Task Analysis Homework Section 5

Task Analysis HW Grades Overall, very good  Examples from excellent task analyses Some confusion:  Difference between an interview and a contextual inquiry (CI)  Learning tasks v. Performance tasks

Examples of Excellent Task Analysis Plan  To observe dining etiquette, simulated dining situation with a menu, food, a server, & a dining partner instructed participant to do certain tasks during the dinner situation Observations  Transcripts of answers to each interview question  Full description of actions and dialogue (of interviewer and participant) associated with each task  Each observation is numbered for referencing within analysis  All observations (actions, dialogue) are together, in order – enables understanding of their context

Examples of Excellent Task Analysis Analysis  Succinct summary statement introducing paragraph topic and argument. (“Participants perform several tasks to help them study art history.”)  Argument 1 (“First, participants need to record class information for later access.”) Example 1 from observations (cite) (“Participant 1 did this by taking notes in class lecture.”) Example 2… (“Participant 2 did this by downloading lecture slides from class site.”)  Argument 2… (“Second, participants want to find information to further their knowledge.”)  Sentence summarizing paragraph (optional)

Interviews vs. Contextual Inquiries Interview  you control  Quizzing – this is not asking users to do a task as they would naturally; it is a task you control CI  participant controls Or at least there is enough openness for  Natural environment  Unexpected behavior

Interviews vs. Contextual Inquiries Interview observations  Include primarily dialogue CI observations  Must include actions & dialogue (best together: don’t split up) Observations = proof for your analysis  To analyze tasks, you must have observations of user doing the task

Questions about Interviews vs. CI?

Learning vs. Performance Tasks Two types of CI tasks in your HW:  Learning “The user would like to know how to determine the outcome of a poker hand.” “The user needs to learn to read the music notation, and translate that to the hand positions, and the keys that they should press on the piano.”  Performance “The user wants to format a paper.” “A person wants to find a place to live.”

Learning vs. Performance Tasks Several types of interfaces may result: Learning Technology Learning domain Studying art history Math practice for kids “How to” simulation Interviewing Poker HybridLearning tools Math notebook Performance Tools Tools to perform a task Bulletin board for college students

Learning vs. Performance Tasks Many project have tasks worded as performance tasks  Some of you thought “learning to do this” was implicit (need to reword)  Some of you intended to support performance Two options:  reword performance tasks to be learning tasks  implement performance tasks instead

Learning vs. Performance Tasks Reword Task wording  performance tasks  “User wants to format a paper.” Reword to be a learning task  “User want to learn to format a paper.” This is easy: no penalty, no need to resubmit.

Learning vs. Performance Tasks Implement performance tasks instead “User want to format a paper.” Interface enables user to format a paper.

Learning vs. Performance Tasks With your group, look at each of your tasks and determine if you meant it to be a learning or a performance task. Reword if needed. (Groups whose topic is within the learning domain do not need to do this: art history, math for kids)