The Usability Study (US) project results in you/your team designing and executing a multi-method examination of an object of study (OoS). The culmination of this work is a report document. The US project is challenging because it requires you to apply multiple methods for assessing usability to the study of an appropriate OoS, to interpet the results of those studies, and to articulate the results of that work in a detailed report.
This project requires prototype and final submissions (Version 1, Version 2). All files are submitted to an UsabilityStudy folder in your shared course space on Dropbox.com.
For each submission stage, you'll post the following documents:
By your final submission stage, your project folder should contain 5 files for my review. For the full list of core and supporting documents/files, see Submission Requirements.
The primary objective for this project is to prod you to think like a UX researcher. That means thinking about what makes a particular project challenging, and what research approaches might be effective at gathering knowledge and insight about the core elements project: the problem, the stakeholders, the stakes, the potential solutions, and so on.
Deliverables: memo, report
Document scope: 150 words (memo), 1500 to 2000 words (report)
Project value: 450 points (50 point for the draft, 400 points for the final submission)
Evaluation rubric: _Eval_UsabilityStudy.pdf
Recommended tool(s): Microsoft Word (memo); Adobe InDesign (report); scanner/scanning app; smart phone w. digital camera/digital video capabilities
The US project really comes down to two principal stages: the study, the report. To accomplish both, you need to first identify an object of study (OoS). Remember that the study demonstrates your understanding of that OoS through the methods you apply to it, and the report signals your understanding of the OoS through your explanation of the methods you apply and of the conclusions you draw from your study.
You may complete this project on your own or in partnership with one or two others.
This work calls for systematic, disciplined study of the OoS you select. To speak credibly about any design or design problem, you must understand it thoroughly. The only way to accomplish that state is to examine the problem thoroughly or to experience for yourself what it means to use the app/space that you study. With that in mind, allow yourself ample time to conduct a thorough and detailed examination of the OoS prior to designing a study of it.
Consider the merits of selecting an OoS that represents an area of expertise you are in the process of developing, or an industry within which you might seek employment, or a product category significant to your career goals. It might represent something you use to do your job or something that results from your job. However, given that our expertise as technical communicators can be applied in any industry, if you have not yet settled on a target industry for your career, that will not impede your success here.
All of that said, what does it mean to select an appropriate object of study for this project? Consider the following possibilities.
Your US can focus on an object of study from any category. However, to complete the research processes associated with this assignment, you must have access to the thing you want to study, and must be able to allow others to interact with it during your usability studies. Keep these things in mind when making your selection.
Design your usability study to represent a sampling of methods from our explorations this semester. Apply at least 3 methods of study to your OoS, drawing at least one from experience-centered methods. That is, although some methods may represent interpretive, narrative, or dialogic research methods, you must engage in at least one set of trials that involve real users of the OoS (or the closest approximation you can manage) interacting with the OoS in a manner relevant to its intended function, or real users who need the process/space to complete some task or fulfill some need.
During the first phase of the course, you were offered opportunities to experience a variety of usability methods. In addition, you have permission to adapt existing methods to better suit your needs, or to develop a new method of study to apply here. Your task now is to assemble a workable strategy for applying 4 or more methods to your OoS to determine its usability and to examine how users interact with it in its context of use.
Remember that data gathering is an essential component of your usability study activities. Your study and the lessons you learn from your research are only as valuable as the data you gather. Your baseline method of recording is video. Resort to audio only recording only when video recording is not possible. Develop a note page that helps you to process the recordings you gather.
Although some methods can be applied with a single research trial, user-based methods (e.g., scenarios, user tours) require multiple trials to gather meaningful data. Complete a minimum of 4 trials for any user-experience-based methods you implement.
Your US report should be a detailed discussion of the problem/object of study, the usability study you design and execute to examine the OoS, the data that results from your study, and of the conclusions you draw from your study.
Your report should incorporate all of the following content and design elements.
Note. Do not propose design solutions in this section. That work is the focus of the Recommendations Report that comes later. Here your task is only to frame your conclusions from the study itself.
A memo of transmittal introduces the accompanying document to its audience(s). Your memos should be addressed from your team to me, and should frame your plan submission. Your memo should incorporate the following content elements.
Note that if you work with others, your team can submit one memo. All team members should be represented in the From heading.
This section is designed to help you be strategic in the development of your project components. Consider the following hints and tips. Use this set of recommendations as a checklist for quality control.
This project offers you an opportunity to demonstrate not only your understanding of designs and design problems, but also of how to take a strategic approach to studying a problem. The ultimate challenge of UX work is to demonstrate effectively that you understand the human elements of the design process. Practice empathy in all phases of this work. Develop and share insights that showcase your design vision and respect for others.
You establish your technical writer/designer ethos with the way you present your descriptive and analytical details. Be as specific and concrete as you can throughout your discussion. The more meaningful details you incorporate into your discussion, the more likely you are to establish and maintain credibility with your readers.
All designs are more easily understood through visual representation. Show your OoS in context as often as is appropriate. Show the various elements and contexts of your study. Help audience members see what you see.
Remember that communication in professional and technical contexts values highly the ability to write and speak with economy, directness, and professionalism. Another way of saying this is to make every word count. Write and rewrite until your content makes sense, and represents careful, concise, professional communication.
Focus on the little and big details. Proofread your document carefully. Review what you say and how you say it. Redo material that does not meet expectations.
Read and attend carefully to these submission guidelines. Failure to do so may result in delays in receiving feedback on the draft of your project, or in points lost on the final evaluation of your project.
You/your team should create a project folder inside your shared class folder on Dropbox.com. If you work in a team, you need only post one submission there. Remember, I can only view files that you place inside the class folder. Until your files are placed in that space, you have not in practice submitted them.
Name the folder UsabilityStudy.
However, do not share the project folder with me. I will not accept that invitation to view its contents. As long as you place your project files in the folder you created and shared in response to the Week 1 discussions, you are set for the semester.
Make sure the files listed below are available to me in the project folder by the final deadline. Model your filenames on the listed examples:
Note. Do not share the individual files with me. By placing them in your project folder, you have already shared them by default.
Make sure the files from your prototype-stage submission and those listed below are available to me in the project folder by the project deadline. Model your filenames on the listed examples:
Note. Again, do not share the individual files with me. By placing them in your project folder, you have already shared them by default.
This section describes the standards by which your prototype and final submissions will be evaluated.
There are 50 possible points for the prototype stage of this project. You will earn points according to the following standard.
The final project submission is worth 400 possible points. You will earn points according to the standard described on the policies page (see Policies for a description of these categories).
The specific areas of emphasis for this project are drawn from the description and discussion of the project, and are detailed in the evaluation rubric (_Eval_UsabilityStudy.pdf).
Remember that I will only post the point values for projects on the Grades page in SVSU Canvas. I will post the details relevant to that evaluation in your class folder in a project-specific file.
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