Homework 2

Homework 6: User Interface Design

Due Thursday, March 13

One of the products of requirements analysis in scenario-based usability engineering is a set of problem scenarios and claims that identify key concerns and opportunities that may be addressed by the design. A guiding objective in scenario-based design is that the design process will alter the original situation so as to maintain or reinforce desirable aspects of the usage situation while removing or minimizing problematic aspects. Usability engineers, and indeed the designers themselves, can audit the design work with respect to this guiding objective. In this homework, you will examine the PhoneWriter case study in the UCS collection with regard to how successfully the designers satisfied the guiding objective of maintaining/reinforcing desirable aspects of the original usage situation while removing/minimizing problematic aspects.

To help in scoping your investigation, I want you to focus on just two of the claims documented during requirements analysis, namely these two:

explaining things over the phone ...
+ can use own words to explain things better
+ can get immediate feedback about the other person’s understanding
- BUT hard to explain things that are visual in nature

using post-its
+ easy to use and organize
+ useful for short messages
- BUT might not be safe (chances of missing, others reading the message, et.)

First, examine the requirements analysis to familiarize yourself with the basis for these claims. Then, study the design phases of the case study to determine whether and how the PhoneWriter team responded to these claims. In particular, carefully examine the activity design, information design, and interaction design scenarios and claims. Make a case for whether and how the PhoneWriter design carries forward (maintaining/reinforcing) the positive consequences listed above, while addressing (removing/minimizing) the negative ones.

Summarize your conclusions as a set of brief numbered paragraphs prefaced by one of the six upsides and downsides of the two claims. For example, the first part of your response might look something like this:

explaining things over the phone ...

1. can use own words to explain things better: (your analysis of whether/how the PhoneWriter design retains any of this positive consequence...).

2. can get immediate feedback about the other person’s understanding: (your analysis of whether/how the PhoneWriter design retains any of this positive consequence...).

3. BUT hard to explain things that are visual in nature: (your analysis of whether/how the PhoneWriter design addresses this negative consequence...).

etc.

Clearly there is no one correct answer. In some cases you may feel there is not enough information to be certain; make an educated guess in these situations. We will be looking for evidence that you have explored the case study enough to make a believable and coherent argument (regardless of the position you take).

What to turn in:

Your analysis of how the four upsides and two downsides listed above influenced the design process.

Format your paper in 12-point Times or Times New Roman font, single-spaced. Write no more than one page. Your name and your student number (SS#) should appear in the first two lines at the top-right of the page in bold; the heading "Homework 6: User Interface Design" should appear at the top-left of the page in bold.

Extra Credit:

After you have completed the homework assignment, you can earn extra credit by filling out the survey at http://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1047324273703