| Week | Dates | Topic | Readings | Assignments due |
|---|
| 1 |
4 January
|
Course overview
- Introductions
- What is usability?
- History of usability?
- Learning & Memory
|
Required
|
|
| 2 |
11 January
|
Planning & considerations for usability testing
- Why do we need usability testing?
- Usability testing within the UCD process
- Identifying usability concerns
- Usability inspection methods
Choose teams + Projects
Workshop: Brainstorming usability concerns
|
From the books (required)
- Tullis & Albert, “Introduction”
- Rubin & Chisnell, Chapters 1 -3
Required
Optional
Extend topic: Heuristic evals for specific settings
|
Read project descriptions Sign up for reading presentation |
| 3 |
18 January
|
Planning for a usability study, cont.
- More methods for identifying usability issues
- Selecting representative users
|
From the books (required)
- Rubin & Chisnell, “Develop the Test Plan” (ch 5) & “Set Up a Testing Environment” (ch 6)
- Tullis & Albert, “Background” (ch 2)
Required
Optional
Extend topic: Accessibility
|
P1. Preliminary proposal
|
| 4 |
25 January
|
Forming an initial test plan
- What are the responsibilities of a tester?
- What are general considerations to drive a test plan?
- What is essential and what is optional when preparing a meaningful study?
|
From the books (required)
- Rubin & Chisnell, “Skills for Test Moderators” (ch 4) & “Find and Select Participants” (ch 7)
- Tullis & Albert, “Planning a Usability Study” (ch 3)
Required
Optional
Extend topic: Usability, children, and aging
Extend topic: Usability and automation
|
P2. Interaction map
- Draft: in class
- Final: Sunday, 28 Jan
|
| 5 |
1 February
|
Preparing a test with measurable results
- What test materials do we need for a usability study?
- What will be measured?
- How do we create successful data collection instruments?
Workshop: Study plans
|
From the books (required)
- Rubin & Chisnell, “Prepare Test Materials” (ch 8).
- Tullis & Albert, “Performance Metrics” (ch 4), “Issues-based Metrics” (ch 5),
“Self-reported Metrics” (ch 6).
Required
Optional
Extend topic: The Hamburger Icon
|
P3. Study plan
- Draft in class
- Final by Sunday, 4 Feb
|
| 6 |
8 February
|
Conducting a usability study
- What is “thinking aloud”?
- What is key to successful facilitation?
- How do we collect data from a usability study?
Workshop: Study kits
|
From the books (required)
- Rubin & Chisnell, “Conduct the Test Sessions” (ch 9).
- Tullis & Albert, “Behavioral and Physiological Metrics” (ch 7).
Required
Optional
Extend topic: Additional Techniques
|
P4. Study kit
- Draft: In class
- Final: Sunday, 10 Feb
|
| 7 |
15 February
|
Data analysis & reporting
- Validity and Reliability
- Analysis and Reporting
Workshop: Data analysis
|
From the books (required)
- Rubin & Chisnell, “Analyze Data and Observations” (ch 11).
- Tullis & Albert, “Combined and Comparative Metrics” (ch 8).
Required
Optional
Extend Topic: Invisible OSs, Recognition, and Recall
|
|
| 8 |
22 February
|
Presenting your findings
- Discuss details for the final assignments
- How can data and findings be meaningfully shaped for stakeholders?
- Reporting and communicating results
Usability experiences in sociotechnical systems, can things be “too” usable? (& other dilemmas)
|
From the books (required)
- Rubin & Chisnell, “Report Findings and Recommendations” (ch 12).
Required
Optional
Extend topic: Website size and other infrastructure issues
|
|
| 9 |
1 March
|
Guest lecture: (Tentative - TBD)
Reporting Examples (Brook)
Usability in the field, and moving forward
- What are the benefits & challenges of conducting usability activities in the field?
- What are other tools and approaches?
|
Required
Extend topic: Biometrics
|
|
| 10 |
8 March
|
Course wrap up & Presentations
|
Optional
|
|