Requirements-definition
User analysis
Sites

http://riddle.pl/emcalc/

http://gallery.theopalgroup.com/selectoracle/

http://www.w3schools.com/

http://www.echoecho.com/csslinks.htm

HTML Validator |http://validator.w3.org/

CSS Validator | http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
Today’s objectives
User tasks | Task analysis
 Dreamweaver practice

Task Analysis
Users’ task
www.usability.gov
SOURCE: http://www.usability.gov/methods/process.html
Theory of action
Norman’s Theory of Action

Proposes 7 stages of an activity
 Establish
a goal
 Form an intention
 Specify an action sequence
 Execute an action
 Perceive the system state
 Interpret the state
 Evaluate the system state with respect to the goals
and intentions
Theory of Action : Reading news
on the web
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Set goal to find out about current news
decide on news website
Form an intention
check out BBC website
Specify what to do
move cursor to link on browser
Execute action sequence
click on mouse button
Check what happens at the interface
see a new page pop up on the screen
Interpret it
read that it is the BBC website
Evaluate it with respect to the goal
meets goals – read news
Theory of Action : Execution
 Turn
1.
2.
3.
4.
on a light
Switch on button of lamp i.e. get more light (the goal).
To do this, one specifies how to move one's body,
how to stretch to reach the light switch and
how to extend one's finger to push the button.
The goal has to be translated into an intention, which in
turn has to be made into an action sequence.
Theory of Action : Execution
Turn on a light

Formulation of stages of execution:
1. Start with the goal, the state that is to be achieved.
2. Goal translated into an intention to do some action.
3. Intention must be translated into a set of internal
commands, an action sequence that can performed
to satisfy the intention.
4. Action sequence must be executed, performed
upon the world.
Theory of Action : Evaluation



After turning on light, evaluate if it is actually turned on.
Judge how light affected our world.
Formulation of stages of evaluation can be described as:
1.
2.
3.
Evaluation starts with our perception of world.
Perception interpreted according to our expectations.
It is compared (evaluated) with respect to both our
intentions and our goals.
Theory of Action : The gulfs

Gaps between the user and interface
 The
gulf of execution
 The gulf of evaluation

Need to bridge gulfs to reduce the cognitive effort
required to perform a task
Theory of Action : Gulf of
execution

Record a television show.

You see the solution to the problem as simply pressing Record
button. However, to record a show requires, several actions :
1.
2.
3.
4.

Press the record button.
Specify time of recording, usually involving several steps to change the hour
and minute settings.
Select channel to record on - either by entering the channel's number or
selecting it with up/down buttons.
Save the recording settings, perhaps by pressing an "OK" or "menu" or "enter"
button.
Difference between the user's perceived execution actions and the
required actions is the gulf of execution.
Theory of Action : Gulf of
execution
Forgot my user name, I’ll get it
here | User’s perceived
execution action
I need my Member ID? What’s
that? | Required actions
Theory of Action : Gulf of evaluation

The gulf of evaluation
 Difficulty of assessing the state of the system and
how well it supports the discovery and interpretation
of that state

Gulf of evaluation is small when system provides
information about its state in a form that is:
 easy to get,
 is easy to interpret, and
 matches the way the person thinks of the system
Theory of Action : Gulf of evaluation

Amount of effort that the user must exert
to interpret the physical state of the
system and to determine how well his/her
expectations and intentions have been
met.
Goals, tasks,
actions…
Goals, tasks, actions…
What's the difference?
 Goal - What the user aims to accomplish
 E.g.,
purchase a book, locate information, get
directions

Task
 What
users believes must be done to accomplish the
goal
 E.g., browse product listing, enter credit card info

Action
a
task involving little or no problem solving
Goals, tasks, actions…
Donald Norman’s terms:
The
highest levels are activities,
 which are composed of tasks,
 which themselves are composed of
actions, and
 actions are made up of operations.
Goal: Make Web site with
authoring tool
Open Dreamweaver
 Make site definition
 Save page
 Make DB connection
 Up-load site
 View site

What about
sub-tasks?
Goal: Make Web site
Task Hierarchy
Dynamic
Site
Db Conn
Site Def.
Connect
Local site
Address
Remote
Site
Testing
Testing
server
Hierarchical Task Analysis
Borrow a
book from
the library
0
plan 0:
do 1-3-4.
If book isn’t on the shelf expected, do 2-3-4.
go to the
library
1
find
required
book
2
retrieve
book from
3
shelf
take book
to counter
4
plan 2:
do 2.1-2.4-2.5.
If book not identified from information available, do 2.2-2.3-2.4-2.5
access
catalog
2.1
access
search
screen 2.2
enter
search
criteria 2.3
identify
required
book 2.4
note
location
2.5
Example: Goals, tasks, and actions
Goal: Get to Illinois
Tasks: Rent car, drive, get repairs
Action: Get gas
Example: Goals, tasks, and actions
The
Goal: Get to Illinois
goal/task/action
distinction is useful,
but should not be
Tasks: Rent car, drive, getapplied
repairs rigidly
Action: Get gas
Discovery: Goals, tasks, and
actions
Goal: on the Internet, buy either a purple stuffed dinosaur
or a set of blocks for your two-year-old nephew. Your
sister says either would be fine.
Discovery: Goals, tasks, and
actions

Task 1: Choose between a stuffed toy and
a set of building blocks
Action 1: Check Web for purple stuffed dinosaurs
Action 2: Check availability of the new blocks set
Action 3: Decide on one, based on price,
availability, delivery, and gift wrap
Discovery: Goals, tasks, and
actions
Task 2: Buy chosen toy
Action 1: Put toy into website’s shopping cart
Action 2: Fill out billing and shipping
information.
Task 3: Call sister; tell present is on its way
Action 1: Pick up phone/receiver
Action 2: Dial phone number
What is a task
analysis?
What is a task analysis?

Involves learning about:
 users'
goals
 what users want to do on your site
 how they work.
 specific tasks users must perform to their goals
 what steps are need to accomplish those tasks
Usability.gov : http://www.usability.gov/methods/analyze_current/analysis.html
What is a task analysis?

Allows you to discover:
 tasks
Website must support
 appropriate content scope
 what applications site should include
What is a task analysis?

Assist you in:
 refining
navigation or search to better support
users' goals or
 building pages and applications that match
users' goals, tasks, and steps.
What is a task analysis?

Makes it possible to:
 define
functions to be included within system
 accurately specify the user interface
http://www.usabilitynet.org/tools/taskanalysis.htm
Some Ways to
analyze tasks…
Some Ways to analyze tasks…
Goals, tasks, and actions
 Job analysis
 Task list
 Task sequence
 Task hierarchies
 Observing and listening to users

 Think
aloud
 Role play | Focus groups | Surveys
Task Analysis | Steps
1.
Identify task to be analyzed
 After establishing good understanding of users
and tasks.
 Identify several representative tasks that the
system will be used to accomplish.
Task Analysis | Steps
2.
Break tasks down into 4 to 8 subtasks.
Cover whole area of interest.
3.
Develop concrete, detailed examples of
tasks users perform (or want to perform).

Task scenario
Task Analysis | Steps
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Draw subtasks as a layered diagram.
Decide upon level of detail to decompose tasks.
Continue decomposition.
Produce written account as well as
decomposition diagram.
Present the analysis to someone else to check
for consistency.
Step 2 | Detailed examples of
tasks | Scenarios
Task scenario
 Detailed narrative description.
 Describes current use of the system.
 Often detailed and personalized
Task Scenario (e-tickets)
Mary is an 85 year old women who is traveling alone. Her
daughter brought her an e-ticket so she could visit for the
Christmas holiday. The lines are long. She approaches the
e-Ticket machine and selects here flight… She has never
used an e-ticket machine… she has an enjoyable flight.
Marty is a 35 year old executive, who is late for a meeting.
His flight was canceled and he has been transferred to
another airline. The lines are long… He is engaged in a
somewhat hostile phone conversation with a rental car
agency as he approaches the e-ticket counter…. he has an
enjoyable flight.
Concrete use
case
Similar to Task
Scenario but not
personalized

Essential use
case
Describes
task
at high level of
abstraction
Project
A task

Identify the major processes or tasks
(e.g., money withdrawal and account
inquiry) for which the ATM machine may
be used.

For two of the major tasks (money
withdrawal and account inquiry), write
down the all the steps/tasks involved.
What impact on tasks/design?
User
Younger
Middle
Older
Age
12-25
25-50
50-80
Sex
M/F
M/F
M/F
Phy limitations
Varying height,
hearing, sight
Some phy limits
Varying height,
hearing, sight
Some phy limits
Varying height,
hearing, sight
Some phy limits
Edu
Minimal or none
Only minimal
Only minimal
Computer use
Some
Little or no
Little of no
Motivation
Very
Maybe very
Less motivated
Attitude
Varies
Varies
varies
What impact on tasks/design?

Think of three people you know in these
age groups
 Do

user characteristics impact your design?
Personas
Exercise: ATM scenario (1)


The task “withdraw
cash using a card” can
be described in a
structured diagram
and/or in a table
format.
The table format
allows the notation of
additional information.
Exercise: ATM scenario (2)


Textual notation
describes the linear
task solving process
over time.
Scope of the task
description was
enlarged and
additional subtasks
were included.
Scenarios
Task scenario
 Detailed narrative description.
 Describes current use of the system.
 Detailed and personalized
Task
Scenario
Concrete use
case for ATM
Essential use
case for ATM
Techniques for
observing and
listening to users
Techniques for observing and
listening to users – to learn
about tasks
Think aloud: talk while doing the job
 Role playing
 Focus groups
 Mailed surveys

Think aloud

Facilitating user comments (ask user):
 Could
you tell me what options you are
considering?
 Is
anything in particular puzzling you?
 What
might you do next?
Think aloud




BUT: No feedback, positive or
negative
No answers or hints
If users get stuck, have them go on
Neutral demeanor at all times
Things to measures about tasks







Time to locate a book at the Barnes & Noble website
Time to fill in customer information and place order
Number of times the Back Button is used, indicating that user
cannot find desired information
Number of clicks to find the time of a TV show
Percentage of tasks completed correctly
Number of calls to support line
Number of complaints, negative facial expressions, or
regressive behaviors (screaming at monitor, etc.)
Preference measures

Often obtained using a Likert Scale
Strongly
disagree
It was easy to find
what I wanted
It was simple to
choose size and
color
I could pay for my
purchase quickly
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly
agree