Requirements-definition User analysis

Today’s objectives More about - Requirement definition stage Users Tasks Environment Box model | floats

Usability Goals | Objectives Begin with clearly defined goals. Usability goals and objectives are targets for product usability. Defined (Goals) in the Plan/Analysis Phase. Goals typically measured with usability testing.

Usability Goals | Objectives Usability goals include: measurable behavior and specific criteria E.g., time-on-task, number of errors, and completion or success rate. Example: Create a new employee account within 1 minute with no support or documentation.

Analysis User analysis

Universal Usability First step in any web site design process is to gather information about users-who they are, what their goals are-and identify their requirements for working with the site. The research phase is normally the most time-consuming phase of any design project, but that imbalance is due in large part to the fact that the design and evaluation phase moves more rapidly because of the time spent on research. Source: Lynch & Horton , Universal Usability in the Design Process http://webstyleguide.com/

User-Centered Design Steps Requirements-definition - client gives developers information about functionality and requirements. Establish design for the project. Develop prototypes that reflect the emerging design, using the programming language or development environment. Submit prototypes to client for feedback and modifications. Revise prototypes to reflect the client’s changes. Repeat steps 3 and 5 for additional part of the system.

User-Centered Design Requirements-definition User Analysis: what do you need to know about the users? To get a good interface you have to figure out who is going to use it to do what. Task Analysis: what are user’s goals and what tasks do they perform to achieve those goals? Environment analysis: Where is the user going to use the site? What is the user’s environment? What effect does it have on task performance?

Target audience Target audience - group of users that you have identified as critical to the success of your site. (e.g., grade-school children, teens, or retirees). Or you may be designing for a specific technology, such as mobile devices.

Target audience Target audience may share common interests, but it is unlikely they share access requirements. Some are experts and others first-time users. Some a frequent users other are infrequent users. Some have low or no vision, and others may have mobility or dexterity issues.

Target audience Some may access your site on a laptop, workstation, PDA, and/or cell phone. Although you may target a certain audience, others will come.

Target audience | Example Site: Audio/stereo equipment retailer Target audience: Purchasers of high-end stereo equipment BUT … a high-end audio (stereo) equipment retailer will likely get visited by novices wanting to purchase equipment for someone. Design for both high-end purchasers and novices (language, specs, etc).

Universal Usability Two most important issues for usability are the user tasks and [users'] individual characteristics and differences. User group profiles describe the characteristics of users, the people who use a product. Source: http://www.uiaccess.com/accessucd/index.html

User group profiles | Characteristics Demographics Job responsibilities and tasks Frequency of use (daily, once per month, once per year) Hardware (laptop or desktop, processor speed, monitor resolution) Environment (shared office, private office, shared public terminal) Software (operating system, browser version) Computer experience Web application experience Task knowledge (how well do they understand the task)

User group profiles | Characteristics More things to think about: Is your site used daily on the job, or it is used at home for recreation or a hobby? Is there a specialized vocabulary? Does your user do the same job all day? Bored? If for personal use, what is the purpose? To inform To entertain To sell

User group profiles | Characteristics More things to think about: Novice Faces a frightening unknown; timid, nervous, in no mood to explore your goodies Advanced Beginner Less fear: knows basics; still impatient at having to learn how to do tasks. Competent Performer Can diagnose simple problems and can perform a complex series of tasks Expert Small group. Can diagnose complex problems. Has a mental model of the application. Not typical users.

User group profiles | Characteristics Know that you may have primary and secondary users Primary user: person who actively uses site: Airline reservation clerk Help desk staff Secondary user: person served by a primary user: Airline passenger Customer who called the support line

Example | User Group Profiles User Group Profiles are created during User Analysis Example | User Group Profiles http://www.uiaccess.com/accessucd/users_eg.html

How to learn the characteristics… Sources of information to learn about users: Observation Surveys Interviews Focus groups Web analytics (https://www.google.com/analytics/settings/home) Field studies

How to learn the characteristics… Other good sources: Users themselves, preferably in their workplace. Customer service and technical support. They deal with users as their job.

How to learn the characteristics… Observe a user at a computer lab Teach a novice how to use e-mail Or teach a seven-year-old anything about computers—if you can find one who knows less than you do. Observe behavior during task

Universal Usability Accessibility

Accessibility applies to all… Because people with disabilities are potentially members of all user groups, accessibility considerations apply to all user group profiles. Avoid the pitfall of "we don't have any users with disabilities".

Accessibility throughout UCD… Accessible design techniques fit well into User-Centered Design (UCD) processes. Accessibility should be considered early and throughout design.

Accessibility ensures… that people with disabilities can use a product. interfaces are perceivable, operable, and understandable for people with a wide range of abilities. that products are more usable by people in a wide range of situations.

Accessibility standards ensure… that your product is designed to be accessible. W3C - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards for websites and web applications (http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag.php) How to Meet WCAG 2.0 http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/

Accessibility standards ensure… Electronic and Information Technology Standards:  An Overview http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/summary.htm Dive Into Accessibility http://www.diveintoaccessibility.org/

Accessibility standards ensure… How People with Disabilities Use the Web http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/ Introduction to the Screen Reader http://www.doit.wisc.edu/accessibility/video/intro.asp