Homework 3: Two User Studies of Paper Prototypes
Homework 3: Start: Mon, Nov 9, 2009, Finish: Mon, Nov. 16, 2009
Using the paper prototype you created in Homework 2, you are now going to run
a user test of that prototype with one or more users, revise the paper prototype
to try to fix any problems found, and then run one or more additional users on
the revised version.
PART A: The first part of this assignment is to perform a user study
of the prototype you created for homework 2. You should put your paper prototype
in front of at least one user. This should be a different user than you used for your CI in homework 1, and this person should
also be a novice at your appliance. As with the CI, you might want to videotape your sessions.
As noted in homework 1, the university has some
video-cameras that it loans to students, but you have to plan ahead and get a
CFA lending card. Here are the details:
http://www.cmu.edu/computing/clusters/lending.html
Let me know if you
find other ways to borrow cameras.
- The deliverable for PART A is the user test template filled out for at
least one user. See the template here:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bam/uicourse/UserTestReport_template1.docx
(or the
doc version; see also the partial example in
docx or
doc).
This includes:
- The script that you use to
direct the users on what to do. If it is the same as previous assignments,
please mention this, but go ahead and include it again, so we have
everything in one place. Note that this must include exactly what you say
to the user.
- A description of your user (note: not their name, but instead their
experience and demographic properties),
- A transcript or summary of what the user did and said, and what you did and said. If at some
points you have to help the users, because they cannot figure out what to do,
that must be included in your transcript. It is not necessary to write down
every word that the user says, just what is interesting and useful. Be sure to
write down all actions on the device, whether correct or wrong. Note: we do
not want you to turn in your videotape or audiotape, just the
transcript.
- At least 5 rows describing problems that the user had. NOTE: If
the user does not have at least 5 problems that you can report or goes too
fast, then you need to go back and revise your tasks to make them harder, or
to include more parts of the user interface for your device, so you can find
more complex tasks, and then do another user.
PART B: Next, you will modify your paper prototype from homework 2 to
try to fix the problems you observed in your user study, as described in
the last column of your User Test Feedback Analysis section of your
report for PART A.
- The deliverables for PART B is a copy of your new paper prototype.
Again, make a copy of this version and keep the original for use in PART C.
- Also turn in a summary of what you changed. This should be a short
description. You should reference back to the row number for each problem
you fix from PART B, so it is clear which fix goes with which problem.
PART C: Next, you will do another user test template filled out for
at least one different user using your revised prototype (from Part
B). Use another copy of the same
template as for part A:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bam/uicourse/UserTestReport_template1.docx. Again, this is a different person, also a novice (so you
have at least 3 people you have used so far). You should videotape this one too.
- The deliverable for PART C is another copy of the user test template filled out. This includes:
- Hopefully, your script has not changed from PART A, but if you need to
change the script, then fill in the new
script. If the script is the same, then just say "same script as
PART A" in this part of the user-test-report-template document.
- Fill in the remaining parts of the template as for PART A. Since you
have a different user for PART C, all of the rest of the information should
be different as well.
- Note that you do not need to change your interface from Part B to reflect the "Way(s) to rectify" column
for the results of the Part C.
Instead, you will be making an implementation of your revised design as part
of Homework 4.
In summary, you will be turning in two (2) copies of the filled out
UserTestReport_template1.docx (one for PART A and one for PART C), a revised
paper prototype (PART B), and a short discussion of what you changed in the new
version of the prototype. Please turn in this assignment as a hardcopy of your reports and copies of
your various paper prototypes in a recloseable envelope (as for homework 2) with
your name on it before class.