Assignment: Usability Evaluation
This assignment requires that you create a free SurveyMonkey or QuestionPro online questionnaire account.
1. Go to surveymonkey OR questionpro websites.
2. Sign up for a free basic plan / account by following the instructions on the screen.
3. Follow the instructions on how to create a simple survey.
In this assignment you will create an online questionnaire. Prepare as follows:
• Read Activity 7.2 on page 239 of the textbook.
• Create an online questionnaire using your account on SurveyMonkey or QuestionPro, depending on which one you selected during the.
• Insert the six questions in your questionnaire. You may add additional questions if you wish.
• Send an email to at least five friends or participants and ask them to participate in the online questionnaire. Include the link to the online questionnaire in the email.
• Give your participants a few days to complete the online questionnaire.
• Use SurveyMonkey or QuestionPro to analyze the collected data.
• Download and save the report. You may take a screenshot if you wish.
• Attach your report to your assignment paper.
Write a four to five page paper in which you:
1. Include the survey report.
2. Describe the positive and negative aspects of creating and conducting an online questionnaire.
3. Speculate on the reliability of the collected data.
4. Recommend two methods that you can use to validate the collected data.
5. Based on your experience, describe the major challenges of using an online questionnaire Website.
6. Use at least three quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. Make sure references are in APA format.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also Include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
• Demonstrate the ability to select an appropriate user interface interaction style for a particular task.
• Explain the different usability data-gathering techniques
• Create a product evaluation through a formal framework.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in human-computer interaction.
• Write clearly and concisely about human-computer interaction topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.
Exercise 7.2:
Activity 7.2
Several e-readers for reading ebooks, watching movies, and browsing photographs are available on the market (see Figure 7.4). These devices are thin and lightweight and are ideally designed for reading books, newspapers, and magazines. The exact design differs between makes and models, but they all support book reading that is intended to be as comfortable as reading a paper book.
Figure 7.4 (a) Sony's e-reader, (b) Amazon's Kindle, and (c) Apple's iPad
Source: (a) Courtesy of Sony Europe Limited, (b) and (c) PA Images.
The developers of a new e-reader want to find out how appealing it will be to young people under 18 years of age. To this end, they have asked you to conduct some interviews for them.
1. What is the goal of your data gathering session?
2. Suggest ways of recording the interview data.
3. Suggest a set of questions that are suitable for use in an unstructured interview that seek opinions about e-readers and their appeal to the under-18s.
4. Based on the results of the unstructured interviews, the developers of the new e-reader have found that two important acceptance factors are whether the device can be handled easily and whether the typeface and appearance can be altered. Write a set of semi-structured interview questions to evaluate these two aspects. If you have an e-reader available, show it to two of your peers and ask them to comment on your questions. Refine the questions based on their comments.
Comment
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It is helpful when collecting answers to list the possible responses together with boxes that can just be checked (i.e. ticked). Here's how we could convert some of the questions from Activity 7.2.
1. Have you used an e-reader before? (Explore previous knowledge)
Interviewer checks box Yes No Don't remember/know
2. Would you like to read a book using an e-reader? (Explore initial reaction, then explore the response)
Interviewer checks box Yes No Don't know
3. Why?
If response is ‘Yes' or ‘No,' interviewer says, ‘Which of the following statements represents your feelings best?'
For ‘Yes,' interviewer checks the box
I don't like carrying heavy books
This is fun/cool
My friend told me they are great
It's the way of the future
Another reason (interviewer notes the reason)
For ‘No,' interviewer checks the box
I don't like using gadgets if I can avoid it
I can't read the screen clearly
I prefer the feel of paper
Another reason (interviewer notes the reason)
4. In your opinion, is an e-reader easy to handle or cumbersome?
Interviewer checks box
Easy to handle
Cumbersome
Neither
Running the Interview
Before starting, make sure that the aims of the interview have been communicated to and understood by the interviewees, and they feel comfortable. Some simple techniques can help here, such as finding out about their world before the interview so that you can dress, act, and speak in a manner that will be familiar. This is particularly important when working with children, seniors, people from different ethnic and cultural groups, people who have disabilities, and seriously ill patients.
During the interview, it is better to listen more than to talk, to respond with sympathy but without bias, and to appear to enjoy the interview (Robson, 2011). Robson suggests the following steps for conducting an interview:
1. An introduction in which the interviewer introduces herself and explains why she is doing the interview, reassures interviewees regarding any ethical issues, and asks if they mind being recorded, if appropriate. This should be exactly the same for each interviewee.
2. A warm-up session where easy, non-threatening questions come first. These may include questions about demographic information, such as ‘What area of the country do you live in?'
3. A main session in which the questions are presented in a logical sequence, with the more probing ones at the end. In a semi-structured interview the order of questions may vary between participants, depending on the course of the conversation, how much probing is done, and what seems more natural.
4. A cool-off period consisting of a few easy questions (to defuse any tension that may have arisen).
5. A closing session in which the interviewer thanks the interviewee and switches off the recorder or puts her notebook away, signaling that the interview has ended.