition of personal dignity and autonomy • Beneficence • Maximize benefits and minimize risks • Justice • Fair Distribution of benefits and burden Adapted from DHHS Guidebook

8. Human Subjects Research • Institutional Review Boards • Group of individuals responsible for reviewing proposed research involving human subjects • To protect human subjects • Ensure Compliance with Federal Law • Informed Consent Document • Must lay out purpose of research, time commitment, potential risks and benefits amongst other material to ensure participant has sufficient information to provide informed consent • Training and Certification of Investigators • Workshops • Online Training • http://cme.cancer.gov/c01/

9. Project 3: Heuristic Evaluation • Heuristic = “a guideline or general principle or rule of thumb that can guide a design decision or be used to critique a decision that has already been made” • Requires multiple Evaluators (3-6) but no users • Each individual evaluator inspects the interface alone Adapted from http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~zwz22/FramedLi.htm?Heuristi.htm

10. Project 3: Heuristic Evaluation • To aid in discovering usability problems, use of a list of heuristics is used to generate ideas while evaluating the system • Heuristics used are dependent upon the system and interface being evaluated. • After all evaluators have completed their individual inspections, the evaluators are then allowed to communicate and have their findings aggregated. Adapted from http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~zwz22/FramedLi.htm?Heuristi.htm

11. Project 3: Requirements • Step 1: Define General Tasks supported • Step 2: Identify Heuristics that address the tasks • Step 3: Evaluate System • Step 4: Become Certified in Human Subjects Research

12. Define General Tasks supported • Based on current design, identify tasks involved in using interface • These will be the tasks that you will be evaluating • Consider the criteria for judging performance and success

13. Identify Heuristics that address the tasks • Review heuristics provided with assignment, the textbook and the link to Tog’s first principles. • Develop a list of heuristics or principles that you feel are best suited to your tasks • Number of applicable heuristics will vary between projects.

14. Evaluate System • Each person in group should apply the heuristics independently • As a group, identify specific design improvements • Clearly identifies a specific problem • Offers a solution that reflects a design heuristic • Identify each suggestion by the design heuristics that motivated it

15. Become Certified in Human Subjects Research • Go through the training • Provide a certificate for each member of your groups