Module 9: Audience Analysis, Usability, and Information Architecture COM 420

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1 Module 9: Audience Analysis, Usability, and Information Architecture COM 420

2 Audience Analysis Needs Capabilities Without addressing these end user factors, time and money can be wasted building a site that is not functional

3 Audience Analysis: Documentation There are several ways to conduct an audience analysis. The most common way would be to create a survey, either electronic or paper-based, and distribute it to a sample of the population for which the site is being created. A second way would be conduct oneon-one or small group interviews with a sample from the population. These interviews not only allow you to gather some basic information about capabilities, but also give you the opportunity to gather nonverbal responses that may help you identify fears or anxieties around Web sites.

4 Creating a Design Document Your proposal is the start of your Design Document. Your design document should be used as a communication tool with your team. use it to outline design specifications and limitations used in the design and development of the site It is of vital importance for all designers and developers of a site to conform to the guidelines set from the audience analysis. For those who saw my HCI Lecture, you want establish "common ground" early, and maintain it (For those who didn't see Clark's Theory of Language Use).

5 Questions to ask During Audience Analysis... What type of Computer system / Mobile will the end user have? What type of Internet connection do the end users have (be sure to consider mobile phone data rates)? With what browser(s) and version(s) of the browser(s) do the end users view Web sites? What software or plug-ins do the end users have or use? (Flash, QuickTime, Java, etc...)? What are the computers systems settings of the end users (what is the screen resolution, is Javascript allowed, what is the size of the web cache)? Will users want to access the site from a mobile phone, tablet?

6 Discussion Topic You are creating a webpage that reviews applications for the ipad and iphone. What considerations does one need to make for this audience?

7 Tools for Audience Analysis Surveys Focus groups Interviews Expectations of the Design Document Outline design specifications Limitations Guidelines Expected costs and build times

8 Limitations How fast is the users connection? Most surveys indicate that a user will leave after waiting 10 secs How big can a file be on a 56K modem and not lose the user? (Yes, I know this seems dated but illustrates the point.)

9 Audience Analysis: Disabilities 40 million Americans have disabilities. If consistent, that would be the number of disabled worldwide 1,000,000,000. Access to education is the way out of poverty and deprivations. the disabled are often denied a chance at education

10 Physical Limitations Color Blindness (10% of men are red green color blind) Dyslexia As people age they make fewer subtle distinctions of color and shape Motor functions (do you needs to click and drag? can they use a keyboard)

11 Sites to visit Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Equal Access to Software and Information (EASI) Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Application Suite (WAI-ARIA) W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Bobby - Check Your Page for Accessibility Check Your Site for Red/Green Colorblind Users Have Your Site Read Aloud - Hear How Blind Users May Perceive Your Site (Download and Install the JAWS utility-pcs only.)

12 Usability and Information Architecture Usability consists of 1. Ease of Learning 2. Efficiency and Ease of Use 3. Error Frequency and Severity 4. Subjective Satisfaction 5. Structure Should Reflect Content

13 1. Ease of use How fast can users who have never seen the user interface before learn it sufficiently well to accomplish basic tasks? (Establish Common Ground) If this occurs automatically, you have done a great job! One way to accomplish this is to use everyday metaphors (like a table of contents) in your designs.

14 1. Ease of use: Continued Memorability: If users return to your site after a period of time, how quickly can they remember how to utilize your system? Navigation tools need to be kept in the same place on the screen within a site and, when possible, throughout all sites. Even little changes can slow things down, as anyone who moves from one browser to another or from one platform to another can tell you.

15 2. Efficiency and Ease of Use: Text Text should be easy to scan, by using: Tables of contents Headings Large type headings, smaller body text. Topic sentences Short text passages Bold or highlighted text for key words/phrases Bulleted lists Graphics for complex ideas that can be related visually

16 2. Efficiency and Ease of Use: GUI How important ease of use is can be seen most easily in the development of the graphical user interface (GUI) and the mouse. It is still possible to do everything on most platforms using key commands (and it can be much faster and more efficient), but it is harder to learn and has decreased in widespread use.

17 3. Error Frequency and Severity How often do users make errors while using the system, how serious are these errors, and how easy is it to recover from a user error? A typical example is in navigation, where users might go to a page or section they didn't really want to go to. Have you provided a way for them to realize their mistake and easily correct it?

18 4. Subjective Satisfaction How much does the user like using the system? This is a somewhat subjective criterion. Beyond the first items listed here, this is a matter of aesthetics and personal taste.

19 5. The Site's Structure Should Reflect the Site's Content The content of the site should grow out of what needs to be communicated and how users can best find and grasp that information. Form is a part of meaning, not something added after the content has been developed. The form and structure of the site sets the tone, inflects the meaning, and should clarify the purpose.

20 Dr. Santoro's* Usability Checklist Do users feel in control? Is the site designed so that people constantly "guess right"? Does it provide advice? Tools? Reference materials? Are they easy to find? Do users Enjoy their experience?will they come back? Why? Does it behave consistently throughout? is the Menu always in the same place? Is it visually consistent? Do users know where they are? Does the site have a personality, is it Distinctive? Does it show an understanding of how users do their work? Are response times fast enough to keep user attention? Does the user know where they are as soon as the sites opens? *My teacher(penn State).

21 Information Architecture Primary Goal: Accessibility Secondary Goals: maintainability, feel, and consistency Layout, labeling, navigation, and search all play a role. A good information architect minimizes the time taken to find information.

22 Information Architecture Guidelines 1. Who will use the Site? (sites purpose) 2. Structure should reflect the needs of the user, not the provider 3. The site structure should be as clear as possible 4. A site plan should involve those with different skills 5. Look for common industry standards 6. Look for redundancy is site architecture 7. Testing of usability should be done before release 8. How will it be maintained

24 Questions to ask when evaluating Navigation Where am I? Where can I go? How do I get there? How can I return to where I just was?

25 Discussion Topic A Dry Cleaner's wants a website to gain more business. The developers meet with the clients (the cleaners) and discuss the owners exact needs. The site is launched and the client is very happy, the site will be able to take any order. A few months pass and the owner gets many complaints from customers on how difficult the site is the use. An analysis shows users don't set options on the type of fabric and color of the clothes. What went wrong? Discuss a similar situation from your experience.

26 Dos and Don'ts of Navigation Reveal the structure of the site Be easily learned Remain consistent Provide feedback and help Appear in context, providing clear visual messages and obvious links Offer alternatives and shortcuts - require an economy of action and time (Fitt's Law) Leave breadcrumbs (visual clues) for backtracking (returning to a page) Avoid irrelevant links Offer clear and understandable icons and labels (Again Fitt's Law)

27 Types of Navigation Systems

28 Types of Navigation Systems Hierarchical Navigation System - A Table of Contents is a good example of this. You have main headings, subheadings, and possibly sub-sub-headings. Limited flexibility to users. One can move up and down in the hierarchy, and that's it. Global Navigation System - This version is more global, in that it complements the information hierarchy by enabling greater vertical and lateral movement throughout the entire site. Cross links have been provided, allowing users to move sideways as well as up and down. The trick here as a designer is to strike a balance between flexibility and total chaos.

29 Types of Navigation Systems Local Navigation Systems - A complex Web site may contain sub-sites within its structure. Jakob Nielsen defined this term as a recurrent situation in which a collection of Web pages within a larger site share a common style and navigation mechanism unique to just those pages. For example: Imagine a department store with its different sections. Each section may contain a unique arrangement because it makes sense to do so. Similarly, a music site may contain an online store to sell CDs. The online store will probably have a navigational scheme that is different from the rest of the site.

30 The Web Production Process 1. Pre-production (Analysis) 2. Production (Design, Development, Testing, Revision) 3. Publication (Implementation) 4. Post-publication (Evaluation)

31 The Web Production Process Each of these steps is essential to the success of a media project. In the pre-production or planning phase, brainstorming is followed by the development of a plan of action that carries the production through to fruition. The planning phase is followed by hands-in-the-dirt production work: the task-by-task process of producing the media in question. Then you test your media with an audience as alike to your target audience as possible, and revise your efforts based on observation of them. Publication is the process by which the media is made public, and postpublication is the cleanup, review, and examination of the project to determine its future positioning and possible future revisions, or filing it away as a job well done.

32 Tools of Production Storyboards Flowcharts

33 Storyboards should Include overall design concept style of the site Which topics go where links conceptual idea of where your images go what type, size of graphics what the layout will look like color, size, font for all text descriptions of all graphics, including files types, names, and locations relative to page description of any audio, including files types, names and locations relative to page descriptions of any video, including file types, name, locations relative to page note to programmers Other notes depending on situation

34 Flowcharts Consist of Three shapes 1. Square - Used to represent a display screen, use to show information to the audience 2. Diamond - used to represent some form of interaction (i.e. a user name and password form 3. Circle - used as connectors These are used to chart the users experience and choices within a site.

35 Tools for flowcharts and storyboards Microsoft Office Gliffy Microsoft Visio

36 Get into teams for your final project Come up with an idea for your final Project. Can be a business, community, or special interest topic site Discuss audience analysis for the site. What information do you need, how will you get it Describe the basic characteristics of usability and information architecture, and outline ways of ensuring both are well thought out. Summarize the basic strategies for designing good navigation systems and document your decisions Review steps in the Web production process and the associated issues, strategies, and staffing needs you will run into.

Jennifer Nip, P.Eng. Portfolio

Jennifer Nip, P.Eng. Portfolio Jennifer Nip, P.Eng Portfolio Jennifer Nip Portfolio Jennifer has over 10 years experience in web design and usability analysis Being the Lead User Experience Designer, she has leading edge web design