Chapter 12/13:

Evaluation/Decide
Framework

Question 1
It’s part of a design process!
• Every organization that
builds things has some
design process.
• Good idea to have it be
a conscious one, that
you can follow
consistently…
• And change consciously
if it’s not working!
 For ID - Why Evaluate?
• Why: to check that users can use the product and
that they like it.

• Designers need to check that they understand

users’ requirements.

• Avoid wasting money

Question 2
 What to Evaluate
• What: a conceptual model, early prototypes of a
new system and later, more complete prototypes.
 Where to Evaluate
• Where: in natural and laboratory settings.
 When to Evaluate

• When: throughout design; finished products can be

evaluated to collect information to inform new
products.
 The language of evaluation
• Analytical evaluation • Summative evaluation
• Controlled experiment • Usability laboratory
• Formative evaluation • User testing
• Heuristic evaluation
• Predictive evaluation

Start Question 3
 Evaluation approaches
• Usability testing
• Field studies
• Analytical evaluation

• Combining approaches

Start Question 4!
Characteristics of approaches
Usability Field Analytical
testing studies
Users do task natural not involved

Location controlled natural anywhere

When prototype early prototype

Data quantitative qualitative problems

Feed back measures & descriptions problems

errors

…More for Question 3

Evaluation approaches and
methods
Method Usability Field Analytical
testing studies
Observing x x
Asking x x
users
Asking x x
experts
Testing x
Modeling x

End Questions 3, 4
 Six evaluation case studies
• Evaluating early design ideas for a mobile device for rural
nurses in India.
• Evaluating cell phones for different markets.
• Evaluating affective issues: challenge and engagement in a
collaborative immersive game.
• Improving a design: the Hutch World patient support system.
• Multiple methods help ensure good usability: the Olympic
messaging system (OMS).
• Evaluating a new kind of interaction: an ambient system.
 Team Extra Credit
Book Exercise in Chapter 12 (Interaction Design Book –
See p 450 in the 3rd Ed). Due with Milestone 4.
 DECIDE: a framework to
guide evaluation
• Determine the goals.
• Explore the questions.
• Choose the evaluation approach and methods.
• Identify the practical issues.
• Decide how to deal with the ethical issues.
• Evaluate, analyze, interpret and present the data.
 Determine the goals
• What are the high-level goals of the evaluation?
• Who wants it and why?
• Some examples of goals:
 Check to ensure that the final interface is consistent.
 Investigate how technology affects working practices.
 Improve the usability of an existing product .
 Explore the questions
• All evaluations need goals & questions to guide them.
• What questions might you ask about the design of a cell phone?
 Choose the evaluation approach
& methods

• The evaluation approach influences the methods used,

and in turn, how data is collected, analyzed and
presented.

• E.g. field studies typically:

Involve observation and interviews.
Do not involve controlled tests in a laboratory.
Produce qualitative data.
 Identify practical issues

For example, how to:

• Select users
• Stay on budget
• Stay on schedule
• Find evaluators
• Select equipment

Question 5
 Decide about ethical issues
• Develop an informed consent form (see example on
pp 465-7 of the ID book!)

 Do one for class on Friday!

• Participants have a right to:

- Know the goals of the study;
- Know what will happen to the findings;
- Privacy of personal information;
- Leave when they wish;
- Be treated politely.

Question 6
Evaluate, interpret & present
data
• The approach and methods used influence how data is
evaluated, interpreted and presented.
• The following need to be considered:
- Reliability: can the study be replicated?
- Validity: is it measuring what you expected?
- Biases: is the process creating biases?
- Scope: can the findings be generalized?
- Ecological validity: is the environment influencing the findings?
- i.e. Hawthorne effect.

Question 7