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© 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The Key Ingredient in Designing Effective Help Systems

© 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

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Page 1: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation

Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College

Usability Study: The Key Ingredient in Designing Effective Help Systems

Page 2: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation2

Repurposing an iPAD: What a clever idea!

http://www.wimp.com/dadipad/

Page 3: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation3

Agenda

Purpose and perceptions of help systems

Introduction to our study

Method for conducting our study

Results of our study

Benefits of conducting a usability study

Resources

Page 4: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation4

What’s the purpose of a help system?

Page 5: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation5

Purpose of a help system

Translates software function into tasks that users understand

Teaches users concepts required to perform tasks

Familiarizes users with the user interface

Addresses the information needs of a diverse audience

Helps users resolve error conditions

Page 6: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation6

Do you use help?

Page 7: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation7

Impact of negative perceptions of help systems

Under Utilization of Help Systems

Negative External Views

Negative Internal Views

Decreased Enthusiasm in Help System Development

Page 8: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation8

Agenda

Purpose and perceptions of help systems

Introduction to our study

Method for conducting our study

Results of our study

Benefits of conducting a usability study

Resources

Page 9: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation9

Introduction: The usability study

What is it?– A controlled experiment where users are observed using a

product or help system to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the design in terms of human interaction and satisfaction.

Why use it?– To validate the design of a product or help system– To uncover unexpected user behaviors – To uncover unforeseen problems – To learn users' expectations

Page 10: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation10

Modernizes the “face” of z/OS

Provides an integrated help system

Makes z/OS accessible to a new generation of system programmers

Reduces z/OS complexity

Introduction: IBM® z/OS® Management Facility (z/OSMF)

Page 11: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation11

Introduction: The help system

Page 12: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation12

Agenda

Purpose and perceptions of help systems

Introduction to our study

Method for conducting our study

Results of our study

Benefits of conducting a usability study

Resources

Page 13: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation13

Role in IBM

56%22%

22%

Information Developer

System Tester

Usability Specialist

Role in IBM

56%22%

22%

Information Developer

System Tester

Usability Specialist

Method: Demographics

Years in Current Role

22%

56%

22%

1-56-1011+

Years in Current Role

22%

56%

22%

1-56-1011+

Gender

56%

44%

MaleFemale

Gender

56%

44%

MaleFemale

Product Experience

44%

56%

NoneSome

Product Experience

44%

56%

NoneSome

n = 9 n = 9

n = 9 n = 9

Page 14: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation14

Method: Creating user scenarios

Identified actions that require support of the help system

Created 28 questions that users might have while completing each action

Incorporated the 28 questions into 10 task-based user scenarios

Page 15: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation15

Method: Sample user scenario

User Interface: Define a new desktop and add a metric to the desktop. This desktop should contain only generic sysplex resources.

Help: What’s the benefit of defining generic sysplex resources?

Page 16: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation16

Method: Conducting feedback sessions

The participants:

Accessed the software directly

Navigated to the page where they would complete the user interface portion of the scenario

Accessed the help system from that page to answer the help portion of the scenario

Verbalized their thoughts as they completed each task

Page 17: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation17

Method: Conducting feedback sessions

We, the researchers:

Conducted the review with one participant at a time

Imposed no time limit for completing the scenarios

Emphasized that we were testing the help system, not the participant

Documented the completion rate and any errors or problems identified

Page 18: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation18

Method: Categorizing and prioritizing issues

Each issue was assigned a:

Category– Help System, User Interface, or Both

Problem type– Clarity, Conciseness, Structure, or Missing Content

Priority – Low, Medium, or High

Resolution complexity level – Easy, Moderate, or Difficult

Page 19: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation19

Agenda

Purpose and perceptions of help systems

Introduction to our study

Method for conducting our study

Results of our study

Benefits of conducting a usability study

Resources

Page 20: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation20

Results: Types of issues identified

6

8

45

10

12

0

2

4

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Help User Interface Both

Impact Area

Num

ber

of

Issu

es

Clarity Missing Content Structure Conciseness

6

8

45

10

12

0

2

4

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Help User Interface Both

Impact Area

Num

ber

of

Issu

es

Clarity Missing Content Structure Concisenessn = 42

Page 21: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation21

Results: Example issues

Impact Area Problem Type Example of Issues

Help System

Structure Participants reported that paragraphs are more difficult to scan than tables, lists, and section headers.

Conciseness Participants reported that there was too much text overall.

User Interface Clarity Participants identified icons that were unclear.

BothStructure Participants reported that it was unclear how to

suppress messages.

Page 22: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation22

Results: Priority of issues identified

Priority Example of Issues

Low Participants reported not being aware that the help system was context sensitive.

Medium Participants had a difficult time locating other help topics that were related to a specific topic.

High Participants reported that the help topics were long and verbose.

10%

52%

38%

LowMediumHigh

10%

52%

38%

LowMediumHighn = 42

Page 23: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation23

Results: Complexity of resolutions

Complexity Level Example of Resolutions

Easy Add concise text to the help system or interface to clarify an icon, an action, or a dependency between tasks.

Moderate Simplify help topics so that they address only one concept.

Difficult Restructure the entire help system so that it doesn’t require users to know what page they are on in the interface.

47%

43%

10%

EasyModerateDifficult

47%

43%

10%

EasyModerateDifficultn = 42

Page 24: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation24

Agenda

Purpose and perceptions of help systems

Introduction to our study

Method for conducting our study

Results of our study

Benefits of conducting a usability study

Resources

Page 25: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation25

What are the benefits of conducting a usability study of a help system?

Page 26: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation26

Benefits of conducting a usability study of a help system

Improve the help system

Improve the usability of the software

Increase the accessibility of the software

Identify additional user requirements

Increase customer satisfaction

Reduce customer calls to technical support

Page 27: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation27

Ultimate benefit: Positive perceptions of help systems

Increased Utilization of Help Systems

Positive External Views

Positive Internal Views

Increased Enthusiasm in Help System Development

Page 28: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation28

Agenda

Purpose and perceptions of help systems

Introduction to our study

Method for conducting our study

Results of our study

Benefits of conducting a usability study

Resources

Page 29: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation29

Questions

Page 30: © 2012 IBM Corporation Toshiba Burns-Johnson and Cheryl D. Loughlin 2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference at Marist College Usability Study: The

© 2012 IBM Corporation30

Resources

User Centered Design at IBM– https://www.ibm.com/software/ucd/ucd.html

IBM z/OS Management Facility– Web Site

• http://www.ibm.com/systems/z/os/zos/zosmf/  – Modernizing the Mainframe article

• http://www.ibm.com/software/ucd/gallery/zosmf_systems.html– Demos

• http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/ieduasst/stgv1r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.iea.zosmf/plugin_coverpage.html