This project was completed as part of a human-computer interaction evaluation methods course. The problem posed to our team was to conduct an in depth, formal usability evaluation of Indiana University's knowledge base system. In addition to standard usability evaluation methodologies, we also conducted heuristic analyses of the knowledge base system and develop a prototype that would solve the problems uncovered. Upon project completion, results were formally presented to University Information Technology Service staff. Please see our final report for more in depth details on the study.
We observed that the dense text laden pages often made it difficult for users to locate the information they most needed.
The objective of this study was to conduct a usability evaluation of the knowledge base content management and workflow system as the third iteration was being released. The knowledge base systems receives 10.5 million hits annually and houses more than 12,500 documents. We employed a variety of data collection methodologies to obtain empirical data, such as pre-test questionnaires, scenario and task-based analyses, observations, “talk aloud” protocols, and post-test interviews. From our analyses and observations, we determined a number of navigation and search efficiency problems in knowledge base.
One key recommendation we proposed was to include visual prompts to guide users as they searched for information.
From our qualitative and quantitative analyses of evaluation data we determined a global problem was the excessive amount of time required to find valuable information in the database, which contributed to users’ visible frustration as they tried to complete scenario tasks. Specific problematic areas included (i) inability to locate correct link, (ii) lack of prioritization and standardization of search results, as well as (iii) extreme difficulty in applying textual directions to visual interfaces in various windows minimized or partially obscured on their screen. One suggestion we proposed was to incorporate visual prompts to guide users through the textual instructions (featured above). A more in depth description of our testing process, evaluation, and recommendations is available in our usability report.
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