User Centered DesignFor the Expeditionary Warfare Decision Support

System (EDSS)

UCD Workshop

David Jones

APL-University of WashingtonJuly 30, 2002

UCD ideas from IBMUCD ideas from IBM

Do they apply to Navy problems?

What is UCD?

"An approach to designing ease of use into the total user experience with products and systems. It involves two fundamental elements - multidisciplinary teamwork and a set of specialized methods of acquiring user input and converting it into design."

Vredenburg, K., Isensee, S., and Righi, C. (2001). User-Centered Design: An Integrated Approach (Software quality institute series). Prentice Hall

Transformation

Traditional Approach UCD Approach

Produce

Technology drivenComponent focusLimited multidiscipline cooperationFocus on internals architectureNo specialization in user experienceSome competitive focusDevelopment prior to user validationProduct defect view of qualityLimited focus on user measurementFocus on current customers

User drivenSolutions focusMultidisciplinary team workFocus on externals designSpecialization in user experienceFocus on competitionDevelop only user validated designsUser view of qualityPrime focus on user measurementFocus on current and future customers

vs.

Ease of Use

throughthrough

PrinciplesPrinciples

ProcessesProcesses

andand

Tools Tools

Total User ExperienceTotal User Experience

Total User Experience

Everything the user sees, hears, and touches

Find

OrderGet

Unpack

Install

Use

Help

Support

Upgrade

UCD Principles

1. Set Business GoalsDetermining the market, users, and competition to target is central

2. Understand UsersAn understanding of the users is the driving force behind all design.

3. Design the Total User ExperienceEverything a user sees and touches is designed together by a multidisciplinary team

4. Evaluate DesignsUser feedback is gathered often and drives product design and development.

5. Assess CompetitivenessCompetitive design requires a relentless focus on the competition and its customers.

6. Manage for UsersUser Feedback is integral to product plans, priorities, and decision making.

UCD Process

Who do we think will use this product?[Market Definition]

What are theylooking for? [Task Analysis]

What else is out there?[Competitive Evaluation]

1

2

3

How's this for starters?[Design and Walkthrough]

4

Does this work?What would makeit better?[Design Evaluationand Validation]

5

How do we stack up?[BenchmarkAssessment]

6

What UCD Isn’tWhat UCD Isn’t

UCD isn't

Simply conducting usability studiesSimply talking to usersDesigners taking the user's perspectiveA method just for designing user interfacesA set of methods just for gathering user feedbackAnother name for usability

What UCD Is

UCD isConducting studies to

Understand usersDrive and evaluate designAssess competitiveness

Multidisciplinary Designof the total user experiencebased on input from representative users

End-to-end iterative design of solutions

UCD for DOD?

•Do military users expect ease of use?

•Is user acceptance important?

•Do DoD developers get user input prior to the design?

•Should developers/sponsors be concerned about competitiveness?

The Six UCD Principles applied to EDSS

•What are the main objectives of EDSS?•Who are the real users & what do they need to do?•Can we define the total experience for EDSS? •How can the EDSS design be evaluated?•What will compete with EDSS?•How can feedback be gathered from fleet users?

UCD for EDSS

The Six UCD Principles applied to EDSS

•What are the main objectives of EDSS?•Who are the real users & what do the need to do?•Can we define the total experience? •How can the design be evaluated?•What will compete with EDSS?•How can feedback be gathered from fleet users?

UCD for EDSS

Expeditionary Warfare Planning Process (Joint Pub 3)

•Mission Analysis•Course of Action Development•Course of Action Wargame•Course of Action Comparison and Decision•ORDERS and OPGEN Development•Transition

Planning

What is the most important aspect of mission planning EDSS wants to address?

• Increase Mission Planning productivity

• Animate Mission Plans• Export Mission Plans • Provide for Distributed Planning• Create Post Planning Products

EDSS Goals

The Six UCD Principles applied to EDSS

•What are the main objectives?•Who are the real users & what do they need to do?•Can we define the total experience? •How can the design be evaluated?•What will compete with EDSS?•How can feedback be gathered from fleet users?

UCD for EDSS

Three main user groups• Decision makers >> O5 to Flag• Planners >> Typically officers O2-O4• Supporters >> Typically enlisted E5-E6

Need to know• Education level• Tactical experience• Computer knowledge• System requirements

EDSS Users

Task Analysis

The Analysis of User Tasks should drive the design and evaluation of the HCI

•Requirements and User Performance Specifications•Functional Description•Task Description•Teaming Environment•Decision Making & Cognitive Task Analysis•Information Requirements Analysis

Task Description

Major Goal: Landing Control Plan•Sub Goal: Regulate ship movement•Sub Goal: Regulate assault craft•Sub Goal: Establish areas for supporting forces

•Sub-element: Create 4W Grid

Detailed Task Description

Task: Building 4W Grid

 

Goal Produce a 4W grid for STOM Plan

Product 4W Grid with Ships Assigned

Performance requirement

Produce grid in XX minutes Grid meets Operational requirements (e.g., Commanders intentions, schedule, etc)

Information Requirements

Ship information: Names, Types, Current disposition, Loadout Area information: Environmental (tides, winds)Landing priority tableAssault Schedule: wave numbers, timing, beaches, units, serialsGunfire support scheduleATO

cont..

Actions Review OPORD, Landing Plan, Other MessagesReview Commander’s IntentionsLayout map to be used to make gridUnderstand map scaleChoose grid typeName gridLayout gridProduce detailed grid data (position, axis, segment size)Add labels at desired positionsAdd graphical information (e.g., color)Calculate corner pointsAssign ships to grid segments 

Decisions Grid locationGrid sizeGrid geometryAxis dispositionNumber of segmentsSegment sizeLabelingShip assignment and reassignment

The Six UCD Principles applied to EDSS

•What are the main objectives?•Who are the real users & what do they need to do?•Can we define the total EDSS experience? •How can the design be evaluated?•What will compete with EDSS?•How can feedback be gathered from fleet users?

UCD for EDSS

The Total User Experience

User Experience includes:

•How software loads & updates•The interface visuals•The ease of use•The training & user instruction •The help function•The products it can produce

EDSS User Experience

EXPEDITIONARY WARFARE DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM

(EDSS)USER’S GUIDE

The Six UCD Principles applied to EDSS

•What are the main objectives?•Who are the real users & what do they need to do?•Can we define the total experience? •How can the design be evaluated?•What will compete with EDSS?•How can feedback be gathered from fleet users?

UCD for EDSS

Design Evaluation

Ideas for Fleet Evaluation

• Build an evaluation team•Developers•Users•Others

• Low Tech/High Tech Evaluation• Do Function Evaluation

•4W Grid•Boat Lanes

• Do Scenario Evaluation•From OPORD to Plan

The Six UCD Principles applied to EDSS

•What are the main objectives?•Who are the real users?•Can we define the total experience? •How can the design be evaluated?•What will compete with EDSS?•How can feedback be gathered from fleet users?

UCD for EDSS

Interface Competition•Most users have high expectations from digital technology

•Today’s users are MS Windows and MS Office savvy

•Increasing expectation of browser-like operations

Function Competition•Are there other programs out there that can do nearly the same job but are easier

to use?

What Competes w/ EDSS ?

The Six UCD Principles applied to EDSS

•What are the main objectives?•Who are the real users & what do they need to do??•Can we define the total experience? •How can the design be evaluated?•What will compete with EDSS?•How can feedback be gathered from fleet users?

UCD for EDSS

User Feedback

The Key to Usability

•Pre-testing•Fleet training•Surveys•On-line trouble reports•Customer prioritization of feature additions

The End

Questions ?