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HCDE517: Usability Analysis - Schedule - W22

WeekDatesTopicReadingsAssignments 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

Extend topic: Cognitive Walkthroughs in other Settings

Aaron R. Lyon, Jessica Coifman, Heather Cook, Erin McRee, Freda F. Liu, Kristy Ludwig, Shannon Dorsey, Kelly Koerner, Sean A. Munson & Elizabeth McCauley The Cognitive Walkthrough for Implementation Strategies (CWIS): a pragmatic method for assessing implementation strategy usability. Implementation Science Communications 2 (2021).

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, 30 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, 6 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: Invisible OSs, Recognition, and Recall

P4. Study kit

  • Draft: In class
  • Final: Sunday, 12 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: Voice UI

    Extend topic: Large data in usability

    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: Technical choices that affect usability

    9 1 March

    Guest lecture: (Tentative - TBD)

    Reporting Examples

    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

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