Reference no: EM133122462

Practical - Heuristic Evaluation

Purpose: Getting systematic feedback on your paper prototypes

Brief

Carolyn Snyder writes,

"Paper prototyping is a variation of usability testing where the representative users perform realistic tasks by interacting with a paper version of the interface that is manipulated by a person 'playing computer' who doesn't explain how the interface is intended to work."

In this assignment, each of your team's paper prototypes will be evaluated using heuristic evaluations. You will work with another team to do this and you will evaluate one another‘s paper prototypes. This will complete the lo-fi prototyping phase of the project, providing you with the feedback you need to begin deciding on the final design you will functionally prototype.

Aim: Use Jacob Nielsen's Usability Heuristics to assess a paper prototype

Students will partner with someone from another team for this assessment. Off campus I will pair you up if possible
All students will individually conduct an heuristic evaluation of a paper prototype.
• The team will be upload to OnDrive the heuristics developed to assess their prototypes
• Individually students will be assessed on your individual skills displayed in this assessment as both a facilitator and an evaluator. Consent forms provided must be part of the practical submission

Assignment
Heuristic evaluations are one method to highlight usability issues in paper prototypes.
Heuristic evaluations should follow readings by Jacob Nielsen:
• "How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation"
• "Ten Usability Heuristics" and
• " UX Expert Reviews"

Using Nielsen's ten heuristics, teams will:
• create a set of customised heuristics that you want used to evaluate your prototypes
• create a means of recording the data that each team member will use

Each evaluator (expert reviewer) will list as many usability issues as possible as they work through a paper prototype.
• The heuristics are there to help evaluators find a variety of different types of usability issues.
• For each usability issue found, the evaluator should capture a description of the issue written as concisely and as specifically as possible (See examples provided)

Step 1: preparation
Preparation requires 2 parts:
PART A: TEAM
a. As a team, create a set of customised heuristics that you want your evaluators to use when assessing your prototype.
• This means CUSTOMISING the Nielsen list to the needs of your prototypes
• For creating a customised list of heuristics, you can:
o create your own heuristic list based on Nielsen's work; OR
o use the online heuristic creator from Preece, Rogers and Smart (2007)
• All members of the same team should use the same set of heuristics for evaluating their prototype.
• Sharing your heuristics with your evaluator: send an electronic copy of your heuristic data collection document (You may also want to provide a cheat sheet of information on Nielsen's heuristics )

PART B:

b. Create a video walkthrough of your paper prototype -
Master the skill of operating your paper prototype.
• Don't waste time while being videoed by taking five minutes to find the next bit of the prototype to swap in.
• The smoother your paper prototype runs, the better.
• Work with their team members to create their video prototypes (an easier way to create the video) or create their own video alone.
To make your video, each team member should:
• Go through a couple of practice runs for each of your prototypes.
• Practice runs like these are called walkthroughs. Walkthroughs will get you comfortable operating the paper prototype and help you identify problems with it (for example missing pieces or dead ends).
• When you think you have the process smooth - create a video of it so that you can show this to your evaluator to help save time when reviewing someone else's work.

Your evaluator will need your video prototype and if possible your prototype pieces for the evaluation as well as the team heuristics. (Off campus students may be online for sharing eg zoom)
• Each team should put on onedrive a link to the video prototypes for each of their members' paper prototypes (eg 4 team members, 4 videos)

Step 2: Conducting an heuristic evaluation: facilitation
Conduct an Heuristic Evaluation with your partner's video, prototype pieces & heuristics
(Where possible, your whole team should be present for all sessions. However, it understood that this is not always possible. To facilitate this, try as hard as you can to schedule a block of time for all of your expert evaluators to come in and perform back-to-back evaluations [one at a time])
• Facilitation - Each person in each team will need to facilitate an heuristic evaluation.
o The facilitator should greet the evaluator, explain how the session will work, and give a brief introduction to your prototype.
o The facilitator then uses the video prototypes to show how the system works.
o Each person should record themselves conducting this facilitation process (Record a short video )
o Ensure you seek formal consent where video is used
o NOTE - please don't have a video of you saying hello and then handing over everything to another person - that is NOT facilitation.
o Off campus students, include your facilitation in the video you make about your paper prototype (you only need to make one video) - this can be then shared with team members
• Prepared Heuristics: Provide your evaluator with the heuristics that your team developed and how you want the data collected
o Remember that the evaluator is the expert. Let the evaluator explore and evaluate the interface as they choose. Be prepared to answer any questions they ask. Step 3:

Step 3: Being an expert evaluator
• As an evaluator, you are the expert and you should go through the interface the way that you would prefer to. (Don't be swayed by the demonstration of how things work by the development team.) If you need to time to think about things - that's fine
• Be thorough and write down all problems you can find. Don't try to be "nice" by not reporting problems; everything you find will help the team improve their interface.
• Use the team's chosen Nielsen's heuristics as a guide and refer to the heuristics when describing problems found.
• Write each problem written down and give a severity rating. Use Nielsen' Severity Ratings for Usability Problems.
• Write up your findings in the way you think that best communicates the issues. A template is provided. Use this or adapt for your needs.
• Create a summary of your findings.

Step 4: Reflections on being an expert evaluator
• Finally, reflect on the Heuristic evaluation process?
o Was it useful?
o Did you find it difficult being an evaluator?
o What were some of the challenges you faced?
o How valuable was the information you received about your prototype?
o In what way would you like this information provided?
o Did you receive results that were usable or where they confusing
o Where and how do you think this review process may be useful in the future?
• Write 2 -3 paragraphs (max) about the heuristic evaluation process you have just used/experienced

Attachment:- Heuristic Evaluation.rar