HF Task Analysis and Prototyping

What is storyboarding?

series of sketches or screenshots showing how a user might progress through a task

What is a low-fidelity prototype?

- does not look much like final product - simple, cheap, quick to produce - fast to modify

What is a high-fidelity prototype?

- looks more like finished product - uses materials and software you would use in final product - determines if prototype meets design and user requirements

What are some downsides of low fidelity prototypes?

- some things are harder to judge - could design something that isn't technologically feasible

What are downsides of high fidelity prototypes?

- takes longer to build - higher sunk costs - reviewer may comment on superficial aspects rather than content

What are some purposes prototypes serve?

- test out feasibility - clarify requirements - user testing and evaluation

What are two types of task analysis?

HTA (hierarchical task analysis) and CTA (cognitive task analysis)

HTA

breaks down task under analysis into hierarchy of goals, operations, and plans

Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA)

breaks it down to cognitive abilities required at each step - perceptual or motor abilities

What does task analysis involve?

identifying tasks, collecting task data, analyzing the data, producing a documented representation of the analyzed tasks

Prototype

limited representation of a design that allows users to interact with it and explore its suitability

horizontal prototyping

provide a wide range of functions but with little detail, breadth, etc.

vertical prototyping

providing a lot of detail with only a few functions