Improving Android’s HTC User Manual

Why do we care?

• New Operating System

• Efficient informational sources are important for future phones

• Poorly made user manuals are wasted money

• Making it easy to be an expert can increase revenue

Defining The User• 66% say they do not use the manual to learn new functions• 76% say they look online or ask a friend. • 14% say they are self learners

• 66% say they do not know how to harness their phone’s full potential

• 61% believe user manuals are important

• 81% say they prefer pictorial instructions whenever possible• Literature shows that the wrong words can be problematic

N = 21

Task Analysis• Evaluated three tasks: • Displaying the phone’s phone number • Turning off the phone’s location• Updating the phones Firmware

• Methods:• Observation

Display phone number

1.0 Open Apps

2.0 Open

Mobile Guide

3.0 Find

“display phone

number”

3.0A Use

query

3.0BRead

Manual

3.1BDevice Basic

3.2BDisplay Number

4.0Encode

Directions

4.1Home >

settings> about phone > phone

identity

5.0Execute

directions

Mean Bedford = 3.8

Turning off Location

1.0 Open Apps

2.0 Open

Mobile Guide

3.0 Find

“Location Settings”

3.0A Use

query

3.0BRead

Manual

3.1BTap

“settings”

3.2BTap

“location settings”

4.0Encode

Directions

4.1Home >

settings> location > read disclaimer > tap

off/on > tap back

5.0Execute

directions

Mean Bedford = 5

Updating Firmware

1.0 Open Apps

2.0 Open

Mobile Guide

3.0 Find

“firmware updates”

3.0A Use

query

3.0BRead

Manual

3.1BTap

“Device Basics”

4.0Encode

Directions

4.1Home > menu >

settings> system updates

> firmware updates

5.0Execute

directions

Mean Bedford = 3

Results • Mean SUS score = 61.5

• Grand mean of Bedford score = 3.9

Task 3 Task 2 Task 10

5

10

15

20

25

Errors by Task

Task Type

Num

ber o

f Err

ors

Requirements for Prototype• Shall have the same button layout as the HTC EVO by Sprint

• Shall have the same navigation as the HTC EVO by Sprint

• Shall use the same directions for executing the tasks as the HTC EVO by Sprint

• Should have a consistent color scheme as the HTC EVO by Sprint

Prototype

Results• Average SUS Score = 90

• Grand average of Bedford Score = 2.1

Task 1 Task 2 Task 30

5

10

15

20

25

Errors by Task

OriginalPrototype

Task Type

Num

ber o

f Err

ors

Discussion• The prototype yielded an increased SUS score of 28.5 points

• The prototype yielded a lower Bedford score of 1.8 points

• The prototype reduced 53 errors

Limitations

• Usability testing did not take place on an Android phone• This may have biased error rates.