1. Requirements-definition User analysis

2. Sites http://riddle.pl/emcalc/ http://gallery.theopalgroup.com/selectoracle/ http://www.w3schools.com/ http://www.echoecho.com/csslinks.htm HTML Validator |http://validator.w3.org/http://validator.w3.org/ CSS Validator | http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/

3. Today’s objectives User tasks | Task analysis Dreamweaver practice

4. Task Analysis Users’ task

5. SOURCE: http://www.usability.gov/methods/process.html www.usability.gov

6. Theory of action

7. Norman’s Theory of Action Proposes 7 stages of an activity  Establish a goal  Form an intention  Specify an action sequence  Execute an action  Perceive the system state  Interpret the state  Evaluate the system state with respect to the goals and intentions

8. Theory of Action : Reading news on the web 1. Set goal to find out about current news decide on news website 2. Form an intention check out BBC website 3. Specify what to do move cursor to link on browser 4. Execute action sequence click on mouse button 5. Check what happens at the interface see a new page pop up on the screen 6. Interpret it read that it is the BBC website 7. Evaluate it with respect to the goal meets goals – read news

9. Theory of Action : Execution Turn on a light 1. Switch on button of lamp i.e. get more light (the goal). 2. To do this, one specifies how to move one's body, 3. how to stretch to reach the light switch and 4. how to extend one's finger to push the button. The goal has to be translated into an intention, which in turn has to be made into an action sequence.

10. Theory of Action : Execution Turn on a light Formulation of stages of execution: 1. Start with the goal, the state that is to be achieved. 2. Goal translated into an intention to do some action. 3. Intention must be translated into a set of internal commands, an action sequence that can performed to satisfy the intention. 4. Action sequence must be executed, performed upon the world.

11. Theory of Action : Evaluation After turning on light, evaluate if it is actually turned on. Judge how light affected our world. Formulation of stages of evaluation can be described as: 1. Evaluation starts with our perception of world. 2. Perception interpreted according to our expectations. 3. It is compared (evaluated) with respect to both our intentions and our goals.

12. Theory of Action : The gulfs Gaps between the user and interface  The gulf of execution  The gulf of evaluation Need to bridge gulfs to reduce the cognitive effort required to perform a task

13. Theory of Action : Gulf of execution Record a television show. You see the solution to the problem as simply pressing Record button. However, to record a show requires, several actions : 1. Press the record button. 2. Specify time of recording, usually involving several steps to change the hour and minute settings. 3. Select channel to record on - either by entering the channel's number or selecting it with up/down buttons. 4. Save the recording settings, perhaps by pressing an "OK" or "menu" or "enter" button. Difference between the user's perceived execution actions and the required actions is the gulf of execution.

14. Forgot my user name, I’ll get it here | User’s perceived execution action Theory of Action : Gulf of execution I need my Member ID? What’s that? | Required actions

15. Theory of Action : Gulf of evaluation The gulf of evaluation  Difficulty of assessing the state of the system and how well it supports the discovery and interpretation of that state Gulf of evaluation is small when system provides information about its state in a form that is:  easy to get,  is easy to interpret, and  matches the way the person thinks of the system

16. Theory of Action : Gulf of evaluation Amount of effort that the user must exert to interpret the physical state of the system and to determine how well his/her expectations and intentions have been met.

17. Goals, tasks, actions…

18. What's the difference? Goal - What the user aims to accomplish  E.g., purchase a book, locate information, get directions Task  What users believes must be done to accomplish the goal  E.g., browse product listing, enter credit card info Action  a task involving little or no problem solving

19. Goals, tasks, actions… Donald Norman’s terms:  The highest levels are activities,  which are composed of tasks,  which themselves are composed of actions, and  actions are made up of operations.

20. Goal: Make Web site with authoring tool Open Dreamweaver Make site definition Save page Make DB connection Up-load site View site What about sub-tasks?

21. Goal: Make Web site Task Hierarchy

22. Hierarchical Task Analysis Borrow a book from the library go to the library find required book retrieve book from shelf take book to counter 3214 0 access catalog access search screen enter search criteria identify required book note location plan 0: do 1-3-4. If book isn’t on the shelf expected, do 2-3-4. plan 2: do 2.1-2.4-2.5. If book not identified from information available, do 2.2-2.3-2.4-2.5 2.12.22.32.42.5

23. Example: Goals, tasks, and actions Goal: Get to Illinois Tasks: Rent car, drive, get repairs Action: Get gas

24. Example: Goals, tasks, and actions Goal: Get to Illinois Tasks: Rent car, drive, get repairs Action: Get gas The goal/task/action distinction is useful, but should not be applied rigidly

25. Discovery: Goals, tasks, and actions Goal: on the Internet, buy either a purple stuffed dinosaur or a set of blocks for your two-year-old nephew. Your sister says either would be fine.

26. Discovery: Goals, tasks, and actions Task 1: Choose between a stuffed toy and a set of building blocks Action 1: Check Web for purple stuffed dinosaurs Action 2: Check availability of the new blocks set Action 3: Decide on one, based on price, availability, delivery, and gift wrap

27. Discovery: Goals, tasks, and actions Task 2: Buy chosen toy Action 1: Put toy into website’s shopping cart Action 2: Fill out billing and shipping information. Task 3: Call sister; tell present is on its way Action 1: Pick up phone/receiver Action 2: Dial phone number

28. What is a task analysis?

29. Involves learning about:  users' goals  what users want to do on your site  how they work.  specific tasks users must perform to their goals  what steps are need to accomplish those tasks Usability.gov : http://www.usability.gov/methods/analyze_current/analysis.html

30. What is a task analysis? Allows you to discover:  tasks Website must support  appropriate content scope  what applications site should include

31. What is a task analysis? Assist you in:  refining navigation or search to better support users' goals or  building pages and applications that match users' goals, tasks, and steps.

32. What is a task analysis? Makes it possible to:  define functions to be included within system  accurately specify the user interface http://www.usabilitynet.org/tools/taskanalysis.htm

33. Some Ways to analyze tasks…

34. Goals, tasks, and actions Job analysis Task list Task sequence Task hierarchies Observing and listening to users  Think aloud  Role play | Focus groups | Surveys

35. Task Analysis | Steps 1. Identify task to be analyzed  After establishing good understanding of users and tasks.  Identify several representative tasks that the system will be used to accomplish.

36. Task Analysis | Steps 2. Break tasks down into 4 to 8 subtasks. Cover whole area of interest. 3. Develop concrete, detailed examples of tasks users perform (or want to perform).  Task scenario

37. Task Analysis | Steps 3. Draw subtasks as a layered diagram. 4. Decide upon level of detail to decompose tasks. 5. Continue decomposition. 6. Produce written account as well as decomposition diagram. 7. Present the analysis to someone else to check for consistency.

38. Step 2 | Detailed examples of tasks | Scenarios Task scenario Detailed narrative description. Describes current use of the system. Often detailed and personalized

39. Task Scenario (e-tickets) Mary is an 85 year old women who is traveling alone. Her daughter brought her an e-ticket so she could visit for the Christmas holiday. The lines are long. She approaches the e-Ticket machine and selects here flight… She has never used an e-ticket machine… she has an enjoyable flight. Marty is a 35 year old executive, who is late for a meeting. His flight was canceled and he has been transferred to another airline. The lines are long… He is engaged in a somewhat hostile phone conversation with a rental car agency as he approaches the e-ticket counter…. he has an enjoyable flight.

40. Concrete use case Similar to Task Scenario but not personalized

41. Essential use case Describes task at high level of abstraction

42. Project

43. A task Identify the major processes or tasks (e.g., money withdrawal and account inquiry) for which the ATM machine may be used. For two of the major tasks (money withdrawal and account inquiry), write down the all the steps/tasks involved.

44. What impact on tasks/design? UserYoungerMiddleOlder Age12-2525-5050-80 SexM/F Phy limitationsVarying height, hearing, sight Some phy limits Varying height, hearing, sight Some phy limits Varying height, hearing, sight Some phy limits EduMinimal or noneOnly minimal Computer useSomeLittle or noLittle of no MotivationVeryMaybe veryLess motivated AttitudeVaries varies

45. What impact on tasks/design? Think of three people you know in these age groups  Do user characteristics impact your design? Personas

46. Exercise: ATM scenario (1) The task “withdraw cash using a card” can be described in a structured diagram and/or in a table format. The table format allows the notation of additional information.

47. Textual notation describes the linear task solving process over time. Scope of the task description was enlarged and additional subtasks were included. Exercise: ATM scenario (2)

48. Scenarios Task scenario Detailed narrative description. Describes current use of the system. Detailed and personalized

49. Task Scenario

50. Concrete use case for ATM

51. Essential use case for ATM

52. Techniques for observing and listening to users

53. Techniques for observing and listening to users – to learn about tasks Think aloud: talk while doing the job Role playing Focus groups Mailed surveys

54. Think aloud Facilitating user comments (ask user):  Could you tell me what options you are considering?  Is anything in particular puzzling you?  What might you do next?

55. Think aloud BUT: No feedback, positive or negative No answers or hints If users get stuck, have them go on Neutral demeanor at all times

56. Things to measures about tasks Time to locate a book at the Barnes & Noble website Time to fill in customer information and place order Number of times the Back Button is used, indicating that user cannot find desired information Number of clicks to find the time of a TV show Percentage of tasks completed correctly Number of calls to support line Number of complaints, negative facial expressions, or regressive behaviors (screaming at monitor, etc.)

57. Preference measures Often obtained using a Likert Scale Strongly disagree DisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly agree It was easy to find what I wanted It was simple to choose size and color I could pay for my purchase quickly