UX Review

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__NOTOC__
 
__NOTOC__
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{| border="1"
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{{Learning Activity Overview
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|'''Title''' || User Experience Review
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|title=
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|-
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User Experience Review: Fedora [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_environment Desktop Environment] Comparison
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|'''Overview''' || Students will interact with an existing open source software project, review the user experience, sketch mock-ups of how to make the software work and flow better, and document ideas for betterment of the software. Optionally: instructor can initiate contact with the open source project leaders to determine which parts of the software they would like feedback on. Then, the students can focus on those areas and contribute the best write-ups back to the open source project community.  
+
|overview=
−
|-
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Students will learn about user experience fundamentals and then interact with an existing open source software project to perform a Usability Review. A usability review involves observing a user (another student) while they attempt to use the software, and recording observations. The students will create a Usability Report that details their observations in a structured manner, and pulls together a larger understanding of the results.
−
|'''Prerequisite Knowledge''' || Prior to attempting this activity, students need to know  
+
|prerequisites=
−
* How to draw a mock-up of a user interace using a simple drawing tool (such as LucidChart, draw.io, etc.)
+
For non-CS Majors, Business, Information Systems students.
−
|-
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The activity and choice of software could easily be modified to handle more technically knowledged audiences.
−
|'''Learning Objectives''' || After completing this activity, students should
+
Prior to attempting this activity, students need to know  
 +
* Have used any desktop-based Operating System
 +
|objectives=
 
* Be able to describe what is meant by the term "user experience", why it is important, and specific challenges faced by open source software
 
* Be able to describe what is meant by the term "user experience", why it is important, and specific challenges faced by open source software
−
|}
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* Understand the complexity of user testing and the variety of testing that can be done with usability testing
 +
* Appreciate the fact that the desktop environment is completely separate from the operating system in Linux
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|process skills=
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
 
 +
=== Background ===
  
−
=== Background: ===
 
 
Background reading material includes:
 
Background reading material includes:
  
 
* "The future of open source is a better user experience", by Nick Yeates, http://opensource.com/life/15/3/user-experience-open-source-future  
 
* "The future of open source is a better user experience", by Nick Yeates, http://opensource.com/life/15/3/user-experience-open-source-future  
 +
* "What is User Experience Design?", by Jacob Gube, http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/10/05/what-is-user-experience-design-overview-tools-and-resources/
 +
* "Usability 101: Introduction to Usability", by Jakob Nielsen, http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-101-introduction-to-usability/
 
* Possible humanatarian open source projects are listed at this site: http://www.socialcoding4good.org/  
 
* Possible humanatarian open source projects are listed at this site: http://www.socialcoding4good.org/  
  
 
Are there other activities the student should have done first?
 
Are there other activities the student should have done first?
 +
* Might be helpful for students to conduct a FOSS Field Trip type activity, such as [[OS_Project_Comparison_Activity]], to learn more about this or other open source projects before working with it
  
 
What is the rational for this activity?
 
What is the rational for this activity?
 +
Usability is an important topic for ensuring the quality of software. With start-ups and open source organizations, unfortunately, they can overlook this inadvertantly. We are asking students to participate in user testing. Nielsen's [http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-101-introduction-to-usability/ article] describes a three step process of what this involves: identifying representative users, asking them to perform representative tasks, and finally observing their interactions without interference.
  
 
''Helpful hints for faculty:''
 
''Helpful hints for faculty:''
−
* Might be helpful for students to conduct a FOSS Field Trip type activity, such as [OS_Project_Comparison_Activity], to learn more about this or other open source projects before working with it
+
* There will be some prep work required to ensure that the software being tested is installed or otherwise available to the students. For example, one option would be to have Fedora with GNOME 3 on a USB stick for the students to use.
 
* This activity can be enhanced by having the instructor develop a relationship with members of a specific open source community. This would allow opportunities such as
 
* This activity can be enhanced by having the instructor develop a relationship with members of a specific open source community. This would allow opportunities such as
 
** Having a conference call with open source community manager to answer student questions about the project
 
** Having a conference call with open source community manager to answer student questions about the project
 
** Having a conference call with users of the open source project that describes how they use it and what issues they have with the software
 
** Having a conference call with users of the open source project that describes how they use it and what issues they have with the software
 
** Having the opportunity of suggestions getting accepted back into the community
 
** Having the opportunity of suggestions getting accepted back into the community
 +
* If your students feel that they have found a gaping hole in the usability of the software, this could be a great opportunity to provide feedback to open source community. This could be in the form of a bug. Please see TBD on how to create a bug.
  
−
=== Directions: ===
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=== Directions ===
−
What should the student do?
+
  
−
=== Deliverables: ===
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Selection of project:
−
What will the student hand in?
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Compare usability of GNOME 2 vs. GNOME 3 vs. KDE
  
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=== Assessment: ===
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In groups of 3, the students will perform a Virtual Usability Review by doing the following steps
−
How will the activity be graded?
+
* Roles: 2 Recorders (screen capture, video recording of the user, and audio feedback) and 1 Participant
−
+
** Observer: Note what the participant does AND what the outcomes were. For example, how many places did they click before getting to the correct place (wrong turns)? How long did it take to complete the task? Did they complete the task? How happy was the participant when doing the work? For example: "On task 5, user first tried to look at Desktop. Then, user tried to look at Taskbar and didn't find it there."
−
How will learning will be measured?
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* Students will complete a set of tasks without any instructions
 +
# Open a terminal
 +
# Create a text file
 +
# Make a directory or folder
 +
# Search for and launch the application "GIMP", an open-source image manipulation tool similar to PhotoShop
 +
# Launch a Web Browser
 +
# Using the Web Browser, find a picture of the Linux Penguin and save it to the computer
 +
# Insert the picture into a word processing package
  
−
Include sample assessment questions/rubrics.
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=== Deliverables ===
  
−
=== Comments: ===
+
Each group would do complete a usability report for each desktop environment that is reviewed. The table below provides a sample.
−
What should the instructor know before using this activity?
+
  
−
What are some likely difficulties that an instructor may encounter using this activity?
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{| class="wikitable"
−
 
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! Name of User
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=== Additional Information: ===
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! colspan="4" |  
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{| border="1"
+
−
|-
+
−
|'''Knowledge Area/Knowledge Unit''' || What ACM Computing Curricula 2013 https://www.acm.org/education/CS2013-final-report.pdf knowledge area and units does this activity cover?
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|-
 
|-
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|'''Topic''' || What specific topics are addressed? The Computing Curriucula 2013 provides a list of topics - https://www.acm.org/education/CS2013-final-report.pdf
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| Name of the Desktop Environment
 +
| colspan="4" |  
 
|-
 
|-
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|'''Level of Difficulty''' || Is this activity easy, medium or challenging?
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| Prior experience with this Desktop Environment:
 +
(None, Seen it before, Frequent user, Expert user)
 +
| colspan="4" |
 
|-
 
|-
−
|'''Estimated Time to Completion''' || How long should it take for the student to complete the activity?
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| Task to perform
 +
| Time to completion
 +
(max= 5 minutes)
 +
| Number of
 +
wrong turns
 +
| Level of User Satisfaction
 +
(1: frustrated,
 +
5: Very Happy)
 +
| What steps did the user take? Please list all steps, even wrong turns
 
|-
 
|-
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|'''Materials/Environment''' || What does the student need?  Internet access, IRC client, Git Hub account, LINUX machine, etc.?
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| 1. Open a terminal
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|  
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|  
 
|-
 
|-
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|'''Author''' || Who wrote this activity?
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| 2. Create a text file and add your name
 +
|  
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|  
 
|-
 
|-
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|'''Source''' || Is there another activity on which this activity is based?  If so, please provide a link to the original resource.
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| 3. Make a directory or folder
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|  
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|  
 
|-
 
|-
−
|'''License''' || Under which license is this material made available? (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/)
+
| 4. Search for and launch the application "GIMP",
 +
an open source image manipulation tool similar to PhotoShop
 +
|  
 +
|  
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 5. Launch a Web Browser
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 6. Using the Web Browser, find a picture of the Linux penguin and save it to the computer
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 7. Insert the picture into a word processing package
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 
|}
 
|}
  
  
−
=== Suggestions for the Open Source Project: ===
+
== Notes for Instructors ==
−
Suggestions for an open source community member who is working in conjunction with the instructor.
+
  
 +
=== Assessment ===
 +
* ''How will the activity be graded?''
 +
* ''How will learning will be measured?''
 +
* ''Include sample assessment questions/rubrics.''
  
−
--------------------
+
=== Comments ===
−
This work is licensed under a
+
N/A
−
[http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License]
+
 
 +
=== Suggestions for the Open Source Project ===
 +
''Suggestions for an open source community member who is working in conjunction with the instructor.''
 +
 
 +
=== Additional Information: ===
  
−
[[File:CC_license.png]]
+
{{Learning Activity Info
 +
|acm unit=
 +
|acm topic=
 +
|difficulty=
 +
medium
 +
|time=
 +
During 75 minute class period: 15 minutes for teacher to setup the experience, Group work during class: 75 minutes; Reflection after class: 30 minutes
 +
|environment=
 +
Fedora with GNOME 2, Fedora with GNOME 3, Fedora with KDE
 +
|author=
 +
Nannette Napier, Nick Yeates, Gina Likins
 +
|source=
 +
|license=
 +
{{License CC BY SA}}
 +
}}
  
−
[[Category: Learning_Activity]]
+
[[Category:Learning Activity]]
−
[[Category: LEARNING_ACTIVITY_SUBCATEGORY]]
+
[[Category:Use and Evaluate]]
 +
[[Category:CS Principles]]
 +
[[Category:Good Draft]]

Latest revision as of 12:42, 8 September 2018


Title

User Experience Review: Fedora Desktop Environment Comparison

Overview

Students will learn about user experience fundamentals and then interact with an existing open source software project to perform a Usability Review. A usability review involves observing a user (another student) while they attempt to use the software, and recording observations. The students will create a Usability Report that details their observations in a structured manner, and pulls together a larger understanding of the results.

Prerequisites

For non-CS Majors, Business, Information Systems students. The activity and choice of software could easily be modified to handle more technically knowledged audiences. Prior to attempting this activity, students need to know

  • Have used any desktop-based Operating System
Learning
Objectives 		After successfully completing this activity, the learner should be able to:
  • Be able to describe what is meant by the term "user experience", why it is important, and specific challenges faced by open source software
  • Understand the complexity of user testing and the variety of testing that can be done with usability testing
  • Appreciate the fact that the desktop environment is completely separate from the operating system in Linux
Process Skills
Practiced


Background

Background reading material includes:

Are there other activities the student should have done first?

  • Might be helpful for students to conduct a FOSS Field Trip type activity, such as OS_Project_Comparison_Activity, to learn more about this or other open source projects before working with it

What is the rational for this activity? Usability is an important topic for ensuring the quality of software. With start-ups and open source organizations, unfortunately, they can overlook this inadvertantly. We are asking students to participate in user testing. Nielsen's article describes a three step process of what this involves: identifying representative users, asking them to perform representative tasks, and finally observing their interactions without interference.

Helpful hints for faculty:

  • There will be some prep work required to ensure that the software being tested is installed or otherwise available to the students. For example, one option would be to have Fedora with GNOME 3 on a USB stick for the students to use.
  • This activity can be enhanced by having the instructor develop a relationship with members of a specific open source community. This would allow opportunities such as
    • Having a conference call with open source community manager to answer student questions about the project
    • Having a conference call with users of the open source project that describes how they use it and what issues they have with the software
    • Having the opportunity of suggestions getting accepted back into the community
  • If your students feel that they have found a gaping hole in the usability of the software, this could be a great opportunity to provide feedback to open source community. This could be in the form of a bug. Please see TBD on how to create a bug.

Directions

Selection of project: Compare usability of GNOME 2 vs. GNOME 3 vs. KDE

In groups of 3, the students will perform a Virtual Usability Review by doing the following steps

  • Roles: 2 Recorders (screen capture, video recording of the user, and audio feedback) and 1 Participant
    • Observer: Note what the participant does AND what the outcomes were. For example, how many places did they click before getting to the correct place (wrong turns)? How long did it take to complete the task? Did they complete the task? How happy was the participant when doing the work? For example: "On task 5, user first tried to look at Desktop. Then, user tried to look at Taskbar and didn't find it there."
  • Students will complete a set of tasks without any instructions
  1. Open a terminal
  2. Create a text file
  3. Make a directory or folder
  4. Search for and launch the application "GIMP", an open-source image manipulation tool similar to PhotoShop
  5. Launch a Web Browser
  6. Using the Web Browser, find a picture of the Linux Penguin and save it to the computer
  7. Insert the picture into a word processing package

Deliverables

Each group would do complete a usability report for each desktop environment that is reviewed. The table below provides a sample.

Name of User
Name of the Desktop Environment
Prior experience with this Desktop Environment:

(None, Seen it before, Frequent user, Expert user)

Task to perform Time to completion

(max= 5 minutes)

Number of

wrong turns

Level of User Satisfaction

(1: frustrated, 5: Very Happy)

What steps did the user take? Please list all steps, even wrong turns
1. Open a terminal
2. Create a text file and add your name
3. Make a directory or folder
4. Search for and launch the application "GIMP",

an open source image manipulation tool similar to PhotoShop

5. Launch a Web Browser
6. Using the Web Browser, find a picture of the Linux penguin and save it to the computer
7. Insert the picture into a word processing package


Notes for Instructors

Assessment

  • How will the activity be graded?
  • How will learning will be measured?
  • Include sample assessment questions/rubrics.

Comments

N/A

Suggestions for the Open Source Project

Suggestions for an open source community member who is working in conjunction with the instructor.

Additional Information:

ACM BoK
Area & Unit(s)
ACM BoK
Topic(s)
Difficulty

medium

Estimated Time
to Complete

During 75 minute class period: 15 minutes for teacher to setup the experience, Group work during class: 75 minutes; Reflection after class: 30 minutes

Environment /
Materials

Fedora with GNOME 2, Fedora with GNOME 3, Fedora with KDE

Author(s)

Nannette Napier, Nick Yeates, Gina Likins

Source
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

CC license.png

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