5BUS1007 HCI ASG 2 - Describe the poor UI

Thursday 3 November 2011 Version 1

5BUS1007 HCI

2011/12 Semester A

Human Computer Interaction for Commercial Applications

Assignment 2 Evaluate (part of) a device that has a poor user interface (UI) design.
Individual Work Hand out date: Hand it date: 45% of total module grade Thursday 5 November 2011 Thursday 15 December 2011 (teaching week 5) (teaching week 10)

Submit via StudyNet. The assignment can be completed before this date.
Penalties will be applied for late work. (-10% per day; work later than 1 week will not be marked)

PART 0: Introduction (prepared in ASG 1)

1. 2. 3.

(marks awarded in ASG1)

In assignment 1 (ASG1) you chose a system or a part of a system (either software or hardware) that is used by real people (users) doing real work. This system contains a poor user interface that cause people to have problems when using it. In this assignment (ASG2) you evaluate this poor user interface. In your next assignment (ASG3) you will improve that user interface and evaluate your new design.

PART 1: Describe the system (5 marks) 1. Describe the user interface of your chosen system: an overall description of the systems UI may help, but concentrate on the part of the system that is causing the problem.
Include as much visual material as possible: screen shots, photographs, to show how the systems UI works. Use before, during and after diagrams to help explain how controls (buttons, switches etc) work and what effect they have on the rest of the user interface.

2. 3.

Describe the (physical and social) environment surrounding your system, i.e. where is the system used? Explain any jargon words or phrases that are used by your system or users while completing the goals. (5 marks)

PART 2: The users 1. List all the different groups of users who use your system. 2. Select two contrasting users groups and describe their characteristics. 3. Create a persona for each of the two user groups selected above.

PART 3: User Observations (5 marks) 1. Observe a few (3-12) users of the system to find out how they use the system. 2. Identify the activities that are causing problems for the users. 3. Select one of the problem activities and describe the problems encountered by each user. PART 4: Activities: Goals, Tasks and Actions (5 marks) 1. List all the goals of your system. (There must be a minimum of 12 goals) 2. Select two of the above goals (one of these selected goals must have UI problems) and list all the tasks needed to complete the goal. 3. For each of the tasks listed above, decompose the task into a list of actions that are needed to complete the task. 4. Describe the characteristics of the problematic activity. PART 5: HCI analysis of the Actions: visibility, affordance and feedback (5 marks) 1. For each of the actions listed for the problematic task in part 4.3 above, explain their HCI behaviour in terms of the first three Design Principles: (1) visibility, (2) affordance and (3) feedback. PART 6: Low-fidelity paper prototype (10 marks) 1. Create a low-fidelity prototype using pen and paper. 2. Create a storyboard using this low-fidelity prototype to describe the problematic activity. 3. Use the various HCI principles taught in this module (e.g. Gould & Lewis; Bennett & Shackel; ISO 9241; Nielsens 10 heuristics, Shneidermans 8 Golden Rules) to explain why users are having problems with the current system. 4. Suggest improvements that will overcome these problems. (The suggestion hint at the solution you may use in ASG 3 to create an improved UI) PART 7: Task Analysis (10 marks) 1. Create a Task Scenario for the problematic activity identified in parts 4, 5 and 6. 2. Develop a Concrete Use Case from this Task Scenario. 3. Develop a Essential Use Case from this Concrete Use Case 4. Carry out a Cognitive Walkthrough for this Concrete Use Case. TOTAL (45 marks)