Transcript User Centred Design

User Centred Design
Laura Massa
Summary
UCD (User Centred Design)
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Introduction
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Standard ISO 13407
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Methods to realise standard ISO 13407
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TRUMP Project
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Generalities
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Methods
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Applications
What Is User Centred Design?
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Is an approach to software
development which focuses specifically
on making products usable
The usability of a product is defined in a
standard: ISO 9241, part 11 as
‘the extent to which a product can be used
by specified users to achieve specified
goals with effectiveness, efficiency and
satisfaction in a specified context of use’
Why User Centred Design?
To obtain a software which
 is easier to understand and use, thus
reducing training costs
 improves the quality of life of users by
reducing stress and improving satisfaction
 significantly improves the productivity and
operational efficiency of individual users and
consequently the organisation
UCD and Other Methods
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In other methods for designing software
applications the stress is placed on
meeting the technical and functional
requirements for the software
In this method it is equally important to
consider usability requirements
Summary
UCD (User Centred Design)

Introduction

Standard ISO 13407

Methods to realise standard ISO 13407

TRUMP Project

Generalities

Methods

Applications
UCD Standard
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User centred design is based on a standard:
ISO 13407 (Human Centred Design
Processes for Interactive Systems)
Main Principles
In line with the ISO 13407 standard
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appropriate allocation of function between user and system
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active involvement of users
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to utilise people who have real insight into the context in which an
application will be used
iteration of design solutions
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it is needed to determinate which aspects of a job or task should
be handled by people and which can be handled by software
iterative software design entails the feedback of end-users
following their use of early design solutions
multi-disciplinary design teams
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user-centred software development is a collaborative process which
benefits from the active involvement of various parties, each of
whom have insights and expertise to share
The Four Essential Activities(1)
According to the ISO 13407 standard there are four
essential user-centred design activities which should be
undertaken to incorporate usability requirements into
the software development process
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understand and specify the context of use
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specify the user and organisational requirements
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produce designs and prototypes
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carry out user-based assessment
The Four Essential Activities(2)
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The activities are carried out in an iterative fashion, with
the cycle being repeated until the particular usability
objectives have been attained
start
Understand and specify
the context of use
Carry out user based
assessment
Specify the user and
organisational requirements
Produce prototypes
Meets requirement
Understand and Specify the Context
of Use for the System(1)
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The quality of use of a system depends very much
upon the context in which a system will be used
In some cases contextual information may already
be known; although, where a new product or
system is to be introduced, then it will be
necessary to collect the relevant contextual
information
Understand and Specify the Context
of Use for the System(2)
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At the end the following aspects are understood
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the characteristics of the intended users
the tasks the users will perform
the environment in which the users will use the
system
The results of this initial activity are embodied in
a document which describes the context of use
for the proposed software
Specify the User and
Organisational Requirements
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Building on the context of use description
obtained before, an explicit statement of the
user-centred requirements for the new software
should be formulated
There are various methods which can help
define these requirements, but some elements
(as listed in ISO 13407) should be covered in
the specification (next slide)
Important Elements
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identification of the range of relevant users and
other personnel in the design
provision of a clear statement of design goals
an indication of appropriate priorities for the
different requirements
evidence of acceptance of the requirements by
the stakeholders or their representatives
acknowledgement of any statutory or legislative
requirements, for example for health and safety
Produce Designs and Prototypes
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explore design solutions by creating
simple mock-ups of the proposed system
and then later presenting them to a
representative sample of users
the initial design will be refined in light of
user feedback
the key goal is to
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simulate the design solution(s) using paper
or computer-based mock-ups
Avantages of Using Prototypes
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The activity fosters greater communication
between the development team and end-users
Simple prototypes also allow different design
options to be explored prior to coding allowing
future problems to be identified early on in the
development process
Carry Out User-based Assessment of
the System or Prototype
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help providing further information for
refining the design
is comprised of the following steps:
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evaluation plan
data collection and analysis
reporting the results and recommendations
for change
iterate this activity until design (and usability)
objectives are met
tracking changes, maintenance and follow-up
Summary
UCD (User Centred Design)

Introduction

Standard ISO 13407

Methods to realise standard ISO 13407

TRUMP Project

Generalities

Methods

Applications
Methods (1)
There is a range of methods which can be
used to achieve the goals of user-centred
software development
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Planning
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Usability planning
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Cost-benefit analysis
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For each feature in which an investment is to be made in
usability work, one or more tasks are identified
a generic framework for identifying the costs and benefits
associated with user-centred design activity
Usability context analysis
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a structured method for eliciting detailed information about a
product and how it will be used
Methods (2)
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Expert-based evaluation and inspection
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Heuristic evaluation
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Usability walkthrough
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technique used to identify potential problems that operators can be
expected to meet when using a computer or a telematics application
users, developers and usability specialists review a set of designs
individually, and then meet to discuss each element of the design in a
walkthrough meeting
Early prototyping
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Paper prototyping
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Paper prototyping: Designers create a paper-based simulation of
interface elements (menus, dialogues, icons etc.) using paper, card,
acetate, and pens
Video prototyping
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Video prototyping: this is a variant of paper-prototyping that makes
use of video equipment to create short movies of the paper interface
Methods (3)
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Usability performance evaluation
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User-based observation
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Co-operative evaluation
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A small number of participants work with system while an observer
makes notes
Users employ a prototype as they work through task scenarios. They
explain what they are doing by talking or 'thinking-aloud' and this is
recorded on tape and/or captured by an observer
Subjective assessment
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Cognitive workload
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Focus groups
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For example this can be obtained from questionnaires
bring together various stakeholders in the context of a facilitated but
informal discussion group
Individual interviews
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are a quick and cheap way to obtain subjective feedback from users
Summary
UCD (User Centred Design)

Introduction

Standard ISO 13407
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Methods to realise standard ISO 13407
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TRUMP Project
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Generalities

Methods

Applications
Trump Project (1)
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has, in its objectives, the integration of user
centred methods into the development process
is part funded by the European Commission under
ESPRIT project 28015
involved three partners and one subcontractor;
Serco Usability Services co-ordinated the project
and provided the usability expertise to the user
partners, Inland Revenue and Israel Aircraft
Industries. Lloyd's Register provided independent
assessment of the usability maturity before and
after the application at IR
Trump Project (2)
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gives some methods which respond to ISO 13407
Stakeholder Meeting, Paper Prototyping, Usability
Testing are three basic methods
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Stakeholder Meeting (1)
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To collect and agree information about
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Why is the system being developed? What are the
overall objectives?
Who are the intended users and what are their tasks?
What are the technical and environmental constraints?
What key functionality is needed to support the user
needs?
How will the system be used? What are typical
scenarios of how and why users will interact with the
system?
What are the usability goals?
How will users obtain assistance?
Are there any initial design concepts?
Stakeholder Meeting (2)
Method
 Planning
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Arrange a one-day meeting
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Invite stakeholders who have knowledge about the intended
users and usage, including project manager, different types of
user and developer(s)
Need a facilitator and a person to record the information
provided during the meeting
Produce a list of issues to be discussed and a detailed context
of use checklist
Before the meeting
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Identify the key issues you need to explore
Provide all participants with the agenda and a copy of
the context checklist
Stakeholder Meeting (3)
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At the meeting
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After discussing the major issues, discuss and fill in
each item on the context checklist
After the meeting
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Obtain any missing information; if the information is not
easily available, arrange a field study to observe users
in their work environment
Circulate to all participants a summary of the
conclusions of the meeting, and the filled in checklist.
Paper Prototyping(1)
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To enable draft interaction designs and screen
designs to be very rapidly simulated and tested
Method
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Planning
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Arrange a workshop attended by user(s) and
developer(s)
You will also need a facilitator and a person to record
the issues raised during the meeting
Four stages of paper prototyping may be required
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concept design
interaction design
screen design
screen testing
Paper Prototyping(2)
1. Concept design
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Sit round a table and sketch out possible approaches in a
brainstorming environment
Evaluate the extent to which each approach meets the objectives
agreed in the stakeholder meeting
2. Interaction design
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Brainstorm possible screens or page types based on user tasks
Write the name of each suggested screen or page on a post-itnote.
Put each post-it-note on the wall close to related notes.
Group the post-it-notes in clusters that are meaningful to users.
Consolidate duplicates
Give a name to each cluster
Paper Prototyping(3)
3. Screen design
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Sit round a table and sketch out design ideas in a brainstorming
environment
Use this as a basis for rough sketches of each screen
Produce a rough design for each screen drawn by hand, or using a
drawing package or prototyping tool
4. Screen testing
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Ask the user to carry out a realistic task
As the user selects options on each screen, the developer explains
what happens, and either points to the next screen or presents the
next screen to the user
To test more detailed interaction, prepare pieces of paper with
menus, scroll boxes, dialogue boxes, etc., and present these to the
user when they select the appropriate option. The user simulates
pointing and clicking using a pencil, and simulates typing by writing
on paper
Usability Testing(1)
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To identify usability problems and obtain measures of
usability
Method
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Planning
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Select the most important tasks and user groups to be tested
Select users who are representative of each user group
Produce a task scenario and input data and write instructions for
the user
Plan sessions allowing time for giving instructions, running the test,
answering a questionnaire, and a post-test interview
Invite developers to observe the sessions
If possible use one room for testing, linked by video to another
room for observation
Usability Testing(2)
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Running sessions
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Welcome the user, and give the task instructions
Do not give any hints or assistance unless the user is
unable to complete the task
Observe the interaction and note any problems
encountered
Time each task
At the end of the session, ask the user to complete a
satisfaction questionnaire
Interview the user to confirm they are representative of
the intended user group, to gain general opinions, and
to ask about specific problems encountered
Assess the results of the task
Usability Testing(3)
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Reporting
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Produce a list of usability problems, categorized
by importance (use post-it-notes to sort the
problems), and an overview of the types of
problems encountered
Arrange a meeting with the project manager
and developers to discuss whether and how
each problem can be fixed
If measures have been taken, summarise the
results of the satisfaction questionnaire, task
time and effectiveness (accuracy and
completeness) measures
Case Study of LAHAV
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TRUMP applied methods to realize UCD in
the LAHAV division of Israel Aircraft
Industries (IAI) in Israel
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IAI LAHAV division has a group of about 100
people developing aircraft avionics and uses a
well-established development methodology, but
their process for specifying operational
requirements is not supported by any specific
methods and techniques
The TRUMP project was undertaken as one of
the process improvement activities at IAI
Benefits from Joining TRUMP
They found out that most methods are quiet
intuitive and can be learnt on the job
The methods were practised by developers
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They liked them and recommended to make them a
standard in the development process
Another important point is a close link between
process improvement and product improvement
In the TRUMP project the methods cost was
extremely low and the results were obvious in
the very short term
Cost benefits
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Cost-benefits were calculated
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Maturity assessments
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Development cost/benefits
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Increased sales because customers would be more likely to buy the
product were estimated to be $400K
Support cost/benefits
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IAI estimated that all the methods used resulted in savings in
development costs of between $5K and $70K for each method, with a
total saving of $330K. The cost of using the methods was only $22K,
giving a cost-benefit ration of 1:15
Sales cost/benefits
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The maturity briefings and assessments cost $5K in staff time
Reduced costs of training and support were estimated at £50K
Overall cost benefits
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The overall costs of the maturity assessments and use of methods was
$27K. The total estimated savings and increased sales is $780K, giving
a cost-benefit ration of 1:29
References
Handbook of User-Centred Design
http://www.ejeisa.com/nectar/inuse/6.2/contents.htm
 Trump Project:
http://www.usability.serco.com/trump/methods/index.htm
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