Human-Computer Interaction 3. Understanding the context: tasks Dr. Sunyoung Kim School of Communication & Information Rutgers university
Last week 1. Design cycle 2. Understand users 1. Who are the users? 2. What are their needs? 2. How to understand users and their needs? 1. Observation 2. Interview 3. Questionnaire and survey 4. Contextual inquiry 3. Represent the users 1. User profile 2. Persona
Recap: Design cycle over project lifespan Number of ideas under consideration 4 5 4 5 3 23 4 1 5 6 7 2 23 Final 6 1234 product 1 5 6 1 7 7 7 6 Project time
Recap: Who are the users? Those who interact directly with the product Those who manage direct users Those who receive output from the product Those who make the purchasing decision Those who use competitors' product Stakeholders Primary users: people who use the product directly • Secondary users: people who are affected by the product, or who • influence its development
Recap: What are their needs? “Needs finding” Expressed needs – what users say they want • Felt needs – users unsure what the system can do • Normative needs – professional view about the nature of the problem • and what may be needed Problems: Users often don’t know what’s possible • Users often can’t articulate clearly what they need to achieve their goals •
Recap: Data collection methods Data collection What are pros and cons? Contextual inquiry Observation Elicitation Direct Indirect Direct Indirect Corporate documentation • Focus group • Ethnography Recording Logs & notes • Interview • Questionnaires &surveys • Structured Semi-structured Constrained Open-ended
Recap: Create interview questions 1. Know what you want to be answered: Write down a problem statement 2. Reframe your problem statements: think of different perspectives to express the same problem statements 3. Build a list of questions based on your reframed problem statements 4. Paraphrase each question 2–3 times 5. Give the whole list of questions a structure 1) Introduction 2) Warm up questions 3) Main body questions 4) Wrap up
Recap: Contextual inquiry A semi-structured interview method to obtain information about the context of use, where users are first asked a set of standard questions and then observed and questioned while they work in their own environments. The four principles of contextual inquiry: Focus: Plan for the inquiry based on a clear understanding of your purpose • Context: Go to the customer's workplace and watch them do their own work • Partnership: Talk to customers about their work and engage them in uncovering • unarticulated aspects of work Interpretation: Develop a shared understanding with the customer about the • aspects of work that matter
Recap: Personas A precise description of a hypothetical user and what they suffer from and wish to do when using a system Based on demographics and on patterns of behavior • Not real; an imaginary example of the real users • Make it as specific as possible: give a name, personality, etc. • A concrete person in the designer’s mind • A shared basis for communication • At least one primary persona – the main focus of the design • Essential question in developing a persona What are the classes of users? • What do they do? And Why? •
Recap: Why personas? It’s hard to reason about users in aggregate, and impossible to please • everyone General users have too many conflicting goals • It’s easier to reason about specific fictional people • Specific personas have clear, well-articulated goals •
Today’s agenda 1. Understand tasks: Task analysis 2. Consolidation: Affinity diagram 3. Describe tasks 1. Task characteristics 2. Scenario: Storyboard
Understand tasks
Task analysis The process of examining the way in which people perform their tasks • You can discover what the system will be used for and what • functionalities the system must provide For example, a person preparing an overhead projector for use would • be seen to carry out the following actions 1. Plug in to main and switch on supply. 2. Locate on/off switch on projector 3. Discover which way to press the switch 4. Press the switch for power 5. Put on the slide and orientate correctly 6. Align the projector on the screen 7. Focus the slide In HCI, task analysis is the recording of physical and perceptual actions of the user whilst executing the task.
Task analysis: goals Verify that the set of actions employed by the user does accomplish the • task. Explicitly describe the procedure that the user actually employs since • this may be different from the expected series of actions. Task analysis is used to: • predict the time taken to learn a new task and become a proficient • user of the particular application /machine Reveal how difficult one method is to learn compared to another • Improve the delivery of information to the user. This involves • identifying any problems with the delivery of information to the user and the consideration of possible solutions.
Task analysis: NJ Transit ticket machine Goals: Buy new ticket • Add value to ticket • Pay with: Debit, • Credit, Cash
Task level of details can vary
Task level of details can vary
Task analysis: questions 1. Who is going to use system? 2. What tasks do they now perform? 3. What tasks are desired? 4. How are the tasks learned 5. Where are the tasks performed? 6. What’s the relationship between user & data? 7. What other tools does the user have? 8. How do users communicate with each other? 9. How often are the tasks performed? 10. What are the time constraints on the tasks? 11. What happens when things go wrong?
Task analysis: questions 1. Who is going to use system? 2. What tasks do they now perform? 3. What tasks are desired? 4. How are the tasks learned 5. Where are the tasks performed? 6. What’s the relationship between user & data? 7. What other tools does the user have? 8. How do users communicate with each other? 9. How often are the tasks performed? 10. What are the time constraints on the tasks? 11. What happens when things go wrong?
Who is going to use it? Identity Need several typical users for broad product • Background/Skills Knowledge users already have and rely on to perform task • Personal characteristics Education • Literacy • Physical traits, abilities/disabilities • Age •
Who is going to use it? (NJT) Identity ? • Background/Skills ? • Personal characteristics ? •
We just did it wrong! Don’t guess – Observe! Go out and find who uses the artifact you are replacing or redesigning!
Task analysis: questions 1. Who is going to use system? 2. What tasks do they now perform? 3. What tasks are desired? 4. How are the tasks learned 5. Where are the tasks performed? 6. What’s the relationship between user & data? 7. What other tools does the user have? 8. How do users communicate with each other? 9. How often are the tasks performed? 10. What are the time constraints on the tasks? 11. What happens when things go wrong?
Old and new tasks Old: the way people do things now New: the way you anticipate them doing things in the future Observe!
What tasks (NJT)? Old: ? New: ?
What tasks (NJT)? Old: Use cash, credit or debit to buy new ticket with $x stored on it • Add fare to existing ticket • New: Use cash, credit or debit to buy new ticket • Add fare to existing ticket • Get pricing information for destination • Buy “destination” tickets •
Task analysis: questions 1. Who is going to use system? 2. What tasks do they now perform? 3. What tasks are desired? 4. How are the tasks learned 5. Where are the tasks performed? 6. What’s the relationship between user & data? 7. What other tools does the user have? 8. How do users communicate with each other? 9. How often are the tasks performed? 10. What are the time constraints on the tasks? 11. What happens when things go wrong?
How are tasks learned? What does the user need to know? Do they need training? Book/manual information • General knowledge / skills • Special instruction / training • Experience, level of education and literacy 8th grade is often reasonable in broad design contexts •
How are tasks learned? (NJT) What does the user need to know? ? • Do they need training? ? • Experience, level of education and literacy ? •
How are tasks learned? (NJT) What does the user need to know? Walk up & use system • Can’t assume much background/training • Do they need training? Too time consuming • Experience, level of education and literacy Must be simple & similar to existing systems • Vending machines • ATM machines •
Where is the task performed? Office, laboratory, point of sale, home? Effects of environment on users? Lighting, sound, comfort, interruptions, water • Social influence of environment Rituals, sacred places • Effects of other people (bystanders)? Rushing, safety, privacy •
Where is the task performed? (NJT)?
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