1. Observing Users (finishing up)
Intro to HCI

2. Announcements 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
Formative studies’ output

3. Input Input: Surveys/questionnaires Interviews Observation
Documentation
Automatic data recording/tracking
Formative studies’ output
Diagram architectural diagrams, notes during meetings
Interaction logs

4. 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
Visualizations with counts of Phenomena
After we show these, again ask: when are these what you need?
Number of ways

5. Task Outline Using a lawnmower to cut grass Step 1. Examine lawn
Make sure grass is dry
Look for objects laying in the grass
Step 2. Inspect lawnmower
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 …

6. Task Outlines When is this what you need? Advantages/disadvantages:
Good for sequential tasks
Does not support parallel tasks well
Does not support branching well
When is this what you need?
To understand users task
What they do without computers and what can they with computer systems

7. Scenarios
Describe tasks in sentences. (Especially good if user describes it.)
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.
Scemario : one user way of doing task
Use case: understanding several users task
Example ix excerpted from Rogers, p. 506

8. Use Cases Use Cases – usually comes from documentation
Focus on supported paths through user-system interaction, not tasks.
Not effective for the user persepctive, 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 ...
Example excerpted from Rogers book p. 511 (?)

9. A use case expressed in UML.

10. Diagrams, Flow Charts.
To show sequence, space, relationships…

11. Other Visualizations Eg: count user behaviors/phenomena over time
dotted bar is where task 1 ended and task 2 began

12. Visualizations (cont.)
Eg: Co-occurrence of phenomena

13. Visualizations (cont.)
Eg: Across time to show interesting change.
Time
Gaps opened (light) and closed (dark) over time.

14. 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 (shows supported paths thru)
Diagram/flow charts (relationships, paths, sequences)
Visualization (Understand frequencies, patterns and relationships)