GenderMag: A Method for Evaluating Software’s Gender Inclusiveness

In recent years, research into gender differences has established that individual differences in how people problem-solve often cluster by gender. Research also shows that these differences have direct implications for software that aims to support users’ problem-solving activities, and that much of this software is more supportive of problem-solving processes favored (statistically) more by males than by females. However, there is almost no work considering how software practitioners—such as User Experience (UX) professionals or software developers—can find gender-inclusiveness issues like these in their software. To address this gap, we devised the GenderMag method for evaluating problem-solving software from a gender-inclusiveness perspective. The method includes a set of faceted personas that bring five facets of gender difference research to life, and embeds use of the personas into a concrete process through a gender-specialized Cognitive Walkthrough. Our empirical results show that a variety of practitioners who design software—without needing any background in gender research—were able to use the GenderMag method to find gender-inclusiveness issues in problem-solving software. Our results also show that the issues the practitioners found were real and fixable. This work is the first systematic method to find gender-inclusiveness issues in software, so that practitioners can design and produce problem-solving software that is more usable by everyone

The evaluator effect during first-time use of the cognitive walkthrough technique

Practising system developers without a human factors background need robust, easy-to-use usability evaluation methods. The cognitive walkthrough (CW) technique (Lewis et al. 1990, Wharton et al. 1994) has been devised to provide such a method and is particularly suited to evaluate designs before testing wit

TECNICA PARA LA MEDICION DE USABILIDAD DURANTE LA ETAPA DE DISEÑO MEDIANTE LA SEPARACION DE DETALLES ARQUITECTONICOS Y TECNOLOGICOS EN LA EDUCCION DE REQUERIMIENTOS

ESTADO DEL ARTE MARCO CONCEPTUAL MÉTODOS DE USABILIDAD PROCESOS DE DISEÑO DE INTERFACES GRÁFICOS DE USUARIO MÉTODOS DE INSPECCIÓN MÉTODOS DE PROTOTIPADO Y CATEGORIZACIÓN INTRODUCCIÓN TÉCNICA PROPUESTA PROPUESTA FASE DE DEFINICIÓN Y EDUCCIÓN DE REQUISITOS FASE DE ELICITACIÓN DE REQUISITOS FASE DEL ANÁLISIS HEURÍSTICO FASE DEL USUARIO FINAL FASE DE RESPUESTAS CASO DE ESTUDIO EVALUACIÓ

The Integrated User Experience Evaluation Model: A Systematic Approach To Integrating User Experience Data Sources

Evaluating the user experience (UX) associated with product interaction is a challenge for current human-systems developers. This is largely due to a lack of theoretical guidance for directing how best to assess the UX and a paucity of tools to support such evaluation. This dissertation provided a framework and tools for guiding and supporting evaluation of the user experience. This doctoral research involved reviewing the literature on UX, using this knowledge to build first build a theoretical model of the UX construct and later develop a theoretical model to for the evaluation of UX in order to aid evaluators – the integrated User eXperience EValuation (iUXEV), and empirically validating select components of the model through three case studies. The developed evaluation model was subjected to a three phase validation process that included the development and application of different components of the model separately. The first case study focused on developing a tool and method for assessing the affective component of UX which resulted in lessons learned for the integration of the tool and method into the iUXEV model. The second case study focused on integrating several tools that target different components of UX and resulted in a better understanding of how the data could be utilized as well as identify the need for an integration method to bring the data together. The third case study focused on the application of the results of an usability evaluation on an organizational setting which resulted in the identification of challenges and needs faced by practitioners. Taken together, this body of research, from the theoretically-driven iUXEV model to the newly developed emotional assessment tool, extends the user experience / usability body of knowledge and state-of-practice for interaction design practitioners who are challenged with holistic user experience evaluations, thereby advancing the state-of-the-art in UX design and evaluation

Designing Decision Aids for Digital Service Design Technique Selection

Today, people from a multi-disciplinary background are becoming involved in digital service design processes. With the increasing number of digital service design processes in organizations, it is becoming critical to quickly onboard design novices. A huge amount of design techniques is available in digital service design processes. However, too-much-choice makes the selecting process difficult. Thus, selecting appropriate techniques is a challenge, especially for design novices. This dissertation project focuses on providing decision support for design novices to select design techniques in design processes. Several artifacts in the form of different types of classifications and web-based platforms were developed as decision aids seeking to guide novices to select design techniques in digital service design processes. A design science research paradigm was followed, and three design cycles were conducted in the entire dissertation project. Artifacts were developed and evaluated in each design cycle. In design cycle 1, an expert-based taxonomy and a set of novice-based tags were derived. In design cycle 2, the taxonomy and tags were instantiated as decision aids in a web-based platform and evaluated in a lab experiment. The evaluation demonstrated that the expert-based taxonomy outperformed the novice-based tags. In design cycle 3, an extended version of the web-based platform was developed, including a natural language user interface (UI) in combination with the taxonomy to provide selection support for design techniques. The results of the experimental evaluation of cycle 3 demonstrated that novices’ performance using graphical and natural language UI was dependent on decision-making style and duration of use. The work presented in this thesis contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of digital service design. In design cycle 1, the created taxonomy represents a theory for analysis (type I theory). In design cycle 2 and 3, the proposed design principles represent the core of a theory for design and action (type V theory) to guide the design of decision aids for supporting design novices’ selection of design techniques. Besides the theoretical contribution, the developed platform for the selection of design techniques contributes practically to help design novices select design techniques under different design situations

Instructional Multimedia: Comparison and Enhancement of Expert Evaluation Methods

Instructional Multimedia (IMM) applications use a variety of representation media with which the user interacts in order to achieve certain learning goals. IMM software has special needs for usability evaluation techniques beyond the typical desktop, office work applications that the majority of the traditional evaluation methods have been developed for. There have been a limited number of evaluation methods developed specifically for the evaluation of IMM applications. Their effectiveness, however, has not been studied empirically neither in a laboratory nor the field. Thus, no definitive conclusions can be made regarding how effective they are in uncovering valid usability and learning problems, what is the nature of the problems they identify, or how they compare in cost effectiveness. The first part of this thesis investigates empirically the effectiveness of three expert evaluation methods for IMM. The performance of one cognitive walkthrough, one checklist, and one taxonomy-based approaches was studied against a set of eleven effectiveness criteria, such as method’s validity, thoroughness, reliability, and cost effectiveness. The empirical study found that the three methods are not as effective as practitioners and researchers would like them to be, particularly in identifying valid usability problems. The empirical study also highlighted certain characteristics of the expert evaluation methods which limit their effectiveness. The second part of the thesis deals with improving the effectiveness of expert evaluation methods for IMM. A set of hypotheses for improving the performance of evaluation methods are formulated, particularly for improving their validity. The hypotheses are informed by the results of the empirical study, as well as theoretical work regarding cognitive and pedagogical implications of multimedia design. The hypotheses were tested empirically by developing a new evaluation method addressing the main limitations of the existing methods, which was then applied by expert evaluators. Improvement in the prediction of valid usability and learning problems, particularly those regarding learner comprehension was observed, together with a decrease in the number of false alarms predicted using the developed expert evaluation method. The thesis fulfils its goal of providing an improved understanding into the effectiveness of existing expert evaluation methods for IMM and defining the characteristics that constitute an effective expert evaluation method for IMM. The results of the research can be used to inform further effort for developing and assessing the effectiveness of evaluation methods for IMM

Improving usability outcomes in IS projects: the views of usability practitioners

What are the key aspects to achieving acceptable usability outcomes for information systems being developed? The changing technologies and increased usage across the general population, the impacts of this in our everyday lives, at work and at leisure are exponentially increasing. The interfaces and interaction styles presented as part of these technologies have been challenged to be more intuitive, contextually sensitive, location aware, human centred and aimed at a larger community of stakeholders. Performing usability activities is an increasingly important part of the development of new technologies, applications and websites. This study examined, for Information System projects, what were the key aspects that impacted on the usability outcome of developing Information Systems. This study presents a theory that describes how projects can improve their usability outcomes. This has emerged from interviews with experienced usability practitioners currently working in the usability industry. The transcripts from the qualitative interviews were analysed using a grounded theory methodology, which was an inductive and interpretive process in nature. The result of this analysis produced twenty-seven key concepts. These concepts were compared and contrasted against the literature. The theory that emerged consists of four major themes that included: usability mindset, collaborative approach, project constraints and usability practice. The key contribution to knowledge is the relationship concept between these themes. This is the nurturing of the usability mindset for the project stakeholders through involvement in usability activities throughout the project lifecycle. This engagement provides opportunities to elicit, understand and concord the usability goals, project constraints and the technological limitations with project stakeholders. The involvement of all project stakeholders promotes usability value and acceptance, which ideally progresses to a shared usability vision for the project and ultimately a usability mindset that can be utilised beyond a specific project and across an organisation