i213 Spring 2011: UI Design and Development

Due: Thursday, March 17th, 2011 before Class

Objective: In this assignment, you will perform a formative evaluation another group’s balsamiq prototype.  First, you will start by conducting a “think aloud” exercise.  Then, you will conduct a heuristic evaluation, integrating your results with other evaluators to generate an evaluation report.

What to do:

1. Arrange yourself into your groups, sitting with 1-2 other groups (see the whiteboard).
2. Each group should write down 2-3 tasks to be completed by evaluators using your interface.
3. Pick one person to  evaluate the other group’s interface, while the rest conducts an evaluation of your own interface.
4. Ask the test user rom the other group to step through the tasks using the balsamiq prototype. Utilize the “Think-Aloud” protocol. Take detailed notes of the pilot user’s observations.
5. Switch roles – the “Think-Aloud” evaluator in your group should now conduct the test; and vice versa.
6. The remaining group members should now conduct a heuristic evaluation of the other group’s prototype. You are encouraged to use Nielsen’s and Norman’s heuristics. The demonstrator should begin by outlining a task or scenario. After that, the evaluators are free to ask questions. When the evaluators are finished assessing one scenario, the demonstratorsshould restart the conversation by demonstrating the next task or scenario.Each evaluator should work independently, making sure to take detailed notes. Any evaluations that cannot be completed during class time must be done after class.
7. Use the following format to keep track of your observations: HE.xls. Each observation requires a numeric index, a heuristic that was violated, a location on the user interface, a description of the problem, a severity rating, and a possible fix (use the 0-4 scale presented in lecture for severity ratings). Each evaluator should aim to document a minimum of 10 usability problems, covering 5 distinct heuristics. Some usability problems may not violate an established heuristic – in that case you can label them “misc” for miscellaneous. However, please make sure that an existing heuristic does not cover what you are describing.
8. For each problem, you should suggest a possible fix. This is not a technical description, but a simple recommendation of how to fix the problem. Try to be concise – for example, for a button that needs to be changed, simply mentioning that “Button ‘X’ should be renamed ‘Y'” is sufficient.
9. The next step is to combine your report with others in your group.  If you do not get to it in class, you should plan a time to meet to consolidate your individual evaluation reports. The group whose project you evaluated need not be present, but you will probably find it helpful to have a version of their prototype available for reference. You will create one master Excel spreadsheet that contains each unique problem found. Remember – a duplicate is a violation of the same heuristic, in the same location. A violation of a different heuristic in the same location is considered distinct. For each unique problem found, you will need to discuss amongst yourselves to decide on a final severity rating and possible fix. Before turning in your final list, please prioritize the most severe and fixable problems.
10. In collaboration with the other evaluators, write a short (less then one page) executive summary that outlines the major problems that you found, and possible solutions for the same, prioritizing those with the highest severity + fixability ratings.
11. Before planning your next prototype, you should conduct another “Think-Aloud” exercise with your real prospective users.  Use the task descriptions you used in class (refined if necessary), obtain initial feedback and recommendations from users for the next iteration.  (This doesn’t need to be completed until after Spring Break.)

What to turn in:

The preferred method of turn-in is a PDF document, including each of the following components. To avoid a late penalty, e-mail a link to your group’s submission to the professor, TA and the other group before class on Thursday, March 17th:

1. Cover sheet including yourself and the other evaluators’ names, and the project(s) you evaluated.
2. Each of your individual evaluation reports, preferably in the following Excel format: HE.xls.
3. The final consolidated evaluation report, using the same format.
4. A short executive summary that outlines the major problems you found, and possible solutions for the same, prioritizing those with the highest severity ratings [1 page].

You should be prepared to discuss your report with the other group(s) in class next Thursday.  Please note that the other group is depending on your timely feedback. For this reason, late submissions will not receive credit.  Please contact the professor or the class TA if you have any questions with this assignment.