Usability chat notes for 080624
Introductions
Course policies & procedures
Overview of material for first meeting
Usability task
Group work
Texts
Nielsen & Loranger’s Prioritizing Web Usability [PWU], 2006
Dumas & Redish’s Practical Guide to Usability Testing [PGUT], 1999
You may find the following texts helpful as you pursue research and further reading in usability:
Barnum, C. 2002. Usability testing and research. New York: Longman.
Beyer, H., and K. Holtzblatt. 1998. Contextual design: Defining customer-centered systems.
San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.
Cooper, A.2004. The inmates are running the asylum. Indianapolis: SAMS.
Dumas, J., and B. Loring. 2008. Moderating usability tests: Principles and practices for interacting. San Francisco: Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann.
Hackos, J., and J. Redish. 1998. User and task analysis for interface design. New York: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Jeffries, R., D. Wixon, E. Law, and E. Hvannberg. 2007. Maturing usability: Quality in software, interaction and value. Springer.
Krug, S. 2006. Don't make me think: A common sense approach to web usability. 2nd ed.
Berkeley: New Riders.
Lidwell, W. 2008. Deconstructing product design: Exploring the form, function, and usability of 100 amazing products. Rockport.
Nielsen, J., and K. Pernice. 2008. Eyetracking web usability (Voices that matter). Berkeley:
New Riders.
Rosson, M., and J. Carroll. 2002. Usability engineering: Scenario-based development of human-computer interaction. New York: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.
Participation
Major assignments
Report & selectively annotated bib
Usability test and report
Assignments, exercises, quizzes
Final exam or presentation
Eng 472 %
30
60
10
Eng 572 %
15
30
45
10

Usability chat notes for 080624
Correspondence
Include Eng 472 or Eng 572 as part of the subject line
Name(s)?
Degree or certificate program?
Your organization’s interests in usability?
Your interests in usability?
Your favorite movie or book?
Your favorite website?
What is usability?
Nielsen & Loranger
“Usability is a quality attribute relating to how easy something is to use. More specifically, it refers to how quickly people can learn to use something, how efficient they are while using it, how memorable it is, how error-prone it is, and how much users like using it. If people can’t or won’t use a feature, it might as well not exist.” (xvi)
Usability is defined by five quality components:
Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?
Efficiency: Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?
Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?
Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors?
Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design?
Nielsen, Jakob. 25 August 2003. Usability 101: Introduction to usability, Usesit.com
< http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html
> 24 June 2008.
Dumas & Redish
“Usability means that the people who use the product can do so quickly and
easily to accomplish their own tasks” (4).
This definition rests on four points:
1. Usability means focusing on users.
2. People use products to be productive.
3. Users are busy people trying to accomplish tasks.
4. Users decide when a product is easy to use.
Redish
Usability requires but is more than functionality, sufficiency, reliability, and accuracy
Functionality – Does the product work according to specifications?

Usability chat notes for 080624
Sufficiency – Does it contain the needed features?
Reliability – Does it work the same way every time?
Accuracy – Is it trustworthy?
Functionality
Sufficiency
Reliability
Accuracy
When should usability testing be conducted?
Dumas & Redish
“…the model for it [usability testing] was function testing, and, therefore it usually occurred once at the end of the development process” (13)
Usability
“Usability testing is best used to diagnose problems, not to verify that all is fine.
Usability testing is best used early and often, not once at the end when it is too late to make changes. Usability testing is best used as part of a process that focuses on usability throughout design and development, not as the sole time when users are considered.” (13)
Hackos & Redish
Importance of iterative usability testing in interface design
Hackos, JoAnn, Janice Redish. 1998. User and task analysis for interface design. New York:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (12).

Usability chat notes for 080624
What constitutes usability testing?
Dumas & Redish (22)
1. The goal is to improve a product (document, website, etc.)
Again, note the difference between usability testing and quality assurance, which involves checking a product to see that it meets the specifications.
2. Participants represent real users
Note that Dumas & Redish prefer participants to evaluators to subjects to users.
They also distinguish between quality assurance personal and real users.
3. Participants do real tasks
4. You observe and record participant’s actions and comments
Typically using a think-aloud protocol. Possibly using a video recorder, keystroke-tracking device, or eye-tracking software.
5. You analyze data, diagnose problems, and recommend changes
What are the differences between a usability test and a research study?
Dumas & Redish
The goals are different
“The goal of a research study is to test whether or not some phenomenon exists. To make that decision, the test must be done with a sample size large enough to detect the phenomenon if it is present.
The goal of a usability test is to uncover problems.” (36).
The participants are different
A random sample versus a convenience sample—of appropriate users (36-37).
The data is analyzed differently
Descriptive statistics (means, ranges, frequencies) versus inferential statistics (tests for statistical significance or correlations)
Terminology from Dumas & Redish
Co-discovery (31) –
Active Intervention (31) –
Task Analysis (41) –
Focus group (44) –
Contextual inquiry/design (46) –
Human-computer interaction (52) –
Principles
“A principle is a very broad statement that is usually based on research about how people learn and work” (53).
Guidelines
“Guidelines are more specific goals that HCI and document design specialists distill from the principles for different users, different environments, and different technologies” (53).
Local rules
“A major difference between guidelines and local rules is that guidelines can conflict with each other while local rules are absolutes for the context in which they are applied” (59).

Heuristic evaluations (65) –
Cognitive walkthroughs (68) –
Prototypes (69) –
Horizontal prototypes
Vertical prototypes
Scenario prototypes
Developing tests
Taking notes
Usability chat notes for 080624
Using the left column, identify
Task
Time
Success
Moving from upper left to lower right, document user’s clicks, typing, and comments
Identify observable behavior; distinguish quotations from paraphrases from summary or inferences
Using Nielsen and Molich’s (1990) nine principles (listed by Dumas and Redish on page 65), conduct a (group) heuristic evaluation of the MnSCU
Accountability Dashboard.
1. Use simple and natural language.
2. Speak the user’s language.
3. Minimize user memory load.
4. Be consistent.
5. Provide feedback.
6. Provide clearly marked exits.

Usability chat notes for 080624
7. Provide shortcuts.
8. Provide good error messages.
9. Prevent errors.
Much has recently been made of MnSCU’s release of its Accountability Dashboard; for example the Free Press recently ran two articles about the Dashboard:
MnSCU launches accountability tool online
Our view: The more info about MnSCU, the better
According to MnSCU,
The Accountability Dashboard for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system is designed to track progress in reaching the system's strategic goals and to encourage continuous improvement of the seven state universities and
25 community and technical colleges. The dashboard provides a snapshot of selected performance indicators and does not give a comprehensive picture of a college's or university's overall performance.
First, you will have to find the site, starting from MnSCU’s homepage: http://www.mnscu.edu/ .
For whom is this site designed? What are your initial impressions of the site?
Finally conduct the heuristic evaluation.
One group member should summarize the group’s responses in an email message to me: roland.nord@mnsu.edu
. Use the following subject line: “Eng
4/572 – MnSCU Dashboard evaluation.” (Do not include the quotation marks.) CC all group members. You document is due no later than 9:00 pm tonight.