Gathering User Research Articles

Challenges of Gathering User Requirement in eXtreme Programming Project: A Case Study of Highway Construction Monitoring System

The successfulness of a software development project is not only based on the tools and the technology used but also really depends on how the developed software meets the end user requirements. Involving end user as an active member of software development team, one of the popular agile methods known as eXtreme Programming (XP) had been selected as the software development methodology. This paper is focused on one of the main practices called on-site customer. The project under study is a web based Highway Construction Monitoring System (HIGHCONS). Challenges related to its implementation throughout the development process and also the suitable solutions in facing the challenges were also considered.

Mobile communication for intellectually challenged people: a proposed set of requirements for interface design on touch screen devices

Abstract The use of certain applications for touch-based mobile devices can prove to be difficult for intellectually challenged people. By performing tests and gathering user feedback, great difficulty has been detected in the use of various applications due to their complicated interfaces. The authors propose a set of guidelines, aimed at developers, to help design more accessible interfaces when developing applications for intellectually challenged, so this might increase the overall ease of use of mobile devices.

VoiceYourView: anytime, anyplace, anywhere user participation

Citizens are increasingly called upon to comment on issues that directly concern them. However, such consultations may be tokenistic [1] as they occur with limited respondents, or may be at a time, or in a format which is inconvenient to the user. To encourage wider participation, the VoiceYourView project (vYv) has developed a system allowing people to make comments in a manner, time and place convenient to them. A real world trial of the prototype system was conducted at Coventry University campus to explore issues related to the system's usability and usage, as a means of enabling campus users to comment on their environment. Members of the university population were invited to comment on the university estate using one of five technologies (e-mail, online form, iPhone app, SMS message, or electronic kiosk). Although the immediate application area in this case was the design of public spaces, the approach can be transferred to other domains and thus provide a new way of gathering user information. Submitted comments were automatically analysed in terms of theme, sentiment, location and actionability and displayed online in a 2D visualisation. It is argued that that online data collection (crowd sourcing and skimming social networks) may provide a rich source of information for future ergonomists.

Usability assessment of a psycho-educational website for Alzheimer's disease caregivers

Caregivers of persons suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) living in rural and remote areas do not have an easy access to support programs specifically addressed to them. However the caregiving impact on their physical and psychological health has been confirmed by several studies. Higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress and mortality rate are described in this population compared to age-matched non-caregivers. In the last decades many intervention programs have used different technological solutions in order to provide support to isolated caregivers. Video conferencing, CD/DVD programs, phone interviews and internet web sites, among others, are currently used for this aim. As a user-lab specialized in elderly with cognitive impairment we have designed a website to deliver a psycho-educational program for AD caregivers. Before assessing its efficacy we are currently conducting a series of user tests in order to evaluate usability factors with a group of potential end-users. The aim of this study is to assure the usability of the web application. Subjects. Sixteen healthy older adults will be recruited for this study, mainly through seniors associations. Inclusion criteria include: being 65 years old or older, having some computer and Internet experience. All participants must sign informed-consent forms prior to inclusion in this study. Procedure: During the individual sessions participants will be invited to explore the site in a pre-defined order. We use the “think aloud” method in order gather users comments while they solve the different tasks they are required to perform. Quantitative and qualitative analysis for this information of data collected will be conducted. The study is currently under way and final results will be available by the end of March. This study will contribute to define website accessibility specifications for an elderly audience. Usability assessment will allow us to modify the graphic interface of the web-based program in order to improve its usability for older caregivers. This study will highlight the influence of Internet use frequency and age on the ability to navigate the online psycho educational program.

Comparing Computer Versus Human Data Collection Methods for Public Usability Evaluations of a Tactile-Audio Display

We present a public usability study that provides preliminary results on the effectiveness of a universally designed system that conveys music and other sounds into tactile sensations. The system was displayed at a public science museum as part of a larger multimedia exhibit aimed at presenting a youths’ perspective on global warming and the environment. We compare two approaches to gathering user feedback about the system in a study that we conducted to assess user responses to the inclusion of a tactile display within the larger audio-visual exhibit; in one version, a human researcher administered the study and in the other version a touch screen computer was used to obtain responses. Both approaches were used to explore the public’s basic understanding of the tactile display within the context of the larger exhibit. The two methods yielded very similar responses from participants; however, our comparison of the two techniques revealed that there were subtle differences overall. In this paper, we compare the two study techniques for their value in providing access to public usability data for assessing universally designed interactive systems. We present both sets of results, with a cost benefit analysis of using each in the context of public usability tests for universal design.

Gathering User Feedback from Internal Sources to Supplement Formal Usability Studies

Gathering User Feedback from Internal Sources to Supplement Formal Usability Studies

Gathering User Feedback from Internal Sources to Supplement Formal Usability Studies

Formal usability testing is an established method for capturing critical information about how users interact with products. However, summative and aggregate user and client feedback can be gathered from other internal sources to supplement formal user observations. By acquiring perceptions from other teams within an organization, a human factors professional can not only economically capitalize on existing knowledge related to user and client pain points, but also create advocates for high-quality user experiences. Mutual benefits for interacting with various teams and methods for initiating usability-related dialogues are introduced.

A medical journal's beta site: experimentation at NEJM

ABSTRACTWhen continuous development becomes the norm on the social web, finding a way to put forward new development ideas to your audience and get their feedback at an early stage is the natural result. This article discusses how one major medical journal created a ‘beta’ site to support new online development and gather user feedback, speeding development initiatives and creating intrinsic value in the experimental environment. The goals of the site, organization of the teams, and practical and brand benefits are discussed.

The Importance of User-Centered Design: Exploring Findings and Methods

SUMMARY Given the rising number of information resources available, it is increasingly important for digital libraries and archives to create usable services that meet their users' needs. Seeking input from users at all stages of development can help achieve this goal. This article briefly defines four methodologies for gathering user input: focus groups, interviews, questionnaires, and usability testing. In addition, it presents the “top ten” themes that emerged from over four years of assessment and evaluation activities at the California Digital Library.

KidReporter: a user requirements gathering technique for designing with children

This paper describes a design method, novel to the domain of interaction design, for gathering user requirements from children called the KidReporter method. The KidReporter method was chosen and further refined based on assumptions about User-Centred Design. The method was considered to be suitable and appealing for children in terms of participating in design. Two school classes participated in making a newspaper about a zoo, to gather requirements for the design process of an interactive educational game. The educational game was developed to educate children about animals while walking through a zoo. The KidReporter method's main strengths are that it combines many techniques for eliciting information from children, such as interviews, drawing and making pictures. In this paper we describe how the KidReporter method was applied, in what manner it was successful and what we would do differently next time.

Gaining User Insight: A Case Study Illustrating the Card Sort Technique

In spring 1999, Cornell University Library performed a user study to help determine how users would organize a set of concepts to be included in an online digital library help system. The study employed the card sort technique, in which users impose their own organization on a set of concepts. The card sort technique proved to be a highly effective and valuable method for gathering user input on organizational groupings prior to total system design. The authors present Cornell’s experience as a case study with detailed instructions for conducting and evaluating the card sort technique.

Collaborative environments as border agents

What information do entities within an enterprise need to share in order to be considered collaborating? How do those entities make decisions? Is this process one that can be captured and implemented in software or stored for future learning? These questions are typical of those asked at the onset of process modeling or for gathering user requirements, but recent work at the US/Mexico border to understand import/export procedures cast them in a new framework. A more critical question may be how does an organization, as typified by their culture, perceive and therefore manage technology?Cultural differences in software development are not always as easily perceived as those at an international border, yet they are just as strong. On one hand, there are "code jocks" that feel that developing software is intensely personal and should not be constrained by a pre-defined process. On the other, "process weenies" that test and accept software for corporate use and wish for order and consistency in how we develop our products. Who is right? They both are. A challenge to collaborative environments is managing the expectations of both.

User-interface modelling—adding usability to use cases

User interface modelling (UIM) is basically a method for gathering user requirements that are applicable when designing the user interface to an information system. UIM is to be used as a complement to use case modelling (Jacobson, Christerson, Jonsson & Övergaard, 1992) in the system development process. An actor model, a goal model and a work model are specified during sessions where the end-users cooperate with software engineers and user-interface designers. The actor model is a description of characteristics for each category of users. The goal model is a list of high-level goals the users want to achieve. The work model is a specification of work situations, information objects and actions, and properties of attributes and operations, suitable for the design. UIM does not describe a step-by-step procedure on how to create usable interfaces. Interface design is partially a creative process than cannot be completely described with a method. However, the design process can be facilitated if the design decisions are based on a substantial model defining the users' requirements for the user interface. This model is created during UIM sessions.The method has been tested in different development projects at the Swedish National Tax Board. It has been shown to provide useful input to the user-interface design process.

A user‐based design process for Web sites

This paper reports on Phase II of a two‐part project to identify and implement user‐based design criteria in World Wide Web sites. The test site is a Web page for the academic business community. As an alternative to existing, largely ad hoc design processes, the authors developed a user‐based design process, gathering user input at three different times in the process. Delineating this four‐stage process (information‐gathering; development; test and evaluation; and implementation) is a major focus of the paper. In addition to explaining the process in detail, the paper reports on the second stage of this process, which involves operationalizing definitions of the criteria and translating the criteria into Web page features and, to some extent, on the evaluation activities undertaken during Stage 3. Already reported are the results of Stage 1, which gathered user criteria for evaluating Web sites through a focus group session.

Designing by Wire

GATHERING AND INTEGRATING professional and user input as facets of the product development process will always be a critical design management challenge. In this realm, the Internet offers unique opportunities to garner feedback quickly and inexpensively. Wayne Chung has experimented with this design‐by‐wire approach and summarizes key lessons based on experiences designing for Rubbermaid and Apple Computer.

Investigating the human-computer interface using the Datalogger

Methods of gathering user input data for investigations into human-computer interaction are considered. These include the use of human monitors, “instrumentation” of computer programs, and the use of “background” keylogging software. The Datalogger is presented as an example of the latter method, which provides a time-stamped record of keypresses and mouse movement and allows the outcomes of user actions to be replayed.