Interaction Design PDF

INTERACTION DESIGN What is design? Discipline that deals with the design of physical, digital or conceptual objects by drafting a plan that combines functionality and aesthetic. The rule of design is to respond to need, solve problem, propose solutions or explore new possibilities to improve the qua...

INTERACTION DESIGN What is design? Discipline that deals with the design of physical, digital or conceptual objects by drafting a plan that combines functionality and aesthetic. The rule of design is to respond to need, solve problem, propose solutions or explore new possibilities to improve the quality of life of human beings. Important design is the conscious and intuitive effort to impose a meaningful order through human-oriented design activities. understanding users’ desire, needs, context and motivations understating business, technical and domain opportunities, requirements and constraints using this knowledge as a foundation plans to create product whose form, content and behavior is useful, usable and desirable (as well as economically viable and technically feasible) Kinds of design industrial product design = creating functional and aesthetically products considering usability and materials interior design = designing the layout, decor and funcionlality of interior spaces communication design = combines visual elements to convey messages effectively fashion design = creating clothes, accessroies and footwear, balancing form, style and funcionality Interaction design —> covers design activities in all the application fields of digital and physical technologies. (Is interaction designer that makes things usable, useful and fun) Interaction is a transaction between two entities, typically an exchange information 1930-1940 interaction design born, Samuel Morse developed Morse code and the telegraph operational system, enabling communication over long distance —> first communication tecnloghy 1940-1950 first computer created and need to adapt to the new machines 1960 creation of first virtual system and the development of email 1970 icons, cut-and-paste function 1980 graphical user interface, portable computers 1990 word wild web, mobile phones 2000 devices interacting over networks, new technologies like gestural interface, voice interaction and touchscreen Three schools of thought of IxD 1. technology centered view = make digital technology useful, usable and pleasurable to use. Mold the stuff produced by engineers and programmers into products that people enjoy using. 2. behaviorist view = it focuses on functionality and feedback, how products behave and provide feedback based on what the people engaged with them are doing. 3. social interaction design view = facilitating communication between humans thought product (technology irrelevant in this view), any kind of object or device can make a connection between people. What characterized an interaction designer 1. Focusing on users = they care about doing their task and achieving their goals within their limits, they’re like advocates for end user 2. Finding alternative = it’s not about choosing among multiple options but creating another option 3. Using ideation and prototyping = they find solutions through brainstorming and building models to test the solutions 4. Collaborating and addressing constraints = designing is almost always a team effort 5. Creating appropriate solutions = try to find a solution that could be the ultimate solution 6. Drawing on a wide range of influences = designer bring multidisciplinary spectrum of ideas 7. Incorporating emotion = emotion need to be thoughtfully included in design decisions THE DESIGN APPROACH Differences between design, engineering and arts Design = solving problems with a user-centered approach (both aesthetic and functional), understanding human behavior and the context in which design will be used. Engineering = more technical and focuses on the practical and functional aspect of creating solutions, they rely on scientific principles, mathematics and technology to ensure that design can be built are safe and perform correctly. Art = is a self-expression and the communications of ideas, emotions or concepts (is subjective and introspective) How design create innovation The former is the domain of radical innovation pushed by the technology and the latter of incremental innovation pulled by the market (they don’t move things they just make them better). The design driven innovation makes radical changes, the innovation is in term of meaning, no matter if it is incremental or radicals in term of technology. Designers innovate the language, the meaning, that can change the rules of the game. (The technology doesn’t change but just the meaning of the product) We should shift attention from the development of new technologies to the conscious design of resulting experiences. Meaning is not in the product but in the interpretation that we make of it. We can’t control the meaning that a user will think. Approaches to interaction design There are four approaches to interaction design: 1. User-centered design (UCD) Design should try to fit products to people (industrial design and ergonomics) User knows best —> the people who will be using a product service know what their needs User comes first —> find the need and solve them with user Users’ goals are crucial —> designer focuses on what the user ultimately wants to accomplish ex: Bluetooth sport earphones and dental equipment 2. Activity-centered design (ACD) The activity and tools are completing it at the core of design process, we don’t focus on user but on activity and tools. That works good on car and appliances where the focus is on supporting specific task. focus on activities cluster of actions and decision that are done for a purpose activities can be brief and simple or time consuming and involved ex: dj mixer (every bottom do what’s it need to do) and slice toaster (it just focused on one actions) 3. System design (SD) Is a very analytical way of approaching design problems, focusing on whatever is there not only the functionality. emphasizes the context include the people, devices, machines the system includes a goal, sensor, comparator and actuator ex: bike sharing system and Amazon locker system 4. Genius design (GD) Designers don’t have the resources or the inclination to involve user in design process, uses their personal knowledge to determine users’ wants, needed and expectations. It’s the opposite of all the other design approaches. relies on the wisdom and experience of the designer use their best intention as to what user want user involvement come at the end of the process when user test what the designer have made and it works how they had predicted ex: Juicy Salif and tamagotchi IXD PRINCIPLES Affordance Is the relationship between the properties of an object and capabilities of the agent that determine just how the object could possibly b the perceived and actual properties of the things, fundamentals that determine just how the thing could be used, when things need labels, picture or rules the designer have wrong. Signifires Are inidcators, or signal, that convey appropriare behaviour to user, they communicate where the action should take place. Interaction is understood as the way people use a product and it has to be separate from the function of the product. We could think about a scissor, the holes are affordances (they allow fingers to be inserted) and the sizes of the holes provaid signiires. Conceptual model Are abstract, psychological representation of how task should be carried out. Is the model of an application that the designers want user to understand to interact with the object. Principles of design for understanability and usability provide a good conceptual model → Is part of a mental model, already in you head, already know how to do some things make things visible → the more visible an element is, the likely users will know about them and how to use them. Some times crucial parts are carefully hidden away (like handles on cabinets). Principles of mapping Mapping is a technical term meaning the relationship between two things, in particular between controls and their effects/ result they produce. We could have natural mapping by which I mean taking advantage of pysical analogies and cultural standars, leads to immediate understanding. → if we want to turn the car to the right we have to turn the wheel to the right. Principles of constraints Refers to determine ways of restricting the kind of user interaction that can take place at a given moment. They make it clear what can be done. → it we click an arrow we expected that it makes something in that verse Principles of consistency Refers to maintaining uniformity and predictability across a system or interface. Have similar operations and use similiar elements for achieving similar task. → if I move the mouse I expeted that also the curos will move Principles of feedback Is the acknowledgment of an action that accompanies every action of a person who engages with the product or service. The designer has to determine how quickly the products or service will respond and in what manner. Feedback responsiveness, immediate (respond in 0.1 or less second, there is no perceived interruption) stammer (from 0.1 to 1 the user will notice delay and will make the product feel sluggish) interruption (after 1 second of no respond, multiple of it can lead to a disruption) disruption (a delay of more 10 second) Feedforwards Knowing what will happen before you perform an action, can be a straightforward message or simple cues. We have the confidence to perform an action because we have an idea of what will happen next. IXD Principles & Guidelines Why and how do we interact with “things”? Goals Goals are not the same as task and activities because it is an expectation of an end condition where task and activities are intermediate step that help someone to reach a goal or set of goals. —> goal motivate people to performe activities Goal are important in design because they allows you to understand the expectations and aspiration of your users. Since goals are driven by human motivations they change very slowly over time. They are shaped by personal values, long-term vision and aspirations. Example: the goals of ravelling quickly have remained the same from 1950 to today but during all this years the methods of achieving this goal have changed drastically. Task Task refer to the specific actions individuals take to accomplish their goals, they are highly context-dependent and can very based on the tools and technologies available. Activities Activities are the immediate actions user engage in to accomplish, they are influenced by the tools and interfaces avaible at a given moment. 7 stage of action To get something done we have to start with some notion of what is wanted to be achieved, then we have to do something with the world and finally we check if our goal was made. The action has two major aspects: 1. Doing something = execution 2. Checking something = evaluation To lead to the action, goals must be transformed into specific statement of what is to be done (intentions). The seven stage of the action are: 1. Forming the goal 2. Forming the intention 3. Specifyng an action EXECUTION 4. Executing the action 5. Perceiving the state of the world EVALUATION 6. Interpreting the state of the world 7. Evaluating outcome Gulf of execution and evaluation The problem happened when we do something and the system doesn’t respond, each gulf reflects one aspect of the distance between the mental representations of the person and the physical components and states of the environment. Gulf of execution —> is the difference between the intentions and the allowable actions, we can measure it how well a people interact with it without effort. Gulf of evaluation —> it reflects the amount of effort that a person must exert to interpret the physical state of the system and to determine how well the expectations and intentions have been met. Errors Slips = from an appropriate goal but mess up in performance (solvable). We can detected slips only if there are feedback. mistakes = from the wrong goal, they are errors of intention and understanding (they are also solvable but it’s more difficult). They result from the choice of inappropriate goals, often happened because people tend to rely upon rembered experiences rather than on more sistematicamente analysis. Dealing with error: Understand the causes of error and design to minimize those causes Make it possible to reverse actions Make it easier to discover the errors that occur, and make them easier to correct Change the attitude towards errors Designer need to provide aids to their objects’ user, the seven stages structure can be a valuable aid for it provides a basic checklist of question to ask ensure that the two gulfs are bridged The role of constraint We have different kind of constraint: physical constraint = is that they rely upon properties semantic constraint = rely upon our knowledge of the situation and of the world (control the set of the possible actions) cultural constraint = rely upon accepted cultural conventions logical constraint = relay to the concept of mapping Knowledge is all around: 1. information is on the world, behaviour is determine combining the information in memory with that in the world 2. Extreme precision is not required, perfect behaviour will result if the knowledge describes the information sufficiently 3. Natural constraint, properties of the objects constraint possible operations (physical feature limit the action of a product) 4. Cultural constraint, artificial conventions that govern acceptable social behaviour Behaviour is determined by the combination of internal knowledge and external information and constraint, they can minimise the amount of material they must learn. Machine systems model Implementation model It represents the mechanism through which a machine has for accomplishing its purpose. We call it implemention model because it describe the details of they way a program is implemented in code. Example: a motion picture projector uses a complicated sequence of intricately moving parts to create illusion. Mental model Is the term for a user’s internal understanding of how a system or object works, which may or may not reflect how the thing actually does work. Mental model are usually constructed by users from the cues provided by the designer in the form of affordances, feedback and feed forward. Designer can manipulate the user’s mental model like hiding or exposing the product inner workings. They are representations of the world that help us understand complex concepts and make better decisions. We don’t need to know all the details just the necessary one. Example: people know how a car drive but they actually don’t know how the engine work. Representation model Is not necessarily an accurate description of what is really going on inside the computer. Is the ability to represent the computer functioning independent of its true actions. The closer the represented model comes to the user’s mental model, the easier he will find the program to use and understand. Example: smart speaker all the things that happened in here are very difficult and takes a lot to programming it but at our face it’s look easy and good. It’s much easier to design software that reflects its implementation models. It provides coherent mechanism for a user to achieve his goal. Jacob’s law Users spend most of their time on familiar products, so they prefer that the new product work as the one before. User will transfer expectations they have built around one familiar product to another that appears similar Leveraging existing mental models we can create superior user experiences When making changes, minimize discord by empowering user to continue use a familiar version During the time designer have trained the people to find something in specific place and there are certain good reasons to have this standards. Example: the button for take a photo on a camera is on the right side (there is no reason to switch to the left), Tesla car handler change the expectations of the users. Frameworks How can we transform implementation models to the users models? With frameworks, that help people to understand how things work. Is a structure that defines the product and integrates the content and functionality into a unfixed whole. There are 3 main kind of it: 1. Methapors —> can be a way for users to understand abstract concept (like folders, trashing file and online shopping cart) 2. Structure —> the structure of a product can be considered the overarching layout defining content and functionalities (same product typology but different hardware means different structure) 3. Postures User experience The definition of UX is: A person’s perceptions and responses that result from the use or anticipated use of a product, system or service. Is something that happened for one reason and we have to set all the conditions of a product. If we focus on the word ‘experience’ we can observe that there are three kinds of experience: 1. Experience = is a constant stream of self-talk that happened when we interact whit products or system, are the things that we do without focusing 2. An experience = has a beginning and end, inspires behavioural and emotional change, is something that we will remember 3. Co-experience = refers to creating meaning and emotion together through product use, is sharing an experience Typologies of interactions We can identify three typologies of interactions: Fluent = automatic and skilled interaction with products, we don’t have to thinking because we already know how to do Cognitive interaction = focus on the product at hand, requires mental effort and mental load while doing it Expressive interaction = help the user form a relationship with a product / space, has a result in term of emotion Experience as a perspective The experiental perspective on UX emphasizes two aspects pf technology yse: 1. situatedness = embeddedness in a culture experiences are influenced by people's culture, for example greeting on the street is a different experience in every country 2. temporary = embeddedness in a time experiences are infulenced by the time in which they occur, things change from morning to night and from winter to summer This lead to the complexity of the experience, people experience the same "things" differently. UX is about technology that focus more than just instrumental needs in a way that acknowledges its use as a subjective, situated, complex and dynamic econunter. The approach When designing for the experience, the designer should ask himself the what, the how and the why of the interaction: why → motivation to use a product and their needs what → the things people can do through an interactive system how → how do you perform an interaction, acting through an object on an operetiinal sensory-motor level Experience design begins by understanding why an activity matters. It aims to clarify what people need, how they feel, and what makes the experience meaningful. "Making UX design" UX designer is concerned with the entire process of acquiring and integrating a product, including aspects of branding, design, usability and function. The story begins before the device is even in user's hands. UI = refers to the interactivity, look and feel of a prduct web page UX = covers a user's overall experience with the producr or system Usability = refers to the ease of access and use of a prdocut or a system The term user expereice is associated with a wide variety of meanings, is a consequence of a user's inteinternal state, the characteristics of the designed system and the context within which the interaction occurs. User-centered A UX designer's typical tasks vary but often include research, creating personans, designing wireframes, ecc. They have the role of keep the needs of the user at the center of all design and development efforts. honeycomb model of UX 1. useful = bring value to the user or address a 5. credible = a consistent, reliable product that specific user problem meets expectations without misleading user 2. desirable = design that captivate and engage user essential 3. findable = content amd features are easily located 6. valuable = it solves problems and provides some 4. accesible = everyone, regardless of physical or form of return on investiment cognitive ability, can easily navigate or consume 7. usable = a prdouct doesn't has to causes the content frustration for user Usability When we think about usability is important to think about utility too: usability → is concerned with making functions easy and plepleasant to use (is about the how) utility → is about providing functions that users need in their first place (is about the way) Only when usability is combined with utility do products become useful to their users. All your effort towards building the most user-friendly feature could go waste if that feafeature isn't needed. Usability is the measure of how easy something is to use and how well a user can use it to achieve a goal based on effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction. Effectiveness = the product works exactly as it should. Efficiency = how quickly users can reach their goals. Satisfaction = the user has a great relationship with the product The five E Usability depends on how well its characteristic fits users’ needs and context, and it should inclueds these elements: 1. Effectiveness = it support users in completing actions accurately 2. Efficiency = user can perform task quickly through the easiest process 3. Engagement = user finds it pleasant to use and appropriate for its industry or topic 4. Error tolerance = support a range of users’s errors and how easily they can recover from them 5. Ease of learning = accomplish goals easily and even more easily in future visit Five attributes Usability is not a singular concept, but it is made out of five key attributes: 1. Learnability = the system should be easy to learn (how quickly users can grasp how to use a system or product) 2. Efficiency = the system should allow users to be highly productive (how productive user become once they have learned how to use the system) 3. Memorability = easily recall how to use the system after a break. 4. Errors = the system should minimize errors and allow for easy recovery 5. Satisfaction = system enjoyable and pleasant to use. Bad usability Bad usability lead to frustration, it will occuor when an outcome is incorrect regardless of whether it is their own error or the faul of something else. Novice user of software prefer a set of simple actions, but as their experience increases so does their desire for more extensive functionality and rapid performance. Frustation can be caused by inherent qualities of the system being used: complexity delay poorly crafted interfaces Evaluating and testing User research Entails a systematic investigation into the behaviours, preferences, needs and motivations of users as they engage with product, services or system. The primary objective of user research is to enhance the usability, accessibility and overall satisfaction of products or services by pinpointing areas for improvement and identifying pain points —> is a crucial guide for design decisions There are two different approaches to user reasearch 1. Attitudinal = we listen to what the user say. Center on gathering self-reported thoughts, beliefs and user needs, focusing on what users express rather than their actions 2. Behavioural = we observe what user do. Observe user interaction with a product firsthand, offering valuable data on user behaviour. This approaches illuminates how user interact with and navigate a product, uncovering patterns and obstacles that may not surface through direct inquiry alone. Combining the two approaches obtain a comprehensive understanding of user behavioural. Discipline motivation The design process must be built around and involve user, we need to investigate users to evaluate any design proposal or solution —> we refer to user-centeredness We can investigate on: S We aren’t the user so we can’t imagine what they want. As designer we have: egocentric bias (relaying too much on one’s own prospective) confirmation bias (focusing on information confirming one’s preconceptions) false priors ( initial beliefs or knowledge influencing evaluation/understanding) We also have to considered that the user aren’t designer so we don’t have to aske them what they want, we have to understand their needs. User research stories Airbnb “The decision to design the tool was informed by an intriguing host behaviour. We noticed that about 1.5 million photo messages were being sent from host to guest each week - the majority of them to explain location and entry details. Photos of the home were juxtaposed with maps, lockbox locations were described, and landmarks were called out.” —> the team observed user behaviour and decided to improve the interaction between hosts and guest. The outcome was an integrated check-in tool allowing hosts to create visual guides for guests, including photos and instructions translated into the guests' preferred language. Than they continued to monitor how hosts utilized it, identifying issue and design opportunities. —> they add how to use all the stuff in the check-in. they used an user centered approach the problem was in the enormous amount of images that cost to Airbnb a lot Google for education In 2020 Covid provides many teachers to utilise google meet for hosting visual classrooms. It was initially designed for business and a result the product feel short of meeting the expectations and requirements of the education community. —> there was a lot of things that need to be improved They invested effort in directly learning from them, they incorporated new functionality that the teacher were asking to. they use attitudinal approach User research Evaluating is the systematic process of assessing a design solution’s effectiveness, usability, overall performance and many more against defined criteria or goals. This process included collecting feedback to ensure that the design meets its intended purpose. We have two kind of evaluation: 1. Qualitative = focuses on what and the why, is aimed at obtaining “insight” have a felxiple study condistions, they can be adapted if the researchers needs it (User interview, focus groups, expert reviews, digital ethnography) 1. Quantitative = focuses on how much and how many, is abided at obtaining “numbers” meaning statically significant result. Determine the scale of a problem, compare and understand where follow-up research is needed. (Survey with closed-ended questions, UX questionnaires and eye-tracking studies) Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations are important in user-centered design because they complement each other, we can choose one of theme depending on: objectives paste of the iterative design process recipients of the information financial possibilities Testing in design Testing refers to the set of activities needed to evaluate and validate a design idea or solution. Testing improves design by aligning with human behaviour and expectations. formal testing = there are technical equipment, is more expensive and different professional people attend informal testing = is cheaper, doesn’t involve a lab equipment and it follow a simple protocol We can have two type of testing: summative —> is done when the artefact is designed for comparison or to detect satisticakky formative —> is part of the iterative design process and is implemented to check users’ responses and to identify and solve problems early and cheaply Testing involves the prototyping Prototype = is a preliminary model of something and communicates the idea to others or us tested with user. In design prototype is a mindset because it help to get the best result possible. We need it because: envision provoke explore communicate comprehend develop The fidelity of a prototype can be divided in 3 levels depend on how close they are to the final product: 1. Low fidelity = just test core concept and understand basic problems 2. Mid fidelity = good balance of coste and time 3. High fidelity = visually designed and have the final dimension of physical material Qualitative methods Interviews Interviews are back-and-forth conversations between a researcher and partecipante to gather in-depth information on specific topics. We have 3 kinds of interviews: 1. Structured = the interviewer asks the same questions in the same order for all the participant 2. Semi-structured = the interviewer has a set of guiding question but allows for spontaneous follow-ups or sequence changes 3. Unstructured = there are no predefined questions or format Observation = are a method in which researcher systematically watch and record behaviour Among the qualitative methods more focused on IxD we find: expert reviews they revolved around Usability testing the concept of task Task analysis Task Are realistic activities that the participant might perform in real life, they can be specific or general depending on the type of usability testing. Task wording is very important since even a small error can cause misunderstanding and affecting the participant. Expert reviews Is a person who is knowledgeable about usability and UX best practices, has experience in conducting usability research and was not involved in creating the design. Is an inspection performed by a UX expert: 1. It aims at assessing usability and UX 2. It can be done at all stages of the design process 3. It consist of a methodical approach An expert reviews involve less time and cost, can identifying problems that might not emerge in user testing and is very useful to plan testing with real user. The weakness of them is that they depend on personal experience and expertise, and maybe some problem can not be detected since that he is not the real user. We can have two kind of expert reviewers on usability: 1. Heuristic evaluation = assesses a product’s compliance with usability guidelines, identifying and prioritizing areas for improvement. 2. Cognitive walkthrough = analyzes user tasks and interactions with a product, identifying user roles and potential usability obstacles. 1. Heuristic evaluation Is a process where experts use rules of thumb to measure the usability of user interfaces in indipendent walkthroughs and report issues. The key features are: they are guidelines, not laws they don’t replace user testing allow early identification of problem developed strong UX instincts Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristic 1. Visibility of system status Designs should keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate, timely feedback. 2. Match between system and the real world The design should speak the users' language. Use words, phrases, and concepts familiar to the user, rather than internal jargon. 3. User control and freedom Users often perform actions by mistake. They need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted action. 4. Consistency and standards Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions. 5. Error prevention Good error messages are important, but the best designs carefully prevent problems from occurring in the first place. 6. Recognition rather than recall Minimize the user's memory load by making elements, actions, and options visible. Avoid making users remember information. 7. Flexibility and efficiency of use Shortcuts — hidden from novice users — may speed up the interaction for the expert user. 8. Aesthetic and minimalist design Interfaces should not contain information which is irrelevant. Every extra unit of information in an interface competes with the relevant units of information. 9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no error codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution. 10. Help and documentation It’s best if the design doesn’t need any additional explanation. However, it may be necessary to provide documentation to help users complete their tasks. Conducting heuristic evaluation definition of the set of heuristic Preparation of report format for evaluation Setting a precise scope Identification of evaluators Explaining them Familiarisation with the interface Evaluation of pros and cons Debriefing session to consolidate and synthesize the issues Reporting of the results Severity rating The severity rating depends on three main factors: 1. Impact = will be easy or difficult to overcome it 2. Frequency = is it common or rare 3. Persistence = it is a one time issue or it happens repeatedly And may be expressed through numbers: 0 = I don't agree that this is a usability problem at all 1 = Cosmetic problem only: to be fixed if there is extra time available 2 = Minor usability problem: fixing this should be given low priority 3 = Major usability problem: important to fix, so should be given high priority 4 = Usability catastrophe: imperative to fix this before product can be released Cognitive walkthrough Is a tasks-based usability-inspection method, is not one person but is a cross functional team of reviewers walking through each step of a task flow. the out themselves in the shoes of a new user They follow a step by step process with predefined questions They aim to assess learn ability Four question must be answered while the evaluation of a task: 1. Will the user try and achieve the right outcome? 2. Will the user notice that the correct action is available to them? 3. Will the user associate the correct action with the outcome they expect to achieve? 4. If the correct action is performed, will the user see that progress is being made towards their intended outcome? 2. Usability testing It involve exploring how well (or not) your target audience is able to accomplish the things you want them to be able to do (the task). It is structured by three steps: 1. identifying problems in the design of the product or service 2. uncovering opportunities to improve 3. learning about the target user’s behaviour and preferences There are 3 core figures that are: facilitator = guides the participant through the test process, they work to ensure that the test results are in high-quality without influencing the participant’s behavior. tasks = are realistic activities that the participant might perform in real life, they can be specific or general depending on the type of usability testing. Task wording is very important since even a small error can cause misunderstanding and affecting the participant. participant = is a real user of the product or service, it may be either a new user or someone who has already used it. They are asked to think out loud so the facilitator can understand their actions and thoughts. Before the usability test: Identify the object of analysis Define the user scenario and the tasks to evaluate Identify the participants (usually 5 realistic users) Decide the location (lab /field /remote) Prepare tools and templates for “recording” the test experience (annotation tools, camera, etc.) Prepare the consent to the recording/ use of data that participants need to sign Decide the roles within the team (moderator, note taker, cameraman) Setting the usability test Set the participant in a comfortable condition Explain what she/he is going to do Ask for a signed consent form Collect pre-testing data (usually demographic info) Let the participant familiarise with the system – ask to think aloud reporting intentions and impressions. During the usability test Introduce the (first) scenario to the participant and explain the task she/he will have to perform. Don’t explain the steps! Ask to think aloud during the entire session. If the participant needs to remember to do it, make reminders. Record the session and annotate what the participant does When the task is completed we need to analyse the effectiveness, the efficiency and the satisfaction.