© 2011 Autodesk

Learning Tool Conceptual DesignInsights & Implications: 8/17/12

Jennifer BriselliUser Experience Design Intern: Summer 2012

© 2011 Autodesk

Table of Contents

Learning Theory & Design Implications

Initial Conceptual Design

User Research Findings

Insights & Recommendations

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Learning Theory & Design Implications

Research included: learning science learning experience design gamification & tutorials mobile learning current best practices & future trends

Learning Research Summary: Learning Research Summary

Supplemental LXD Learning Resources: SharePoint Folder

High level (5 min) presentation of my process: Intern Presentation Presented to Amar & his staff on 8/15/12

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Learning Theory & Design Implications

1. Aim to ‘cover all the bases’ Learning domains:

Accretion, Transmission, Acquisition, Emergence ‘Cognitive Apprenticeship’ strategies:

Modeling, Coaching, Scaffolding, Articulation, Reflection, Exploration

2. Promote Active Learning, Internalization & Reflection

3. Develop strategic knowledge to supplement command knowledge

4. Incorporate best practices: Inventor-style tutorials, CommunityCommands, Delta, IP-QAT, AKN Learning Map

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Learning Theory & Design Implications

Opportunities to facilitate a better learning experience:

Workflow Visualization Promotes reflection, exploration, & possibly articulation (if users are able to

create, save & share workflows) Incorporates ideas from Autodesk Research: Delta, IP-QAT, AppMap

Command Prediction & Suggestion Builds awareness of new features & commands, develops strategic knowledge Incorporates ideas from AR: CommunityCommands, Uber Learning

Tutorial Provides the software equivalent of modeling, coaching & scaffolding Based on best practices: in-canvas, active/scrollable, screen hints, short videos

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Initial Conceptual Design: Mentor Learning Tool

(more complete concept walkthrough here: User Research Slides)

“Mentor” panel opens in the bottom tabbed panel, (inspired by RnH designs that recommend a properties panel to save canvas).

Tabs allow the tool to remain active while working; users would be able to resize or move the window to dock elsewhere on the canvas or a second monitor.

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Initial Conceptual Design

Workflow Visualization

My Workflow visualizes the user’s current workflow in a manner that is easier to navigate (and encourages deeper learning) than a traditional log or command history. Using technology similar to Delta and other

visualization tools, a linear flow chart illustrates the past several commands and selections.

Based on the command sequence, more likely or commonly used workflows are displayed.

These might include workflows identified by LXD (from the help page) as well as user- or third party-generated workflows that may be saved and shared.

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Initial Conceptual Design

Workflow Visualization

The visualization compares the user’s workflow to a selected workflow to illustrate key differences and increase awareness of more efficient patterns.

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Initial Conceptual Design

Command Prediction & Suggestion

“Next Steps” combines the strengths of Uber Learning and CommunityCommands. Research suggests that users can benefit from expert modeling; predicting the likely next steps of the user and comparing them to the likely next steps of an expert can help the user adjust workflows.

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Initial Conceptual Design

Command Prediction & Suggestion

Following the recommendations in Uber Learning, the next likely commands are represented in a spectrum and color coded according to their use by an expert, the user, or commands used in common.

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Initial Conceptual Design

Command Prediction & Suggestion

The tool can also leverage CIP data and user history to include CommunityCommands functionality and recommend unfamiliar commands to the user.

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Initial Conceptual Design

Command Prediction & Suggestion

The command icons themselves would be clickable but would not run the command; instead a toolclip will appear to encourage internalization.

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Initial Conceptual Design

Tutorial

The “Smart Tutorial” displays a step-by-step guide similar to the Inventor Getting Started tutorials. Users can select suggested workflows (as with My Workflow) or search for one. The steps can be populated by help content as it already exists online; chunking the text into steps allows the user to follow easily and for LX writers to make updates or clarifications to individual components as needed.

Instead of a Getting Started tutorial that loads sample data, these tutorials act as a guide or cookbook alongside the user’s open model. The user is able to follow the steps working with his own data.

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Initial Conceptual Design

Tutorial

When the user hovers over a step, screen hints or callouts appear to identify the location of a feature in the ribbon or a toolbar.

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Initial Conceptual Design

Tutorial

Short videos for each step or subset of steps will include a screen capture of the process with on-screen callouts.

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Initial Conceptual Design

Safe Mode

To facilitate low-stakes experimentation and ease of use with a tutorial, Safe Mode allows the user to make changes to the model and later keep or discard those changes.

Users already tend to experiment this way, but currently make extensive use of the “undo” button or file copying. Safe Mode gives users more control over the experimentation process and could be activated at any time, with or without the intent to follow a tutorial.

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User Research5 participants were recruited via the PDC (with thanks to Claire & Bego for their help)

3 1 1 All 5 identified themselves civil engineers 3/5 considered themselves tech-savvy, including one self-titled “technogeek”

User Research Session 45 minutes ~ 1 hour Background questions about learning style Concept walkthrough & needs validation Additional comments User Research Slides

Research Goals Validate needs & assess perceived usefulness of designed solutions Evaluate initial navigation/interaction & elicit expectations Identify potential improvements for further iterations

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User Research: General Findings

5/5 users felt workflow visualization would be very useful, especially: The ability to compare different workflows (5/5) The possibility of generating, saving, and sharing workflows with colleagues (5/5) 3/5 independently suggested the idea that CAD managers or resellers could

pre-load common or company standard workflows for employees to visualize and learnBut, 3/5 expressed concern about feasibility of visualizing more complex workflows

Responses were mixed on the value of command prediction Most disliked the UI for ‘next likely commands’ (4/5), But, Most found it useful to compare user and expert tendencies (3/5) Some were already familiar with CommunityCommands (2/5) 5/5 would use CommunityCommands in this context

4/5 users felt in-canvas tutorials would be very useful, especially: Accessing step-by-step instructions without leaving the product (4/5) On screen hints and callouts (5/5)

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Insights & Recommendations

Workflow Visualization concepts

InsightsUsers were very interested in:a) Visually comparing their own workflow to more efficient optionsb) The possibility of saving & sharing workflows with colleaguesThese functions encourage reflection and support a community of practice.

Recommendations• Explore options for incorporating Chronicle with a visualized workflow.• Allow users to save a given workflow as shown, and modify it before saving

with drag & drop editing.

“This is a fantastic idea. Plus, resellers or managers could generate the ‘expert workflows’ for a client with specific company standard practices. It would take the training out of the classroom and into the software.”

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Insights & Recommendations

Workflow Visualization UI

InsightsUsers were shown several alternative visualizations but the simplest and most familiar “flow chart” style resonated most. All 5 preferred the linear style to a tree or concept map. They provided several suggestions for visual formatting.

Recommendations• Keep a streamlined, linear flow chart paradigm.• Consider arranging the commands in a direct horizontal line, shifting selected commands into

the center and rearranging alternative (unselected) options around them at each node.• Consider the option to collapse and expand unselected options as desired.• Add on-screen hints and toolclips for click/hover interactions within the visualization.

“I would click on any of those items, say the start point button, and it would allow me to readdress that start point, or grip edit..”

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Insights & Recommendations

Command Prediction concepts

InsightsUsers were interested in command prediction but felt the value came in comparing their own tendencies to that of a veteran user or colleague, which can also be found in the My Workflow function. The larger value of this function was the CommunityCommands function, all 5 users would like to see relevant but unfamiliar command options to consider.

Recommendations• Consider eliminating the next likely command function and only include CommunityCommands

technology to predict and suggest relevant commands.• CommunityCommands currently shows commands that have never been used; once used a

command no longer appears. Consider allowing for users to still access recently used commands from this function.

“I’d like to have a list of commands that I’ve taken advantage of after they are suggested, so I can remember them a few months later instead of them disappearing from the list and never seeing them again.”

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Insights & Recommendations

Command Prediction UI

InsightsThe next likely command UI was not intuitive; users preferred a separate list for experts, user, community, etc but also acknowledged that would require a lot of space. Some users suggested the command icons should be clickable and run the command itself; others preferred would advise against that option, ‘so it doesn’t become a crutch’ and instead would expect toolclips and on-screen hints pointing them in the right direction. The latter would better encourage internalization and support a scaffolding process for improved strategic awareness.

Recommendations• Include on-screen hints and toolclips on click/hover for the icons.• Eliminate or redesign the predicted next steps as separate catagories.

“I don’t like the idea of it actually being clickable… it doesn’t encourage you to actually learn the software… but if clicking opened the ribbon or showed you where to click, that would be useful.”

“The bulk of the time I’m showing someone how to do something, their reaction is, ‘I never new that button existed.’”

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Insights & Recommendations

Tutorial concept

InsightsThe in-canvas tutorial was popular with all users. They especially liked the on-screen callouts and the ability to follow step-by-step within their own model data. Some expressed an interest in saving and sharing tutorials as a supplement to those created by LXD, similar to My Workflow recommendations.

Recommendations• Draw on the success of the Inventor-style tutorial; include separate steps and short

video clips that can be generated from LX help content and modified in small chunks.• Include on-screen hints and callouts for each step in the process.

“To me, pausing and re-watching videos and looking back and forth from website to Civil interrupts the learning process. I like this design very much; you’ve got your steps, your images, your videos, all right there, and having it interact with the software itself as you go is very valuable.

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Insights & Recommendations

Safe Mode

InsightsMost users were in favor of a more streamlined process for experimenting with less risk to the model. One admitted using a similar feature in a competitor product and found it confusing; most habitually use the undo button or copy files and admit it might not be something they right away but they still would like to see it in a product.

Recommendations• Provide feedback or indicators beyond the on/off switch to alert users when they are using safe

mode and whether changes are being saved.• Consider an additional window that logs the commands as they run, as a mini-workflow

visualization that can be later modified and certain steps saved while others discarded.

“I do the ‘undo’ thing usually, but you’ve always got in the back of your mind, the undo might not actually work, it might crash and you lose everything, or you may actually undo too far.”

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Alternative UIs

InsightsUsers were indifferent to whether the learning tool is designed as three separate functions or as a more integrated all-in-one panel. Some claimed they would immediately move the tool to their second monitor regardless; others preferred to keep a tutorial or learning tool on the same screen because it promotes learning and aids their work process. Users want options.

Recommendations• Provide multiple configurations; allow users to

open the tool in the bottom panel (as designed) or pop out to dock on screen or move to a second monitor.

• In a single-panel integrated tool, allow users to collapse the individual components as desired.

“Once I understand the logic of what I’m doing, I don’t need to see the command flow any more, so maybe I’d start one way and want to adjust as I learn it better, close it or move it off screen.”

© 2011 Autodesk

Insights & Recommendations: A few more thoughts…

On-screen hints and callouts were universally popular. Consider adding this functionality everywhere possible for tutorials or workflow

visualizations. They support the scaffolding process so users can learn more implicitly over time

without interrupting the learning process.

Several users suggested using the workflow visualization or safe mode (or both) as a new way to create, edit and save macros.

Visually editing a workflow, saving some components and not others, and then running that self-optimized workflow was considered powerfully useful.

A visual programming paradigm may be useful here, as inspiration for visualizing and editing workflows. Nodes and blocks for workflow editing?

Blockly, Scratch, Grasshopper, etc. This type of function would strongly support exploration and strategic knowledge.

Consider leveraging the technology developed for Autodesk Research’s Delta to visualize and compare workflows, combined with Chronicle to record and share workflows with colleagues.

© 2011 Autodesk

Most of these features exist in many forms already, but they are most often built from a usability standpoint. Our goal should be to

build them not only to make the software more usable but to support the user’s learning process.

This document and related materials are available on SharePoint: Learning Resources Folder

(Learning Experience Design Internship 2012)