Prototype sketching

Question 1

Ways of sketching and components of these prototypes

Answer 1

overlaying windows
tracing/overlaying
state transitions
flow charts

Question 2

why use story boarding

Answer 2

show me vs tell me
considers both timeline and space of the user
establishes context
can tie different elements of the user inerface or user experience together
important for games and ui’s

Question 3

Why prototype

Answer 3

get feedback on design faster
experiment with alternate designs
fix problems before code is written
keep the design user centered

Question 4

High fidelity

Answer 4

iterated like 5 times

very sophisticated and works close to how the actual end product will work

Question 5

why not just use hi fi

Answer 5

can distort the perceptions of the user
- formal representation indicated finished nature
- people comment on unimportant things such as colour, fonts, alignment etc.
Discourages major changes
- testers dont want to change a finished design
- designers dont want to lose effort put into design

Question 6

how to go about constructing the prototype

Answer 6

set a deadline
draw a window on a large paper
put different screen regions on cards
ready response for any user action
use copier to make many version

Question 7

how to prepare for a prototype test

Answer 7

select particiapnts
- understand their background
- use a questionnaire
- dont use friends and family
Perep scenarios and tasks
Practice before to avoid bugs

Question 8

How to conduct a WOZ Study

Answer 8

three or more testers
-greeter
- facilitator - only one who speaks
- computer/wizard
- observors
Approx 1 hr
prep
test
debrief

Question 9

How to conduct a test, in general

Answer 9

Greet 
- get forms filled in, assure confidentiality
Test
- explain how will work
- hands written tasks to user
- keeps getting output from participant
- observors records what happens
--avoid reactions
-designers should not lead participants
- only answer questions if they remain stuck for a long time
Debrief
- post eval questionnaire
- follow up
- impressions
- thanks

Question 10

What to do when participants get stick

Answer 10

indicative of usability problems

Question 11

critical incidents

Answer 11

unusual or interesting events during the study

Question 12

example of indications of critical incidents

Answer 12

user gets stick
user suddenly understands something
user says “cool”

Question 13

what to do with results

Answer 13

update task analysis and rethink the design

• rate severity and ease of fixing problems
• fix

Question 14

does debriefing help

Answer 14

not always
if you ask a question people will alwasy answer even if it is not a reflection of the truth
avoid leading questions

Question 15

10 steps to a better evaluation

Answer 15

Introduce yourself
Describe the purpose of the observation
If you are having trouble, it’s our fault, not yours!
Tell the participant it’s okay to quit anytime
Talk about the equipment in the room
Explain how to think aloud
Explain that you cannot provide help
Describe the tasks and introduce the product
Written instructions, don’t demo!
Ask if there are any questions; then begin observation
Conclude the observation
Use the results