Project 6: Summary of Prototype Test
Purpose
Your goal is to create a design for a software interface. You will experience the scope of the design process from brainstorming ideas and gathering information about users' needs to storyboarding, prototyping, and finally, testing and refining your product.
As you work on the software interface, you will demonstrate your ability to apply fundamental Human-Computer Interaction principles to interface analysis, design, and implementation. You will be responsible for delivering project components to your professor at several points during the course.
Action Items
Carolyn Snyder, author of Paper Protyping writes, "Paper prototyping is a variation of usability testing where the representative users perform realistic tests by interacting with a paper version of the interface that is manipulated by a person 'playing computer' who doesn't explain how the interface is intended to work."
1) You will conduct a heuristic evaluation of your paper prototype with expert users. Your classmates in this course would make great expert reviewers. You should use Jakob Nielsen's Ten Usability Heuristics or another set of heuristics approved by your professor.
a) Print out whichever set you will use. You may use this worksheet. Have one copy for each expert user.
b) The purpose of the heuristics is to guide your expert users and help them find as many different types of usability issues as possible.
c) Instruct your experts to describe each issue noted as specifically as possible. Allow the expert to explore the interface and follow any paths.
2) Make sure to practice with your prototype so that you can operate it effectively and not waste time. Doing several practice runs or walkthroughs will help you identify missing pieces and dead ends.
3) It would be a good idea to do this testing in groups of three or four people. One person can be the expert tester while another works the prototype and the others take notes or photographs. Then, everyone can switch roles until all participants have been experts and had a chance to test their designs.
4) Review the feedback you got from your reviewers and use it to create a report called Summary of Prototype Testing Results.
a) Describe what worked and what didn't.
b) Create a list of specific changes you want to make to your interface.