GTAGTAGroupWare Task AnalysisGroupWare Task Analysis

Task analysis conceptsTask analysis concepts GTA -Task analysis in design of GTA -Task analysis in design of

complex systemscomplex systems Methods of task knowledge collectionMethods of task knowledge collection GTA conceptual frameworkGTA conceptual framework Representations and toolsRepresentations and tools SourcesSources

Task analysis conceptsTask analysis concepts

Complex tasks and goals (n to 1) Complex tasks and goals (n to 1)

hierarchies, flow, multiple processeshierarchies, flow, multiple processes users’ unit tasks users’ unit tasks

(Card, Moran & Newell) &(Card, Moran & Newell) & systems’ basic tasks (Tauber)systems’ basic tasks (Tauber)

primary tasks & primary tasks & secondary taskssecondary tasks

actions, communication actsactions, communication acts

GTA -Task analysis in design GTA -Task analysis in design of complex systemsof complex systems

Complex systems:Complex systems:• multiple users who interact / collaboratemultiple users who interact / collaborate• with / through technologywith / through technology

““Phases” in iterative designPhases” in iterative design• analysisanalysis• specificationspecification• evaluationevaluation

GTA -Task analysis in design GTA -Task analysis in design of complex systemsof complex systems

iterative designiterative design

analysisanalysis

specificationspecification

implementationimplementation

evaluationevaluation

GTA -Task analysis in design GTA -Task analysis in design of complex systemsof complex systems

analysisanalysis

Task model 1:Task model 1:current taskcurrent task

worldworld

Task model 2:Task model 2:envisioning theenvisioning the

futurefuture

Methods of task knowledge Methods of task knowledge collectioncollection

Knowledge sources:Knowledge sources:• domain experts / (future) usersdomain experts / (future) users• observation of expert behaviorobservation of expert behavior• documentsdocuments• interaction in situationinteraction in situation

Task model 1:Task model 1:current taskcurrent task

worldworld

Methods of task knowledge Methods of task knowledge collectioncollection

domain experts / (future) users domain experts / (future) users

knowledge elicitation:knowledge elicitation:

e.g. Sebillotte / Graesser question methode.g. Sebillotte / Graesser question method

Question: explain as detailed and complete as Question: explain as detailed and complete as possible how you …possible how you …

Answer: “… X and therefor Y”Answer: “… X and therefor Y”

“… “…X because of Y”X because of Y”

Additional questions: Why X? / How X?Additional questions: Why X? / How X?

Methods of task knowledge Methods of task knowledge collectioncollection

Interaction in situation (people, artifacts, Interaction in situation (people, artifacts, history)history)

Ethnographic methods, e.g.Ethnographic methods, e.g.

interaction analysis (Jordan, Henderson)interaction analysis (Jordan, Henderson)

Identify “hot spots”Identify “hot spots”

video - content log - review with actors - generate video - content log - review with actors - generate hypothesis - compare with alternative records - hypothesis - compare with alternative records - identity patternsidentity patterns

Methods of task knowledge Methods of task knowledge collectioncollection

Task model 2:Task model 2:

envisioning theenvisioning the

futurefuture

Knowledge sources:•task model 1 (needs, inconsistencies, conflicting goals)•client (requirements, standards, law)•technology (constraints, possibilities and

expectations, challenges)

GTA conceptual frameworkGTA conceptual framework

Complementary viewpoints, redundant Complementary viewpoints, redundant descriptions and cross references:descriptions and cross references:

AgentsAgents WorkWork SituationSituation

GTA conceptual frameworkGTA conceptual framework

AgentsAgents• actors (individual humans, institutes and actors (individual humans, institutes and

groups, machines, systems) with attributesgroups, machines, systems) with attributes• roles, defined with tasks and object roles, defined with tasks and object

relationsrelations• organization (structure of actors, allocation organization (structure of actors, allocation

of roles, delegation and mandates)of roles, delegation and mandates)

GTA conceptual frameworkGTA conceptual framework

WorkWork• task / goal structure / actions (related to task / goal structure / actions (related to

roles)roles)• task descriptions (objects and situation)task descriptions (objects and situation)• hierarchical decompositionhierarchical decomposition• temporal structure and triggeringtemporal structure and triggering• protocols and (expert) strategies - situatedprotocols and (expert) strategies - situated

GTA conceptual frameworkGTA conceptual framework

SituationSituation• objects in object structure (type relations, objects in object structure (type relations,

semantic relations)semantic relations)• environmentenvironment• history of situationhistory of situation

Representations and toolsRepresentations and tools

GTA representationsGTA representations• conceptual entitiesconceptual entities• structuresstructures• media registrationsmedia registrations

Representations and toolsRepresentations and tools

Conceptual entitiesConceptual entities• relation to other entitiesrelation to other entities• template format for different conceptstemplate format for different concepts– Task, Object, Role, Agent, EventTask, Object, Role, Agent, Event

Task TemplateTask Template

Object TemplateObject Template

Role TemplateRole Template

Agent TemplateAgent Template

Event TemplateEvent Template

Representations and toolsRepresentations and tools

Structures, relation between entities of a Structures, relation between entities of a type:type:• type hierarchies (“is a”) type hierarchies (“is a”) • decomposition treesdecomposition trees• semantic relations (“contains”)semantic relations (“contains”)• flow (of data, of control, triggering flow (of data, of control, triggering

relations)relations)

Representations and toolsRepresentations and tools

Media registrationsMedia registrations• video clipsvideo clips• sound tracksound track• picturepicture

Representations and toolsRepresentations and tools

Tools: a design environment for Tools: a design environment for collaborative designcollaborative design

EUTERPEEUTERPE• editors for representation typeseditors for representation types• a repository of task model elementsa repository of task model elements• representations as a view on the databaserepresentations as a view on the database• tools for analysis and reasoningtools for analysis and reasoning• translation to HTMLtranslation to HTML

Task World OntologyTask World Ontology

Task Agent

Role

Event

Object

name(string)goal(string)start_condition(string)stop_condition(string)initial_state(string)final_state(string)duration(integer)frequency(string)type(enum)user_actions(string)system_operations(string)

name(string)skills(string) attitude(string)miscellaneous(string)

name(string)goal(string)name(string)

attribute(Name,Value)*action(Name)*

name(string)description(string)

Contains

Responsible

Performed_by

PlaysTriggers

Subtask

Uses

Triggers

Used_by

Subrole

Is

Performed_by

SourcesSources

Http://www.cs.vu.nl/~martijn/gtaHttp://www.cs.vu.nl/~martijn/gta• literature on GTAliterature on GTA• EUTERPE toolEUTERPE tool• examplesexamples