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Interface Simulation and Analysis. Evaluating a cell phone interface. Interface Simulation. Flexible, versatile, extensible Ability to implement in common web-based markup/programming languages HTML, JavaScript, CSS Easier and less expensive than physical mockup - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Interface Simulation and Analysis
Evaluating a cell phone interface
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Interface Simulation
• Flexible, versatile, extensible
• Ability to implement in common web-based markup/programming languages– HTML, JavaScript, CSS
• Easier and less expensive than physical mockup
• Allows rapid testing of many different configurations
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Simulation in Alpha
• Four-Function Calculator
• Kyocera 2235 Cell Phone
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Interface Simulation
• Challenges and complications– Coding device functionality is not difficult– Representing gfx/text interface is difficult– Representing complicated menu structure can
be difficult
• Comm 540 is not a programming course – Interesting and informative experience, but …– Need for evaluation
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Interface Evaluation
• A look at existing technology– How well-designed is the interface?– How does it hold up under different tasks and
different users?– How logical is the internal structure of the
interface?
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Interface Evaluation
• Cell phones as an ideal technology for evaluation– Young technology– Rapidly developing technology– Overwhelmingly popular technology– Many different implementations of same basic
functionality
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Kyocera 2235
• Introducing … the Kyocera 2235!– The phone with the cool blue glow– One of Verizon’s popular models over
the past year– Fairly representative of mid-range cell
phone design
• Kyocera web site provides some interesting online resources– http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/220
0_phone/2235_know.htm
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Research Methodology
• Determine representative users
• Determine representative tasks
• Evaluate users on tasks
• Evaluate phone’s menu structure
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Participants
• Participant 1 (me, baseline?)– 23 years old, user of this phone
• Participant 2– 19 years old, college freshman, user of almost identical phone
• Participant 3– 21 years old, college junior, user of same brand/similar phone
• Participant 4– 44 years old, college senior, user of very different phone
• Participant 5– 70 years old, worked in business, never used a cell phone
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Tasks
• Make a call– One of the most fundamental tasks on a cell phone
• Look up a specific number– Also a very common task
• Identify number types (cell, home, work)– Organizational functionality
• Calculate 3217 x 4193– Access non-phone-related tools– Non-mental math
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Number Types
• Cell Work Home
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Kyocera 2235 Menu
Contacts Messages Recent Calls Settings
View All
Add New
Find Name
Add Voice Dial
Speed Dial List
Voice Dial List
Business List
Personal List
Tools & Games Phone Info Web Browser
# Voicemail
Send New
Text InBox
Net Alerts
Text OutBox
Filed
Erase Msgs
Msg Settings
Silence All
Keyguard
Sounds
Display
Voice Services
Security
Call Information
Network
Extras
Messaging
Accessories
Alarm Clock
Tip Calculator
Calculator
Countdown
Stopwatch
Mystic | Ching
Cavern Crawl
Space Dudes
Brick Attack
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Task Analysis
• How many steps does each task require?
• How long did it take each person to perform each task (or with what accuracy)?
• What kinds of results should we expect?
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
What is a Task Step?
• 1 step = progression through 1 level of the interface hierarchy– Keying in “607-592-1234” is 1 step, not 10– Keying in “607-592-1234” + “Send” is 2 steps,
not 11
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Task Steps
• Make Call: 2 steps
• Number Lookup: 4 steps (or 2 steps *)
• Number Type ID: 1 step (n/a)
• Calculate: 3 steps
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Task Results Summary
Participant Make CallNumber Lookup
Number Type ID
Calculate
1 5 seconds 16 seconds 3/3 26 seconds
2 4 seconds 14 seconds 3/3 22 seconds
3 8 seconds 20 seconds 3/3 37 seconds
4 12 seconds 25 seconds 2/3 gave up
5 gave up gave up 2/3 skipped
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Task Results Implications
• Routine tasks (make call, number lookup) seem intuitive to users of other phones
• Non-phone-specific task (calculator) may be difficult for users of non-Kyocera phones
• Operation of cell phone largely unclear to non-cell-user• Number type iconography for “cell” and “home” are clear
to all; “work” unclear to non-Kyocera users
• Results suggestive, but not generalizable
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Hierarchy Analysis – Card Sort!
• Index cards to represent each menu item …
• … randomized
• Asked participants to do 4 things:– Group cards into categories– Prioritize within categories– Prioritize among categories– Name groups/categories
Kyocera 2235 Menu
Contacts Messages Recent Calls Settings
View All
Add New
Find Name
Add Voice Dial
Speed Dial List
Voice Dial List
Business List
Personal List
Tools & Games Phone Info Web Browser
# Voicemail
Send New
Text InBox
Net Alerts
Text OutBox
Filed
Erase Msgs
Msg Settings
Silence All
Keyguard
Sounds
Display
Voice Services
Security
Call Information
Network
Extras
Messaging
Accessories
Alarm Clock
Tip Calculator
Calculator
Countdown
Stopwatch
Mystic | Ching
Cavern Crawl
Space Dudes
Brick Attack
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Card Sort Results - Summary
Participant Time # Categories
Actual Phone 7
2 18 minutes 8
3 22 minutes 6
4 26 minutes 11
5 13 minutes 5
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Things to Watch Out For
• Some names modified to make purpose clearer– “Display” -> “Display Settings”– “Add New” -> “Add New Contact”– “Mystic | Ching” -> “Mystic | Ching Game”
• Potential ambiguity– Some items used as category names
• “Network Settings” etc. (usually settings)
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
More Things to Watch Out For
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Kermit
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
2 3
4 5
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Card Sort Results –Analogous Category Names
Actual Phone Contacts Messages Settings Tools & Games
Participant 2 Voice Services Settings
Voice Services Settings
Accessories Settings, Extras Settings
Participant 3 Rapid Contacts, Contacts
Messages Settings Tools or Extras
Participant 4 Phonebook Text In/Text Out, Incoming
Settings, Message Settings, Misc Settings
Games, Tools
Participant 5 Business Business Settings, Messages Personal Stuff, I’m Bored
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Interesting Results
• Tendency to separate “add” from “view” functions– “Add New Contact” vs. “View All Contacts”
• Tendency to categorize contact list/messaging functions together
• Tools and Games often separated• Unlike phone, “Personal Contacts” always
before “Business Contacts”• Contacts, Messages categories invariably
precede Settings, Tools/Games
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Potential Problems?
• Non-Kyocera users confused about “Countdown”
• Everybody confused by presence of both “Message Settings” and “Messaging Settings” – peculiar redundancy in phone
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
Further Exploration
• Classic complaint: power on/off button
• Text input: order of punctuation?
– . & @ , -’ : ; ? / ” ” ( ) _• Why is comma not second? (Do we really
need commas for phone text-messaging?)
• Why is question mark so deep? (Aren’t questions the essence of many text messages?)
Communication 540 – Spring 2003 – Mike Webb
In Conclusion
• And don’t forget, more importantly than anything else, cell phones should never have subliminal messages.
