Tools and Models for Universal Usability

 

 

Instructor:

·        Fabio Paternò, ISTI-C.N.R.

 

Benefits

After following this module students should be able to:

·        Design an interactive systems paying attention to users and tasks they aim to accomplish;

·        Set up a task analysis for a specific project, and derive a task model;

·        Use task models for both design and usability evaluation;

·        Design interfaces for applications that can be accessed through various types of devices and modalities.

 

Features

·        Tools for task analysis and modelling

·        Model-based methods for design of multi-device interfaces

·        Tools and methods for remote usability evaluation

 

Abstract

The course starts with a description of the structure and objectives of the course itself and an introduction to the models that are relevant in the design of multi-platform applications and remote evaluation. We devote particular attention to task models, how to represent them and analyse their content and their combined use with informal descriptions, such as scenarios. Next, we move on to discuss how the information contained in the logical descriptions can be used to support the design of multi-platform application interfaces allowing users to access data through various types of devices, including mobile ones. Criteria for selecting the most suitable interaction and presentation techniques will be introduced. We also discuss the use of XML-based descriptions to represent the relevant modelling concepts and manipulate them.

Another issue that is considered is how to support remote evaluation, in particular by leveraging the information contained in task models. For example, we discuss Web usability analysis with tool support by considering user interaction logs and the application task model. The state of art in the area of multi-platform application design and remote evaluation is reviewed in order to provide a broad view of the issues considered, as well as the current trends and problems. We also discuss a research agenda in the field and leave some time at the end for open discussion with participants.

 

Presentation

Lectures, illustrated by examples will alternate with assignments and exercises. The emphasis of the module will be on tools, models and systematic methods to design and analyse interfaces for multi-device applications and remote usability evaluation. At the end of the module, groups of students will present their work to the rest of the students.

 

Structure

 

	Morning	Afternoon
Monday - starting at 9.30	Basic concepts, scenarios, task analysis	Exercises with scenarios and  task analysis
Tuesday	Task models, notations, metrics, platform-dependent tasks	Exercises with task models of nomadic applications
Wednesday	Task based design of user interfaces for heterogeneous platforms (mobile devices, PDAs, desktop systems, vocal interfaces…), TERESA tool	Other activities
Thursday	Automatic evaluation, Accessibility evaluation, Usability Evaluation with task models, Usability for Web sites, WebRemUSINE,	Assignments completion
Friday	Presentation of exercise results - Group discussion	Closing

 

 

Instructor(s) background

Fabio Paternò received his Laurea Degree in Computer Science from the University of Pisa (Italy) and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of York (UK). Since 1986 he has been working at C.N.R. in Pisa, currently at ISTI, where he is senior researcher and head of the laboratory on Human Interfaces in Information Systems.

 

He developed the ConcurTaskTrees notation for specifying task models and has also designed an associated environment (CTTE) to support the development and analysis of task models specified through  this notation, which has been used in various industries and universities. The tool has been implemented  mainly during the GUITARE R&D Esprit Project . He was the coordinator of the MEFISTO  Long Term Esprit European Project

(September '97-December 2000) in which a number of methods for the design and evaluation of interactive safety-critical applications were developed and applied. He is currently involved in the European ADVISES TMR that is addressing similar topics.

 

In these years he has also been working on methods and automatic support for usability evaluation. This work has produced a number of tools (the last one is WebRemUSINE ) that perform their analysis using information contained in task models and logs of user sessions automatically created.

Recently, he has also turned his attention to how to integrate usability and accessibility issues , a research area for which he has engaged a blind Ph.D. student.

 

He is the coordinator of the CAMELEON R&D IST Project, a three-year project started on October 1 2001, which aims to develop methods and tools for the design of context-dependent interactive applications. During this project he has been working on the design of the TERESA tool whose main purpose is to support designers of multi-device, multi-modal interactive applications. In this area, an ongoing collaboration with the Marble Museum has also led to the deployment of a location-aware, infrared-based, handheld guide that is available to all museum visitors.

 

His current research interests include Methods and Tools for Multimodal User Interface Design and Evaluation, User Interfaces for Mobile Devices, Migratory Interfaces, Model-Based Design of Interactive Systems, Usability Evaluation of Web Sites, and Design of User Interfaces for Safety Critical Interactive Systems. He has published over one hundred papers in refereed international conferences or journals.

 

He was the chair of the first International Workshop on Design, Specification, Verification of Interactive Systems. He is the author of the book on Model-Based Design and Evaluation of Interactive Applications. He has been member of the Programme Committee of the main international HCI conferences, including Papers Co-Chair of the ACM CHI 2000 conference , IFIP INTERACT 2003 and IFIP INTERACT 2005. He  chaired the

fourth Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices (September 2002). He is member of the IFIP Technical Committee 13 on Human Computer Interaction and Chair of ACM SIGCHI Italy

 

 

 

Requirement list for the coordinator of facilities

The instructor needs overhead and slide projector facilities, with an overhead projection screen for a PowerPoint Projection and demonstrations.

The students also need to be able to present their work, either overhead sheets or PowerPoint Projection facilities are needed for these presentations.

Students need access to PCs with CTTE and TERESA installed. These tools require java 1.4.2.

 

 

Activities planned for the module

·        lectures and group exercises

·        writing short reports on exercises

·        presentation of exercises

·        group discussion of literature and exercises