February 28, 2012
Formative Evaluation Assignment
Due: Thursday, March 8th, 2012 before Class
Objective: In this assignment, you will perform a formative evaluation another group’s lo-fidelity prototype. You will start by conducting a “think aloud” exercise. Next, you will conduct a heuristic evaluation, and integrate your results with other evaluators to generate an evaluation report.
What to do:
- If your group is listed to go first (see the front whiteboard), then use the tape to post your lo-fi prototype to one of the whiteboards.
- Write down 2-3 tasks to be completed by evaluators using your interface.
- Ask the test users to step through the tasks using the lo-fi prototype. Utilize the “Think-Aloud” protocol. Take detailed notes of the pilot user’s observations.
- The test users should then conduct a heuristic evaluation of the prototype. You are encouraged to use Nielsen’s heuristics, along with any others you deem appropriate for the project. The demonstrator should begin by again outlining a task or scenario. After that, the evaluators are free to ask questions. When the evaluators are finished assessing one scenario, the demonstrators should 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 should be done after class.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Before planning your next prototype, you should conduct another “Think-Aloud” exercise (of your project) 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.
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 8th:
- Cover sheet including yourself and the other evaluators’ names, and the project(s) you evaluated.
- Each of your individual evaluation reports, preferably in the following Excel format: HE.xls.
- The final consolidated evaluation report, using the same format.
- 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.
February 9, 2012
Lo-fi Prototyping Assignment
Due: Thursday, March 1st, 2012 at Noon
Objective: In this assignment, you will build on your user research to start visualizing solutions. You will begin by refining your personas. Using these personas as “actors”, you will create three storyboards or scenarios, each depicting a task that your system will support. Finally, you will mock up at least three low-fidelity prototypes of possible solutions you could develop.
What to Do:
- Schedule a group meeting. Most of the tasks described below should be completed during one or two collaborative brainstorming sessions including the entire design team.
- Starting with the personas you made for the last assignment, decide the primary user personas that you are aiming to satisfy. Define each of their primary goals in using your system. Further refine each persona, by providing additional details and/or pictures. By the end, they should be full-featured descriptions that can be used as a reference by the design team. Aim for a total of 3-5 personas, identifying 1 (or 2) of them as the primary focus for your project.
- Starting from the primary persona’s goals, decide three key tasks that your system will support. Tasks are specific sets of actions that will allow users to achieve their goals. These tasks should address a broad set of important user priorities. Using your personas as actors, depict in a scenario how your system would be used to achieve each of these tasks, preferably using a storyboard representation. (Use graphical depictions, even if you can’t draw or sketch! Stick figures are awesome and encouraged!)
- Using paper, index cards, post-its, cardboard, tape, glue and anything else you can imagine, build at least three paper prototype alternatives that can be used to mock “perform” the tasks depicted above. Use the reading for motivation, and again, be creative!
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 and TA before 12:00 PM (Noon) on Thursday, March 1st:
- Cover sheet including yourself and your partners’ names, and your chosen focus. Note the time, duration and attendance of each brainstorming session. Include a sentence or two about what each person contributed to the assignment [1/2 page].
- A list of core user personas. Include pictures, demographic details, and any other details that you feel are necessary to make the persona come to life and serve as a useful resource for the design team. [2-3 pages].
- At least three storyboards depicting the tasks that your proposed system will support. These can either be scanned in, and/or composed electronically [2-3 pages].
- Pictures of your low-fidelity prototypes. Bring them in to show during class on March 1st [2-3 pages].
- Reflect on the experience of prototyping. What was easy for you? What was hard? Was it fun? [1/2 page]
The total length of your report should be less than 10 pages. Brevity, clarity and focus on the goals of the assignment will be rewarded. Illustrative graphics are welcome and encouraged!
Please contact the professor or the class TA if you have any questions with this assignment.