Observing Users (finishing up)

CS352

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?

2

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 OutlineUsing a lawnmower to cut grass

Step 1. Examine lawn• Make sure grass is dry• Look for objects laying in the grass

Step 2. Inspect lawnmowerv 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

– Use expanding/collapsing outline tool– Add detail progressively– Can add linked outlines for specific subtasks

• But:– Good for sequential tasks– Does not support parallel tasks well– Does not support branching well

Scenarios

• 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 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.

– (See book, p. 506, for the full version.)

Use Cases• 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.)

Diagrams, Flow Charts.

• To show sequence, space, relationships…

Other Visualizations

• Eg: count phenomena over time

Visualizations (cont.)

• Eg: Co-occurrence of phenomena

Visualizations (cont.)

• Eg: Across time to show interesting change.

Time

Gaps opened (light) and closed (dark) over 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 (understand several users’ ways)– Diagram/flow charts (relationships, paths, sequences)– Visualization (Understand frequencies, patterns and

relationships)