Human-Computer
Interaction
Ali Harris (Fall 2020)
Lecture # 28: Usability Engineering
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What will be covered today…
Formality Gap
Validation vs Verification
Usability Engineering
Techniques
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Formality Gap
Real-world
requirements
The Formality Gap
and
constraints
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Formality Gap
The origin of customer requirements arises in the inherent
ambiguity of the real world and not the mathematical
world.
There will always be a distance from the informal
situations of the real world to any formal and structured
development process.
This situation is referred as formality gap.
As a designer of interactive system, our aim would be?
Reduce or Increase???
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Verification and Validation
Validation ensures that the product actually meets the user's
needs, and that the specifications were correct in the first
place,
while verification is ensuring that the product has been built
according to the requirements and design specifications.
Verification
designing the product right
Validation
designing the right product
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Example – Verification vs Validation
A button labelled “SUBMET”.
Verification?
Spells Correct? Placed Correct? Required?
Validation?
Works properly? Data Sent? Data is received in correct form?
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Usability Goals – recap
Effectiveness – How good a system is what it is supposed
to do.
Efficiency – System supports user to carry out their tasks.
Safety – Protect user from a dangerous (or undesirable)
condition.
Utility – Right kind of functionality is available
Learnability – How easy is to learn a system.
Memorability – How easy is to remember the system
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Usability Engineering
Usability engineering is a discipline that focuses on
improving the usability of interactive systems.
Usability must be considered before prototyping takes
place.
In effect, a user-friendly interface is one that allows users
to effectively and efficiently accomplish the tasks for
which it was designed and one that users rate positively
on opinion or emotional scales.
Usability Engineering helps in creating user-centered
design! 8
Usability Engineering methods
In order to make sure that our software project has all essential
characteristics of usability, there are several methods that can be
used:
- Usability Testing
- Focus Groups
- Questionnaires/surveys
- Cognitive Walkthroughs
- Heuristic Evaluations
- Thinking aloud
- Field Observation
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Usability Testing
Usability testing refers to evaluating a product or service by testing it with
representative users.
During the test, participants will use the product by performing typical tasks
while observers watch, listen and takes notes.
The goal is to identify any usability problems, collect qualitative and
quantitative data and determine the participant's satisfaction with the
product.
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Focus Group
It is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about
their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product.
Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are
free to talk with other group members.
A focus group is a moderated discussion that typically involves 5 to 10
participants. Through a focus group, you can learn about users’ attitudes,
beliefs, desires, and reactions to concepts.
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Cognitive Walkthrough
A cognitive walkthrough is a task-oriented method with which the analyst
explores the system functionalities, simulating step-by-step user behavior for
a given task.
The evaluator work through a series of tasks and ask a set of questions from
the perspective of the user.
A report is generated afterwards addressing all the concerns.
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Heuristic Evaluation
A method in which one or more reviewers, preferably the usability specialists, compare
a software or hardware product to a list of design principles (commonly known as
‘heuristics’) and identify where the product does not follow those principles.
During a single evaluation session, the evaluator goes through the interface several
times and inspects the various dialogue elements and compares them with a list of
recognized usability principles. This can be done with multiple evaluators.
“User Control” can be termed as one of the heuristics.
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Thinking Aloud
It involves having a end user continuously thinking out loud while using the
system. By verbalizing their thoughts, the test users enable us to understand
how they view the system, and this again makes it easier to identify the end
users' major misconceptions.
Observers at such a test are asked to objectively take notes of everything
that users say, without attempting to interpret their actions and words.
Time factor is important while testing it.
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Field Observation
Observation is the simplest of all methods. It involves visiting one or more
users in their workplaces. Notes must be taken as unobtrusively as possible to
avoid interfering with their work.
Ideally, the observer should be virtually invisible to ensure normal working
conditions. Sometimes video is used to make the observation process less
obtrusive, but it is rarely necessary.
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The End!
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