Corey was nice enough to start an Attendees page to collect travel information for the upcoming UDS on May 19th. Add your info so you can coordinate taxis or whatever with other travelers.
seele :: May.06.2008 :: Asides, KDE/Kubuntu :: No Comments »
Some of the most common questions I have received in relation to the KDE User Research Profiles have been what are use scenarios, how are they different from use cases, and why do I need them. Hopefully some of this information will clarify the difference between use cases and scenarios and why use scenarios are so important.
A use case is a description of how a user might use an application to complete a specific task. Use cases are commonly used in software engineering to help document functionality and how it is used. They can range in the amount of system-specific information from only describing the task to detailed implementation and avenues for completion. This examples describe similar use cases for the print function in Okular, including implementation details and two avenues for completion.
Okular example: Print a PDF document
A use scenario describes the context of a use case — the conditions, motivation, and environment of the task for a particular user. It is important to understand why a user might complete a specific task and how they will complete it in order to create an interface design. Use scenarios are commonly used by designers as a way to understand users’ motivation and tasks in an interface, but good engineering use cases include these extra elements of use scenarios. This example describes different use scenarios for a similar use case (printing) in Okular.
Okular example: Print a PDF document
Use cases and scenarios complement each other. They get interesting when you have similar use cases driven from different use scenarios or different use scenarios leading to similar use cases. You want to try and develop use cases and scenarios for as many functions or features and user types as possible. The goal is to make sure the different ways different users try to complete the same tasks do not conflict with each other.
These example use cases and scenarios describe how different users under different conditions might try to print a document in Okular. In particular, notice how the decision to remove the Print button from the toolbar to make the interface more simple and pleasing effects how these sample users might complete their tasks. What might happened if Okular has a number of users who rely on toolbar buttons to assist in completing tasks? Are these types of users familiar with looking through menu items or keyboard shortcuts? At the same time, consider how inexperienced a user must be to not consider looking through an application menu when all else fails. These users are not really a target user type for KDE or Okular, and so changing the design to accommodate them might not be reasonable.
Use cases and scenarios help provide developers with information to make these types of informed decisions. The next time Okular gets a bug report complaining about the Print button not available on the toolbar by default, the project has a reasoning they can cite. (BTW, users who are knowledgeable enough about using bugtracker can probably also figure out how to add the print button to their toolbar.) Also, I am in no way agreeing or disagreeing with Okular’s decision to remove the Print button from the toolbar by default. It was just a really good example.
seele :: May.06.2008 :: Design, General :: 6 Comments »
I have created a page for HIG Questions on TechBase to collect questions/requests for the KDE4 HIG and so I don’t lose any more good questions or requests for guideline. Any time you have a question about a guideline which does not exist or is missing information, please add it to the list and email the KDE-Usability Mailing List to discuss. A lot of content just doesn’t exist anywhere but in our (mine and Ellen’s) heads and bringing it up helps us identify what is important/useful/needed and needs to be documented first. We will have two interns during the OpenUsability Season of Usability and will be working in earnest on the HIG.
seele :: Apr.30.2008 :: Design, General, KDE/Kubuntu :: 3 Comments »
I can’t believe how long it took us to move. Since the Saturday before last, we’ve been taking a few boxes after work every night to the new place. Last Saturday we had movers help with all the furniture. The first dozen boxes were books and computer gear (even after donating half a ton of books and several old computers). There’s nothing like moving to get much needed spring cleaning done. To be fair, we have a house full of furniture etc., but I still have more “stuff” than I wish I had. Oh, and it is so awesome to have a balcony again.
So now that the network is back up and I have my electric kettle and tea box, I can get back to open source work. Between the sketchy ‘net connection, moving boxes, and abnormal buzziness with the Day Job, I haven’t had much time to pay attention to mailing lists or IRC (which reminds me, I think I owe a few people an email). I have three unfinished blog entries and need to continue working on KDE User Research Profiles. I know Okular has been working on their user profile the past few weeks and I want to put some cycles in to helping them out. Projects get ready, because I will resume calling out for completing user research profiles again next week. There were also those KGrubEditor wireframes I was working on for Artemis_Fowl…
Over the past month or so I’ve managed to get through the first two Hitchhiker’s books (Background: I had only ever read the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and am now working through the rest of the series), but I’m losing momentum near the end of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Sure, it’s still funny, but it doesn’t seem to have the same substance as the first two books. I have about 10 more pages before I move on to So Long and Thanks for All the Fish. We’ll see how it goes. (I also have some more Gaiman and Peake to read afterwards).
We also took a break last Friday to go celebrate the Hardy release with fellow Maryland LoCoers. After the UDS in May, I will be focusing on ways to get the LoCo community involved in usability testing (in more ways than just acting as participants in tests).
seele :: Apr.29.2008 :: Book List, General, Life, Open Source :: 4 Comments »
Last night I went to watch a usability test session of Drupal (with eyetracking!). It is a group project my summer intern is involved with for her Research Methods class. She invited me to observe since she knew I am involved in open source. It’s nice to see design students becoming more aware and more interested in open source software. We even received a few SoU applications from students at my alma mater.
… now to finish writing about use cases and scenarios.