| CPSC 481: Foundations of HCI |
This assignment is a hands-on exercise on qualitative evaluation. Its immediate purpose is to give you experience conducting a usability study. Methods used in this study include the conceptual model discovery, silent observation, think-aloud, constructive interaction, questionnaires and interviews. Because of the economy of these methods (they are easy to understand and quick to apply) you can easily use them to your future work.
In terms of this assignment, your group is to take the perspective of consultants that are working for a company that has been commissioned to evaluate a system. You can use your classmates or even your friends as test participants when applying the various methodologies. The system examined by the class changes every year.
This year's system: The Travel Cuts web site
Your group will deliver a substantial technical report written to the (imaginary) vice-president of the company (your TA) that commissioned the study. It must include your observations, the findings, the major problems detected, and some design recommendations. The appendix will briefly contrast the methods used, recommending which ones should be adapted in future study.