ASSIGNMENT 1 PART 1 | USABILITY ENGINEERING

Important Instructions

You must work in groups. The recommended (and minimum) group size is 2 and the maximum is 3. However, the submissions will be individual.

For this submission, group members will be each other’s user for a small user study. As the user, choose the websites from the list that you are least familiar with. Each group member must have a different website.

Website Choices and Tasks

 Website        Interview

bandcamp

How does the user normally discover and listen to music? Under which circumstances do they choose to purchase music? Does the user engage with the musicians they listen to in any way?

Zazzle 

How do you normally acquire your clothes?

What makes you decide whether to buy a particular clothing item for yourself?

What attributes of an item of clothing are most important to you?

Goodreads 

How many books does the user typically read?

What formats do they use for reading?

How do they discover or choose new books to read?

How do they engage with other people regarding books?     

                                                                                              

Linkedin

Has the user looked for jobs

before? If so, how? If not, how

would they look for a job?

What information does the user

want to know to decide on the

relevance of a job?

What support does the user want in applying for a job?

Tasks

Find a track called “LOL” Find out the copyright information for members who upload tracks

Upload an image onto your fan account profile

Find a t-shirt with a picture of a cat and a box

Add two items featuring a cat to your shopping cart and view the cart

Find out how artists can have their products listed, including the relevant copyright information.

Find a book that you’ve read Rate it and write a review Find out how authors can use the site

Find a UX designer job Find a group to join

Find out what it costs to put up a job ad

Notes

The interview should be completed before the usability test. You should also ask what previous experience the user has of the website being tested. Note that the interview questions need to be reworded so that they are addressed to the user.

Three tasks have been listed for each website. You should add one additional task. To complete the tasks, users may need to create accounts. You can include the account creation in your observations and analysis, but it doesn’t count as a task.

As a participant, you should practice the “think aloud” protocol, so that the facilitator/observer can note your thought processes while completing the task.

As the facilitator/observer, you may also wish to record the session, so that it is easier to collect the required data by reviewing the recording. Look for the following information:

• Where does the user look for the commands or information?

• What errors does the user make, if any, when attempting to complete the tasks?

• How long does the user take to complete the tasks, and any subtasks?

• What positive or negative emotions does the user express while completing the tasks

• What notable comments are made by the user while thinking aloud?

What to submit

Each student is to submit a 2-4 page report containing the following:

• A brief introduction, stating the purpose of the study, including the site being tested.

• A list of the interview questions asked of the user.

• A brief description of the usability test performed (as facilitator/observer), stating the tasks, and the user’s previous experience of the site. Which tasks are information seeking tasks?

• A summary of the information learnt via the interview.

• A summary of observations. You can use either Whitney and Quesenbery’s 5 Es or Nielsen’s Dimensions of Usability to structure your results. State which of your observations are quantitative and which are qualitative.

• A conclusion about the website’s usability, and any potential recommendations.

• Discuss the limitations of the study, and recommend how to implement a better user study.

• A reflection on the assignment activity: What have you learnt from being a user in a user study? What have you learnt about usability testing and user research?

The report should have clear headings or subheadings for each of the above parts.

How to submit?

You should submit a pdf file via Blackboard. Each group member should submit their own assignment report.