iwmw 2002: designing for usability

IWMW Glasgow June 2002

Mark Simpson

De Montfort University - Leicester

Managed Learning Environment - MLE

September 2000 to September 2002

Joint Information Systems Committee -


User Issues - Formative and Summative Assessment

Designing for Usability

•How did we specify the system?•How did we decide on content?•How did we verify content?•Develop conventions for pages?•Usability trade-offs and compromises?


What is a MLE?University Electronic resources linked together

•Student record system - QLS•Timetabling and Calendar system•Library databases•Module and Results database•Online learning resources - WebCT•Social databases•Email and discussion pages

Other student oriented data resources


MLEArchitecture

MLE (Web) Server

User Manager

Resource Manager

MLE Usage Database

Student Record System

Authentication System

Client Application(Web Browser)

BIDSEDINA

e-Journalsetc

Remote Authorised Resources

Timetabling

Finance System

Course Management

Secure, Authorised Access

e-Learning – VLE App

Course Notes,Study Guides, Exam Papers

Library

Diary

Discussion Lists,Groupware, email

Entertainment, Social

outside firewall

inside

Resources CrossingFirewall


Usability how hard is it?

Everybody has an opinion

“I hate …… …… …”“Frames / Flash / PDF are rubbish”

Not useful comments

Anything new will not satisfy X % of users, until they have used it.


What is this in your opinion ?

RED


BLUE

What colour is this in your opinion?


Development cycle

Web Site Requirements / Specification

Develop Content List

PreparingContent / Layout

Designing initial prototype

October 2000

March 2001

September2001

December2001

1st user testing

Modifying prototype

2nd user testing

4th Navigation &Logic Testing

CorrectingNavigationIssues –uportal

February 2002

3rd user testing

Modifying design

April 2002

June 2002

June 2002

August 2002

WritingTrainingMaterial

User LogTracking


Specification

What does the system do?

•What are the users like•What do they want the system to do•What can we do from the users want list•What are the usability issues with current systems•Can the MLE solve these issues

•Project team produced a list of what they wanted as indicative student users


User Requirements

• Ask yourself / project team / steering committee• Ask users• Research other systems or similar sites• What is unique to your project - QLS• Produce a list of content• Refine list to remove duplication / impossible content• Record list with reasons


Sources of Requirements1. DMU PC ownership and use survey 1997, 98, 99, & 00 2. Collaboration in Research Support by Academic Libraries in Leicestershire survey [CORSALL]

3. ANGEL user analysis results

4. DMU Nursing School, online course survey

5. DMU Library survey of student information needs

6. DMU Research papers on using the Internet for teaching.

7. DMU Keyskills survey of all first year students

8. Student Experience Unit feedback from students leaving the university

9. DMU Student focus group meeting

10. Usage reports from similar

11. User interviews with users of similar existing systems


Results of Specification

• Consistent trend that PC ownership is increasing and that online use is also increasing

• Users ask for more content than they need

• Academic users want the MLE to be integrated in university and not isolated

• Students are unconcerned about security and privacy of online information

• Navigation must be mouse rather than keyboard based, back arrow used in preference to all other navigation devicesContents List


Dendrogram


MLE Version 2


Further login trials, testing navigation

•Login trials - user name and password

•Simple content location

•Logging out

•Interface issues

Don’t look at too much each time


Testing login &

photographs


Login trails with HNC, BA, MA students

12 first year students HNC Housing Part-time

7 second year students BA Accounting and Finance Full-time

26 postgraduates taking MA degrees Full-time

Between each test correct problems and develop a new feature for testing


How many times do you test it, how many subjects do you need?•As many times as you can which will yield useful data

•Between 4 and 10 subjects at a time

•What are you testing ?•what is the question•what will you do with the results•What resources are available

•Don’t leave it hoping it will be alright


MLE Version 3


User tracking data

• User Logs for six months

Logon Data, route through site, User Names

Course being studied, Self assessments completed, discussion involvement

• Didn’t match interview or focus group reports


Pathways, which way do people go.

Track routes taken by users

Particular attention to successful students

Use data to provide mentoring support to students having problems

Use data to provide a list of shortcuts

Do people do what they said they wanted in the specification


Future Usability:

Training and Help pages

Focus groups – face to face

Online Questionnaires

Feedback from modules with teaching resources online


Benefits of the methods

• Provide a handle on the university administration information issues

• Publicity and visibility for project

• Resolve problems as they were discovered

• Kept in touch with all types of users


How would we do it differently

• Have an off-line non development system for testing usability

• Use external evaluation only in the second half of the project

• When carrying out usability testing freeze the design


What should you do?

• Set-up a steering group or panel

• Think about what the site / page / system is providing

• Do testing using a prototype of content and navigation regularly

• Always have a usability issue to hand

• Use conventions and standard layouts

– what did the users tell you


Summary

•3 Formative and 2 Summative methods of assessment

•Ask users what they want

•Test navigation regularly

•Implement changes and test again

•Don’t expect to please everybody


Where am I now ?

iwmw 2002: designing for usability

Education