Inspection

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Inspection ReviewEEE459.21
Royal Military College of Canada Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Refs pp 391-400pp 413-415

• Professor Greg Phillips
• Greg.Phillips_at_rmc.ca
• 1-613-541-6000 ext. 6491

Major JW Paul Jeff.Paul_at_rmc.ca 1-613-541-6000
ext. 6656
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Why Inspect?

• Feedback Refinement

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Aside - what is the difference?

• Testing
• Inspection

Generally refers to the execution of code in
order to find errors/bugs/defects
A systematic check or measure of (code,
requirements, UI) to ensure it meets defined
standards ('Rules')
Can we inspect this
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What are we looking for?

• Usability Defects
• a potential problem in the operation, appearance,
  or organization of a system that makes the final
  product less easily used by its targeted
  population of end users

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Inspections are hard

• Builders take it personally
• inspect the product
• Specific skills are required
• Editor, Detective, Expert
• Time consuming
• must have a specific goal
• support of the organization

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Inspections are easy

• Can be done at any time
• do not need an executable product
• but can also inspect executables
• Directly identify usability defect
• Can focus on a particular issue

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Who Can Inspect?
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Expert Inspectors

• An expert is defined by
• usability engineering, user interface design,
  HCI, graphics design, ergonomics, software
  engineering, industrial or cognitive psychology,
  domain knowledge
• editor, detective
• Techniques
• Studied ignorance
• Over the edge
• Every mountain
• Experts cost money but give focused results
• can we learn from them

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Peer Reviews aka informal unstructured reviews
Theory A group of untrained inexperienced cocky
developers can make better decisions than a
single untrained inexperienced cocky developer
Better than no inspection...
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User Reviews of prototypes/designs

• If you are concerned about usability - who should
  you ask
• Plan and organize (small groups scheduled for
  critical times)
• Ask questions (closed and open)
• Look and listen (what is unsaid is important)
• Goal-based tasks (not just known use cases)
• First and last impressions (per session or
  context)
• Simulated system and help (dont lead the user)

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How can we Inspect?
plan process purpose

• Inspections
• A systematic check or measure of (code,
  requirements, UI) to ensure it meets defined
  standards ('Rules')

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Heuristic Evaluation

• seeing/pointing vs remembering/typing
• consistency (same thing, same way)
• timely and accurate feedback
• forgiveness (reversible actions)
• familiar user conceptual model
• feedback (acknowledgement of input)
• prevention of errors
• easily discriminated action alternatives
• modeless interaction
• speaking the users language
• aesthetic integrity
• shortcuts and accelerators
• real-world conventions
• help with error recognition and recovery

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Cognitive Walk-Throughs

• based on the cognitive theory of skill
  acquisition
• looks for usability problems with learnability
• step slowly through the interface guided by a
  specific scenario
• at each action analyze
• users intent, knowledge, thoughts
  interpretations
• identifies mismatches between designers
  conceptualisation and user understanding

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Pluralistic Usability Walk-Throughs
Putting themselves in the users shoes (empathy)
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Focused Inspections

• Remember qualities of good inspectors
• Editor, Detective, Expert
• FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE- SULT OF
  YEARS OF SCIENTIF- IC STUDY COMBINED WITH
  THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

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Focused Inspections

• Conformance
• Does everything act the same way
• Consistency
• Is everything done the same (standard) way

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Next Class

• Starfire - the video