1. INF 132: Project 2B Course Management System for Students
Natalie Kassir, Marshall Esparrago, Aaron Joseph, Yukino Nagasawa, Ayushi Agrawal
Aaron

2. Project Description
The course management system CANVAS is currently being trialled by a sizable number of UCI instructors and students, and is being considered for adoption by UCI at large. In this project, students should research the usability of CANVAS for students, with a focus on the following functionalities: Assignments, Grades, Pages, Syllabus, Quizzes, Conferences, Attendance, Settings. If usability issues are found, mock up recommended changes and re-test the new designs with some of the earlier test participants.
Aaron

3. Initial Usability Problems
Initial observations:
no way to view classroom number
left-hand navigation panel only exists on certain pages
redundant links
The name “Discussions” for forums could be confused with discussion sections, could be called Message Board
Aaron

4. Methods
users: 5-8 pilot students of all schools in UCI (provided by client)
5-8 additional users (if necessary)
subgroups: pilot students and students from different schools
general research phases: user-testing, redesign, re-evaluation

5. Methods Tasks for User Testing
Have users go through usability testing on Canvas functions
-Perform grade checking for each class and overall quarter grades
-View the syllabus, view the class schedule and timeline
-View attendance for each class, check in for each class
-Check and edit settings of the user account, security and privacy settings
-Take the assigned quiz, check to see for available quizzes, and check quiz grades
-Take the assignments online, check to see for available assignments, and check assignment grades.
-Use the conference tab, perform a successful conference, and check to see if there are any conferences available.

6. Methods
User Testing: Cognitive Walkthroughs and Think Aloud Evaluations
Interviews and Data Gathering
Canvas Mockups and Prototypes
Re-evaluations and re-designs based on user tester feedback

7. Methods
Users
contact by or provided contact info
meet: ICS 3rd Floor Labs
20-30 min.

8. Time Plan Week 3 Discover Usability Problems Plan Methods
Draft tasks for user tests
(Marshall, Natalie, Aaron)
Week 4 / 5
Heuristic Evaluations on Canvas (Ayushi, Yukino)
Cognitive Walkthroughs (Ayushi, Yukino)
User tests (Marshall, Natalie, Aaron)
Natalie

9. Time Plan Week 6 Analyze data (Ayushi, Yukino) Week 7
Create suggestion mockups (Aaron, Marshall, Natalie)
Heuristic Evaluations on early mockup designs (Ayushi, Yukino)
Yukino

10. Time Plan Week 8 User tests with new mockups (Marshall, Aaron)
Run Cognitive Walkthroughs and Think Alouds on new mockups (Yukino, Natalie, Ayushi)
Re-design and re-evaluate based on user feedback (Marshall, Aaron, Yukino)
Week 9
Prepare final report and presentation (everyone)
Final Presentations (5/27)
Week 10
Final Presentations 6/1 and 6/3 (everyone)
6/7 - Final Reports due
Yukino

11. Thank you!