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Usability testing |
Usability testing |
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One of the basic principles of the Fenfire user interface is continuity. |
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Continuity helps the user to perceive the interface as cognitively |
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coherent - things are related to each other, not disconnected. This |
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reduces load in the user's working memory. |
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Some of the ideas aiming to maintain continuity in the Fenfire user |
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interface (such as focus-context) have been proved to be efficient by |
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earlier researchers. Several ideas presented here are, however, genuinely |
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new and thus need to be subjected to rigor experimenting and testing. We |
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plan to test the usability of the ideas first in basic cognitive tasks |
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before implementing and testing them in a larger context. |
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The first-phase experiments include tasks varying from very simple |
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perceptual tasks (such as visual search and recognition) to more complex |
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problem-solving tasks. The experiments will be conducted with about ten |
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naïve participants per experiment. The data will include response times |
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and error rates of the participants. In addition, surveys or short |
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interviews can be used to collect the personal opinions of the |
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participants about the tested idea. |
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For example, fillets are designed to enhance perceivability of visual |
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connections between interface elements. Fillets have been tested in a |
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controlled experiment, showing that fillets do facilitate recognizing |
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certain visual structures in a collection of visual items and their |
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interconnections, compared to more common implementations. In the next |
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phase, fillets will be tested in a more realistic situation requiring the |
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user to trace visual connections between information items. |
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Textured backgrounds implement continuity by providing unique, permanent |
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visual context for interface elements to facilitate search and recognition |
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of the elements in prolonged use. Textures will be tested to show that the |
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user can implicitly memorize textures during interaction with the |
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interface elements and use this information to recognize the elements |
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faster and more accurately. We will also conduct readibility tests on |
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textures to show that a textured background of text does not necessarily |
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impair either the legibility or the readability of the text. |
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Finally, we will carry usability tests on a simulated interface, in which |
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several ideas are implemented simultaneously. The users will be observed |
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in realistic use situations. Behavioral data will be gathered in verbal |
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protocols, videotaping, and surveys. |
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- fillets more general testing |
- fillets more general testing |
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- paper distributions (color, etc.) |
- paper distributions (color, etc.) |
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- "stress-testing"? |
- "stress-testing"? |
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Structure and storage |
Structure and storage |
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''''''''''''''''''''' |
''''''''''''''''''''' |
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