Group Usability Study Preparation

Overview

In the third phase of the group capstone project, you will prepare for a usability study of a high-fidelity (i.e., computer-based) prototype of your design. Your preparation deliverables include a set of instructions with a list of representative tasks, an informed consent form, and a background annd exit questionnaire. Since the quality and scope of these documents, especially your task instructions, will have a major impact on the quality of your usability study, I would like to provide you with quick feedback on these documents in time for you to make changes that impact your actual usability study.

Steps

1. Prepare study tasks. By now, you are well aware of the core tasks to be supported by your technology. Construct a list of at least five representative tasks that your study participants will perform with your prototype. It is important to set the stage for your participants by constructing a realistic (but probably fictitious) scenario in which they are performing the tasks. For example, if you were testing a walk-up-and-use information kiosk, you might describe the scene as follows. "It is Saturday morning, and you are your friends are ready to explore New York City. You take the bus to Fifth Avenue, and when you exit, you see an information kiosk adjacent to the bus stop. Eager to find your way to the Institute of Art, you approach the kiosk. . ." For each task in your test, you could build on this scenario.

2. Write study instructions. Before participants begin working on the tasks, you will need to have them read (or read aloud to them as they follow along) a set of instructions. These instructions tell participants what to expect, tell them how to "think aloud," and share any other information that is relevant to their participation. This template document provides a starting point for the instruction booklet you'll give to participants; it includes sample instructions, a placeholder for your scenario, placeholders for each task, and a sample exit interview. Feel free to modify it to meet your needs.

3. Create informed consent form. Before participants begin participating in the study, they must sign an informed consent form that explains their rights and responsibilities as a participant in your study. For legal and ethical reasons, participants must be informed that their participation is voluntary, and that they can withdraw from the study at any time. Use this informed consent form as a starting point for your informed consent form.

4. Create background questionnaire and exit questionnaire. It is important to get a sense of the experience and educational level of your participants. To do this, you'll need to have participants fill out a background questionnaire prior to their participation in the study. In addition, you'll want to elicit participants' subjective impressions of your prototype once they're done with the study. To collect quantitative data that will help you gauge your prototype with respect to the user experience goals you have established, your questionnaire should begin with a set of Likert scale questions. You are required to choose a subset of questions from the standardized QUIS questionnaire (available off of the WebCT site) for this purpose, but feel free to also include your own custom questions to get at your user experience goals directly. In addition, at the end of the questionnaire, it is common to include a set of free form questions (e.g., "What did you like and not like about the software?" "Can you imagine using this software in your job?" ) Be sure to include a copy of the screening and exit questionnaire you administered as an appendix to your usability study report.

Deliverables and Grading

Hand in hard copies of the following items. Bundle these items with a cover page that includes (a) your project's group name and (b) the names of your group members.

1. The "Usability Testing Design Document" you developed within in-class studio activity #9.

2. Study instructions document

3. Informed consent form

4. Background questionnaire

5. Exit questionnaire

Your instructor will aim to give you quick feedback on these documents, returning them to you in time for you to make final modifications for your usability study. You will receive 3% credit (all or nothing) if (a) you hand the documents in on time, and (b) the documents are all complete, and in the proper format.