Analysis

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Chapter 2

• Analysis

Slide extracts from text book GUI design
essentials,Authors Susan Weinschenk, Pamela
Jamar, Sarah C. Yeo PublisherWiley
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Purpose
Deliverables

• User profiles
• Current task analyses
• Future task descriptions
• Usability specifications
• Use case scenarios

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Deliverables

• User profiles
• Current task analyses
• Future task descriptions
• Usability specifications
• Use case scenarios

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Preparation

• One interface designer
• Two content experts/users
• One technical person
• A managerial-level person

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Process

• Steps in the analysis phase
• Identify current state and scope.
• Develop user profiles.
• Gather data
• Document current tasks
• Document problems and opportunities
• Describe future tasks
• Develop usability specifications
• Develop use case scenarios

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Process

• Identify Current State and Scope
• Consider work in progress
• Decide on Scope of analysis
• Consult project documentation and project
  management to identify the general user
  activities that new interface will support
• List and describe briefly the user activities
  identified
• Check the list of activities to make sure that
  the perspective and wording reflect user
  activities

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Process

• Decide on Scope of analysis (cont.)
• If an activity is very broad, list user tasks
  that are performed as part of the activity
• Check that the activity and task wording is
  independent of interface design solutions or
  assumptions
• Make sure that the wording doesnt refer to the
  current system design

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Process

• Identify Current State and Scope (cont)
• Define Interface Design Constraints
• Consult work in progress to identify decisions
  that have already been made regarding hardware,
  software and project constraints
• Identify the interface technology that will be
  employed
• Identify the platforms
• Identify what user interface techniques will be
  available

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Process

• Define Interface Design Constraints
• Identify any corporate or project interface
  design standards
• Identify the degree of distributive processing

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Process

• Develop User Profiles
• Two reasons that interface designers are
  sometimes in the dark about users
• They are not given the opportunity and resources
  to study users
• Marketing or management doesnt want to get
  pinned down on precise targets for the

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Process

• Develop User Profiles (cont.)
• Find out about user characteristics
• User experience with the hardware and software
  environments that the project will use
• User experience with the kind of software
  applications the project will develop
• User task experience/enterprise
• Expected frequency of use and job turnover

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Process
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Process

• To Develop user profiles
• Work with project management and project
  marketing to identify targeted user groups
• Work with marketing, field representatives, and
  representative users
• Identify user experience with the hardware
  environment that will be used
• Identify user experience with the software
  environment that will be used

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Process

• To Develop user profiles (cont.)
• Identify user experience with similar software
  applications
• Identify user experience with the actual work
  tasks that the application will support
• Characterize targeted users on the dimensions
  that could be important for interface design

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Process

• Gather Data
• Bringing Users In
• Oversimplification
• Missing information
• Too much detail
• Misunderstanding
• Role Playing

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Process

• Field Studies
• Decide on the purpose of your visit
• Plan you interviews and data collection
• Make sure you are expected and preapproved
• consider a partner
• Consider video- or audiotaping
• Leave time
• Consider role playing during the visit
• Make the users comfortable
• Just watch

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Process

• Document the Current Tasks
• Describe each task
• The actual task performed
• Tasks that precede, follow or interrupt the task
• Interdependencies with other tasks
• The frequency with which the task is performed
• Which users perform task
• Information display requirements
• Input requirements

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Process

• Describe each task (cont.)
• Task support
• Task products and where they go
• Common task performance problems, errors
• Terminology and concepts users use
• Users complaints about how task is performed
• Characteristics of the work environment

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Process

• Document the current Tasks

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Process
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Process
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Process
Add up bills and compare with current funds.
Decide if there are enough funds to pay all.
Get chequebook and bills
Decide how much to pay on each bill if not enough
funds
Write Cheques
Calculate new balance
Enter into register
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Process

• Document Problems and Opportunities

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Process

• Document Problems and Opportunities (cont.)

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Process
Current balance might not be up to date have to
stop and calculate
Cant find a calculator gtdo it by hand
Tedious -Calculate and recalculate the running
balance
Current balance might not be up to date have to
stop and calculate
Redundancy gt Write cheque out and write in cheque
Error Prone gt Relies on my correct use of
calculator or addition
Would be nice to have tracking of what Ive spent
for different categories. I.e. food
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Process

• Describe Future Tasks

Enter each bill into system and view running total
Start Software
Choose bills not to pay and/or change amount if
not enough funds
Decide if there are enough funds
Print cheques and update register and balance
Review amount of money spent this month or year
to date.
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Process

• Develop Usability Specifications
• Examples of usability attributes are
• Ease of learning
• Rapid task performance
• Accurate task performance
• Perceived ease of use
• Three steps to developing specifications
• For each usability attribute, identify how the
  interface could be measured on that attribute
• For each usability measure, specify what
  constitutes success.
• Include other key elements

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Process

• Develop Usability Specifications (cont)

Usability Specifications for Check-Ease
Ease of Learning
With no previous training and using only online
help and documentation, 90 of adults who read and
write English, currently use other MS Windows
applications, can start the Check-Ease
application,
open a sample chequebook, and record a cheque in
less than 15 minutes the first time.
Ease of Use
After having correctly started the Check-Ease
application and recorded a cheque at least three
times,
75 of adult users can do this task in five
minutes or less (IBM 386 PC or PC clone).
Ease of Learning
Seventy-five percent of adult IBM PC (or clone)
users with MS Windows experience and who read
and write English can successfully set up the
Check-Ease modem features in 20 minutes or less.
Ninety percent can do this in 40 minutes or less.
Ease of Learning
After a 20-minute tutorial, and using only online
help and documentation, 90 of adults who read and
write English, currently have a chequeing account
and currently use other MS Windows application,
can pay bills in less than 30 minutes for the
first time.
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Process

• Develop Usability Specifications (cont)

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Process

• Develop Use Case Scenarios

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Process

• Develop Use Case Scenarios (cont.)
• Guidelines to creating effective scenarios
• Write from the users point of view, not the
  systems
• Make sure you start with the users tasks
• Include frequency information
• Make note of expectations
• Make note of critical tasks
• Write in words, not just diagrams
• Describe the future

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Process

• Interface Scenarios Verses Other Forms of Use
  Case Scenarios

System Scenario
The user enters each bill (payee name and amount)
into the system
,
The system shows a running balance starting with
the current balance,
less the amount of each bill as it is entered.
The user can deselect a bill
or change the amount to be paid. The system
recalculates as the
changes are made. When the bills are processed
for payment, the
system prints out the cheques, updates the
chequing account register,
and recalculates the balance
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Process

• Interface Scenarios Verses Other Forms of Use
  Case Scenarios (cont.)

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Process
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Process

• Holding use case scenarios sessions
• Tips for a useful and effective session
• Remember the definition of a use case scenario
• keep in mind the level of detail you need
• Know where to start and what to include
• Pay attention to the environment
• Give the team tow to four hours per session
• Make sure everyone wants to be there
• Be willing to give the facilitator power
• Keep track of questions that arise and need
  clarification

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Process

• Team members should take a role
• Facilitator
• Knowing when to keep asking questions verses when
  to just write something
• Writing down enough detail to capture the
  information
• Being willing to erase and redo as new
  information arises
• Knowing when to put something on an issues to be
  resolved list
• Not letting any one person dominate
• Knowing when the group is tired and needs a break
• Knowing when a particular task is done

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Process

• Team members should take a role (cont.)
• Scribe
• Other members

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Process

• Test
• Test activities that go on during the Analysis
  phase
• The user profiles need to be validated
• It is critical that current and future task
  descriptions be verified
• Usability specifications need to be verified and
  agreed to by users
• Use case scenarios need to be verified with users

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Summary