justinkodama.com/portfolio/usabilityanalysis/graphics/photocopier_UARs.doc
Photocopier Interface:
Usability Aspect Report
Study Name:
Photocopier Interface
Date of Study:
February 21, 2005
Experimenters Names:
Justin Kodama
Subject ID:
U1 (business student), U2 (business student)
Study Name:
Photocopier Interface v2
Date of Study:
February 28, 2005
Experimenters Names:
Justin Kodama
Subject ID:
U3 (Laundromat), U4 (starbucks)
Study Name:
Photocopier Interface v3
Date of Study:
March 2, 2005
Experimenters Names:
Justin Kodama
Subject ID:
U5 (student), U6 (student)
Summary of Changes in the
Readme_final.doc
No. TA - 01
Problem
Name:
Starting the copier prematurely
Reference:
Card #4
Evidence:
Interface Aspect: U2 pushed the start button when the other settings
were not completed first.
Explanation:
There is no clear indication that what you have done has been confirmed
by the system. The only feedback you get is the change of the number
in the textbox.
Severity:
Rating: 3/4
Justification (Frequency, Impact, Persistence):
牋牋 Frequency: High. One user expressed concern
whether or not his entry had been confirmed while the other actually
did push the start button. So both users found this to be a problem.
牋牋 Impact: High. Someone might print out a lot
of pages with the wrong settings.
牋牋 Persistence: Low. If pushing the start button
caused the copier to start and the user was not ready, then I dont
think the user would repeat the process because the user would realize
that the system reads his input without an enter button.
This received a rating of 3, a major usability problem, because the
frequency with which it happened and the impact were high. But it did
not receive a 4 because the persistence was low.
Possible solution and/or trade-offs:
A solution that I would make for this is to have the summary box reflect
the users input real-time. So as the user changes the number of copies
that he or she wants with the keypad, the summary box reflects this.
This will give the user a feel for what the system thinks he or she
is doing.
A tradeoff for this solution is that the user does not see the summary
box change and the problem still persists.
Relationships:
None at this time.
No. TA - 02
Problem
Name:
Darkness not seen as a scale
Reference:
Card #5
Evidence:
Interface aspect: U2 pushed the + button on darkness twice because
he wanted to increase the darkness twice.
Explanation:
The + button seems to operate more along the lines of adding darkness.
When paired with the ++ button, it seems the ++ button is a faster
way to increase the darkness. The actual use of these buttons is a set
darkness level, not a continuum where you can increase the darkness
by 1, 2, 3, etc.
Severity:
Rating: 2/4
Justification (Frequency, Impact, Persistence):
牋牋 Frequency: Low. U1 understood the varying
degrees of darkness, while U2 misunderstood it. But the task was to
increase the darkness, and that was accomplished.
牋牋 Impact: Med. If the users original is very
light, increasing the darkness slightly may not give the user the output
he or she wants. So, users would have to copy again with a higher darkness
setting.
牋牋 Persistence: Low. If pushing the + did
not give the user the proper darkness, he or she would probably push
the ++ button the next time he or she wanted to increase the darkness
on a copy.
This received a rating of 2, a minor usability problem, because the
impact was medium severity while frequency and persistence were low.
Possible solution and/or Trade-offs:
The solution would be to change the text inside the buttons and also
make the buttons look more like a continuum that users might expect
by have them touch edges and make them longer.
I cannot foresee where there would be any trade-offs.
Relationships:
None at this time.
No. TA - 03
Problem
Name:
Clicking the summary labels to change that option does not work
Reference:
Main Screen
Evidence:
Interface Aspect: U4 tried to click the darkness text in the summary
box to change the darkness. But that doesnt actually do anything.
Explanation:
Severity:
Rating: 3/4
Justification (Frequency, Impact, Persistence):
牋牋 Frequency: Low.
牋牋 Impact: High.牋牋
牋牋 Persistence: High.
This received a rating of 3, a major usability problem, because the
frequency with which it happened and the impact were high. But it did
not receive a 4 because the persistence was low.
Possible solution and/or trade-offs:
A solution that I would make for this is to have the summary box have
gray background color to make it look like you cannot interact with
it.
Relationships:
None at this time.
No. TA - 04
Problem
Name:
How to output a cover sheet was misunderstood
Reference:
Main screen
Evidence:
Interface aspect: U4 copied the task first, then wanted to make a
cover sheet
Explanation:
Severity:
Rating: 2/4
Justification (Frequency, Impact, Persistence):
牋牋 Frequency: Low.
牋牋 Impa