Date: 13 December 2012

To: Dr. Bruce Maylath

From: Ian Berdanier, Matthew Vaughn
Subject: Usability report on instructions for designing a low-voltage electrical system

ABSTRACT
Instructions for designing a low-voltage electrical system for an apartment or flat
underwent usability testing by various subjects. This test was to reveal where, if at all, the text
failed to guide the user to complete the task successfully. Subjects were chosen by experience
and familiarity with architectural plans. Data were collected by observation during the live
testing and also questionnaires filled out by each subject. With half of the subjects completing
the instructions and half failing, the test revealed major flaws with the instructions. A few steps
and some figures will be removed or modified as a direct cause from these tests. Minor technical
changes will be made as well to the instructions.

INTRODUCTION
The task of designing a low-voltage electrical system is not practical or applicable to just
anyone. The instructions drafted by Ian Berdanier and Joan Llobera are intended to guide those
previously familiar with architectural plans in designing an electrical system. To understand the
usefulness and efficiency of the text, we conducted usability testing on their instructions with test
subjects of varying architecture backgrounds. The test encompassed readability, succinctness,
and organization. The test was also used to judge how much previous architectural experience is
needed to complete the task. Upon finding and analyzing the results, many revisions were made
to the original text.
METHODS
To successfully test the instructions' usability, we selected four test subjects of varying
proficiency in reading and using architectural plans. The subjects ages ranged from 29 38
(three females and one male). The subjects experience ranged from no experience to advanced
experience when working with architectural related documents.
Mr. Berdanier tested three of the four subjects at his apartment, and we both tested the
final subject in the Barry Hall Library in downtown Fargo. The same protocol was used for each
subject no matter the location. First the subject was given a brief explanation of what the test was
about and what would be required of them as the test subject. The subject was then given a pre-
designed layout of a home without the electrical design (Appendix B), which they would
complete using the instructions. All test subjects used the same test plan. Next the subject was
given a copy of the instructions (Appendix A) along with the required material needed to
accomplish the task, which included a dimensioned floor plan for reference (Appendix C). The
testers then sat 10 20 feet away from the subject while the subject drafted and worked through
the instructions. The testers took notes of where and when the users required help, while also
taking notes of the overall time and difficulty during the test (Appendix D).
A questionnaire (Appendix E) was given to the test subjects upon completion. The
questions asked were to better illustrate how helpful certain parts of the instructions were, and
which parts were the most important to users. Each question was asked in a scale of 0 5, where
0 represents a not applicable element and 5 represents an essential element to the text. We
analyzed the data following the completion of all the tests. Recurring problems and those which
impeded a subject who claimed an average or greater subject knowledge in the post-testing
questionnaire were noted as the most serious. Non-recurring problems were examined for
significance based on each subjects expected ability to complete the task, and even when
completion was not expected, whether or not a reasonable solution existed.
RESULTS
Two of the four subjects tested finished the task. Subject 1, who did not finish, was
unfamiliar with architectural plans and could not understand the jargon used in the instructions.
Subject 2, who rated himself as advanced in architectural knowledge, finished the fastest with
a time of 33 minutes. Subject 3 finished the instructions at 70 minutes. The following table
further illustrates the subjects final results with the initial testing. Subject 4 was a special case;
the subject completed every step except 13 and finished at 80 minutes. Step 13 was a common
problem among test subjects, thus making her incompletion of the task debatable.

Subject Age
Level Of
Previous
Knowledge
Completed
instructions?
Time taken to
complete task
#1 37 None
No (Step 8 of
14)
42 Min. finish
step 8
#2 38 Advanced Yes 33 Min.
#3 29 Very Little Yes 70 Min.
#4 30s Average
No (Step 13 of
14)
80 Min.

Following the initial testing, the subjects were given a questionnaire to fill out regarding
their experience with the instructions. The results from the questionnaire yielded the most
informative feedback from the whole testing experience. Many subjects found some documents
more useful than others based on experience. For example, subject 2 (who was the most
proficient) rated low importance on the floor plan and glossary, while subject 1 (who was the
least proficient) rated all elements a 4 or higher. The least highly rated element of the text was
the glossary. Only subject 1 rated it above a 2 on the importance scale. Subject 3 noted that she
did not notice that there was a glossary until after the test had ended, proving that not only was
more instruction needed to direct the subject to the glossary, but also that the glossary was not
needed to complete the task.







0
1
2
3
4
5
1 2 3 4
How helpful was the
floor plan provided
How helpful
was the floor
plan provided
0
1
2
3
4
5
1 2 3 4
How Helpful Was
the Glossary
How Helpful
Was the
Glossary
0
1
2
3
4
5
1 2 3 4
How helpful was the
Symbol Legend
How helpful
was the
Symbol
Lengend
0
1
2
3
4
5
1 2 3 4
How helpful were
the illustrations
overall
How helpful
were the
illustrations
overall
0
1
2
3
4
5
1 2 3 4
How helpful were
the instructions
overall
How helpful
were the
instructions
overall
The instructions were overall rated as good, but there were a few recurring complaints
among the test subjects. Step 13 gave every subject trouble except for subject 1, who only made
it to step 8 before having to stop. Step 13 was a calculation added by Joan Llobera, who is co-
authoring the instructions from Barcelona, Spain. The calculation is not typically used in
American electrical designs due to the differences between American and Spanish electrical
service. Due to this confusion, subjects 2 and 3 either skipped or asked for help with that step,
while subject 4 could not continue. Another problem test subjects struggled with was drawing
the electrical panel in the location intended in the instructions. The electrical panel should be
drawn within the walls, yet in two instances it was drawn outside of the wall, although still in a
correct location. As noted above, the glossary was the lowest rated addition to the text by the
subjects. Subject 1 noted that the glossary was confusing to read and could be referred to at the
beginning. Subject 3 echoed that response, she did not even know there was a glossary until after
finishing the test. Both subjects 1 and 3 felt that figure 3 should be closer to the beginning of the
instructions; information useful for steps on the first page was not noticed until subjects turned to
page 2.
DISCUSSION
The results of the testing revealed a few major flaws and more minor flaws to the text.
Only a few steps will be altered drastically, if not deleted all together. Many of the revisions to
be made from the test results will be to increase readability of the addition materials (i.e., the
glossary and symbol legend). The major changes to the text will result in the power calculation
in step 13 being removed for American users. It was confusing to every subject who encountered
it and caused one to quit completely. Another major revision will be to delete figure 2 entirely,
and provide the measurements directly in the text; this will be replaced with another illustration
to provide the additional information needed for steps 1 and 2. For readability revisions, step 1
will be re-worded to better describe the panel location. Specific instructions will be given for a
socket box to be located for the refrigerator and the height requirement for the wall light box (it
will be revised to a 5 ft. minimum). Using the feedback from the questionnaire, a note will be
added on the first page guiding the user to the glossary for all words in bold-face type. Boiler
will be added to the glossary or replaced with a more suitable word. Finally an exhaust-fan
symbol will be added to the symbol legend. These revisions will help guide less-experienced
users through the instructions with greater ease and understanding.
APPENDIX A: Instructions Tested
Introduction
The purpose of these instructions is to guide you through the process of design and installation of a low-
voltage, home electrical system.
Who should use these instructions
Draftspersons, drafting students, home designers, or others with basic knowledge of construction
drawings. Fundamental drafting skills are assumed. For Computer Aided Design (CAD) system users,
knowledge of common CAD commands is assumed.
List of materials and tools needed
1. Architectural drawing paper or Computer Aided Design (CAD) system
2. A dimensioned floor plan of the home, flat, or apartment that your electrical design will derive
from
3. An undimensioned plan that is otherwise identical to the floor plan in (2) to which the electrical
design elements will be added. If you are using a CAD system, this can be done by adding a new
layer in your digital plan or making an existing electrical layer the active layer and turning off
the layer that the dimensions reside on.
4. Table or list of electrical symbols for reference or a symbol library containing electrical symbol
blocks if you are using a CAD system
5. If you are not using a CAD system, you will need the following items:
a. drafting pen or pencil
b. architects scale
c. straight-edge
d. drafting triangle
Optional Items
1. calculator
2. lettering guide

To designing your home electrical system, follow these steps.
1) Locate the Electrical Panel: With your drafting pen/pencil, draw the electrical panel symbol
(Figure 1) with in a exterior wall-space near the main entrance. (A wall section that defines a
utility room or closet space is the best location.) If using CAD, select and place the electrical
panel symbol using the object snap and tracking tools.

2) Locate the socket boxes: Use the
architects scale and a drafting
pencil to mark the horizontal
points for the socket boxes. Draw
socket boxes on the electrical plan
with your drafting pen/pencil
using the appropriate symbol
(Figure 1). If using CAD, select
and place the socket symbol block
using the object-snap and tracking
tools. Use the following guide for
the minimum socket quantities.
a. Bedrooms 3
b. Living Room 5
c. Kitchen 6 (2 minimum
above the counter)
d. Bathrooms 2 (next to
the sink at the minimum distance from the bathtub as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2
Symbol Quantity Description
Elect rical Panel
Socket Box
Swit ch Box
Ceiling Light Box
Wall Light Box
Symbol Legend
Figure 1
3) Locate the switch boxes: Use a drafting pencil to mark the horizontal points for the switch
boxes. Draw the switch boxes on the electrical plan with your drafting pen/pencil using the
appropriate symbol (Figure 1) on the latch-side of doors. If using CAD, select and place the
switch symbol block using the object-snap and tracking tools. Use the following guide for the
minimum switch quantities.
a. Bedrooms 2 (one next to the door, and one on the opposite wall to control power to the
sockets)
b. Living Room 1
c. Kitchen 1
d. Bathroom 1

4) Locate the light boxes: Use the architects scale and a drafting pen/pencil to mark the horizontal
points for the light boxes. Draw the light boxes on the electrical plan with your drafting
pen/pencil using the appropriate symbol (Figure 1). If using CAD, select and place the
appropriate light symbol blocks using the object-snap and tracking tools.

5) Connect the switch boxes to the light boxes: Using a hidden line-type, draw arcuated lines
between each switch box and the light box it will energize, similar to the example in (Figure 3).

Figure 3
6) Connect the bedroom switch box to the socket power circuit: Using a hidden line-type, draw
an arcuated line between the switch box and the nearest socket box.

7) Locate the socket boxes for high-power appliances: At a minimum, two circuits will be
dedicated to appliances. Using a drafting pen/pencil, (or if using CAD, select and place the socket
symbol block using the object-snap and tracking tools) draw socket boxes on the electrical plan
for the following appliances:
a. Oven (label as C3)
b. Washing machine, dishwasher, and electric boiler (label as C4)

8) Label your Electrical Plan: Using your straight edge and drafting pencil, draw a light line below
the drawing. Above the line, write Electrical Plan. Below the line, write the drawing scale used
(for SI 1:100 is common; for U.S. Imperial, = 10 is common).

Congratulations! You are finished drawing your Electrical Plan.


9) Draw an elevation view: Using the architects scale and drafting triangle, at an appropriate scale,
(U.S. Imperial suggest = 1 0; SI suggest 1:50) draw any portion of an interior wall that
shows the following elements.
a. socket box (0.2 m or 16 in. above the floor to the center of the box)
b. switch box (90 cm or 4 ft. above the floor to the top of the box)
c. wall light box (1 m or 5 ft. above the floor to the center of the box)
d. floor-plane

10) Add dimensions to the elevation view: Write the dimensions perpendicular to the floor-plane
and centered between the floor-plane and each socket/switch/wall light box. Draw lines from each
side of every dimension extending to the floor plane and to the box. Terminate each dimension
line at the floor plane with an arrow-head.

11) Draw a section view: Choose an appropriate scale. Using the architects scale and drafting
triangle to draw a section view of the wall through the Electrical Panel. (For SI, 1:50 is common;
for U.S. Imperial, = 1-0 is common) This view should show the following elements and
conditions:
a. interior face of the electrical panel flush with the finished wall surface.
b. floor-plane

12) Add dimensions to the section view: Write the dimensions perpendicular to the floor plane and
centered between the floor plane and the electrical panel. Draw lines from each side of the
dimension extending to the floor plane and to the electrical panel. Terminate both lines with an
arrow-head.

13) Calculate the power requirement: List in a column the power requirements of each device and
appliance. Then calculate the sum of all these. This is the total power requirement.

This sum will determine your electrical service requirement as one of the following:
Basic Electric or Low-power (5.75 kW or less)
High-power (9.2 kW or greater)
Provide this information in a note next to the electrical panel. Add a note with Circuit Data for a
heading. Under the heading write the following information:
C1 Lighting Circuit
C2 Power-point Circuit
C3 Oven
C4 Appliances
C5 - Bathroom (protected)

14) Label your drawings with the titles Electrical Elevation, and Electrical Section the same as you
did in step 8. Write the scale that you used for each drawing under its title.

Congratulations! You are finished designing your home electrical system.
Glossary of terms

arcuated: having a random curve

digital plan: a plan [drawing] produced using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software

hidden-line: a broken or dashed line

low-voltage: the voltage used in a home. (i.e. 220-230 volts in Europe, 120 volts in the U.S.)

point: a two-dimensional position in the drawing

symbol block: the contents of a CAD symbol library

APPENDIX B: Floor Plan to be filled out by subject


PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
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APPENDIX C: Floor Plan (reference for subjects use)



APPENDIX D: Observers Notes
Subject #1: Age 37, female, 42 Minutes through Step 8
-Doesnt understand the meaning of the text for placement of the electrical panel
-Needs figure 3 information on first page of instructions
-needs a note referring user to glossary for bold words and make sure all glossary words are in
bold face type

Subject #2: Age 38, male, 33 minutes to finish
-In figure 3, the 2 lines from switches to the light/exhaust fan is confusing since there is no EF
in the symbol legend
-Step 13 no information to calculate power requirements
-Electrical panel within the wall space was not understood

Subject #3: Age 29, female, 70 minutes to finish
-Refrigerator circuit needs to be addressed specifically
-Boiler needs to be defined in the glossary
-Wall light box height of 5 ft. needs to be minimum
-Step 13: same as subject #2

Subject #4: Age Not Given, female, 80 minutes to reach step 13
-Added too much detail
-Step 13 caused her to stop
-Needed labeling for the elevation and section after completing them
APPENDIX E: Questionnaire
Instructions Usability Survey
of
Designing a Low-Voltage Electrical System
Important: This is an evaluation of the instructions, not of your personal ability.

What is your level of knowledge of the subject?
None Very little Average Advanced Expert
Were you able to complete the task? Yes No

If not, how far did you get before stopping? Step: 1 2 3 4 5 6
7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
What steps were confusing and why?



How helpful was the floor plan
provided?
How helpful was the Glossary?
How helpful was the Symbol Legend?
How helpful were the illustrations
overall?
How helpful were the instructions overall?
Essential
Very
Helpful
Helpful
Not
Helpful
Not
needed
Not
Applicable
5 4 3 2 1 0
5 4 3 2 1 0
5 4 3 2 1 0
5 4 3 2 1 0
5 4 3 2 1 0

I s there anything that you would change about the order or layout of either the instructions or the illustrations?

Was there any missing or incorrect information? Please Explain.

I s there anything else that could be added or removed to improve the instructions?

Please provide any additional comments or suggestions.

APPENDIX F: Completed Floor Plans