Workshop / Artifact Analysis
In this workshop, we examine the method of artifact analysis (AA) in preparation for designing and conducting usability studies later in the semester. Your ultimate goal is to understand the AA process well enough to conduct your own examination of an object of study (OoS).
Workshop Objectives
- Execute an artifact analysis of the workshop object of study (OoS).
- Record and review data from your study.
- Report the results of your analysis through a summary report.
Workshop Deliverables
- Post your summary report and completed workshop form to the discussion forum in SVSU Canvas that is dedicated to this workshop.
Workshop Details
This workshop is designed to offer experience with artifact analysis in support of your work in the course this semester. During the workshop, you will execute a sample study of our class space within the SVSU Canvas interface, record and review your data, and submit a summary report of your study.
The workshop has 4 stages.
- Prepare for the study.
- Conduct the study.
- Review the results of your study.
- Complete and submit a summary report.
Prepare for the Study
Complete this workshop in collaboration with up to 2 classmates. When you are ready to begin, prepare for the study by completing these steps.
- Choose your object of study (OoS). Your study will focus on the Canvas smartphone app or web site (whichever you prefer). Note: make sure all of you have access to the same Canvas tool. That way, you can all focus on the same object of study.
Limit your description to 3 Canvas pages/areas. We primarily focus our attention during this course on 5 pages within the Canvas system: Announcements, Pages, Discussions, Files, and Grades. Select 3 of these areas to examine for this workshop.
- Retrieve and review the Artifact Analysis form. The Artifact Analysis Form is available on Canvas Files: Workshop Support. Note that I have made the form available in two formats: as an editable Microsoft Word file (ArtifactAnalysisForm.docx) for those of you who prefer to type your notes; and as a printable PDF document (ArtifactAnalysisForm_Blank.pdf) for those of you who prefer to take notes by hand. I have also provided a sample form that demonstrates how to use this document.
- Open a recording app on your smartphone. Record your discussion with your smartphone. Recording discussions is a standard process for research activities. Recording this discussion will make it much easier to report details of your work for the summary report later.
Conduct the Study
To complete the artifact analysis, follow these steps.
- Record your discussion. Record your discussion from beginning to end. (At the conclusion of your discussion, share the recording with each member of the team.)
- Work through each of the design sections on the form. Work through the 3 main sections of the form. Each section serves its own specific purpose in recording and organizing design details about the OoS.
- Design Overview. This section provides spaces for explaining the purpose & context of use for the OoS. Refer to the sample form for an illustration of these descriptive elements.
- Interaction Study. This section provides spaces for explaining the task chain for 3 core processes. In abbreviated form, using details from the List of Features (see next), list the steps necessary to complete each of the three core processes you identify. Again, refer to the sample form for an illustration of these descriptive elements.
Note. You may find this section easier to complete after filling out the List of Features (see next).
- List of Features. This section provides 3 spaces (one for each area of Canvas you examine) for listing, categorizing, and explaining the features of the OoS. Name each feature. Categorize each feature using terminology appropriate to the kind of thing you are examining. Because your OoS is either an app or a website for this workshop, use language consistent with such designs (e.g., button, hyperlink, table). Briefly describe the connection action or process that the feature facilitates. Again, refer to the sample form for an illustration of these descriptive elements.
Note. Add lines to the form if you need more space to record individual features. Delete unused lines from the form if you worked in the editable Word version of the document.
Review the Results of Your Study
Once you have completed your discussion, review your completed form, and if available, the recording of your work session. Look for design details that you may have missed. Add in anything that you discover during that process. Assess the clarity of your descriptions and explanations. Do they make sense? If not, then refine any such details that could be made more clear.
Complete the Summary Report
The final stage of the workshop requires you to craft and submit a summary report. You may submit your report individually or as a group. If you submit as a group, identify all members of the group in your report.
- Overview. Identify your object of study and offer a general sense of how the process went. That is, did this come easily, or did it present challenges? (35-50 words)
- Reflections. Reflect on the execution of the study. This analytical process is all about taking a systematic approach to understanding and describing a design. What advantages do you see to examining a design using a process such as this? What, if anything, would make the process more effective or more useful to yourself or any readers who might review your work? (150 words)
Convert your workshop form to PDF or scan it to JPG. As you prepare to submit your summary report, note that you need to attach your workshop form to your discussion post. If you completed the form digitally, convert it to PDF. If you entered notes by hand, then scan your form and export it as a PDF file. (Do not take a photo with your smartphone. Use a scanning app to capture and convert the pages.)
Think about design as you construct your report. Write your report directly in the Canvas Discussion forum designated for the workshop. Doing so limits your design choices, but still highlights the need to use basic design principles to make your content more accessible to readers.
Present your report in 2 separate sections that correspond to the report description above. Within sections, separate individual ideas/discussion points into their own paragraphs or list entries. Signal the beginning of each discussion section with an appropriate heading.
Submission Guidelines
Post your summary report to the forum dedicated to this workshop on Canvas Discussions. Attach the PDF/JPG of your completed Artifact Analysis Form to your post.
Note: Do not attach the recording of your work session. You do not need to post it to your Dropbox space either. Doing so will consume storage space you may need later this semester.
Note: I provide some visual guidance in the discussion forum for determining how long your report should be. However, the real standard you seek to meet here is that of sufficient appropriate detail. In general, summary reports ask you to provide enough detail to demonstrate to peers and to me that you understood the activity on which you report, and that you completed the workshop as described. If your report is too brief, or if it lacks concrete, specific detail, expect to earn fewer than 50 points for your submission.
Evaluation Standards
This section describes the standards by which your work will be evaluated for this workshop. Attend carefully to these details to earn full credit for this assignment.
Evaluation Summary
There are 50 possible points for this workshop. You will earn points according to this standard.
- 50 points (full credit) for a complete summary report and workshop form submitted to the Discussion forum on SVSU Canvas by the posted workshop deadline. The report must meet the specifications defined in this description.
- 40 points (partial credit) for work submitted that does not fulfill all of the workshop requirements, or that is submitted late, but within 48 hours of the posted deadline.
- 0 points (no credit) for work that is submitted more than 48 hours late.
A Note to Instructors, Colleagues, and Others
If you are here because of random chance, or because this content came up in a search, then poke about, and read if you see something useful or interesting. If you are a teacher in any context and would like to use any of this content in your courses, feel free to do so. However, if you borrow this material, please do two things:
- Give me credit for my work in your class; and
- Share with me that you are using this material. If you adapt or alter the content, please share with me how you did so. (I appreciate seeing the ways that others apply the ideas I have developed.)