Page History

User Analysis:

Our targeted users are:

• Organizers
• Participants
• Potential Participants

Task Analysis:

There are three main features to our Activism Program that will satisfy a majority of our users' needs:

• View existing events
• Create new events
• Provide a layer of security

View existing events:

• Goal: Allow the user to easily sort, filter, and view existing events
  • Subtask: Enable a Google Maps view of events
  • Subtask: Allow users to filter and sort events
  • Subtask: View event's information
    •  Precondition: Have clicked on that group's pin on the map or name on the list

Create new events:

• Goal: Enable the creation of new events
  • Subtask: Navigate to Create Event page
    • Precondition: Logged in
  • Subtask: Create an event
    • Precondition: Fill in event information (name, location, date, etc.)
    • Precondition: Required information present
    • Precondition: Must have permission to create event for listed organization
  • Subtask: Edit an existing event
    • Precondition: Must be an owner of that event.

Register for an event:

• Goal: Users can sign up for an event, giving the organizers a sense of how many people are interested.
  • Subtask: User can register to show their interest in an event
    • Precondition: User must have an account
    • Precondition: User must be logged in
    • Precondition: User cannot register for the same event multiple times
    • Precondition: Event cannot be restricted for the user
  • Subtask: Keep a counter of the number of people interested.
  • Subtask: Show the names and profiles of people who have registered for the event
    • Precondition: User must allow this information to be shown

Create a user profile:

• Goal: Give the user a public profile that other users can view
  • Subtask: Allow the user to customize information on their own page
    • Precondition: User must have an account
    • Precondition: User must be logged in
  • Subtask: User can list the events they have registered for
    • Precondition: User must specify a registration to be public for it to appear on his/her profile

Provide a layer of security:

User Personas

Single-use participants

These users will probably only use the site once; they care about the issue and want to be heard, but only if it doesn't interfere with their day-to-day activities.  Their time is valued highly, so if your interface gives them an error, asks for too much information, or requires them to scroll through a page to find what they want, they will close the tab and never look back.

[Potential] Activists

These users are passionate about the issue; they need something to do (a protest to go to, a representative to call or write to, some code to write, some posters to design, etc.), and after that, they need the next thing to do.  If you give them a place to start, a good estimate for the time commitment of each task, and the motivation to continue working at every step, these users will be very effective.  They are willing to put up with more frustration than the single-use crowd, but don't let them get discouraged.

User Characteristics

Single-use participants

Threshold for giving up:  Low

Percentage of users:  Large

Likely to become a frequent user:  No

Would create an account:  No

Activists

Threshold for giving up:  High

Percentage of users:  Small

Likely to become a frequent user:  Yes

Would create an account:  Maybe

Task Analysis:

The overall goal in our program is to allow interested activists to contact their congressman by phone. This can be broken down into three main tasks:

Look up the representatives for your area

            Goal: Create an easy, intuitive way to select congress-people relevant to your location and interests

Subtask: Allow search by location

            Precondition: Provide a zip-code or street address

Subtask: Filter representatives by categories such as level of government and hours of availability

Schedule a phone call between you and a congressperson

            Goal: Allow the user to plan a call to their representative (either now or in the future)

            Subtask: Select one of the representative's offices to contact

                        Precondition: Selected representative must have more than one office

            Subtask: Send a confirmation e-mail to the user containing a unique code they can use to modify or cancel their call

Record a voicemail to be sent to the congressperson's office

            Goal: Enable the user to leave a voicemail directly, rather than go through the phone   system

                Subtask: Select a representative to receive your voicemail

                                Precondition: That representative needs to have a compatible voice mail system

                Subtask: User records their message

                Subtask: User can review their own message

...

• Precondition: Must be a moderator for that group

...

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