1. Project Life Cycle Jon Ivins DMU

2. Introduction n Projects consist of many separate components n Constraints include: time, costs, staff, equipment n Assets include: design concept, source material n Tasks include: producing the application, testing, documentation n All of the above, and many others, must be managed

3. Project management will be covered later in the module n This lecture introduces : u Media Engineering Life Cycle u Defining success u Testing for success

4. Media Engineering Lifecycle n Conceptualisation n Top level requirements n Analysis How user interacts Top level design of structure Prototypes n Design Refine Top level design n Construction compilation graphic design testing n Maintenance correct errors / update

5. n Conceptualisation Define scope, requirements, delivery method, size and complexity of task, project planning w = (t+p)/ page rate + l/link rate where t= number of text pages, l=number of links, p=number of pictures Analysis Use cases, storyboarding, prototyping, top-level logical & physical design Design complete & document logical and physical design, page design Construction develop source material, code and test n Maintenance Amend, add, improve, update

6. n Adapted from the software engineering life cycle n Has a clear structure n Easy to understand n Is an iterative process n Used as a guide n Previous stages can be revisited n Reflects “real life” design and implementation process

7. Prototyping n used to “trial” initial design n quick n simple n can get good feedback from user(s) n users must be chosen carefully to be representative of target group n Not a good idea to use these users for final testing

8. Success? n How do we define success? u Application installs and runs? u Meets our design concept? u User is pleased? n Can we test for success? u Only if we define success n What tests? u Technical? u Mathematical? u Psychological / Physiological?

9. Testing Success n Define what is meant by success for your project n Identify clear test criteria to meet your definition n Devise mechanisms to measure the criteria n Document the results n Evaluate the results

10. Things to test n Correct for target audience’s ability? n Meets the design concept? n Material / information correct? n Install correctly, and run, on target machines? Links work, etc? n How easy is it for target audience to use? n Does it meet the user’s expectations?

11. Real Life n Many criteria are soft i.e. ease of use, meet expectations, etc n Testing techniques include: u Observation u Questionnaires u Monitoring keyboard / mouse use u Interviews n All of the above usually need statistical analysis

12. Conclusions n Defining success is very difficult u Usually involves many implicit, “soft”, judgements n Defining test criteria for success can be difficult u 75% of users can install the application without difficulty. Why 75%? Why not 95% or 100%? n Evaluating results can be difficult u People vary so results will vary across a range of values