http://www.cs.tut.fi/ihte

HCProLecture 10 (18.2.2014):

Usability goals,idea generation techniques

Jarmo Palviainen

Main Themes of the Lecture

•Setting usability/UX goals

• Ideation techniques

Usability goals & requirements

• At the early stage: goals/requirements• Requirements (see lecture 6): What the system does, not how• Usability goals: also ”how” in a certain way (performance,

experience, learning etc.)• Goals can be formed by finding out the current level

• Not possible for a new concept

• Later compare results to goals• When can we stop iterating?• Did the project succeed• Maybe later you will understand better, what is an adequate level

• HCD standard says that you should describe at leastmeasures for efficiency, effectiveness andsatisfaction.

Examples of usability goals 1/3

• "Data entry clerks will be able to input data fromthe forms with 98% accuracy in a mean time ofless than 10 minutes. The mean SUMI score willbe greater than 50.“ [ISO 13407]

• (efficiency)

• All users consider the new system better thanthe old one (satisfaction)

• Less than 5% of the users need to use theinstructions in the first time of use.(effectiveness)

Examples of usability goals 2/3

• Usability goals are written in a format thatcontains following data:

• To which user group is this applied• Pre-conditions for measuring usability• What criteria (attributes) are used• What and how they are measured

• In brief e.g.• System xxx usability specification

• For 90% of the users, their work has become remarkably moreefficient after taking the new system into use

• User population: All users• Pre-conditions: Will be measured after one week active use• Attribute: Efficiency

Examples of usability goals, 3/3Example of a longer version:

• In addition: tell for each attribute the source, from which the data iscollected

System usability spesificationUser population: All usersPre-conditions: Measurements after one week use

Attribute Measure Worstcase

Lowestacceptablelevel

Plannedlevel

Bestlevel

Currentlevel

Efficiency Mistakesduringtask

5 ormore

2 1 0 5

Efficiency Timeused

10 minor more

5 min 3 min 1 min 10 min

Defining the current level of usability/UX

• Setting the goals should be based on the status ofthe current or equivalent systems

• Recognize the problems in the current products• Avoid problems found in other products• Benchmark for usability/UX

• Select the most important tasks and user groups tobe tested/participate the tests

• Typically tested by few users, think aloud…• Categorizations for findings based on importance/frequency• Expert evaluations can be used too

• Consider using ”standardized” questionnaires to determine thelevel of UX/usability (e.g. Attrakdiff, SUMI (http://sumi.ucc.ie/), NetPromoter Score)

Setting the usability goals

• Found measures can be used when definingusability goals

• 1) Define measurable goals• Concrete• Criteria, that is testable

• Soon after the introduction of the system or later, inactive use

• To emphasize meaning of usability in the early stage• To express what the new system should be like, so

that the designers and implementers can actaccordingly

Setting the usability goals

• 2) Choose the user groups and tasks for the goals (thesehopefully were found when studying the current level)

• 3) Decide the criteria (considering the current status), e.g.:• Acceptable task finishing time• Optimum end result (effectiveness)• How efficiency is evaluated (consider what mistakes the user can

make)• Satisfaction goals• Load for the support organizations…

• Decide what attributes are the most important• Understandability, learnability, operability and attractiveness…

• Evaluate, when testing the prototype

What you want to measure – micro vs.macro

[Hornbæk 2006]

Measures for diffent areas in usability

[Hornbæk 2006]

Usability goals: the attributes & metrics

• Effectiveness (how well suited to the task)• Success % of the task• Frequency of using different features• Problems the users had• The quality of the outcome

Usability goals: the attributes & metrics

• Efficiency• Task completion time• Features or operations needed to complete the task, use e.g. GOMS• Time used for seeking for information (learnability).• Time used for using on-line help• Time spent on handling errors

• Satisfaction• User attitudes towards the system, e.g. chosen likert scales of seven,

SUMI (Software Usability Measurement Inventory), Net PromoterScore

Usability goals: the attributes & metrics

• Learnability• How quickly a novice user can accomplish certain tasks (often the

learning curve gets more gradual)• The time needed to use the system or to reach a certain level of

performance• Problems occurred during getting the necessary skills• Time spent on searching for information (from documents/on-line help)• Frequency of using On-line helps• Time spent on recovering from mistakes• Frequency of certain or all error dialogs• Time needed to maintain learned information about the system• Time to re-learn after a pause• Frequency of help needed to solve a problem

Usability framework[Folmer & Bosch 2003, Juristo & al 2003]

Usability attributes,Usability properties andUsability patterns

Make the goals to supportthe design and the designto support the goals!

This will be explained later

Lecture: Usability &software architecture

Producing ideas and design solutions

16

18.2.2014

General about creating ideas

• Expertise and collecting information before hand• Creativity is also based on knowledge, not only

ideas and associating• Technology, human needs, market, own resources…

• A good design method ensures that sufficientknowledge is gained before creating the designsolution

OR is it so? What is sufficient?

Producing ideas

• Make sure you know what it the problem tobe solved

• Multi disciplinary group work,• E.g. Rapid7 [Kylmäkoski 2006]

• In individual level, creativity is positive criticism,ability to listen to the others’ ideas and use themwhen developing it further [Välimaa et al. 1994]

• First amount, then quality!

Ideation techniques (Jokinen)

• Idea walk (Ideakävely)• Brainstorming techniques (Aivoriihitekniikat)

• ”the traditional” (Alex Osborne 1939)• Expressiveness, Postpone idea evaluation, Quantity versus

Quality, Piggyback Ideas [wikipedia]• ”Method 635”/ “6-3-5 Brainwriting)• The Gordon technique• Grounded brainstorming [Beyer & Holtzblatt]

• Altering method (Osborn’s question list) (Muuntelumenetelmä)• Double team• ”Tuumatalkoot”• Synectics• Love-Hate

What to do with the ideas

• Once you have large number of ideas, you needto evaluate the quality

• Collective evaluation helps solving problem ofideas becoming ”personal”

• Often even using ideation techniques helps here

• Try to get positive features of all ideas integratedinto one or few ideas

Questions helping at evaluating ideas

• Does the idea work? Can it be implemented?• Does it improve the current convention?• Does it lower the expenses?• Does it increase productivity?• Does it improve quality?• Does it improve safety?• Does it improve working conditions?• Does it affect moral?• Would people really like it?• Is it temporal or long lasting solution?• Is it simple and understandable?• Do others approve it?

[Heikkilä ja Heikkilä]

References

• Beyer, H. Holtzblatt, K. Contextual Design: Defining Customer-CenteredSystems. Morgan Kaufmann, 1998

• Heikkilä, J., Heikkilä, K. Innovatiivisuutta etsimässä. Irtiottoakeskinkertaisuudesta. Helsinki: Kauppakaari, 2001.

• Nielsen, Usability Engineering, Morgan Kaufmann, 1994• Koski, J.T., Banappelsiini, Gummerus Kustannus Oy, 2003.• Koski, J.T., Tuominen, S., Kuinka ideat syntyvät - Luovan ajattelun

käsikirja. WSOY, 2004.