Human-Computer Interaction 3. Understanding the context: tasks Dr. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

• Dr. Sunyoung Kim

School of Communication & Information Rutgers university

Human-Computer Interaction

• 3. Understanding the context: tasks

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 Project time 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 23 4 5 6 7 1 23 4 5 6 7 1234 5 6 7

Final product

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

Observation Elicitation Direct Indirect Direct Indirect Ethnography Recording

• Focus group
• Interview
• Corporate documentation
• Logs & notes
• Questionnaires &surveys

Structured Semi-structured Open-ended Constrained Data collection Contextual inquiry

What are pros and cons?

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

• f use, where users are first asked a set of standard questions and then
• bserved 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)?

Where is the task performed? (NJT)?

Loud: Voice I/O not a good idea Privacy:

• Others can look over shoulder
• PIN must be confidential
• Don’t confirm with sound

Lighting is dim: Make sure messages are readable Rituals: Reading the paper, mobile phones

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?

Data relationships

Personal data

• Privacy
• Always accessed at same machine?
• Do users move between machines?

Common data

• Handling and processing
• Used concurrently?
• Passed sequentially between users?

Remote access required? Access to data restricted?

Data relationships (NJT)

Personal data

• Users may use any machine
• Store info on the card

Common data

• Fare rules (e.g., how much)
• Used concurrently

Access to data restricted?

• Only you can use your ATM or credit card

No need for remote access

• Maybe for accessing Clipper Card balance

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 do users communicate?

Who communicates with whom? About what? Follow lines of the organization? Against it?

• Example: assistant to manager
• Installation of computers changes communication between them
• People would rather change their computer usage than their

relationship Not so relevant in context of NJ Transit

How often are the tasks performed?

Frequent users remember more details

• Infrequent users may need more help
• But don’t make it tedious

Which function is performed

• Most frequently? By which customers?
• Optimize system for these tasks will improve perception of good

performance MAKE COMMON CASE FAST…UNCOMMON CASE POSSIBLE!

How often are the tasks performed?(NJT)

Varying frequency of customers

• Some (most) take NJT every day
• Some take it only occasionally (depends on station!)

Varying frequency of tasks

• Might do add fare or buy new ticket every day
• Novices: Just one set of detailed instructions
• Experienced Users: Provide overview of process

How to find out for sure?

• Observe and interview customers!

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?

Time constraints

What functions will customers be in a hurry for? Which can wait? Is there a timing relationship between tasks?

Time constraints (NJT)

Customers will almost always be in a hurry Lines form Take less than 1 minute/transaction Be able to do any task in any order

When things go wrong

How do people deal with

• Errors?
• Practical difficulties?
• Catastrophes?

Is there a backup strategy?

When things go wrong (NJT)

Confusion/errors on task“

• Start over” button

Practical difficulty

• Generated ticket with too much money. Now What?

Catastrophe

• Machine eats card - swipe instead of insert?

Backup strategy

• Use cash in regular machines (and provide ATM)

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?

Affinity diagram

Affinity diagram

The affinity diagram brings together issues and insights across all users into a hierarchical diagram to reveal the scope of the problem.

• Gathers large amounts of language data (ideas, opinions, issues) and
• rganizes them into groupings based on their natural relationships
• A single picture of the customer population a design will address
• Shows how the work hangs together rather than breaking it up in lists

and what matters

• Used to brainstorm and generate ideas

Creating an Affinity diagram

1. The team commits all of the qualitative data points to sticky notes, of which there can be dozens 2. The team posts all of the transcribed data to a large whiteboard, which enables the Post-Its to be manipulated 3. The team organizes the data thematically based on the general insights it suggests about the different parts of a problem 4. The team continues to organize (and reorganize as needed, if there’s any disagreement) the individual points into meaningful categories until, ideally, all designers come to a consensus on the most important recurring themes in the affinity diagram

Describe tasks

• 1. Task characteristics
• Variety of task: the extent to which tasks vary from one occasion to

another

• Frequency of task: whether tasks will be carried out regularly,

infrequently, or only once

• Knowledge and skill required to perform tasks
• Environmental factors: How much the work is affected by changes in

the environment

• Time criticality: Whether time is critical for work
• Safety hazards: Whether there are safety hazard
• Collaboration: Whether user work alone or with others
• User’s multitasking behavior: Whether the user will normally be

switching between several tasks

• 1. Task characteristics

Does the task vary from one occasion to the next? No How frequently is the task carried out? May be daily, weekly, or less frequently What kinds of skills or knowledge are needed? Must remember Pin to access machine Is the task affected by the environment? Whether conditions could affect use of machine Is the task time critical? Users may be in a hurry when using ATM Are there any safety or security hazards? The users’ personal safety in relation to onlookers and the safeguarding of their PINS and the cash withdrawn are considerations Will the work be done alone or with

• thers?

Alone Will the users normally be switching between several tasks? The users might check their balance before withdrawing money.

Task characteristics for withdrawing money from ATM

• 2. Scenarios
• A concise descript of a persona
• A narrative description of a task : the current use of a system
• An informal narrative story, simple, “natural”, personal
• Presented through storyboarding
• Scenario should be simple and focused
• Use personas in scenarios – how does it serve their needs?

• 2. Scenarios
• Motivation – what prompted the persona to embark on the scenario?
• Context – where is the person while the scenario is taking place? Does

it change? Who else and where else is involved?

• Distractions – What kinds of distractions or interruptions typically occur

and how does the persona deal with them?

• Goal – What is the persona’s goal? Information seeking? An artifact? An

emotion?

Using tasks in Scenarios: Narrative

Often specific

• Forces us to fill out description with relevant details
• Say who the users are (use personas)
• Design can really differ depending on the target user
• Name names (allows getting more info as necessary)
• Characteristics of the users (job, expertise, etc.)

Narrative Scenario Example

Produce scenarios covering each task

• Jill is traveling to Seattle for her job next week and she wants to check
• n the amount she can be reimbursed for meals and other expenses.
• Jackie wants to fly to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan next Thursday,

returning on the last flight on Friday. She wants to know how much this would cost, and whether it would be cheaper to take a different flight

• back. She is not quite sure how Saskatchewan is spelled on the
• computer. When she has found the right flight, she wants to confirm the

purchase with a credit card.

Narrative Scenario Example

• Sue is going to a wedding in Lake Tahoe, and needs a route to drive from her

home in Berkeley to the Church in Truckee, and from there to the reception at Heavenly Ski Resort. She has not been to these places before. She wants to know the fastest route, and needs clear instructions as she will be traveling alone.

• It is a busy morning with a long queue of telephone calls. John, who only

started the job this week, takes a call from Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones says he still has not received the goods he ordered 3 months ago. Mr. Jones does not know his account number, but gives his name and address. John retrieves the account, and checks the status of the order. It shows that the goods were dispatched 7 days ago. He informs Mr. Jones that they should arrive shortly. He also notices an error in the post code for the address, which he corrects.

Storyboards

• The point of storyboards is to convey the experience of using the

system

• Include people experiencing the design and their reactions to it (either

good or bad)

• Visual elements: Detail, text, people, frame, portrayal of time

Storyboards: detail

Storyboards: text

Storyboards: frame

Storyboards: portrayal of time

Storyboards

Ugh, drawing is hard! Yes, but you can use other means, such as taking photos (blur out unnecessary details), or software to describe your idea

Group project

Pr Project #2 Identify Users & Tasks - Us User/Task analysis

1.

• 1. By 2/

2/8: 8: Design a semi-structure interview script/survey questions that you will use to collect data from potential users. How many questions to ask? You decide! You need to make sure that you have enough questions to know about the users, their context, and the task. # Turn-in: a PDF of interview scripts & survey questions (Add a copy of your project proposal on top so that I can recall what your project is) 2.

• 2. By 2/

2/15: 15: Collect interview data from 3-5 potential users (other than yourself or team members!) and collect questionnaires data from 10+ potential users. From the data collected;

(1) Create an affinity diagram based on your User/task analysis (2) Create at least two types of representative users (Personas). (3) Using the personas, create at two scenarios (both narratives and storyboards) that encompass the range of functionality required in the system. Note that these scenarios will be used in later assignments to determine if the design/re-design actually supports these scenarios.

# Turn-in: a PDF with

• A screenshot of an affinity diagram (should be readable!)
• Two personas
• Two scenarios (storyboards)

Pr Project #2 Identify Us Users & Tasks - Us User/Task an anal alysi sis s

Gr Grading (1) 25% – Clarity, appropriateness, organization of interview/survey questions (2) 25% – The quality of your affinity diagram (3) 25% – The quality of your Personas / Scenarios (4) 25% – Overall organization, clarity (e.g. language, style) etc. # Include: Who contributed to the original writing of each section and who helped improve and/or review

Individual assignment

As Assignment #2 Identify Us Users & Tasks - Us User/Task analysis

1.

• 1. By 2/

2/15: 15: Design a semi-structure interview script/survey questions that you will use to collect data from potential users. How many questions to ask? You decide! You need to make sure that you have enough questions to know about the users, their context, and the task. # Turn-in: a PDF of interview scripts & survey questions 2.

• 2. By 2/

2/22: 22: Collect interview data from 3-5 potential users (other than yourself or team members!) and collect questionnaires data from 10+ potential users. From the data collected;

(1) Create an affinity diagram based on your User/task analysis (2) Create at least two types of representative users (Personas). (3) Using the personas, create at two scenarios (both narratives and storyboards) that encompass the range of functionality required in the system. Note that these scenarios will be used in later assignments to determine if the design/re-design actually supports these scenarios.

# Turn-in: a PDF with

• A screenshot of an affinity diagram (should be readable!)
• One persona
• One scenario (storyboards)

As Assignment #2 Identify Us Users & Tasks - Us User/Task analysis

Gr Grading (1) 25% – Clarity, appropriateness, organization of interview/survey questions (2) 25% – The quality of your affinity diagram (3) 25% – The quality of your Personas / Scenarios (4) 25% – Overall organization, clarity (e.g. language, style) etc.

By next week

Reading

1. The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction, Ch.2 only #discussion paper

q Submit a PDF of interview scripts and survey questions by 2/8, 11:55PM q Quiz #1 in the next class (Slide1 ~ 3)