Causality ProjectCausality Project Team 1

David ConleyVijay Hattiangadi

Byung LeeJennifer Stoneking

Brief Introduction“This Causes That” is a web application that

provides users with the ability to create and view relationships between different environmental issues.

Our task is to study and analyze first-time user experiences with the current application interface and functionality.

We will introduce current problems, discuss testing procedures, and evaluate first-time user experiences.

The First Impression

Searching “Climate Change”

Visualize the Issue

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Heuristic EvaluationsEach member of the group conducted their

own, independent heuristic evaluationWe navigated through the interface, created

relationships, etc. Along the way, we noted characteristics of the

interface that could potentially cause problems.We then came together with our individual

issues and determined which would be worth focusing on.

Usability Problems we found...The idea that the website is trying to latch

onto is very complex.Breaking that down in a way users can understand is

our primary challenge.

Our focus for usability is on:Input for relationshipsThe visualization segment

Main IssuesIssues we’ve come across so far:

Organization & Navigation No main page (yet!) Navigation menu at the top

Use of terminology that may not be clear/appropriate Looking for better terms

Linking between Wikipedia & websiteLack of instructions/guide for users

Secondary IssuesColor and size for fonts and imagesPotential grouping mechanismsNo key or legend for the visualizationPage loading

Template loads quickly while Wikipedia info loads slowly

For smaller problems...We will discuss problems that are easily

fixable with the customer, suggest re-designs, and hopefully have the designs implemented immediately, before user testing begins.

Using Testing Going ForwardWe’ll be using our testing to determine which

of the issues we’ve come across are the most important

We will likely discover more issues as we go through testing

User GroupsApproximately 12 testers.Testers will be selected randomly, with no

preferences on age, academic level, major, or experience, however will be in equal amounts of female and male users.

Student groups from around campus will be informed of an environmental research study test and asked to volunteer. (Vijay)

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Testing EnvironmentLocation: TBA, likely in Calit2.Estimated time: 30-45 minutes.

Split teams of four into of two pairs.1 as “note-taker,” 1 as proctor.

Screen/Audio RecordingVery similar to INF 131 term project.

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Testing ProcedureStep 1: Brief Introduction

Gather basic information about users, then hand out UX welcome letter and discuss briefly the purpose of the experiment.

Note: Initial meeting will not give too much information away!

Step 2: ExplorationUsers will navigate through the interface on

their own individually for an undisclosed amount of time, and then explain their initial experience and opinion on the purpose of the site.

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Testing Procedure (cont.)Step 3: Account Creation

Each user will register and create a custom account for testing.

Step 4: Independent Relationship CreationUsers will create a relationship independently

on an environment topic of their choice without any guidance.

Step 5: Specified Relationship CreationUsers will create specific relationships from a

list of pre-determined issues.

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Testing Procedure (cont.)Step 6: Visualization Exploration

Users will explore visualizations of newly created relationships and determine/explain thoroughly the clarity and comprehension of the relationship map.

Step 7: Post-Test InterviewUsers will be asked pre-determined questions

regarding their experience testing the application as well as few questions to garner complete understanding of their mental process. (e.g. Scale of 1-5, Difficulties, Suggestions, Improvements, etc…)

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What are we looking for?How do users see the interface? What is the

first thing that comes to their mind? What are things that peak their interest?

What parts of the interface are rarely used/irrelevant? What parts can be removed?

How accessible is the interface to average users? In other words, are things clear and easy to grasp? Can users perform basic tasks without difficulty?

How can we make this interface better and faster?

Project TimelineDate Milestones Person In Charge

Monday, April 23rd

- Initial Presentation- Collect Focus Group Members- Testing Protocol Document- Review of Protocol

- All Members- Vijay- Vijay, David- Byung, Jennifer

Tuesday, April 24th – Friday, May 4rd

- Meeting with Testers- User Testing Period

- All Members

Monday, May 7th – Friday, May 11th

- Analysis of UX Testing- Documentation of results and analysis

- All Members

Monday, May 14th

- Interim Presentations - All Members

Tuesday, May 15th - June

- Mock-up of Redesign; Re-testing- Analysis, Documentation, Report

- All Members

Monday, June 4th - Final Presentations - All Members