Usability Evaluation

This was the largest user-centered design activity we performed during this course. A usability test involving several separate activities was conducted on paper prototypes.

Background and Purpose

Given our previous findings, we decided to narrow the scope of the usability test to focus on navigation, layout, and terminology issues in the TiddlyWiki thesaurus. Due to time constraints an actual prototype could not be constructed, so we used paper protypes instead. Four graduate students were recruited as participants (two of whom were currently enrolled in LIS 537, and two of whom had taken the course in a previous quarter.)

Each session was guided by a set of protocols laid out in an administrator script, to ensure consistency in the evaluation. A session consisted of five segments:

After introductions were made, the participant was asked to work through a series of four simple tasks with each of the paper prototypes, using a think-aloud protocol.
After testing each prototype, they were asked to complete a short evaluation survey in which they ranked the features involved in each task on a seven-point Likert scale.
Next, they were asked to draw a picture of their ideal thesaurus building tool using pen and paper, with no time limits given.
In a final interview, they were asked to explain the features and functionalities of their sketch.
Finally, they were asked to verbally assess the prototypes and add any other comments, suggestions or questions.

Responsibility

I created the administrator script, the consent form, assisted with paper prototype creation, and contributed to the task list. The usability evaluation was performed over two days, with a different pair of team members facilitating two sessions each day. I worked alongside Ann Swearingen on the first day, and facilitated the paper prototype portion. I also ran the user sketching activity. All team members took notes at various times, discussed results after the sessions, and contributed to the report.

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Note: This report provides a brief summary of activities and findings. For the complete "kit" used during this evaluation, and the resulting user sketches, please see the final report.