Recap of IS214

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Recap of IS214
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Placing this course in context

• Creating information technology that helps people
  accomplish their goals, make the experience
  effective, pleasant
• gtRequires a combination of design, technology,
  and understanding of users (individually and
  collectively) and their activities, preferences,
  needs
• gtUser-centered design interaction design
• gtUsability, user experience
• gtUsability defined and understood
• gtUsability methods
• gtgtcollecting, interpreting info about
  users
• gtgtcomparing design to users needs etc.
• gtIncorporating findings into design

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Some Basic Premises

• Usability is defined in relation to users
• Most usability measures are incomplete and
  ambiguous
• Implies caution in interpretation use with
  understanding account for limits
• Usability assessment starts before design
• Usability assessment never ends

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Stages of design process

• Requirements Evaluation
• 
  
• Initial design Evaluation
• Specification Evaluation
• Implementation Evaluation

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High Order Topics

• What is usability?
• What kind of information do we need to determine
  needs and assess usability?
• What kind of info is possible?
• What methods are available for collecting,
  analyzing, interpreting info?
• Appropriate uses of each
• How do we interpret and report findings?
• The usability process in organizations
• Role of usability, usability professionals
• Managing usability
• Justifying usability

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High Order Topics

• What is usability?
• Beyond ease of use
• Matching tools and services to users practices,
  environment, needs
• New technology/tools/services generally adopted
  within an existing array of tools, practices,
  incentives, operations
• What kind of information do we need?
• Users goals, tasks, practices, environment
• Users perceived needs, preferences
• Existing tools, services (incl competitors)
• Users activities in using proposed innovation
• Users uses and evaluations of proposed,
  prototype, actual systems

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Methods

• Data from and About UsersEthnographic Methods
• User and Task Analysis
• Contextual Inquiry
• Observation
• Interviews
• Focus GroupsUser Surveys
• Scenarios and Personae
• Prototype EvaluationUsability Testing
• Design Guidelines
• Heuristics and Other Inspection Methods
•  

• Post-release EvaluationMonitoring, Web Logs
• User Satisfaction Surveys
• Other Issues
• Credibility
• Universal Usability
• Management Issues
• Data Analysis and Presentation
• Writing Usability Reports
• Ethics
• Usability in Organizations

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Methods and Stages in Design Process

• http//usabilitynet.org/tools/methods