User and Task Analysis

1. User and Task Analysis

2. H&R: users based on stages of use (expertise) • Novices • May be new to subject, technology, product • Are goal and task-oriented • May not want to learn, but do • Advanced beginners • Use infrequently and incidentally • Are focused on getting job done as quickly and painlessly as possible • Have begun to form mental model or concept of how system works • Concentrate on a few needed tasks which can perform well

3. H&R: users based on stages of use (expertise) II • Competent performers • Have learned enough tasks that they have sound mental model of subject and product • Can recognize incorrect series of actions and correct them • Expert performers • Use frequently as integral part of activity • Have considerable subject matter knowledge • Are skilled at solving problems • Have comprehensive understanding of whole

4. Goals, Tasks, Activities

5. Goals • Defined in USER’s terms • Multiple • Sometimes conflicting • Between individual and organization • Between individuals, workgroups, etc. • Within individual • Can change over time • What do people do when problems, conflicts?

6. Tasks • What someone does to achieve a goal • Multi tasks, same goal • See how people choose tasks to achieve goals • Time, effort, what they already know, history, habit, social pressure/models… • Differences across users… • What people do when problems – give up goal, change tasks… • Changing tasks, goals • Improvisation

7. Activities • Specific actions • Intentional and otherwise • Importance of unintentional consequences of intentional action

8. Suchman on plans and situated action • Some see plans as either formal structures that control action or abstractions across instances. • Instead, argues plans are resources for situated action. • Inherently vague; detail of intent and action contingent on circumstantial and interactional particulars of situation. • Foundation of action is not plans but local interactions with our environment more or less informed by abstract representations of situations and actions. • They position us to, thru local interactions, exploit some contingencies and avoid others. • Rafting as an example.

9. Types and levels of task analysis • Workflow analysis • Job analysis • Process analysis, task sequence • Task hierarchies • Procedure analysis: • how they do it now. Technology-dependent. Pay attention to exceptions

10. Doing task analysis – possible foci • Job – multi people this job • Person – not just in the job • Task – more than one person • Place • Flow of information, artifacts

11. Related: • Mental models • Scenarios