Usability specialist in a software company: Typical tasks.

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Usability specialist in a softwarecompany
Typical tasks.

• Ekaterina Sugak
• (MSU NetCracker )

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I. Indication of modes (together with
V.Andreev)

• System has at least 4 modes that proposed
  different users activity
• Registering new record
• Editing record
• Search data
• View data
• These modes are turned on by button in the
  toolbar but then there is no any signals what
  modes is turned in the window.

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mode Registering Indication of modes

• 1). Registration of new record
• most of the fields are available for input data
  is saved.
• To turn on this mode press button New before
  registering and remember it is done.

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mode Editing Indication of modes

• 2). Editing record
• fields are filled, some of them are available for
  input data is saved.
• To turn on this mode no buttons are pressed save
  data after editing.

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mode Search Indication of modes

• 3). Search data
• searchable fields are available for input search
  data data is not saved.
• To turn on this mode press button Search before
  input criteria and remember it is done.

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mode View Indication of modes

• 4). View data
• no operations at all data is not saved.
• To turn on this mode no buttons
• are pressed.

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Problems Indication of
modes

• Usability problems
• During working day user switches between
  different screens, simultaneously deals with a
  number of windows in different modes, operating
  with a lot of data.
• Its very easy to lose what current mode is this
  what actions are permitted or forbidden.
• Different windows opens in different modes (by
  default).
• Opening the window user doesnt exactly know what
  current mode is this?
• No evident visual difference between modes.
• No visual orientation - what mode is this? No
  sense what operations are permitted, what are
  forbidden, what I can do here?

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Our Task Indication of
modes

• To prove that absence of the modes indication -
  is a huge defect of the system (from the users
  point of view).
• Find out consequences of the lack of indication.
• Analyze typical omissions and mistakes when user
  operates with different modes (in a case of
  highly loaded cognitive activity).
• We evaluated 7 users of different Departments.

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Results User Strategies Indication of modes

• Users (mostly experienced) find out indirect
  indication of the current mode as an individual
  way of orientation
• Some modes looks slightly different empty fields
  (registration, search) filled fields (editing,
  view).
• Remember each window what mode it is opened
  exactly.
• Ignoring error messages.

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Results User Mistakes Indication of modes

• Objective values (severe data)
• 1 mistake of mis-recognition per 1 hour.
• 10 sec to correct an omission
• Time of correction depends on the type of person
  and complexity of the task. Some correction takes
  from 2 sec to 2 minutes to amend the situation.
• Besides beginners those who starts to work not
  so far or learn the system waste much more time
  to recognize misunderstanding, correct omission
  and return to the start point.

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Happy End Indication of
modes

• Evidently approve that system needs the modes
  indication.
• Develop some variants of indication for each
  mode
• perform users evaluation select the most
  appropriate variant.
• Implemented indication get a lot of positive
  feedback both from internal and external users.

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II. Editable Grid (NetCracker
Co.)
Grid (table) is an interface element to view list
of data with number of attributes.

• User mostly navigates and scan the
  information, then take a decision to work on
  with the record and drop into this record (to
  view further or edit data).

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Problems Editable
grid

• Usability problems
• Pages of Web applications are loaded vague time.
• To drop into the current record user waste a lot
  of time to open another page (2 sec 20 sec and
  more to open page).
• Some users tasks in the system required editing
  of one-two typical attributes in the number of
  records (1 min for whole operation of editing).
• To edit each of these record user has to load
  many pages - to edit a few of attributes.
• Along with the new functionality edit data in
  the grid system keeps the original
  functionality to edit record on the separate page
  (full cycle).

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Our Task Editable
grid

• To find out an indication of editable grid and
• elaborate user/system interaction with this
  functionality.
• Work up several variants of indication.
• Perform a users evaluation (6 users) and select
  the most appropriate variant of indication.
• Elaborate the way of interaction - when editing
  data in grid in such a way to reconcile all
  original operations with data in grid.

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Variant of Indication(1) Editable
grid

• Level of indication Table
• Data in this table is editable.
• Disadvantages
• No visual difference between editable and
  non-editable fields.
• No control element to turn on the editing mode in
  the field.

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Variant of Indication(2) Editable
grid

• Level of indication Column
• Data in this column is editable.
• Disadvantages
• No control element to turn on the editing mode in
  the field.
• When all fields are editable the table becomes
  fully gray.

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Variant of Indication(3) Editable
grid

• Level on indication Field
• Data in this field is editable.
• Advantages
• - Images are enough understandable and
  associate-able with the editing feature
• - Each field has a control to work on
• with current field.
• Disadvantages
• - No

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Result Selected Variant Editable grid
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Result Interaction(1) Editable
grid
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Result Interaction(2) Editable
grid
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Happy End Editable grid

• This feature is going to be implemented for
  Customers.
• We checked the benefits of this quick-editing for
  our internal users time-consuming resource is
  essentially decreased less then 1 sec to open
  filed, 4 sec to edit data in one field.
• Besides weve got a lot of positive feedback
  about new feature - editable grid.

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Conclusions

• Day-by-day Usability specialist solves different
  tasks both simple and difficult, easy and
  arduous.
• For each of this task we follow the same
  technology
• - analyze user activity, his aims and priorities
  to create a proper scenario a way of
  interaction with the system
• - visualize this activity in the form of
  interface
• Users evaluation is an essential step of our
  process (even unassuming).
• Final adjustment of interface after
  implementation (if required).