Usability Testing of Interactive Systems - Research Paper Example

 Usability Testing of Interactive Systems Software development should be done while following all stages for it to meet its objectives. It follows sequence of stages where the input of every stage has direct relationship with the input of the next stage. There are no definite steps in software development but it is recommendable that the designer ensures that all factors are considered during every step. User-centered design is a fundamental part in software development. System interface should be designed bearing in mind the end users of the product. There is general consensus on initial approaches to system development and it is imperative that the designer of the system interface follows these methodologies to the letter. Success and general acceptance of system interface will depend entirely on the path followed during its development. Sharp(2007, p. 870) commented that the fundamental shift in technology experienced in the 20th and 21st centuries fostered proper designing and development of software which are efficient to the users. All participants in designing and developing of the system interface should be well trained practitioners who are very conversant with all the procedures to be followed in the course of software development. It is inevitable to have various consultants and staff designers working in very conducive academic environments for the process to be smooth. Efficiency of software is paramount and this is determined by its course development. Before designing the software, the designers should be evaluated to assess its credibility in terms of background, usability testing, technical communication, ability to carry out instructional design and programming knowledge. Software development is more of a project management since there should be well managed cycles during its development. If different members are to perform different roles, a well set up project team should be put in place where they are all assigned different roles according to their skills and experience (Sharp 2007, p. 870). It is imperative for the designer to understand factors that might impact the development of system interface. These factors include; 1. Budgetary restrictions - Resources are limited hence the designer should be very careful in using the available resources. If the idea generated requires a great deal of capital, the designer should take the alternative which is effective but requires less capital. 2. Time constraint -The system to be developed should not take long to complete. 3. The tools and equipments to be used should be available and that the designer is conversant with them to avoid purchase of redundant machines and equipment. 4. The accuracy or inaccuracy of the system should be ascertained in advance. 5. The agendas of the team members should be coherent. 6. The team support and other development staff should have varied skills required during the process. Software development follows the following stages; The designer has to identify the needs of the users and establish their requirements. Development of alternatives that can satisfy the clients’ needs and requirements. Building interactive versions of the designs so that they can be communicated and assessed. Evaluation of what is being built throughout the process. Course One 1. identification of the needs and establishment of user requirements This is the initial stage of software development and it is quite important since it determines how this software will be in the end of the process. The designer has to analyse the problem as well as the needs and establish the requirements of the software to be developed. Understanding the problem and the needs of the clients to be solved is paramount in development of system interface. This stage consists of various activities that the system designer or the support teams have to perform. These activities include identifying of problems to be solved, generation of ideas, and presentation of the problem by the designer and proper communication with all the members who will be involved in development of this software. It is important to note that these activities should not follow distinct pattern but they can overlap one another. The constraints of the project such as scarcity of resources and time determine the flow of the activities during system development. Sharp (2007, p. 870) noted that these activities should be carried out simultaneously. The designer should identify the problem to be solved by examining the needs of the clients and the limitation of the existing system if any. Thorough analysis of the requirements of the new system should be done in conjunction with the needs and expectation of the clients. The views of the clients on the existing systems should be taken into account. Usability concept Concept of system usability is the centre of interest to the development of system interface. Usability is a property that relates to the ability of the users to make use of the system very easily. Hammond (2000, p. 124) pointed out that these methods are for improving ease of use of the system throughout the process of the system development. It was used by earlier researchers to imply the efficiency and effectiveness of what the designer has done. A system that follows the usability concept should have the following properties; 1. Learnability i.e. the users should be able to accomplish the tasks given very fast when they are introduced to the design. 2. Efficiency - the users should be able to perform tasks with the design after it has been introduced. 3. Memorability - The users should easily reestablish proficiency after long time use of the design. 4. Errors - The errors that the users make after using the design should be easy to eliminate and should not be severe. 5. Satisfaction - The design should meet the expectations of the users. It should be pleasant to them. After the identification of the problems, the designer or the system developer should generate ideas. This should be done following analysis of the problems identified. The designer should generate a great deal of ideas that are to be considered. Feasibility study should be done with incorporation of the ideas generated. The clients should have the information on the ideas generated. Feasibility study encompasses analysis of the ideas to establish pros and cons of each before recommendations. For a product to be useful, the designer has to understand and work with the final users of the product. He has to concentrate very much on the usability goals and experience. Many system developers overlooked the usability means hence end up producing a very complicated system which does not match the needs of the end user. This is a big problem especially in system development. The potential users of the software should not be substituted. If the product is designed to be used by manual workers, then users represented should be manual users. During the initial stage of system development, there are assumptions that are made. Customers’ teams are assumed to be ever present during the whole process of the software development. The developers of the software should interact with the end users at all times hence it is assumed that they will be available at all times. The customers are believed or rather assumed to be able to reschedule other activities whenever they are called to interact with the system developers and designers. In real situations, clients are not available at all times. It is also assumed that face-to-face interaction is the most effective and productive method of communication between the system developers and the users (Wagner 1998, p. 89). It is hard for these two stakeholders to meet face to face every now and then. Preece et. al (2007) point out that the designer assumes that face-to-face communication is the most effective and efficient method of communication. This might not be possible in the real situation. The requirements for development of the system interface software changes with time due to changes in the users’ needs, business domains and the intrusion of virgin customers. This can also create a problem space. The assumption made during the course of the software development is that the change does not have negative impact on the efficiency of the product when put into use after its completion. System developers welcome these changes and are regarded as an opportunity to satisfying the various needs of the clients. It is advisable that the designers be very keen during the later stages of development to ensure that changes that occur are adapted to avoid problem space. It is also assumed that designers and system developers have the necessary skills and experience needed in the process. The organization developing the software is in position to form a competent team with all the qualifications. The team should be bright, proactive and a problem solver. It is assumed that the team comprises of designers and system developers who have solid skills required in programming and that they can converge at some time and undertake rational discussions which are supposed to solve the problems arising due to changes in the customer needs. In reality, many development teams do not possess the qualifications discussed above. Some require guidance during the course of software development. Development Team Experience is very essential for the success of System Interface Design. In addition, the designers and developers assumed that constant reviews are effective in detecting errors and that different members of the development teams see problems from different angles hence the synergy is forthcoming. After thorough analysis of the needs and requirements, the designer creates alternative designs which match but are slightly different from the already existing system. Conceptual Model Development The output of the analysis of the client’s needs and requirements is the establishment of the conceptual model for the system interface. This is a very important stage in the development of the software. It is defined as a conceptual framework in which the system to be developed functions. It is based on the users’ requirements and perceptions (mental model). It demonstrates the way the system will present the objects (Terry 2000, p. 75). Conceptual model describes the relationships between the objects and their properties. Different designers will view the model differently since their mental models are affected by their experiences. It is imperative to understand that two users have different experiences hence they have different perspectives on the same model. The designer and system developer should present a conceptual model that has meaning to them. It should be a model that can be perceived by different users to be viable. When the user is presented with the conceptual model, they compare with the mental model. Upon using the system, the user will automatically develop the mental model of the system. System inputs, actions and outputs affect the system mental model derived by the user. The feedback they gotten after using the system also determines the development of the mental system model. Right documentation and training should be used in development of the mental models as this does not depend on the design of the system presented to the user. The design of the particular system presented to the user can be modified to fit their requirements. The designer should be careful enough to avoid presenting a conceptual model that may create a false mental model among the users. The conceptual model should not hinder creation of effective mental models by the users (Terry 2000, p. 75). Metaphors are very critical in conceptual modeling. It is used for managing objects i.e. filing and mailing of objects. The users can relate their experience with the metaphors. Metaphors are used as abstractions. When the user is presented with the conceptual models, they should recognize items rather than recall them. Metaphors in computing systems are more of graphics and they assist the users to recognize objects but not recalling them as the case might be. The common metaphors used are graphical and icon-oriented ones. This is due to the fact that human beings are best at recognizing scenario or objects but are poor at recalling them. It is natural that human beings can manage information or objects when they see them on the screen but they cannot remember them very easily when they are asked they way the operation go about (Terry 2000, p. 76). Allegory The commitment to the existence of the conceptual models is vested in allegory. The mental models that are developed upon the introduction of the conceptual model rest mainly on allegory. It is the manifestation in study of the surface and conceptual metaphors. The system interface should use usability engineering techniques. There should be user analysis and modeling after the user studies and evaluations have been undertaken. These procedures are then followed by prototyping and implementation. When designing conceptual model, the designer should follow the following guidelines Present metaphors to be used by the users. Reflect the mental models of the users without relating with the mental models of the designer. Adhere to the expectations and norms of the users to avoid stereotypes. The conceptual model to be presented to the users should be compatible to the responsive actions of the users. Redundant ideas or operations should be eliminated to avoid confusion. The conceptual model should provide an enabling environment for the development of both expert mental and user’s mental models. The concepts/ Interaction Types The terms of the user’s interactions with a system are one way of conceptualizing the design space in system development. This is very important because the designers are placed in a better position in formulation of a conceptual model. With user’s interaction, the system designer can formulate the model by determining the kind of interaction to be used and the reasons behind completion of a particular system interface. The designer should be well conversant with all the concepts of design conceptualization. The most fundamental concepts of conceptualizing are not limited to exclusion of the rest of the users interacting. One can interact with system based on activities that he or she is undertaking. The interaction types are not definitive. The most fundamental types of interactions are; 1. Conversing Under conversing method, the person having the conversation with the system generates the idea while the system acts as the dialog partner. The designer should produce a system that can respond similarly to human beings. The conversation between the system and the user should resemble that of two human beings conversing. This method differs from instructing method since the latter encompasses a two way conversation process. Under instructing system, the two-way conversation process involves the system acting as another human being rather that a computer system that is fed with information and it follows. The conversing concept has been used in applications and operations where the user is required to establish specific information that he or she intents to discuss (Terry 2000, p. 78). Examples of machines that apply these concepts are advisory systems, search engines in computer systems and help facilities. 2. Manipulating This concept capitalizes on user’s knowledge and skills. It entails manipulation of objects by the user and it is mandatory that the user has manipulation knowledge in the physical world. A perfect example is where the user can manipulate virtual objects by moving, selecting and closing them. Other actions that involve manipulation of objects that is not present in the physical world such as zooming in and out, stretching and shrinking of images on computer screens. Under this concept the user is at the discretion of honing in basing this on their knowledge and skills of how they can interact with the objects. 3. Exploring The user moves through both virtual and physical environments. The user may intend to explore the elements of virtual3D environments such as enclosed places. In this case, exploring type of interaction is perfectly used. The users can also explore physical environments that are embedded with advanced sensing facilities which can detect the appearance or presence of certain body that is either static or in motion. With the exploring concept, the user can respond effectively to the digital events present in the air space by lingering them. The fundamental principle behind the exploring concept is enabling users or people at large to explore with both virtual and physical environments through knowledge exploitation of the existing spaces. 4. Instructing It describes how users can carry out their duties effectively by use of instructions. Users are responsible for the issue of instructions to the system introduced. Feeding of the instructions into the system can be done by typing commands; the user can select menus from the menus in a windows environment, using combination of function keys among others. Some of the facilities that have been designed to use the concept are UNIX and Linux Operating systems. Existing Interfaces system According to research, some of the existing interface systems include flytrap interactive version which has User Centered Design (UCD). It is applied in web based services and other complex systems used for account management. Carroll (2008, p. 270) argued that this interface is also valuable in data visualization and reporting. Distance education delivery system has been made possible by the interface. There are numerical interfaces that are interspersed with the traditional graphic display. This is used to increase the bandwidth of the information been communicated by use of animations, sound and speech. Course two Evaluation of the system been developed Evaluation of the existing systems and prototypes is done throughout the system development. Evaluation of the existing system is essential in all processes of design implementation and deployment. An effective Software interface design is more than creating screens that look good. The designer has to factor in a lot of things to ascertain that the right software has been developed. The complexity that lacks in the existing system should be solved by the new software. It be should evaluated from the user point of view. Designers evaluate their conceptual models basing this on either heuristic inspection or cognitive walkthrough. These methods were first used by Nielsen in 1990 and Wharton in 1994. Software system interface is a smart consumer product. The end users of this software are heterogeneous groups hence it might be difficult to find the suitable evaluation for the product that best suits all of them. In interface software computing, the designers’ techniques should be adequate enough to capture the entire contextual user surrogate after the system interaction with the user in the real world situations. Designers can adapt the heuristic evaluation method and the following are the objectives that the software should posses: The users should have conceptualized the new software and that they are in a position to interact with the software effectively and meaningfully. The user of the software should find it easy to use the software. It should be user friendly. Ease of navigation is very important since it encourages potential users to explore advanced features of the software. The software developed should be appealing to the users in references to visual aspects. The combination of different elements such colors and design elements should please the user. This will also encourage them to investigating more about the software. Consistency - The interface design should be consistent and familiar to the user from one screen to the next Match between system and the real world -The software developed or designed should match the language of the user with the real world. It should speak the users’ language and phrases but not the system oriented terms. It should be able to bring information in the real world or natural scenario. The software that does not have these qualities will not be pleasant to the users (Terry 2000, p. 80). Building interactive versions of the designs The software interface system involves more of human-computer interaction. The conditions under which the designer works determine the design of the system to be built. The environment also determines the materials to be used in building of interactive versions of designs. The designers or developers should be very keen to avoid loosing the context under which the potential users of the software are likely to operate (Landay & Myers 2002, p. 60). The work context and the organizational aspects should be considered as they might be a major blow to the development of the system. The building of the interactive versions of designs is usually done in the context of the software development which is closely related The standards used by the designer speak a great deal in this stage. The accessibility of the system is determined mainly by the standard used. The rules governing the development of the software makes the work of the designers as well as the users easy. Effective system is build following the stipulated standards and it is mandatory that for the designers to conform with. Many developers of software system tend to make wrong decisions in the absence of the standards and the result and product confuses the users. An effective built interactive version of software interface design should meet the stringent test of easy use of the system by the users. The novice user should benefit from the product designed and this is achieved if it is effective. In the past, traditional methods were used to build the interactive version of designs but they proof ineffective as it does not lead to development of easy to use software. The methods that are effective are: Building of the interactive interface version design considering the behaviors of potential users. Building of the version basing it on continued testing. These methods are used in situations where users are permitted to use electronic efforts in prototyping. In typical building of interactive versions, all the stakeholders or the departments involved must collaborate. Every person involved in the process is required to follow the standards and use the standard tools to get a version that is effective and correct. The system designer depends on the standard and modeling tools to develop a software system interface. The work of the designer might be constraint by the hardware and software products available to him or her. It is imperative for the system designers to establish simulations of the software products in order to generate graphical code which is needed in the deployment on the product. This aids in the daily interaction of the user with the software (Carroll 2008, p. 279). In cases of 2D and 3D ideas generated, the designer uses CAD to incorporate the research obtained from the clients’ clinics. The designer uses this software to create, plan and design new interface versions. These enables the designer to come up with products that are consumer oriented. Questionnaires and surveys conducted revealed that qualified designers use appropriate tools and techniques at all stages of interface designing. Most of the research conducted shows that most designers put most of their efforts in the development of software that can be applied in desktops, multimedia software and other hardware manufacturing companies. Interviews conducted also revealed that most designers adopt sketches and storyboards at the initial stages of the system interface development. The process they follow has been adopted by the modern designers. Preece noted that the designers follow the responses they get from the systems during the early stages of development and later on annotate the sketches as they appear. During the building of the interactive software interfaces design, interface tools such as HyperCard are not efficient and effective at all. The tools waste a lot of time hence it is not cost effective. When the labels and menu items specifics are not very important, the designer can slow the design process as he or she wishes. Iteration prototypes are very critical and designers should ensure that it happens more two times a day in the course system development. Tools such pencil and paper interface are natural and most professional are familiar with them. The assessment of the interface building process is very vital as this compliment on the designers and the completed widgets sets. The fact that the designs put forward by the builders can be used in the end product contrast designers’ suggestions. The builders believe that the tools that use scripting languages are difficult to learn hence it is a major setback in development process. The recommendations that results from the research from the consumer clinics are used to analyse data concerning the interaction between the users and the software to be build. This enhances establishment of a software system interface that enhances the productivity and satisfaction of the users. This process is usually done by human factors designers. Evaluated conceptual model The output of the analysis of the client’s needs and requirements is the establishment of the conceptual model for the system interface. This is a very important stage in the development of the software. It is defined as a conceptual framework in which the system to be developed functions. It is based on the users’ requirements and perceptions (mental model). It demonstrates the way the system will present the objects. Conceptual model describes the relationships between the objects and their properties. Different designers will view the model differently since their mental models are affected by their experiences. Rogers (2007, p. 856) claimed that it is imperative to understand that two users have different experience hence they have different perspective on same model. The designer and system developer should present a conceptual model that has meaning to them. It should be a model that can be perceived by different users. When the user is presented with the conceptual model, he or she compare with the mental model. Upon using the system, the user will automatically develop the mental model of the system. System inputs, actions and outputs affect the system mental model derived by the user. The feedback they get after using the system also determines the development of the mental system model. Right documentation and training should be used in development of the mental models as this does not depend on the design of the system presented to the user. The design of the particular system presented to the user can be modified to fit their requirements. The designer should be careful enough to avoid presenting a conceptual model that may create a false mental model among the users. The conceptual model should not hinder creation of effective mental models by the users. Conceptual model should be evaluated to ascertain its efficiency. It should meet the client needs. Since it is based on the user requirement, the model should be able to describe the relationships different concepts and their properties. The conceptual model should have meaning to the users. It should enable the users to answer questions when interacting with the system. The model that greatly facilitates the job of designer is the most appropriate. It should present very tidy and coherent information to the users. It should be intuitive. Conceptual model generated from software system interface can also be applied in Cover Flow UI, software that can be used to download music. This model has been used by many people especially musicians for rummaging through their private and other variety of albums found around the world. The model cal also enables the person rummaging for albums to see individual tracks in order. Right conceptual model can also be used in SaaS application. The models that are put into such application should define high value scenarios. High value conceptual model can take advantage of the new technology that is applied in the digital world. The interface structures should compliment with the conceptual models as they are expressed in screen hierarchy maps. These maps show how the models functions and how the user can cope up with the model. Prototypes can be building to evaluate the dynamics of the conceptual model. Wagner (1998, p. 80) noted that prototypes allow the user interface to check their opinions or rather browse their options without any limitations. Prototypes can be developed from conventional programs or languages such as super card. Basing on the users, the conceptual model should take into consideration the psychological factors. The right principles and procedures are very essential and the conceptual model should be very coherent. It should have the natural framework for the application of the user interface. The model should enable the user to present the objects that he or she can manipulate in consistent with the types of windows presented with. The principle of coherency in conceptual models is illustrated by demos of similar prototypes. The prototypes can be used to deeply explain the design of the model. Prototypes further illustrate relevant examples applied in graphical control design of the conceptual model (Wagner, 1998: 89). Users are instructed to have the control designed for analysis of the conceptual model as per the principle of coherent. The differences exist between traditional prototyping and the common essential user interface prototyping. The latter is used in evaluating of the conceptual prototyping with the objective of influencing the user and their ability to use the system. The users are not supposed to consider the features of the conceptual model when presented with. The need to perform user interface prototyping is evident by when the users are presented with case modeling. This is because of the fact that every user might be tempted to focus so much on the features of the system rather than its usage (Wagner, 1998, p. 90) The prototyping tool should be simple enough so that the interface user may not experience challenges in using it. Some of the prototyping tools used include whiteboards, flip chart papers and sticky notes. Electronic technology can be introduced to the prototyping efforts after proper design decisions have been made about the advanced technology implementation. It is not advisable to introduce new technology to the prototyping interface since the user design space might get narrowed. For example, if Java environment is to be used in prototyping efforts, then the design space is limited to Java. The concentration at early stages should be on requirements and not the design of the prototyping. Understanding the problem is therefore very essential. References Hammond, N. 2000. Usability Testing of Interactive Systems. Pattern Approach to Interactive Designs, IBM UK Laboratories, United Kingdom, pp. 120-146. Landay, J. & Myers, B. 2002. Interactive Sketching for User Interface Design: Human Computer Interaction. Carnegie Mellon University Press, USA. Pages 56-90. Wagner, A. 1998. Prototyping and Interface Designing. The Art Human-Computer Interaction Designs. Monterey, CA, pp. 80-98. Carroll, M. 2008. Designing Gestural Interfaces. O’Reilly Media Publishers, USA, pp. 270-290 Sharp, H., Preece, J. & Rogers, Y. 2007. Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. Wiley India Pvt. Publishers, 2(1), pp. 800-900. Terry, R. 2000. Conceptual Modeling and Metaphor Computer Systems. IEEE Computer, Santa Fe Institute Press, USA, pp. 30-75. Read More