Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Usability'
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Howarth, Jonathan Randall. "Supporting Novice Usability Practitioners with Usability Engineering Tools." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27064.
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The usability of an application often plays an important role in determining its success. Accordingly, organizations that develop software have realized the need to integrate usability engineering into their development lifecycles. Although usability practitioners have successfully applied usability engineering processes to increase the usability of user-interaction designs, the literature suggests that usability practitioners experience a number of difficulties that negatively impact their effectiveness. These difficulties include identifying and recording critical usability data, understanding and relating usability data, and communicating usability information. These difficulties are particularly pronounced for novice usability practitioners.
With this dissertation, I explored approaches to address these difficulties through tool support for novice usability practitioners. Through an analysis of features provided by existing tools with respect to documented difficulties, I determined a set of desirable tool features including usability problem instance records, usability problem diagnosis, and a structured process for combining and associating usability problem data. I developed a usability engineering tool, the Data Collection, Analysis, and Reporting Tool (DCART), which contains these desirable tool features, and used it as a platform for studies of how these desirable features address the documented difficulties.
The results of the studies suggest that appropriate tool support can improve the effectiveness with which novice usability practitioners perform usability evaluations. More specifically, tool support for usability problem instance records helped novice usability practitioners more reliably identify and better describe instances of usability problems experienced by participants. Additionally, tool support for a structured process for combining and associating usability data helped novice usability practitioners create usability evaluation reports that were of higher quality as rated by usability practitioners and developers.
The results highlight key contributions of this dissertation, showing how tools can support usability practitioners. They demonstrate the value of a structured process for transforming raw usability data into usability information based on usability problem instances. Additionally, they show that appropriate tool support is a mechanism for further integrating usability engineering into the overall software development lifecycle; tool support addresses the documented need for more usability practitioners by helping novices perform more like experts.Ph. D.
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Waegner, Lars, Philipp Schupp, Lisa Lahr, Janina Mau, Julia Richter, Ina Pilz, and Annett Wolf. "Usability - Bericht." Thesis, Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2012. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-78532.
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Der vorliegende Usability-Bericht entstand im Rahmen eines Multimedia-Tutoriums, das dazu vorgesehen ist, praktisch umzusetzen, was in anderen Seminaren über Multimediapsychologie, Diagnostik der Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion, Softwaregestaltung und –evaluation sowie Screendesign theoretisch vermittelt wurde. Der Wettbewerb zur Evaluation der Webseite des Fachbereichs Mensch-Computer-Interaktion (FB MCI) der Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI) bot uns durch die Aufgabenstellung eine geeignete Möglichkeit, übergreifendes theoretisches und psychologisch fundiertes Wissen an einem realen Beispiel anzuwenden und somit in die Praxis umzusetzen.
Unser Team, bestehend aus sieben angehenden Usability-Experten, hat die Webseite des MCI ausführlich inspiziert und mit ausgewählten Methoden systematisch evaluiert. Dazu wurden in einem Auswahlprozess zwei geeignete Methoden gewählt. Unser Vorgehen ist in einem Projektplan festgehalten. Die Ergebnisse der Evaluation, deren Erhebung und die verwendeten Methoden sind in diesem Bericht ausführlich protokolliert.
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Campello, Silvio Romero Botelho Barreto. "Usability for learning : a socio-cultural approach to the usabilty of VLEs." Thesis, University of Reading, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.437132.
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Velander, Alexander. "Aiding Web Usability : Integrating usability with Web Content Management Systems." Thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för informationsteknologi och medier, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-13517.
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Web site usability is an important factor when creating and managing web sites, since it essentially determines whether or not the site is usable by its intended audience. As an attempt to simplify the process of achieving high usability for web sites, this thesis has explored the possibility of integrating usability guidelines with web content management systems. The overall aim was to determine if, and how, usability guidelines can be implemented in a web content management system to make it promote and deliver web site usability, and to find solutions that aid web site users in carrying out the basic tasks of finding, reading and understanding information on the web. To estimate the effectiveness of such solutions, the level of human dependency was considered when evaluating the solutions. This thesis has shown that it is possible to construct such solutions, and has found several for each of the basic user tasks of finding, reading and understanding information. Although some of the found solutions automatically improve a site's usability or actively promote site usability, the majority are still dependent on human efforts in order to promote usability. It was concluded that it is possible to integrate usability guidelines with a web content management system, but that web site usability still largely depends on human effort in order to be effective.
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Keenan, Susan Lynn. "Product usability and process improvement based on usability problem classification." Diss., Virginia Tech, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/39100.
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Although research and practice have shown that the success of a usability engineering program depends on the identification and correction of usability problems, these problems remain an underutilized source of information. Insufficient guidance regarding the capture of usability problem data results in the loss of information during the problem reporting phase as problem reports are often vague, imprecise, and incomplete. In addition, the absence of a framework for understanding, comparing, categorizing, and analyzing those problems, and their relationship to development context, not only constrains product improvement, but hampers efforts to improve the user interface development process.
A new taxonomic model (the Usability Problem Taxonomy) is presented which contributes to both product and process improvement. The Usability Problem Taxonomy (UPT) is used to classify and organize usability problems detected on interactive software development projects. Individual UPT categories are associated with two aspects of development context: developer roles and skills, and development activities, methods, and techniques.
Two studies were conducted during the course of this research. The first study showed that the UPT can be used to classify usability problems reliably. Findings indicated that level of agreement among classifiers (beyond chance agreement) was statistically significant. Findings in the second study led to the identification of roles and activities that address individual UPT categories as well as those that do not.
Procedures for using the UPT in both product and process improvement are outlined. Examples are presented that illustrate how the UPT can be used to generate higher quality problem descriptions and to group those problem descriptions prior to prioritization and correction. In addition, steps that guide developers in diagnosing weaknesses in the current user interface development process are enumerated. Possible improvement strategies are presented that focus on the selection of specific development activities and team members appropriate for a given project.Ph. D.
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Capra, Miranda Galadriel. "Usability Problem Description and the Evaluator Effect in Usability Testing." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/26477.
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Previous usability evaluation method (UEM) comparison studies have noted an evaluator effect on problem detection in heuristic evaluation, with evaluators differing in problems found and problem severity judgments. There have been few studies of the evaluator effect in usability testing (UT), task-based testing with end-users. UEM comparison studies focus on counting usability problems detected, but we also need to assess the content of usability problem descriptions (UPDs) to more fully measure evaluation effectiveness. The goals of this research were to develop UPD guidelines, explore the evaluator effect in UT, and evaluate the usefulness of the guidelines for grading UPD content.Ten guidelines for writing UPDs were developed by consulting usability practitioners through two questionnaires and a card sort. These guidelines are (briefly): be clear and avoid jargon, describe problem severity, provide backing data, describe problem causes, describe user actions, provide a solution, consider politics and diplomacy, be professional and scientific, describe your methodology, and help the reader sympathize with the user. A fourth study compared usability reports collected from 44 evaluators, both practitioners and graduate students, watching the same 10-minute UT session recording. Three judges measured problem detection for each evaluator and graded the reports for following 6 of the UPD guidelines.
There was support for existence of an evaluator effect, even when watching pre-recorded sessions, with low to moderate individual thoroughness of problem detection across all/severe problems (22%/34%), reliability of problem detection (37%/50%) and reliability of severity judgments (57% for severe ratings). Practitioners received higher grades averaged across the 6 guidelines than students did, suggesting that the guidelines may be useful for grading reports. The grades for the guidelines were not correlated with thoroughness, suggesting that the guideline grades complement measures of problem detection.
A simulation of evaluators working in groups found a 34% increase in severe problems found by adding a second evaluator. The simulation also found that thoroughness of individual evaluators would have been overestimated if the study had included a small number of evaluators. The final recommendations are to use multiple evaluators in UT, and to assess both problem detection and description when measuring evaluation effectiveness.
Ph. D.
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Gellner, Michael. "Usability evaluation patterns best practices zur Durchführung von Usability-Evaluationen." Saarbrücken VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2004. http://d-nb.info/988799375/04.
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Jordan, Patrick William. "Consistency and usability." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 1993. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5577/.
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This thesis is divided into two main parts. In the first a multi-component framework for usability is outlined. The components - guessability, learnability, experienced user performance, system potential, and re-usability - describe how users' performance on a task changes with experience, and each is associated with a different part of a learning curve. Definitions of the components are offered, as are examples of where each may be particularly important. The potential advantages of the framework are then discussed. An experimental methodology and criteria based analysis method for quantifying the components of usability is proposed. This is demonstrated in the evaluation of a video cassette recorder. Non-experimental alternatives to this methodology are also considered. The second part of the thesis is about the issue of consistency. A distinction between two types of consistency - set compatibility and rule compatibility - is proposed. Set compatibility is concerned with inter-task associations, whilst rule compatibility concerns the prior association of tasks and action-rules. Predictions are made about the effects of each type of consistency on the various components of usability, and these are tested in the context of a study of the invocation of menu commands. Results indicated that rule compatibility had the greater effect on early interactions, whilst set compatibility was more salient later on. A series of further studies is then reported, the aim of which was to investigate whether these effects were general across types and levels of interface, and other levels of task. Results mainly, but not entirely, indicated that they were. Data from a more `ecologically valid' usability evaluation was re-analysed, to investigate whether the effects of consistency are important outside of artificial and tightly controlled experiments. Apparently they are - almost half of the difficulties encountered during users' early interactions with a commercially available word processor could be attributed to either set or rule incompatibilities.
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De, Klerk W. A. (Willem Abraham). "Web site usability." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52610.
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Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A multitude of factors affects the experience of the user on a specific site. Slow downloading, navigational difficulties and complex designs all play a role in destroying what could be an enjoyable experience to the user. Usability exists when the design of the system matches what the intended end users need and want. Most Web site designers agree that great design essentially has the user as its priority. Companies tend to forget that the user's hand is on the mouse. The most successful Web sites are those that not only respond to user feedback, but actively seek it out. We have to realise that the cost of flipping to another Web site is so low, it doesn't make any sense for people to go back to a site that failed them the first time. Most Web sites fail miserably at their prime directive: usability. The best way to run a user test is one-on-one, writes Fleming (1998:1). You don't need a large quantity of users for the tests to be effective. The costs in user testing are often exaggerated and there is no excuse for not performing some sort of user test on your Web site. When a page comes up Jakob Nielsen says, people look only one place, in the middle, at the content. (Head, 1999:2) If a page does not appear relevant to the user's current goals, then the user will ruthlessly click the Back button after as little as two to three seconds. Users rarely look at logos, mission statements, slogans, or any other elements they consider fluff. Usability is practically guaranteed if you have a solid information architecture at the outset. Make sure information is not more than two clicks away from the homepage. (Radosevich, 1997:3) According to the GVU7 survey, speed is the number one complaint of Web users (76,5 %). (Hamilton, 1997:1) Since users need web pages to load quickly, you should make your image files small. Try to limit the size of individual images to 5k, and try to limit the total size of all the images on any single page to 20k. Generally, a user with a 28.8 modem should have a sense of the page content or be able to navigate off the page within 10 seconds of download. The rest of the page should load within the next 30 seconds. Any site needs a good search feature since even the best navigation support will never be enough. (Nielsen, 1996a: 1) A search function should be provided if the site has more than 100 pages. Even if you haven't created perfect navigation, at least be consistent. (Berst, 1998: 1) The Back button is the lifeline of the Web user and the second-most used navigation feature (after following hypertext links). People rarely read web pages word by word - they scan pages to find the information they want. Make the text scannable with bulleted lists, highlighted keywords, meaningful headings, and short sections of text. The essential purpose of graphics, especially animated graphics, is to set the tone and communicate the company's personality in a unique and fun way. (Heath, 1997:1)
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Menigte faktore beïnvloed die gebruiker se ondervinding van 'n spesifieke Webblad. Aflaai spoed, navigasie en komplekse bladontwerp kan almal 'n gebruiker se belewenis van 'n Webblad verongeluk. Bruikbaarheid (Usability) bestaan wanneer die ontwerp van die sisteem voldoen aan die behoeftes van die eindgebruiker. Web ontwerpers het dit eens dat goeie ontwerp die gebruiker se behoeftes as prioriteit sien. Maatskappye vergeet dikwels dat die gebruiker se hand die muis beheer. Die mees suksesvolle Webblaaie is nie net die wat reageer op verbruiker terugvoer nie maar dit selfs aanmoedig. Ons moet verstaan dat dit so maklik is om na 'n volgende Webblad te spring dat dit nie sin maak om terug te keer na 'n Webblad wat jou eenkeer in die steek gelaat het nie. Die meeste Webblaaie misluk tragies in hul poging tot bruikbaarheid. Die beste gebruikerstoets metode is een-tot-een, skryf Heming (1998: 1) Die toets lewer betekenisvolle resultate selfs met enkele gebruikers. Nielsen sê gebruikers stel deesdae net in inligting belang. Indien inligting irrelevant voorkom sal die gebruiker nie skroom om die "Back" sleutel te gebruik nie. Gebruikers kyk selde na logos, missie stellings en slagspreuke en beskou dit as onbenullighede. Maak seker dat inligting nie meer as twee klikke vanaf die tuisblad is me. (Radosevich, 1997:3) Die GVU7 studie het bevestig dat aflaaispoed die gebruikers se grootste beswaar is.(Hamilton, 1997: 1) Enige Webblad benodig 'n goeie soek ("search") funksie veral as die Webwerf meer as 100 bladsye het. Die "back" sleutel is die reddingslyn van die gebruiker en die tweede mees gebruikte sleutel op navigasiestelsel. Gebruikers lees selde woord vir woord wat voor hulle staan, maar skandeer eerder 'n blad. Hou dus teks kort, met kort sinsnedes en kort kragtige begrippe. Grafieke se hoofdoel is om Webblad atmosfeer op unieke wyse te skep.(Heath,1997:1)
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Speicher, Maximilian. "What is Usability?" Universitätsbibliothek Chemnitz, 2015. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:ch1-qucosa-159949.
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According to Brooke* "Usability does not exist in any absolute sense; it can only be defined with reference to particular contexts." That is, one cannot speak of usability without specifying what that particular usability is characterized by. Driven by the feedback of a reviewer at an international conference, I explore in which way one can precisely specify the kind of usability they are investigating in a given setting. Finally, I come up with a formalism that defines usability as a quintuple comprising the elements level of usability metrics, product, users, goals and context of use. Providing concrete values for these elements then constitutes the investigated type of usability. The use of this formalism is demonstrated in two case studies.
* J. Brooke. SUS: A "quick and dirty" usability scale. In P. W. Jordan, B. Thomas, B. A. Weerdmeester, and A. L. McClelland, editors, Usability Evaluation in Industry. Taylor and Francis, 1996.
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Williams, Andrea E. Gilbert Juan E. "Usability size N." Auburn, Ala., 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10415/1386.
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Dunlea, Allen Leo. "Evaluating Usability Evaluations." DigitalCommons@CalPoly, 2013. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1014.
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We live in an age when consumers can now shop and browse the web using hand-held devices. This means that competitive companies need to have a website to represent their brand and to conduct business. E-commerce sites need to pay special attention to the usability of their sites, since it has such an impact on how potential costumers view their brand.
Jakob Nielsen defines usability as a "quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use"; he separates usability into five quality components: learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors and satisfaction. The current standard for testing usability involves having a number of users physically use a site in order to determine where they have trouble. This kind of usability testing can be time consuming and costly.
In order to mitigate some of these costs, many tools are being developed to help automate the process. However, many automated tools evaluate only one of the five components, or simply look for errors. In an attempt to increase the reliability and scope of such testing, this paper investigates the effectiveness of automated usability evaluators and proposes methods for future researchers to test them. Specifically, this paper details an experiment performed to test the some freely available usability evaluators against more traditional usability evaluations. The experiment attempts to determine whether automatic usability evaluations might be used as a cheaper alternative to more traditional usability evaluations.
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Sublette, Michelle A. "USABILITY IS NOT JUST USABILITY: DISCOVERING THE STRATEGIES USED BY NON-EXPERTS IN MAKING USABILITY PREDICTIONS." UKnowledge, 2017. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_etds/114.
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Much of the research on metacognition in human factors has focused on prescriptive, normative strategy training. That is, many researchers have concentrated their efforts on finding ways to improve system users’ prediction, planning, monitoring and evaluation strategies for tasks. However little research has focused on the strategies and heuristics users employ on their own to make usability predictions. Understanding usability prediction methods is critical because users’ predictions inform their expectations about whether they will make errors using a product, how much effort they will need to expend to be successful in using the product, whether they can perform two tasks successfully at the same time, whether the costs of learning to use a device are worth the benefits of using it, which tools will assist in accomplishing goals and which tools will make performing the same task more difficult. The following study aims to identify the specific strategies people use to make usability predictions about product designs. From these strategies a set of guidelines, for designers who wish to ensure users’ expectations meet post hoc usability assessments, were proposed. The study was completed in two phases.
During the first phase of this study, prediction strategies were elicited by 1) asking participants to make routine product usability judgments, from which implicit strategies can be inferred, and by 2) using explicit free-response methods. Judgments were analyzed using multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) methods to establish the number of dimensions that are implicitly used to predict usability. Subject matter experts (SMEs) coded free-response strategies using coding schemes developed in a pilot study. SMEs will also matched user strategies to formal, professional usability standards. The outcome of Phase 1 was usability taxonomy for classifying usability strategies that includes both expert and user language. The procedure was repeated with three different product design classes to determine how strategies differ as a function of the to-be-judged product.
During the second phase of the study, a new group of participants rated specific usability attributes of designs to validate the strategies collected from users’ free-responses in Phase 1. Attributes were selected based on the strategies discovered in Phase 1. These usability attribute ratings helped to inform interpretations of the dimensions of the MDS model generated in Phase 1 and provided input into defining the usability attributes that influenced usability predictions.
Results of this study reveal that the type design class participants evaluated had a significant effect on the type of strategy participants used to make their a priori usability assessments (UAs). Participants reported using “complexity” or “organization” most often to predict the usability of cookbooks. Participants reported using “mental simulation” or “typicality/familiarity” most often for predicting the usability of drinking glasses. Participants reported using “complexity,” “organization,” and to a lesser extent “typicality/familiarity,” and “mental simulation” as strategies for predicting the usability of cooktops. MDS methods were used to uncover the underlying dimension of the UA space. For drinking glasses, the “fanciness” and “holdability” were associated with UAs. For cooktops, “the number of controls” and whether participants believed “it was easy to understand how each burner was controlled” were associated with making UAs. And for cookbooks, “the length of the instructions” and “poor contrast of the text with the background” were associated with UAs. Overall, there is evidence that at least some participants in Phase 2 used terminology that was consistent with the terminology people used to describe the designs during Phase 1 and that these were congruent with the uncovered strategies.
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Faulkner, Xristine. "The impact of usability : integrating usability engineering into the computing curriculum." Thesis, London South Bank University, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.412420.
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Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Usability Engineering (UE) are areas of expertise that are still relatively new to computing and many HCI educationalists are still wrestling with methods of teaching in an effective way, a diverse and difficult subject. The teaching of HCI skills is not always undertaken by computing departments; it may be carried out by departments of psychology, ergonomics, business and perhaps even art based subject areas. This probably adds to the diversity of approaches adopted by HCI academics who attempt to fit in with the ethos of their hosting departments. In order to teach students to use effective HCI skills it is necessary to adopt somewhat diverse teaching strategies. The traditional lecture and laboratory based sessions do not lend themselves to providing a ripe environment for those wishing to develop expertise in the area of HCI and related fields. Interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a team are of prime importance to the development of suitable usability skills. Usability experts frequently comment that their interpersonal skills are used not just with users but with their colleagues as well. The Open Ended Group Project (OEGP) is one such way can be used to impart and develop skills which will be useful to the HCI student. The OEGP has no fixed solution and involves working in teams which can and should be multidisciplinary. This provides students with the opportunity to use their skills and the skills of others, and to develop their powers of communication. The OEGP has been used in education for many years but it is comparatively recently that computing education recognised how the OEGP could be adapted to its needs. Usability engineering is a term used to cover a variety of activities. However, a definition of the terms `usability', `usability evaluation' and `usability engineering' is presented here and it is suggested that used in these ways the terms are more useful and specific. This covering paper discusses the work carried out in the field of usability and the teaching of HCI and human factors related courses. It concludes that the teaching of HCI is not typical of the teaching for other computing subjects but that it can provide a rich source of expertise for computing students. It discusses the impact of the OEGP and looks at attempts to define usability engineering as a distinct activity from usability evaluation and usability.
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Bjelkenstedt, Alf. "Web-Based Drawing Tool in GWT with Usability Testing and Usability Evaluation." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Programvara och system, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-104975.
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On behalf of Inspectera HK AB in Norrköping a web-based drawing tool has been developed in Java, mainlywith the library Google Web Toolkit (GWT). The purpose of this tool is to facilitate both the staff's at Inspecteraand their client's work with different types of drawings such as blueprints for pest control, fire protection andespecially drawings of the company's e-service of self-checks. Besides developing the drawing tool usabilitytesting and a usability evaluation has been performed.
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Swartz, Kent Olen. "Virtual Environment Usability Assessment Methods Based on a Framework of Usability Characteristics." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/34890.
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Developing economical yet effective methods of incorporating usability engineering as an integral part of software engineering is a primary focus of human-computer interaction (HCI) research. However, much HCI research has focused primarily on inspecting and evaluating applications supporting command-line or graphical user interface (GUI) interaction styles. With the dramatic increase in virtual environment (VE) research in recent years, the HCI community is beginning to place an added emphasis on creating methodologies to ensure usability in VE development. While the demand for VE-specific usability engineering methods and criteria is dire as the amount of money invested by military, government, commercial, and industrial organizations continues to grow, widely accepted methodologies for assessing VE usability are, at this point in time, minimal. There has been a recent increase in research discussing the need of VE-specific usability engineering methodologies, but few research projects have concentrated their efforts on providing such methodologies. Therefore, application developers attempting to apply a user-centered design approach in constructing VEs must often perform largely ad-hoc assessments or in-house evaluations using existing non-VE-specific usability engineering methodologies.
The primary focus of this research was to develop a method to guide usability engineering of VEs. The strategy used to develop this usability evaluation method was to modify existing usability evaluation methodologies to support VE development by leveraging the results of previous VE usability research performed at Virginia Tech and elsewhere. The result was a VE-specific usability evaluation methodology that encompasses two existing usability assessment techniques: usability inspections and formative evaluations. We applied this methodology to Crumbs, an immersive visualization VE developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).
A multi-dimensional framework of VE usability characteristics was a topic of research at Virginia Tech. This framework provided the backbone for VE-specific modifications to the existing usability evaluation techniques proposed in this research. Framework design guidelines permitted usability specialists to perform guidelines-based usability inspections of Crumbs. Results gathered from the guidelines-based usability inspections were used not only to redesign the Crumbs user interface but also drive creation of a formative evaluation plan. Application of the methodology not only uncovered usability issues with Crumbs, but also provided invaluable information regarding the effectiveness of the methodology itself. We conclude this thesis by describing a usability evaluation methodology, called the Modified Concept Book Usability Evaluation Methodology, proposed to improve the usability evaluation methodology performed on Crumbs and other VEs. Our methodology was adapted from an established methodology for performing content analysis on a large volume of qualitative data.
Because the realm of VEs is so vast and diverse in application domains and devices, we do not claim that our methodology supports an exhaustive usability evaluation of all VEs. However, the proposed technique is a first attempt at modifying existing usability evaluation methods, and therefore can be used as a launching pad for methodologies to evaluate other aspects of specific VE applications.
Master of Science
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Berges, Vanessa. "Die Usability suchmaschinenbasierter Bibliothekskataloge." Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2013. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-107527.
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Der Fokus der Arbeit liegt auf der Frage, inwieweit suchmaschinenbasierte Rechercheinstrumente in ihrer Funktionalität den Anforderungen und Erwartungen der heutigen Nutzer tatsächlich entsprechen. Zu diesem Zweck ist beispielhaft ein Usability-Test an dem suchmaschinenbasierten Katalog der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig durchgeführt worden.
Im Kontext der Forschungsfrage müssen verschiedene Themen betrachtet werden: Zunächst wird das Rechercheverhalten der heutigen Nutzer beleuchtet. In diesem Zusammenhang wird auf die alten und neuen bibliothekarischen Rechercheinstrumente eingegangen. Dabei verläuft die Betrachtung vom Allgemeinen zum Speziellen: Die Rahmenbedingungen und Veränderungen bezüglich suchmaschinenbasierter Bibliothekskataloge an der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig werden dargestellt. Da der Katalog durch einen Usability-Testes evaluiert wird, werden auch der Begriff Usability und verschiedene Methoden der Usability-Evaluation vorgestellt, um eine passende Methode auszuwählen. Der genaue Aufbau des Testes und seine Ergebnisse werden anschließend ausführlich präsentiert und ausgewertet, um die übergeordnete Forschungsfrage zu beantworten. Es kann festgehalten werden, dass die suchmaschinenbasierten Rechercheinstrumente den Anforderungen und Erwartungen der derzeitigen Nutzer entsprechen. In einem abschließenden Fazit wird der Aufbau und die Durchführung des Tests kritisch reflektiert.
Die vorliegende Ausgabe der Masterarbeit für die Schriftenreihe Wiborada online weicht von der eingereichten Arbeit ab. Einige Teile des Anhangs (z.B. die Transkriptionen der Usability-Tests) wurden herausgenommen, da sie für die Nachvollziehbarkeit der Inhalte und Ergebnisse nicht sind entscheidend sind. Des Weiteren wurden die Abbildungen für eine bessere Lesbarkeit teilweise vergrößert.
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Sampath, Krishna. "Visual aesthetics and Usability." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Interaktiva och kognitiva system, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-97706.
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In the field of Human computer interaction, currently aesthetics has become one of the most frequently research dimension. Most of the researchers have found the correlation between aesthetics and usability, while some other could not discover the correlation between aesthetics and usability. This irregularity to find the correlation between aesthetics andusability makes to further research on this topic.Also based on the previous studies and empirical analysis, it is unclear the factors and issues that are affecting usability and aesthetics while analyzing the correlation. This thesis clearly discusses about the previous empirical studies on aesthetics and usability, methods followed by authors to find the correlation and the results obtained by the authors. In this study, systematic review method [12] was followed to extract the knowledge from the databases (ACM and Science Direct). Two persons have participated in the review and 13 articles from 1995-2012 are taken into the study. Three research questions are discussed in detail to analyze the correlation between aesthetics and usability and the factors affecting the correlation between aesthetics and usability. Finally this study is concluded, by discussing the reasons for irregularity in the correlation results.
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Hough, Darren William. "Aesthetics and product usability." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/23107.
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Röning, Nadia. "Usability Analysis of SmartPaint." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informationsteknologi, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-234484.
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Image segmentation is the process of identifying and separating relevant objects and structures in an image. The purpose of segmentation is to simplify and/or change the representation of an image into something that is easier to analyze. SmartPaint is a software for semi-automatic segmentation of medical volume images, developed by Filip Malmberg. This thesis investigates whether SmartPaint is useful on several levels, such as usability, functionality and instructional effectiveness. The developer's ambition is that SmartPaint should be accessible to users without a background in computer science. Hence a formative usability study (Cooperative evaluation) was conducted, involving testing and interviewing participants. Given the result from the study and feedback from the participants, design proposals are given. Furthermore, ideas on how to expand the functionality, the instructional effectiveness and the learnability of SmartPaint are given.
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Hyde, Joanne Krysia. "Multi-modal usability evaluation." Thesis, Middlesex University, 2001. http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/6693/.
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Research into the usability of multi-modal systems has tended to be device-led, with a resulting lack of theory about multi-modal interaction and how it might differ from more conventional interaction. This is compounded by a confusion over the precise definition of modality between the various disciplines within the HCI community, how modalities can be effectively classified, and their usability properties. There is a consequent lack of appropriate methodologies and notations to model such interactions and assess the usability implications of these interfaces. The role of expertise and craft skill in using HCI techniques is also poorly understood. This thesis proposes a new definition of modality, and goes on to identify issues of importance to multi-modal usability, culminating in the development of a new methodology to support the identification of such usability issues. It additionally explores the role of expertise and craft skill in using usability modelling techniques to assess usability issues. By analysing the problems inherent in current definitions and approaches, as well as issues relevant to cognitive science, a clear understanding of both the requirements for a suitable definition of modality and the salient usability issues are obtained. A novel definition of modality, based on the three elements of sense, information form and temporal nature is proposed. Further, an associated taxonomy is produced, which categorises modalities within the sensory dimension as visual, acoustic and haptic. This taxonomy classifies modalities within the information form dimension as lexical, symbolic or concrete, and classifies the temporal form dimension modalities as discrete, continuous, or dynamic. This results in a twenty-seven cell taxonomy, with each cell representing one taxon, indicating one particular type of modality. This is a faceted classification system, with the modality named after the intersection of the categories, building the category names into a compound modality name. The issues surrounding modality are examined and refined into the concepts of modality types, properties and clashes. Modalities are identified as belonging to either the system or the user, and being expressive or receptive in type. Various properties are described based on issues of granularity and redundancy. The five different types of clashes are described. Problems relating to the modelling of multi-modal interaction are examined by means of a motivating case study based on a portion of an interface for a robotic arm. The effectiveness of five modelling techniques, STN, CW, CPM-GOMS, PUM and Z, in representing multi-modal issues are assessed. From this, and using the collated definition, taxonomy and theory, a new methodology, Evaluating Multi-modal Usability (EMU), is developed. This is applied to a previous case study of the robotic arm to assess its application and coverage. Both the definition and EMU are used by students in a case study to test the definition and methodology's effectiveness, and to examine the leverage such an approach may give. The results shows that modalities can be successfully identified within an interactive context, and that usability issues can be described. Empirical video data of the robotic arm in use is used to confirm the issues identified by the previous analyses, and to identify new issues. A rational re-analysis of the six approaches (STN, CW, CPM-GOMS, PUM, Z and EMU) is conducted in order to distinguish between issues identified through craft skill, based on general HCI expertise and familiarity with the problem, and issues identified due to the core of the method for each approach. This is to gain a realistic understanding of the validity of claims made by each method, and to identify how else issues might be identified, and the consequent implications. Craft skill is found to have a wider role than anticipated, and the importance of expertise in using such approaches emphasised. From the case study and the re-analyses the implications for EMU are examined, and suggestions made for future refinement. The main contributions of this thesis are the new definition, taxonomy and theory, which significantly contribute to the theoretical understanding of multi-modal usability, helping to resolve existing confusion in this area. The new methodology, EMU, is a useful technique for examining interfaces for multi-modal usability issues, although some refinement is required. The importance of craft skill in the identification of usability issues has been explicitly explored, with implications for future work on usability modelling and the training of practitioners in such techniques.
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Smith, Pauline. "Navigating hyperspace : assessing usability." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.240543.
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Bonas, Calvin (Calvin A. ). "Re-usability of plastics." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/32877.
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Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-43).
A research project was designed in order to learn more about the quality of recycled plastics when compared to new material. The study was carried out by researching and learning about how the recycling process operates. Further research was then conducted on the seven different types of resins that exist in the recycling world today. After collecting the data, an experiment was devised in order to learn more about the capabilities of using recycled plastics for regular household applications. The results of the experiment showed that most of the seven recyclable plastics could actually be used again as along as special care was taken to ensure that the quality of the recycled product was equivalent to that of the virgin material. However, it was determined that a more rigorous recycling program for plastic would be feasible but it is not a practical endeavor for economic purposes. As a result, many of the manufacturers within the plastics realm prefer to use new plastic as opposed to recycling their products.
by Calvin Bonas.
S.B.
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Kodiyalam, Narayanan Gopalakrishnan. "Remote Usability Evaluation Tool." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33324.
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Interactive system developers spend most of their time and resources on user interface
evaluation in traditional usability laboratories. Since the network itself and the remote
work setting have become parts of usage patterns, evaluators do not have unlimited
access to representative users for user interface evaluation. Reproducing the userâ s work
context in a laboratory setting is also difficult. These problems have led to the concept of
Remote usability evaluation that takes interface evaluation of any application beyond the
laboratory setting. The main aim of this thesis work is to develop a tool that can record
problems faced by remote users in the form of text and video. The text report and video,
which is a sequence of the userâ s actions while encountering the problem, would help
evaluators in preparing usability problem descriptions. This thesis reports the
development of the remote usability evaluation method and the process of usability
evaluation performed in enhancing features offered by the tool.Master of Science
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Buccarella, Bruno. "Generazione automatica di applicazioni web: widget usabili." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2012. http://amslaurea.unibo.it/3168/.
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Jonsson, Andreas. "Usability in three generations business support systems - Assessing perceived usability in the banking industry." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Medie- och Informationsteknik, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-91321.
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Background: The business support system has become a necessary tool for managing activities in any organization. Usability is a key area in realizing effectiveness and ensuring users to properly interact with the systems. Still, today, many systems fail in key areas such as gaining the acceptance of the end users. To understand how the systems in use are perceived by its end users is suggested to be a needed key capability to be successful. Aim: To assess perceived usability in three generations business support systems. This knowledge is further to be compared and connected to length of employment and how that factor affects perceived usability and preference to a specific system. Methodology: The study assumes a positivistic position based on a deductive approach. A quantitative strategy was assumed in order to support evidence connected to the three case systems, which were further contrasted by a comparative design. Empirical findings were based on self-completion questionnaires responded by fifty-nine employees of the retail division in a Nordic bank. Completions and results: Even if this study could not show evidence that length of employment affected which business support system an individual preferred in the case firm, it still had a significant effect on perceived usability in general. In general it was shown that respondents who had been employed for a longer time assessed the usability factors of the systems higher than the category of short time employees.
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Pärsson, David. "Guidelines for Web Application Usability." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Computer and Information Science, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-56996.
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More people are connecting to the Internet, by using computers and other devices. At the same time web applications are replacing locally installed applications. This makes web application usability an interesting and important subject.
The aim of this thesis was to find a set of usability recommendations and guidelines specifically suited for web-based applications. The guidelines were derived both from studies on how web applications and regular web sites should be designed, usability studies for locally installed applications as well as more general usability and interaction design guidelines.
A prototype was created based on the list of guidelines. The prototype was then evaluated from a usability perspective, using heuristic evaluation with Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics, to test the validity of the guidelines.
The results of the evaluation says that while the list of guidelines can be used to help creating usable web applications, following the guidelines is not alone a mean of getting rid of all usability problems.
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Holmquist, Martina, and Ann-Marie Pettersson. "The Usability in IT-system." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för arbetsvetenskap och medieteknik, 2001. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-1659.
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Usability is a hip word today in our society of Information Technology, but what does it really mean? In this report we want to emphasie key words like usability, design, users and their participation in the design process. This thesis involves a human centered way to think in software developing. We have evaluated the usability in a system. The result from our evaluation and the methods we used are described in this thesis. Our contribution is motivated design suggestions. We hope you will enjoy your reading!Användbarhet är ett populärt ord i dagens IT-samhälle, men vad innebär det egentligen? I kandidatrapporten vill vi betona begrepp som användbarhet, design, användare och användarnas deltagande i design processen. Kandidatrapporten har ett människo-centrerat synsätt i utveckling av program. Vi har utvärderat användbarheten i ett system. I kandidatrapport finns resultat från vår utvärdering och metoderna vi tillämpat. Vårt bidrag är motiverade designförslag. Vi hoppas ni uppskattar läsningen!
Martina Holmquist Lotsgatan 27B 374 34 KARLSHAMN, 0454-88188 Ann-Marie Pettersson Lurevägen 285-30 374 91 ASARUM, 0454-326176
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Sjöberg, Hanna. "A GUI Designer's Usability Toolbox." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för programvaruteknik och datavetenskap, 2003. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-2995.
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Usability expresses how well a computerised system supports human activity. The human-computer interaction occurs via the user interface, which is constituted by a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to a great extent. The issue is to integrate GUI design and usability engineering with traditional system development in order to slide on the man-machine scale. The purpose of writing this thesis was to find out how to approach GUI design with respect to stakeholders? interests, technical issues, functional requirements and budget limitations. After having conducted four system development projects of varying nature, the outcome was a usability toolbox with techniques, tools and ideas for all situations. The usability toolbox offers inspiration and guidance for your interactive and creative moments and can support GUI design in any phase of a system?s life cycle, in any project.
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Persson, Hannes, and Christian Toft. "Support usability in online communities." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för arbetsvetenskap och medieteknik, 2003. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-2570.
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This thesis will divide the concept of member feedback in online communities into three types, namely conversational-, behavioural feedback and content analysis. During this thesis we will argue for the advantages with user involvement in design and how the three types of feedback listed above together with members could be introduced into the design process. We argue that by combining traditional methods such as personas and focus groups with the different kinds of feedback in the design and evaluation process supports usability in online communities.Denna uppsats kommer att dela på konceptet medlems-feedback i online communities i tre olika typer, nämligen feedback genom konversation, beteende och community innehåll. Vi kommer att argumentera för fördelarna med att involvera användarna i design processen och hur de tre olika typerna av feedback kan användas i denna process. Genom att kombinera traditionella metoder som tex. personas och fokus grupper med dessa typer av feedback kan ett användbarhets mål uppnås.
Hannes Persson 0702-229542 Christian Toft 070-7981770
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Borälv, Erik. "Design and usability in telemedicine." Licentiate thesis, Uppsala universitet, Avdelningen för människa-datorinteraktion, 2001. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-86020.
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A design of computer systems, that effectively supports the user, is a major goal within human-computer interaction. To achieve this, we must understand and master several tasks. These tasks concern firstly what to develop and secondly how to develop the system. The design and implementation of effective and efficient user interfaces is a prerequisite for the successful introduction of computer support in the medical domain. We base our work on a fundamental understanding of cognitive aspects of human-computer interaction, as well as on detailed analysis of the specific needs and requirements of the end users, i.e., the medical professionals. This thesis presents several approaches for development of systems for computer-supported work in health care. The solutions described concern vital problem areas: (1) the focus on the work tasks to be performed, (2) the cost of software and the way competition works in a networked world. Solutions to these problems can lead to more usable systems from a user's perspective but may also change the nature of computer applications.
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Adikari, Sisira, and n/a. "Usability Modelling For Requirements Engineering." University of Canberra. Information Sciences & Engineering, 2008. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20081204.145827.
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For over two decades user-centric methods and techniques have been proposed to assist the
production of usable, useful, and desirable software products. Despite these approaches,
usability problems are still identified in finished software products creating problems at
systems acceptance, rework and impacting end user experience. Part of the reason for these
continuing problems is that user-centric approaches are not part of the traditional software
engineering process. The literature review shows that software engineering and human-computer
interaction are largely different communities.
The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether the incorporation of user modelling and
usability modelling into software requirements specifications would improve design quality
and usability of software products. This research study used a Design Science dominant
mixed research methodology consisting of case study and action research for creating,
analysing and evaluating artefacts for improving the effectiveness of user-centred design and
usability of software artefacts. Using the functional specification of an existing system in a
government agency, ten designers created screen and interaction designs. The specification
was then enhanced with usability specifications and the designers redeveloped their designs
in the light of the enhanced specification. Both designs were subject to pre-defined usability
tests and designers described their design experience as they worked.
The results of the research demonstrated that enhancing traditional software requirements
specifications with additional specifications of user modelling and usability modelling made
a positive difference to both designer perception as well as design quality of user interface
artefacts. The theoretical and practical values of these findings are explored.
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Kaur, Kulwinder. "Designing virtual environments for usability." Thesis, City University London, 1998. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/7567/.
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This thesis investigates user interaction in virtual environments and usability requirements to support that interaction. Studies of the design and use of virtual environments are used to demonstrate the need for interface design guidance. A theory of interaction for virtual environments is proposed, which includes predictive models of interactive behaviour and a set of generic design properties for supporting that behaviour. The models elaborate on D.A. Norman's cycle of action to describe the stages involved in three modes of behaviour: task and action based, exploratory and reactive. From the models, generic design properties are defined for various aspects of the virtual environment, such as its objects, actions and user representation. The models of interaction are evaluated through empirical studies of interactive behaviour which compare observed interaction patterns with those predicted. The generic design properties are evaluated through usability studies that investigate the links between missing design properties and usability problems encountered. Results from the evaluation studies provide general support for the theory and indicate specific refinements required. A controlled study is used to test the impact of the theory on interaction success, by comparing performance in virtual environments with and without implementation of the generic design properties. Significant improvements in interaction are found with the use of a virtual environment, after the predicted design properties have been implemented. Design guidelines are then developed from the theory and a hypertext tool designed to present the guidelines. The tool and guidelines are evaluated with industrial virtual environment designers to test the usability and utility of the guidance. Results indicate that the guidance is useful in addressing the practical problem of designing virtual environments for usability. Therefore, this thesis fulfils its objective of developing interface design guidelines for virtual environments, using interaction modelling as a theoretical base. Furthermore, it provides an improved understanding of user interaction in virtual environments and can be used to inform further theories, methods or tools for virtual environments and human-computer interfaces.
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AlShamari, Majed Aadi. "Task formulation in usability testing." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.533712.
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Usability testing is widely used for measuring a system's usability, particularly in relation to websites. It consists of a number of variables such as tasks, number of users, usability measures and other elements. Each variable can influence the usability testing results either negatively or positively. This research investigates the impact of task design upon usability testing results and further examines the role of the number of users in such testing. In addition, usability measure correlations are also explored. In order to achieve these objectives, three experiments were conducted; the first examines the proposal that task design can seriously influence usability testing results. It explores the way in which three different types of task affect these results, the types being: structured, uncertain and problem-solving. Each type of task seems to reveal different types of associated problems. Subsequently, user numbers and usability measures are also examined. In light of the first experiment's results, the second experiment's objectives investigate how a mixed set of different task types can influence the usability testing results concluding again with an examination of user numbers and usability measures. The third and final experiment validates the results of the previous two experiments by examining the influence of task order on usability testing results. The first experiment designed to investigate the influence of task type on usability testing results, involves 5 tasks all performed by 20 users for each of 3 groups. The usability testing results differ significantly. Each type of task reveals certain types of problems, and each one performs differently. In this experiment, "five users" fail to achieve what was promised i. e. the identification of 85% of usability problems. This experiment raises questions and suggests a number of recommendations, such as that tasks should be mixed in usability testing in order to offer better results: these the objectives for the 2 "d experiment. The second experiment investigates the influence of a mixed set of different task types on usability testing results. The three types of tasks above form a set of tasks to be performed by a single user or by a group of users. The participant number is increased to 30 users, who performed 10 tasks. The results show that performing a mixed set of tasks by a group of users can offer better results. In this experiment, "five users" again fail to achieve satisfactory results. This experiment suggests that task order may influence usability testing results, a question addressed in the final experiment's design. In the third experiment; therefore, the tasks are ordered differently to previous experiment. However, this is shown to have no influence on the usability testing results, although does reveal some interesting effects on users behaviour during the performance of such tasks
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Ibrahim, Ag Asri Ag. "Usability inspection for sonification applications." Thesis, University of York, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.479510.
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TRISTAO, MARCIO LUIZ RODRIGUES. "WEB 2.0: STRATEGY AND USABILITY." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2008. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=12035@1.
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COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOREsta pesquisa teve a finalidade de entender a estratégia e a usabilidade dos badges no contexto da Web 2.0, nome dado a fase atual da Internet. Os badges são trechos de código disponibilizados por alguns sites para serem acoplados a outros, com a função de importar o conteúdo - gerado pelos usuários ou não - de maneira dinâmica. A hipótese levantada nesta pesquisa afirma que a inexistência de orientações claras sobre qual a melhor forma de comunicar a disponibilidade dos badges em um site e a falta de um conjunto de boas práticas para tornar o uso dos badges simples, fácil e, principalmente, viral pode ser um empecilho para a utilização deste recurso por um maior número de pessoas. Para comprovar esta hipótese a metodologia de pesquisa aplicada foi baseada em questionário enviado aos autores de blogs, diários virtuais de fácil atualização dentro do conceito da Web 2.0. A partir dos resultados obtidos é possível afirmar que estes usuários já usam badges, acreditam que os badges agregam valor aos seus blogs e são uma maneira de trazer conteúdo publicado (por eles ou não) para o seu blog. Além disso, ficou claro que a escolha de badges é descentralizada, ocorrendo principalmente nos sites onde o blogueiro navega regularmente e/ou em outros blogs que já usam badges. Também ficou evidente a necessidade de identificar os badges usando ícone e nome.
This research had the purpose of understanding the strategy and usability of the badges in the context of the Web 2.0, name given to the current Internet phase. The badges are excerpts of codes that some websites make available to be coupled one with another, with the function of importing the content - generated by users or not - in a dynamic way. The given hypothesis affirms that the non existence of clear orientations about the best way to announce the availability of badges in a website and the lack of an amount of good practices to turn the usage of the badges simple, easy and, mainly, viral can be an impediment to the usage of this resource by a biggest number of people. To prove this hypothesis it was used a methodology of research based on questionnaire sent to the authors of blogs - virtual diaries of easy update inside the context of the Web 2.0. According to the results, it s possible to affirm that these users already use badges, they believe that badges aggregate value to their blogs and are a way of bringing published content (by them or not) into the their blog. It s clear that the choice of badges isn t centralized, occurring mainly in websites where the blogger usually goes to and/or other blogs that already use badges. It s also evident the necessity of identifying the badges using an icon and a name.
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Svedin, Elin. "Usability evaluations of vectorgraphic editors." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informationsteknologi, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-310916.
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In this thesis are vector graphic editors evaluated with help ofdifferent usability studies. The usability studies include heuristicevaluations, cognitive walkthroughs and usability evaluations. Thesestudies were done in order to find appropriate usability requirements forweb based graphical editors and to implement a new editor for the companyKSU. The user groups in all studies are therefore co-workers at KSU andmost studies focuses around their old graphical editor DVdraw.The findings during the evaluations are divided into two lists, one withspecific requirements for KSU and one with general requirements for allgraphical editors. The thesis also present a design solution based on therequirements, design guidelines and design principles found appropriatefor a graphical editor.
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Machado, Ana Teresa Martins. "Usability : impact on e-commerce." Doctoral thesis, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/2959.
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Doutoramento em GestãoWhile many factors can affect a Web site's ability to attract new customers, retain current customers, and efficiently facilitate online transactions, usability is becoming increasingly more important, particularly in light of the increased use of the Internet by both businesses and consumers. Numerous researchers and Web development practitioners have proposed various techniques and instruments for measuring usability however there is still no consensus on how to measure Web site usability. Of particular concern to designers of Web sites is the question of whether consumers' reactions to a Web site are likely to induce subsequent visits or purchases from the site in the future Thus a theoretical model of Web site usability would provide a better understanding on the influence of Web site usability on online consumer's perceptions. Bearing in mind the call for a better understanding of the usability effects on consumer behaviour this study has two research objectives: (1) to propose and validate Web site usability constructs that mainly captures human perceptions on Web site sability; (2) to propose and validate a theoretical model of Web site usability by adopting the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). To provide evidence in support of the first question, this study will create valid and reliable instruments for measuring Web site usability. To provide evidence in support of the second question, this study will investigate the relationship between Web site perceived usability and consumers' beliefs, attitude and behaviour intentions towards Web sites in the context of e-commerce, through the inclusion of usability constructs within the Technology Acceptance Model.
Os sítios em contexto de comércio electrónico na Web são a principal interface entre vendedores e compradores, tendo como principal objectivo atrair, manter clientes e influenciar comportamentos de compra. A usabilidade tem sido definida de múltiplas maneiras por académicos e profissionais, não existindo um consenso na forma como se mede a usabilidade de sitios da Web. Apesar da reconhecida importância da usabilidade dos sítios da Web, sobretudo ao nível dos designers, é limitada a existência de estudos empíricos que avaliem o modo como a usabilidade influencia o comportamento de compra do consumidores na Internet, através da experiência de utilização do sítio da Web e gerar fidelização Com este estudo pretende-se (1) identificar as dimensões do construto da usabilidade (2) pereceber de que forma a usabilidade tem impacto no comportamento do consumidor. Face a este objectivo, serão criadas e empiricamente validades métricas para avaliação da usabilidade de sitios na Web em contexto de comércio electrónico, assim como será desenvolvido um modelo teórico que examina a relação entre a usabilidade dos sitios na Web e as atitudes e intenções dos potenciais consumidores, com base na aplicação do Modelo de Aceitação Tecnológica.
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Toivanen, J. (Joona). "Usability in Finnish ICT industry." Master's thesis, University of Oulu, 2015. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-201511212159.
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In today’s highly technological world there are devices for every occasion. That is why there is intense competition between developers who often create quite similar kinds of products. One of the multiple ways to stand out from the crowd is to have good usability in their products. By investing on usability companies can make their products better and that can improve their relationship with customers.
The goal of this thesis was to find out how ICT organizations in Finland approach usability. This research was conducted by sending a survey to randomly picked Finnish ICT companies and the data was analyzed once the survey was closed. Literature review was also conducted and the results of literature review were reflected on the results of the survey.
The results were very positive and most of the respondent organizations did conduct usability evaluation at least at some level. They used multiple usability evaluation methods and they did it at different stages of the product’s life cycle. These organizations seem to understand what usability is, for they all defined it within the lines of most common definitions of usability. Even organizations that do not do any usability evaluation seem to be interested in usability and might do usability evaluation in the future.
Usability as concept is still very young when it is related to technology. Usability does not have one universal definition either but many have defined it in their own manner, such as International Organizations of Standardization (ISO) standard organization have their own definition for usability. The age of usability as an acknowledged concept or its definition does not matter however, because every single product which has interaction between the product and user has usability in it, whether it is good or bad. There have been multiple studies that show the benefits of investing in usability and good usability is nowadays essential in technological products.
Many different kinds of usability evaluation methods have been invented during the years. They range from the most used and rather simple usability evaluation method heuristic evaluation to more complex eye-tracking evaluation methods and there are many other methods beyond those two examples. Automated usability evaluation is becoming very popular and there has been new research in recent years on the subject which is no surprised considering that automated processes are becoming more popular every day. However usability testing is still primarily done by human beings. That is why it is always important to remember that whenever there are actual users testing the system, those testers are not subjects of the test. The system and its user interface are the test subjects.
There has been previous studies on this subject, including couple theses done at the department of information processing science in the university of Oulu. The results of the current study show that 87.5% of ICT organizations in Finland do usability evaluation. Previous studies have shown similar kind of results. The results of previous studies and the current study show some positive results on how seriously ICT companies take usability and they really seem to want to have good usability in their products.
The purpose of this thesis is to understand what kind of approach Finnish ICT organizations have for usability, its evaluation, and how they understand usability. This study’s purpose is not to obtrude usability evaluation. In some cases usability evaluation can even do harm to the system if not used properly. Usability evaluation should not be forced upon development. If usability evaluation is considered useless and unnecessary in organization, then it should be left out. However every organization should at least evaluate their current stance on usability testing to find out whether they need to do it.
The bottom line is, that usability evaluation does a lot of good for the system if it is done correctly and at the right time with right tools. Good usability can decrease costs on documentation, support, training, and in many other things. Good usability can also increase sales a lot. Many studies have confirmed this during the years and it is very likely that future studies will confirm this even more.
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Aldoihi, Saad. "Product Usability Driven System Engineering." Thesis, Institut polytechnique de Paris, 2020. http://www.theses.fr/2020IPPAE004.
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La convivialité est vitale pour chaque système fonctionnel, en particulier lorsque le système fonctionnel est étroitement lié à la sécurité et aux besoins des personnes. Le diagnostic radiologique est un outil essentiel pour identifier les maladies et les tumeurs. Par conséquent, son utilité est incontestable malgré le risque de rayonnement. En général, les appareils médicaux suivent une tendance, tout comme les produits électroniques grand public, où ils deviennent plus compliqués et les performances doublent tous les deux ans. Par conséquent, les dispositifs médicaux nécessitent une équipe multidisciplinaire pour la conception et le développement. Par conséquent, avec autant de commandes et de systèmes à gérer, les charges cognitives des utilisateurs sont mises au défi d'exécuter efficacement les commandes. En fait, les pratiques actuelles de radiologie sont confrontées à une pression extrême sur les ressources disponibles et aux exigences multidimensionnelles. Les techniciens sont au centre d'un effort constant pour une productivité et une optimisation optimales avec un minimum de ressources possibles. Dans les dispositifs médicaux, la charge de travail cognitive jouera davantage un rôle car elle utilise une technologie de pointe, est extrêmement coûteuse et nécessite une grande spécialisation pour fonctionner. Ainsi, des méthodes efficaces et économiques sont nécessaires pour évaluer l'expérience utilisateur. L'évaluation heuristique est une méthode efficace pour identifier les principaux problèmes de convivialité et mettre en évidence les problèmes rencontrés par les utilisateurs. L'évaluation heuristique a été adaptée pour identifier l'utilité d'une tomodensitométrie sur les utilisateurs saoudiens et pour déterminer si l'utilisation de la tomodensitométrie peut entraîner un effort physique et mental. Par la suite, une enquête approfondie a été menée pour identifier les principaux facteurs contribuant à l'utilisation opérationnelle du scannerUsability is vital to every functioning system, especially when the functioning system is intertwined with people's safety and needs. Radiological diagnosis is a critical tool for identifying diseases and tumors. Therefore, its usefulness is beyond questionable despite the risk of radiation. In general, Medical devices follow a trend, just like consumer electronic products, where they are becoming more complicated and performance is doubling every two years. Consequently, medical devices require a multidisciplinary team for design and development. Therefore, with so many commands and systems to deal with, users' cognitive loads are challenged to effectively execute commands. In fact, Current radiology practices face extreme pressure on available resources with demands of multi-dimensional requirements. Technicians are at the center of a constant drive for optimal productivity and optimization with the minimal possible resources. In medical devices, the cognitive workload will play more of a role because it uses advanced technology, is extremely expensive and takes a great deal of specialization to operate. Thus, effective and economical methods are required to evaluate user experience. Heuristic evaluation is an effective method to identify major usability problems and highlight issues faced by users. Heuristic evaluation was adapted to identify the usability of a CT scan on Saudi Arabian users and to identify if operating the CT scan can lead to physical and mental load effort. Subsequently, an in-depth investigation was conducted to identify major contributing factors impacting operational usability of the CT scan
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Angles, Joseph Nicholas. "Usability of Fall Arrest Harnesses." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/23089.
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Falls are a major contributor to construction-related fatalities. Many construction fall fatalities occur during roofing, and may be prevented by proper use of fall protection. A prevalent option for fall protection is a personal fall arrest system (PFAS). However, full adaption of PFAS is hindered by usability issues, particularly in the harness component. Current research aims to develop design requirements for more usable fall arrest harness. A study was conducted to consider the inter-relations of objective measures of fit and strap pressure, along with subjective usability measures including discomfort ratings and post-task questionnaire responses.18 local roofers were recruited to test three different harnesses, while performing both quiet calibration-oriented trials and simulated roofing tasks. Significant correlations between discomfort ratings and pressure values were found only in quiet trials. Questionnaire responses were validated by inter-correlations and by significant correlations with discomfort ratings. Multiple comparisons of objective fit values and questionnaire responses revealed deficits in the low-end harness, while suggesting few differences between the mid- and high-range harnesses.
Results from analysis of both objective and subjective measures were considered alongside free-response prompts to develop a set of four requirements for consideration in future harness design, including a lowered harness weight, an intermediate level of padding, inclusion of rolling style vertical strap quick-adjusters, a belt-style thigh strap adjustment mechanism, and the adoption of a three-sized sizing scheme.
Master of Science
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Hogenkamp, Peter. "Web-Usability : Modellentwicklung, Operationalisierung, Überprüfung /." Table on contents, 2008. http://aleph.unisg.ch/hsgscan/hm00231780.pdf.
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Adikari, Sisira. "Usability modelling for requirements engineering /." Canberra, 2008. http://erl.canberra.edu.au/public/adt-AUC20081204.145827/index.html.
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Dillon, Andrew. "The Evaluation of software usability." London: Taylor and Francis, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/105344.
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This item is not the definitive copy. Please use the following citation when referencing this material: Dillon, A. (2001) Usability evaluation. In W. Karwowski (ed.) Encyclopedia of Human Factors and Ergonomics, London: Taylor and Francis.
Introduction: Usability is a measure of interface quality that refers to the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which users can perform tasks with a tool. Evaluating usability is now considered an essential part of the system development process and a variety of methods and have been developed to support the human factors professional in this work.
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Arslan, Bercis, and Blenda Fröjdh. "E-wallet - designed for usability." Thesis, KTH, Kommunikationssystem, CoS, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-252790.
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As the use of mobile payment applications (apps) and electronic wallets (e-wallets)increases, so does the demand for a improved user experience when interactingwith these apps. The field of Human-Computer interaction (HCI) focuses onthe design, evaluation, and implementation of interactive computing systems forhuman use. One aspect of HCI is usability, i.e., the quality of the interactions witha product or system. This thesis investigates how an e-wallet can be designed to provide a high level ofusability by conforming to best HCI practices and by formative evaluation using aset of usability evaluation methods.The research process consisted of an initial literature study and developmentof a prototype, which was evaluated iteratively through Thinking-aloud-protocol(TAP) and a combination of performance measurements and questionnaire by achosen test group. By each iteration, the results of the performance measurements, as well as theverbal data improved. The most complex or difficult task, for the test subjectsto perform, was, according to the results, Pay via manual input. All goals wereachieved for all tasks except for the performance goal of a percentage of errorsbelow 5%. To conclude, it was clear that the test subjects had more trouble understandingthe concept of the e-wallet rather than navigating and completing tasks. Thedifficulties lay in understanding how currencies were stored and how transactionshappened. When developing this e-wallet we noticed that the most importantissue was to make new functions and concepts familiar to the user through relatingit to recognizable ideas.I och med att användning av mobila betalningslösningar (appar) och elektroniskaplånböcker (e-plånböcker) ökar, ökar även efterfrågan på en förbättradanvändarupplevelse vid interaktion med dessa appar. Området människadatorinteraktion(MDI) fokuserar på design, utvärdering och implementeringav interaktiva datorsystem för mänsklig användning. En aspekt av MDI äranvändbarhet, dvs kvaliteten på interaktionerna med en produkt eller ett system.Detta kandidatexamensarbete undersöker hur en e-plånbok kan utformas föratt ge en hög användbarhet genom att anpassas till MDI praxis och formativutvärdering av designen med hjälp av en uppsättning utvärderingsmetoder föranvändbarhet. Forskningsprocessen bestod av en litteraturstudie och utveckling av en prototoyp,som utvärderades iterativt genom Thinking-aloud Protocol (TAP) samt enkombination av prestationsmätningar och frågeformulär av en vald testgrupp.Efter varje iteration förbättrades resultaten av prestationsmätningarna, såvälsom för den verbala datan. Den mest komplexa eller svåra uppgiften,för testpersonerna att utföra, var, enligt resultaten, Betalning via manuelinmatning. Alla mål uppnåddes för alla uppgifter förutom prestationsmålet fören procentandel av fel under 5%. Avslutningsvis var det tydligt att testpersonerna fann det svårare att förståkonceptet av e-plånboken än att navigera och slutföra uppgifterna. Svårigheternalåg i att förstå hur valutor lagrades och hur transaktioner gick till. När viutvecklade den här e-plånboken märkte vi att den viktigaste uppgiften var att göranya funktioner och koncept förståerliga för användaren genom att koppla dem tilligenkännliga idéer.
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Guldager, Nikolai. "Usability evaluation of Beebyte’s website." Thesis, Karlstads universitet, Handelshögskolan (from 2013), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-74203.
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For companies operating on the web, a high usability on their website are of outmost importance for customers to keep using their services. Over the years many usability principles and methods have been developed to help companies to achieve a high usability on their systems. This thesis aims to help Beebyte identify usability problems on their website, find out how users perceive its usability, and then come up with recommendations on how to improve it. To do this a heuristic evaluation and a user test were conducted. Each user test session was accompanied by a questionnaire and a post-test interview. The result presents several of usability problems found by the heuristic evaluation and the user tests, and a summary of the post-test interviews and questionnaires. The sources of the problems are then analysed, and recommendations are presented based on established usability principles, my own experience in the area and the test participants opinions from the post-test interviews. The questionnaire answers are discussed and analysed to get a better idea on how they rank the website from a usability perspective.
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Blanchard, Enka. "Usability : low tech, high security." Thesis, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019USPCC005/document.
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Cette thèse est consacrée au domaine de l’utilisabilité de la sécurité, en particulier dans le contexte de l’authentification en ligne et du vote vérifiable.Le rôle toujours plus important de nos identifiants en ligne, qu’ils soient utilisés pour accéder aux réseaux sociaux, aux services bancaires ou aux systèmes de vote, a débouché sur des solutions faisant plus de mal que de bien. Le problème n’est pas juste technique mais a une forte composante psycho-sociale, qui se révèle dans l’usage des mots de passe --- objet central d'étude de cette thèse. Les utilisateurs font quotidiennement face à des compromis, souvent inconscients, entre sécuriser leurs données et dépenser les ressources mentales limitées et déjà trop sollicitées. Des travaux récents ont montré que l'absence de règles communes, les contraintes ad-hoc si fréquentes et les recommandations contradictoires compliquent ce choix, mais ces recherches sont généralement ignorées, victimes d'une probable incompréhension entre chercheurs, développeurs et utilisateurs. Cette thèse vise à résoudre ces problèmes avec des solutions inspirées par la cryptographie, la psychologie, ainsi que sept études utilisateurs, afin d'obtenir des outils simplifiés non seulement pour l'utilisateur final mais aussi pour le développeur.La première partie des contributions se concentre sur le fournisseur de service, avec deux outils permettant d'améliorer l'expérience utilisateur sans effort de sa part. Nous commençons par une étude sur la facilité de transcription de différents types de codes, afin d'obtenir un design réduisant les erreurs tout en augmentant la vitesse de frappe. Nous montrons aussi comment accepter les fautes de frappe dans les mots de passe peut améliorer la sécurité, en offrant un protocole compatible avec les méthodes de hachage standard.La deuxième partie offre des outils directement aux utilisateurs, avec un gestionnaire de mot de passe mental qui ne nécessite que la mémorisation d'une phrase et d'un code PIN, avec des garanties sur la sécurité des mots de passe si certains sont compromis. Nous proposons aussi une méthode de création de phrase de passe à la fois plus facile et sécurisée, et terminons en montrant empiriquement des failles dans le principal modèle de calcul mental utilisé aujourd'hui dans le domaine.Enfin, nous nous consacrons aux nouveaux protocoles de vote, en commençant par les difficultés à les faire accepter en pratique. Nous répondons à une demande pour des systèmes non-électroniques en proposant plusieurs implémentations de vote vérifiable en papier, une panoplie de primitives et un protocole de vote pour les très petites électionsThis dissertation deals with the field of usable security, particularly in the contexts of online authentication and verifiable voting systems.The ever-expanding role of online accounts in our lives, from social networks to banking or online voting, has led to some initially counterproductive solutions. As recent research has shown, the problem is not just technical but has a very real psychosocial component. Password-based authentication, the subject of most of this thesis, is intrinsically linked to the unconscious mechanisms people use when interacting with security systems. Everyday, users face trade-offs between protecting their security and spending valuable mental resources, with a choice made harder by conflicting recommendations, a lack of standards, and the ad-hoc constraints still frequently encountered. Moreover, as recent results from usable security are often ignored, the problem might stem from a fundamental disconnect between the users, the developers and the researchers. We try to address those problems with solutions that are not only simplified for the user's sake but also for the developer's. To this end, we use tools from cryptography and psychology, and report on seven usability experiments.The first part of the contributions uses a service provider's point of view, with two tools to improve the end-user's experience without requiring their cooperation. We start by analysing how easily codes of different structures can be transcribed, with a proposal that reduces error rates while increasing speed. We then look at how servers can accept typos in passwords without changing the general hashing protocol, and how this could improve security. The second part focuses on end-users, starting by a proposed mental password manager that only depends on remembering only a single passphrase and PIN, with guarantees on the mutual security of generated passwords if some get stolen. We also provide a better way to create such passphrases. As mental computing models are central to expanding this field, we finish by empirically showing why the main model used today is not adapted to the purpose.In the third part, we focus on voting protocols, and investigate why changing the ones used in practice is an uphill battle. We try to answer a demand for simple paper-based systems by providing low-tech versions of the first paper-based verifiable voting scheme. To conclude, we propose a set of low-tech primitives combined in a protocol that allows usable verifiable voting with no electronic means in small elections
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Burghardt, Manuel [Verfasser], and Christian [Akademischer Betreuer] Wolff. "Engineering annotation usability - Toward usability patterns for linguistic annotation tools / Manuel Burghardt. Betreuer: Christian Wolff." Regensburg : Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg, 2014. http://d-nb.info/1059004674/34.
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Johansson, Sara, and Inka Frolov. "An Adaptable Usability Checklist for MOOCs : A usability evaluation instrument for Massive Open Online Courses." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för informatik, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-90330.
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The purpose of this study was to develop a list of usability guidelines, i.e. a usability checklist, which can assist in evaluating the usability of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) user interfaces. Interviews were conducted to help understand their context of use and to find design focus points for the evaluation of MOOCs interface. These design focus points were then inspected for usability issues with Jakob Nielsen’s usability inspection method - heuristic evaluation - using author’s own set of 10 usability heuristics. The study reveals two main findings. Firstly, the context of use of MOOCs differs from a regular university course in the manner of how users perceive and approach them. And secondly, the usability checklist has to be adaptable and up-to-date in order to support the constant change of context of use of MOOCs. The combination of both findings is what makes this study not just another checklist, but a valid contribution to the understanding of MOOCs and the research field in HCI.
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Xu, Henrik. "Tablet application GUI usability checklist : Creation of a user interface usability checklist for tablet applications." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Institutionen för naturvetenskap, miljö och teknik, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-19168.
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Since the beginning of the 21st century, the world has seen a changing trend in computing power thanks to advancements in technology. One peculiar platform in the field of usability is the tablet. Due to its recent introduction, it has had a relatively short life span with few established methodologies. The tablet is gaining market share at a tremendous speed and thus there has been a big demand of the appropriate evaluation methods. This comprehensive study intention is to; through a literature survey and transformation of collected material identify what usability requisites there are when developing a user interface for a tablet application. Existing user interface guidelines from various companies involving the development of tablet software are examined and paired up with usability principles in the creation of the usability checklist. The usability checklist practical effectiveness is tested on various tablet applications and the results are compared to the results of a usability user test valuation. The majority of the usability problems found by the user test evaluation are codiscovered, in addition, there were a greater number of undiscovered usability problems that was identified with the checklist evaluation.