A. Work with a user to assess the usability of an interactive application

This ties into Sec. 4.3 of our text: "Usability Testing and Laboratories". An extensive project on usability testing is given on the website for our text as Project 19 at http://www.awl.com/cseng/titles/0-201-69497-2/website/projects/project19.html. It includes more than you should do for this simple assignment, #4A, but you may find the ideas useful, especially because Sec. 4.3 of our text is brief and not too specific. The Guidelines for User Observations for Project 19 is quite useful material. I think you'll find it helpful as supplement to some of my brief guidelines below.

Here are the guidelines as I discussed in class #3 for Assignment #4A:

• You should arrange to work with some person, your "subject", using an interactive application, typically one with various menus and toolbar options. It would be best to choose a subject who is NOT a computer scientist, but more of a "typical" user, say a friend who is working or majoring in some non-computer field.
• Your task is to evaluate the system they are using to see in what ways it is or is not easy to use -- to examine its usability.
• Your task is NOT to evaluate the person using the system as to whether they are skilled or quick or intelligent -- you must focus on the system they are using.
• Make a PLAN before you do the actual testing.
• Make up a simple sheet for your own use to remind you of the types of things you are looking for.
• Make some initial assessment of your subject's familiarity with the system.
• Since systems are often large and complicated, focus on some simple tasks such as finding help or opening and saving files.
• Give your subject one overall task at a time. Do not give them a series of small tasks to do, one after the other. That would be too much like "coaching" them at every step. They must be in charge once they have their task to do.
• In working with your subject, get them to talk out loud as they do the tasks. IF THEY GET STUCK, DO NOT JUMP IN and solve their problem -- resist the temptation! If they get completely stuck, have them go on to some different task.
• Take lots of notes.
• The results of your work should be a report of two or three pages that describes, at a minimum:
  • How you set up your evaluation, e.g., using the points just proceeding this and Project 19 ideas
  • What aspects of the system you examined
  • What you observed that told you something about usability.
  • Your conclusions: What aspects of the system were usable and what were not -- give details.
  • You might want to include (cropped) screen shots of those partsw of the system that you assessed.
• Optionally, you might want to work with more than one subject or more than one system, but don't let your project grow too large or get to diffuse.
• Have fun!

B. Literature search and project ideas:

Your first task is to familiarize yourself with the HCI literature. You must use a (real!)library in this work, not just the Web. Many of the items mentioned below are simply not available on the Web. Your other goal is to look for ideas for your course project, which should involve both system design and VB programming.

Your primary product for #4Bwill be a two or three report describing some of the articles that you find that are interesting. You MUST look at a few JOURNALS (technical periodicals) and PROCEEDINGS. A good list of these can be found in our text on pages 35 and 36. You should also include a section, at least half a page, on what you found that you think might be a good project idea(s).

As you look at the various articles you find, be looking for ideas for your project. Remember, your project will be far simpler than virtually anything you read about in the literature. Do not get overly ambitious. You should know already from your first VB assignment how much work it takes to do even simple things.

In your report, include full and properly formatted references to any articles you discuss -- use can use the format that our text uses in its Reference sections at the end of each chapter.

You should also try to investigate the on-line full articles and article abstracts that are available through the Snell Library Web site, specifically: http://www.lib.neu.edu/gateway/ The most valuable resources are only available to you from a browser on campus -- they are resources purchased by NU and availble only through on-campus connections.

All the above should keep you busy!

As always, As always, email if you have questions: futrelle@ccs.neu.edu.