Chapter 5
Agenda/Learning Objectives
Understand situational use factors
1) Understand Situational Use Factors
a) You have to understand all aspects of your user and the use scenario
2) Functional Analysis
a) Answers: What must the product do?
b) A functional analysis is NOT a wish list!
c) Functional requirements should be those that allow the users to successfully accomplish real
tasks
h) Example: Sample from EyeGuide Focus Concussion Detection System Functional (self-
designed, based on previous conversations within the team and research done of the market)
i) Overall System Activity
(1) database cloud sync
(2) authentication
(3) pre-test distance from screen locked to 381mm using the scene camera
(8) three tests: smooth pursuits, saccades, antisaccades
i) Steps to outline functional requirements (Gurd 2013):
i) Introduction: tell the reader what the document is about (i.e., the product, users)
ii) Purpose: explain what the document does (i.e., details functional requirements for the
product)
iii) Terminology: define anything that might not be understood by all readers
3) Environmental Analysis
a) Answers: Where will the product be used; how should we account for that so the product
integrates effectively into the environment if not actually enhances the environment for the
products users?
b) Is it loud where the product will be used?
i) What kinds of noises will be around the user?
c) Are users engaging with others as they use the product?
i) Will these conversations distract the user?
d) Will the users be putting their hands on other things or carrying out tasks with other
products while they also use your product?
i) Will they hold your product?
iv) If they are relatively stationary or in the same environment, are they sitting or standing?
e) Do users work alone without physical contact with others, or do they see people, even
engage with them, while they work with your product?
i) Are they in a cubicle or in an office?
ii) Are they looking at other things while they look at your product?
f) Is the environment dangerous?
iii) If the user has an office or workspace, what is in that space that distracts the user but
might also be used by the user to carry out tasks?
g) Create a working model of the users environment (Holztblatt and Beyer 2013): allows you
to visualize the situation and discuss challenges for the product to be effective in that
situation with stakeholders and users
i) Flow model: shows communication between different people in environment to get
work done
4) Organizational Analysis
a) Answers: What are your organizations goals for the product? What resources will you be
provided? Whats the budget? What limitations or other factors will impact how you design
the product?
5) Competitor Analysis
a) Answers: What other products are like yours? What about yours will be different? What
white space can you occupy?
i) What youre attempting to do is conceptualize
(1) What characterizes, from a big picture perspective, a successful competitor?
(2) How similar are competitor products?
ii) What space exists for you to enter the market and be successful?
b) You have to understand what competitor products are out there in the same space
c) Identify and list out any products on the market now that are more or less direct as well as
6) Materials Analysis
a) Answers: What will go into the construction of your product? How will this impact its
design and how users use it? What products may users have to interact with what youve
built for them that you need to consider?
i) You must match features to materials, user to environment, by comparing them to user
needs and the space where they will use the product:
(1) Keyboard size, type, number of inputs
(2) Screen size
(3) Product weight, overall size
b) Spend time understanding how the product will be used
c) Watch users in action using similar products
i) How do they use them?
ii) What do they like?
iii) What do they do to make things work?
iv) Can you tell what causes them problems?
7) Content Analysis
a) Answers: What is the content that has to go into your product to satisfy the users needs and
wants? What can be left out?
b) Most effective at end stages of your assessment of the situation
d) Can be done even if no content, not even a product, exists
i) Attempt listing out that content that might exist
ii) Involve users, ask them questions about your proposed content
iii) Allow users to participate in affinity diagramming or other group work exercises
e) Ex: Simple Content Analysis for Focus Concussion Detection System
f) Content inventory heuristics (Leise 2007):
i) Collocation: collect relevant content in same placeshould be easy to find
vii) Multiple access paths: give users different ways to access, view, and use content
viii)Appropriate structure: match content and organization to what users expect, their mental
models
ix) Consistency: dont change how you deliver content or users will get confused
8) Review: Takeaways, Discussion Questions, UCD Quests
a) Review key points
b) Group discussion and Q&A
c) Prepare UCD Quest assignments (or present on previous activities)