Presentation outlining recommendations from a usability study conducted for the Writing Studio (http://writing.colostate.edu). By Andrea L. Beaudin, Jeremy F. Huston, and Michael R. Trice
11. Tasks Task Purpose 1 Create user account Establish user in system Determine usability of account creation process 2 Create profile with image Introduce user to My Page interface Measure navigation and functionality 3 Create blog Navigation Evaluate comparative cognitive load 4 Create blog entry Navigation Measure memorability and learnability Evaluate comparative cognitive load 5 Check/Change Password (repetitive task) Navigation Measure memorability and learnability Evaluate comparative cognitive load 6 Create ePortfolio (repetitive task) Navigation Measure memorability and learnability
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15. Design 4 links 10 drop down menus 5 graphic icons 9 graphic icons 8 tabs 2 links 2 buttons search box icon link 2 breadcrumbs
Live Video Track Performance Task Surveys Record User Reflection Eye-tracking Trace Focus Input Tracking Calculate Steps Taken Error Tracking Calculate Task Difficulty User Comments Track Impromptu Thoughts Retrospective Recall Gather Overall Reflections
Participants were 4 male 1 female first-year comp students at Tech between 17-21. No experience with WS, but experience with Blackboard. They self-reported their comfort with Blackboard between 3 and 4 on a scale of 1 (not confident) to 5 (highly confident). They write online at least weekly; all use facebook and email.
46 navigation elements on page Graphic icons, tabs, drop down menus, buttons, text links, search box, breadcrumbs