Usability Test - Computer Screen Based

Date: 2nd July 2008

Participants:

Babu Rahman: Aged 17
Shyan Rahman: Aged 32
Ahbida Rahman: Aged 49
Janjeb Rahman: Aged 55

Technique:

After setting the scene to the subjects (you walk onto a train platform and you see this image on the other side of the wall), I tell them to do whatever they naturally do on entering a train station.

Babu: Understands the concept quickly and plays the game, moving his arms appropriately

Shyan: Goes for the mouse immediately and realises it's not mouse-based. This is mainly because of the fact it is being tested on a computer.

Ahbida: Ahbida, who is not technologically savvy at all, understands very fast, since the game reacted with her as soon as she walked by. Seeing herself reflected, she started bashing the balls with vigour.

Janjeb: Was fascinated, and is a football fan, so he bumped the balls on the top of his head, expecting them to be bouncey footballs.

Reaction:

Single User: The users had fun, popping the balls, they were a little more reserved alone.

Multiuser: The technology worked fine, the users enjoyed playing with each other, laughing and being far more relaxed, hitting each other's balls and being sociable.

Quotes: "It's addictive!" by Dieter De Deuschaever

Usability Test Questionnaire

Usability Testing

You are on a Tube Platform and you see this projection on the opposite side of the train.


1. Walk by. What do you notice?

__________________________________________________________________________

2. What do you think this is?

__________________________________________________________________________


3. What do you think it’s for?

__________________________________________________________________________


4. Did you enjoy the experience?

__________________________________________________________________________


5. What do you feel about the look and feel?

__________________________________________________________________________


6. If more games were commissioned, would you be interested?

__________________________________________________________________________


7. Did it get boring after a while?

__________________________________________________________________________


8. Do you think it portrays the Olympic spirit?

__________________________________________________________________________

Underground Questionnaire - 20 Commuters

Where are you going today?
10 people - to work

3 people - to visit friends/family

8 people - a landmark (tourist)

Do you usually do this journey or is it a one off?
12 people - yes
8 people - no

What frustrates you most about the tube? (top answers)
Delays

Packed trains

Rude People

Confusing Stations and Signs

What do you do for underground information? (top answers)

Check online

Look at signs and listen for announcements

Ask an Underground employee

Pick up free maps and leaflets

What do you do for entertainment? (top answers)
Listen to mp3 player

Read newspaper/magazine/book

Read ads

If you've ever missed your stop, why? (top answers)
Fall asleep

Can't see signs

Mishear the announcement

Do you ever get lost on the underground? Why?
Signs are confusing or misleading

Stations are big

Language problems

Do you understand which exits to get off from the first time you go somewhere?
18 people - No

2 people - Yes

Are you looking forward to the Olympics?
10 people - Yes

10 people - No

Why are you looking forward to the Olympics? (top answers)

Seeing my country play

I enjoy sports

A big special event

Something new for London

Why aren't you looking forward to the Olympics? (top answers)

Too much money spent

I don't care for the Olympics

Load of hassle 

Scenarios description

To see a difference between use case and scenarios I'm posting a definition of scenarios from (again) wikipedia (link - title):

In computing, a scenario is a narrative describing foreseeable interactions of types of users (characters) and the system. Scenarios include information about goals, expectations, motivations, actions and reactions. Scenarios are neither predictions nor forecasts, but rather attempts to reflect on or portray the way in which a system is used in the context of daily activity.

Scenarios are frequently used as part of the systems development process. They are typically produced by usability or marketing specialists, often working in concert with end users and developers. Scenarios are written in plain language, with minimal technical details, so that stakeholders (designers, usability specialists, programmers, engineers, managers, marketing specialists, etc.) can have a common example which can focus their discussions. Scenarios are used in a number of ways:

• As a vision pieces. Vision pieces provide a high level picture of an envisioned system or product. One example is Apple's Knowledge Navigator video [1].
• As an illustration of functionality: This type of scenario illustrates the functionality the system needs to support, often connecting it to the motivations and needs of the envisioned users of the system.
• Scenarios may focus on the value offered by a system, showing how it offers an advantage over the way things are. This type of scenario may be used to 'sell' an idea within the organization that is considering developing the system.
• Scenarios may be used in the context of research, to explore, at a detailed level, the functionality a system needs to have to succeed in its daily context of use.

Vannevar Bush's As We May Think essay is a famous example of a scenario that served as a vision piece. It was the user scenario that presented the idea of hyperlinks, and illustrated the value of hypertext. It described the (fictitious) Memex machine that inspired Douglas C. Engelbart to see the potential of the personal computer, and enabled him to secure the funding necessary to design the computer mouse and first graphical user interface in 1968.