Activity Flow Design - or - Organizing the users’ Work Gabriel Spitz Activity Flow Design - or - Organizing the users’ Work Types of activity flow

Gabriel Spitz Activity Flow Activity flow deals with the dynamic aspects of the User Interface When designing the activity flow we need to: Describe the way in which a specific outcome will be achieved using our UI Describe the rules and regulations that will govern the flow Designing the Activity Flow is often referred to as interaction design

Activity Flow or Interaction Design Gabriel Spitz Activity Flow or Interaction Design Design of Activity Flow is based on our previously identified user tasks and the task analysis which we created and which describe how tasks are organized to support a given activity During Activity Flow design we decompose the tasks into a set of actions and organize them in a way that is: Logical – from a business perspective Meaningful – from a user perspective Integrated – from a work perspective This organization will represent what we want the user to do in order to achieve a specific goal

Gabriel Spitz Focus of Activity Flow Activity Flow is concerned with what we want the user to do – the sequence of actions to be taken It is separate and distinct from how we want the user to accomplish a given task It is logical to assume that we: First decide what we want the user to do Then decide how it should be done But, in reality the two design steps – UI design and Interaction design are performed in parallel and inform each other

What vs. How of an Activity Flow Gabriel Spitz Specifying the scope of a vacation What vs. How of an Activity Flow What How Select the desired services Specify departure city Specify departure date Specify desired departure time Specify destination city Specify Return date Specify return time Specify no. rooms Specify travelers categories Entering Data Selecting

What is Activity Flow Design Gabriel Spitz What is Activity Flow Design Activity flow design focuses on how a unit of work and user actions flow The flow or structure of the unit of work is often unique to a given application and business domain In controlling users actions we often adhere to more generalizable principles that include: How actions are chunked – to support closure E.g. Select  Ship  Pay The flexibility we give users in adhering to a recommended sequence of actions E.g., Cannot enter shipping address before selecting an item The guidance we provide users the user through the interaction E.g., user guide, bubble help, etc.

Gabriel Spitz

Gabriel Spitz 1 1 3 2 Poor Flow Good Flow

Objective of Activity Flow Design Gabriel Spitz Objective of Activity Flow Design Is to help user navigate through the interface effectively and efficiently It includes: The flow of users’ action at the interface and the rules governing the flow The support that the interface provides to guide and constrain users’ action

How Should Activity Flow – Some Determinants Gabriel Spitz How Should Activity Flow – Some Determinants Business factors Sequence in which tasks have to be executed Privileges & Roles Users’ factors Flexibility Closure Guidance

Business Factors and Activity Flow Gabriel Spitz Business Factors and Activity Flow Business factors are critical in determining the flow of action within a component or information space Example: Merchandise can be ordered for established customers only Claims in access of $2500.00 must be handled by a senior consultant Trip can not be saved without paying for it But, always question the validity and criticality of business rules, particularly when they conflict with users needs

Business Driven Activity Flow Gabriel Spitz Business Driven Activity Flow

Activity Flow – Different Perspectives Gabriel Spitz Activity Flow – Different Perspectives Creating a claim folder Developer’s flow Open a folder Name folder Specify type of claim (car, home, etc.) Enter identification info. Insert supporting documents Save User’s preferred flow Open a folder Insert supporting documents Enter identification info. Specify type of claim Name folder Save

Issues in Designing Activity Flow - Behavior Gabriel Spitz Issues in Designing Activity Flow - Behavior Degree of flexibility offered in the order and manner in which tasks are executed Number and nature of breakpoints offered to users during the interaction Nature and extent of guidance offered users during task execution

Activity Flow – How Much Flexibility Gabriel Spitz Activity Flow – How Much Flexibility Instinctive answer Provide users with maximum freedom Constraining the activity flow has several benefits Eliminate path that have no closure due to business rules My system enables me to download applications, but then prevents me from installing them Increase consistency of usage Always going through the same sequence of steps helps the user build a coherent conceptual model of the application Reduce users’ mental workload Eliminates the need to decide what should be the next task

Activity Flow – Designing Flexibility Gabriel Spitz Activity Flow – Designing Flexibility From an interface designer perspective we provide or limit activity flow flexibility through the type of flow we impose on user’s actions Actions in an activity flow can be parallel or Independent Actions in an activity flow can be sequential Actions in an activity flow can and often are a mix of both

Activity Flow Options To Subject Attach Content MS outlook Parallel Gabriel Spitz Activity Flow Options To Subject Attach Content MS outlook Parallel Wizard Sequential Excel Graph Sequential, but – user can select the path

Sequential Activity Flow Gabriel Spitz Sequential Activity Flow Tool Widget Activity Setting

Adding an Image in PP- Mixed Activity Flow Gabriel Spitz Adding an Image in PP- Mixed Activity Flow Instruct – to insert Sequential Select a shape Modify Shape Resize, Re-color, Add shape Parallel

Activity Flow - Limiting Flexibility Gabriel Spitz Activity Flow - Limiting Flexibility When confining the activity flow to a specific path Make it visible Avoid hiding dependency e.g., an account has to be established before an order can be placed Adopt paths that are “natural” to users not to the computer You first select a document to print and then print

Restricting Activity Flow Gabriel Spitz Restricting Activity Flow There are several ways to restrict or constraint the flow of users activity at the interface Leading them down a path – Wizard Blocking off certain paths – disabling commands Aiding them – task list Guiding then - Help

Constraining Activity flow – Users Needs Gabriel Spitz Constraining Activity flow – Users Needs Users feel that they need maximum flexibility in the order in which they perform a unit of work However, constraining the Activity flow has several benefits including: Eliminate path that have no closure due to business rules Increase consistency of usage Reduce users’ mental workload

Gabriel Spitz Key Points Activity Flow deals with the sequence in which activities are executed Sequence of activities is driven by User, Business, & Work factors Primary consideration when designing Activity Flow are Flexibility, Guidance, & Closure