10 Tips for GIS Developers for More Usable Designs

1. 10 Tips for GIS Developers for More Usable Designs Lessons Learned from Usability Testing of the Superfund Site Locator Tool Carolyn K. Offutt Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation US Environmental Protection Agency Presentation to EPA GIS Workgroup March 25, 2004

2. Agenda • What is Usability Testing? • Conducting Usability Testing • The Site Locator Tool • Lessons Learned: 10 Tips for GIS Developers for More Usable Designs EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

3. What Is Usability Testing? Usability Testing: Applying scientific methods to testing with actual users (resulting in significant quantitative and qualitative data) to produce working systems that best meet the needs of the target users. To put it more simply … EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

4. What Is Usability Testing? • Usability testing is largely a process of observation: • Actual users are asked to accomplish specific tasks using the tool • Users are observed while attempting to accomplish the tasks • Notes are taken on how users accomplish tasks and where they run into problems • From observations, revisions can be made to the tool to minimize users’ problems and increase the usability of the tool EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

5. Conducting Usability Testing • Define Test Objectives • Select Tasks to Test • Take A Baseline Measurement • Recruit Test Participants • Prepare Materials • Conduct Sessions • Document Findings & Results • Provide Recommendations for Improvement • Improve the Web Site or Tool • Repeat… EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

6. Release More Usable Tool Baseline Assessment Second Usability Test Third Usability Test Revise Tool Revise Tool Revise Tool Target Users Conducting Usability Testing First Usability Test Tool Version 1.0 Tool Version 1.1 Tool Version 1.2 Tool Version 2.0 • With each round of usability testing, usability problems are minimized resulting in a more usable tool • A baseline assessment provides a foundation for comparisons of the overall increase in usability EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

7. What is the Site Locator Tool? The SLT is a web-enabled application intended to be used by EPA regional representatives to input geospatial data for Superfund sites. • Developed by OEI • Based on GIS Functionality similar to Enviromapper EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

8. Lessons Learned: 10 Tips for GIS Developers • Make the status of the system visible at all times. • Use terminology and concepts that are familiar to the user and follow real-world conventions. • Provide clearly marked “emergency exits” and support undo and redo. • Follow GIS conventions with respect to labeling and functionality. Apply these conventions and standards consistently. • Make objects, actions and options visible and recognizable. • Provide advanced features to increase efficiency of use. However, do not require that they be used as the sole source of interacting with the tool. • Strive for aesthetic and minimalist design. • Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors • Strive to prevent errors through careful design. • Provide comprehensive and easily accessible help and documentation. * Listing adapted from heuristics developed by Molich and Nielsen in 1994. More information available online at http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_evaluation.html EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

9. #1: Make the status of the system visible at all times. Before Testing • The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time. • For example: • Following user actions, automatically refresh the screen to show new status of items or objects (e.g. after confirmation of a point or polygon the screen was refreshed to show the newly confirmed data). map before confirmation map after confirmation confirmation of polygon After Testing map before confirmation map after confirmation confirmation of polygon EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

10. #2: Use terminology and concepts that are familiar to the user and follow real-world conventions. Before Testing • The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. • Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order. • For example: • Use best practices familiar to the user group, especially if it is directly related to GIS tools. After Testing “I would rather have something like MapQuest for zooming.” EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

11. #3: Provide clearly marked “emergency exits” and support undo and redo. Before Testing • Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo. • For example: • Support undo and redo of points while entering GIS data especially when entering or editing multi-point datum such as polygons or lines. • Provide options to start over buttons (e.g. new search). bottom of search results screen After Testing bottom of search results screen EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

12. #4: Follow GIS conventions with respect to labeling and functionality. Apply these consistently. Before Testing • The user should be able to apply experience with similar tools to the system. Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. • For example: • Use conventional GIS layers, icons and colors as necessary (e.g. addition of railroads layer). After Testing “That looks like the railroad (aerial photo). But which railroad is that?” (referring to use of aerial photo without railroads displayed on the GIS map overlay) EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

13. #5: Make objects, actions and options visible and recognizable. Before Testing • The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Features for use of the system should be visible or easily recognizable. • For example: • If aerial photography is provided: • ensure that it is legible and recognizable as aerial photography; and • ensure that the scale and ages of the photos are communicated. • Use form elements and buttons appropriately. After Testing EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

14. one option for entering data (clicking on map/digitizing) with no conversion tools three options for entering data (type in, address matching, clicking on a map/digitizing) with conversion tools #6: Provide advanced features to increase efficiency of use. However, do not require that they be used. Before Testing Before Testing • Accelerators - unseen by the novice user - may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions. • For example: • Provide identify features and display directions on how to use them. • Provide “rubber band” zooming. • Provide conversion tools (e.g. coordinates to digital). • Provide address mapping features. After Testing After Testing “I should be able to enter the street address and have the system bring it up.” EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

15. #7: Strive for aesthetic and minimalist design. Before Testing • Dialogues and screens should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility. • For example: • If information cannot be removed, design screens such that information seen “above the fold” (i.e. without scrolling) is simplified (e.g. search screen). After Testing EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

16. #8: Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors. • Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes or in addition to codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution. • For example: • If aerial photography is provided, communicate effectively when aerial photography is not available by using appropriately phrased messages. EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

17. #9: Strive to prevent errors through careful design. Before Testing • Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. • For example: • Provide messages when the user chooses to cancel an action warning them that they will loose their data to that point. • When using aerial photography, provide ability to zoom to the maximum and minimum photo available thereby preventing errors indicating that photos are not available. After Testing EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

18. #10: Provide comprehensive and easily accessible help and documentation. Before Testing • Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large. • For example: • Provide step numbers and in-page instructions for multi-step actions (e.g. digitizing data) After Testing EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

19. Acknowledgements • For More Information, Contact: • Carolyn Offutt, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation • Phone: (703) 603-8797 • Email: Offutt.Carolyn@epa.gov • Tool Development • Dave Catlin, Office of Environmental Information • Solutions Development Center, SAIC • Usability Testing Support • Ashley Eltringham, SRA International Inc. EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

20. Questions? Comments? • Does anyone have any questions or comments? • Other materials available in this presentation: • Ranking of Usability Findings • Selected Sites • Test Participant Profiles (All Regions) • Before & After: Site Locator Tool Screen Shots • Search Screen • Search Results • Main Map Screen • Digitize Locational Data Screen • Confirm Locational Data Screen EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

21. Ranking of Usability Findings Augmentation. The approach is recommendable and should be elaborated. Recommendation. A suggestion that could lead to a significant improvement in the usability of the tool. Cosmetic Problem. If not corrected, may cause users to hesitate for a few seconds causing a decrease in the efficiency of the use of the tool. Serious Problem. If not corrected, may delay users in their use of the tool, but eventually they will be able to continue. May cause occasional “catastrophes”. Critical Problem. If not corrected, will cause frequent catastrophes. A catastrophe is a situation where the user cannot solve a reasonable task or which causes the user great irritation to the point at which the user abandons the task. Back to Other Materials EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

22. Selected Sites Back to Other Materials EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

23. Test Participants: Region 8 Back to Other Materials EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

24. Test Participants: Region 3 Back to Other Materials EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

25. Test Participants: Region 10 Back to Other Materials EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

26. SLT Screen Shots: Search Form Before After Back to Other Materials EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

27. SLT Screen Shots: Search Results Before After Back to Other Materials EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

28. SLT Screen Shots: Main Map Before After Back to Other Materials EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

29. SLT Screen Shots: Digitize Locational Data Before After Back to Other Materials EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting

30. SLT Screen Shots: Confirm Locational Data Before After Back to Other Materials EPA GIS Workgroup Meeting