Usability Testing of Community Data

1
Usability Testing of Community Data Mapping
Systems
Denice Warren, Information Systems Designer Joy
Bonaguro, Data and Web Production Specialist
2
www.gnocdc.org/usability/
3

• In this presentation
• Why usability is important
• Developing usability tests
• Conducting usability testing in the field
• Analyzing the results to improve site design

4
Usability is the effective, efficient, and
satisfying completion of tasks by users.
5

• What makes for poor usability?

• Slow downloads
• Hard-to-navigate site structure
• Jargon (aggregate, GIS, etc)
• Overwhelming amt of content
• Unpredictable links and behaviors
• Unconventional design
• Nonstandard functionality

6

• Why is usability especially important
• in online PPGIS?

1. The specialized functionality that supports
   online GIS increases the complexity of a
   conventional browser experience.
2. GIS and data have inherent complexity in the
   amount of content available and the skills
   required to interpret that content.

7
1 reason to care about usability
If your site is hard to use, it will decrease the
credibility of your data.
www.webcredibility.org
8

• Usability testing is a formal method of watching
  users interact with a system to complete a task.
• Data about the interaction is gathered and
  analyzed to inform design improvements.

9
Formulating a task for usability testing
10
We think indicator definitions are an important
step in using the data in our web site.
11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)
13
(No Transcript)
14

• Clue to usability problem

• At best, less than 1 in 10 visitors views the
  technical definitions.

15
Make link more VISIBLE?
16
DEFINITIONS AND SOURCE LINKS!!!!
DEFINITIONS AND SOURCE LINKS!!!!
17

• Research question

• Is the Definitions link sufficiently visible?

18

• User task

• Youre working with a Community Development
  Corporation in the 7th Ward neighborhood. For
  planning purposes, you want to know how many
  blighted houses there are in this neighborhood.
  Find that number.
• (Please think aloud as you work.)

19
How is vacant defined? Is vacant the same as
blighted? Hmm I wish there were some
definitions for me to read
20
The set-up for field usability testing
21
User
Interviewer
Notetaker
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
Field testing is messy, but you learn more about
how people use your site in the real world.
29

• User task

• Youre working with a Community Development
  Corporation in the 7th Ward neighborhood. For
  planning purposes, you want to know how many
  blighted houses there are in this neighborhood.
  Find that number.
• (Please think aloud as you work.)

30

• User task, Prompt

• The Census reports only vacant houses, but
  doesnt call them blighted. Use this web site
  to figure out if blighted houses are included in
  the count of vacant houses. Explain.

31
Analyzing findings
32
Time spent on previous page
Timeof day
URL of page clicked on
33
(No Transcript)
34
(No Transcript)
35
(No Transcript)
36
(No Transcript)
37
target page!
38
1
2
3
4
4 clicks to target
39

• Research question

• Is the Definitions link sufficiently visible?

• Answer

• Yes. It is placed where people expect to see it,
  and the text of the link matches users mental
  search terms.

40

• Why arent definitions viewed more?

• Questions about definitions may not
  spontaneously arise
• Little external motivation to use definitions
• Aversion to reading dense technical writing

41
Oh Lord. I need some glasses for this. I
wouldnt use this perhaps if I were a little
more like a researcher I gotta read all this?
42
Design changes resulting from usability findings
43
Pop-up window displays one definition at a time
44
Repeat important content in the main pages for
just in time learning
45
No need to make link more visible!
DEFINITIONS AND SOURCE LINKS!!!!
46
There are no stupid users, only stupid designers.
47
www.gnocdc.org/usability/