GR6 User Testing

Design & Implementation

Screenshot	Design Description	Implementation	Comments
		Static page with an image for the description and a single button to continue for simplicity
		A SQLite database was used for the backend, storing each trip along with the trip information the user inputs in it All data is stored internally on the phone The list of past trips, when selected, will lead to the packing page for that specific trip A single text field allows users to enter new trips Pressing the continue button will lead to the trip information page, where users can enter trip data, but does not save the trip in the database just yet We decided to delay saving the trip into the database until after the user had entered their trip details for safety reasons, since users could decide not to add the trip and back out of the page, leading to extraneous data entries in the database To eliminate the need for a context menu and save space for the application, an action bar at the top with buttons to navigate between the main pages of the app was implemented
		We used Android's SharedPreferences feature to keep track of the current trip name the user is accessing on the phone SharedPreferences were also used to keep track of the choices the users made in selecting/entering trip information Once all trip information is entered, and the user hits continue, the information is added into the database and a list of items is generated The trips are canned - 2 trips were programmed into the app, and one trip is randomly chosen as the user's trip The quantity of items are determined by the duration of the trip and the item itself (e.g. for a 7 day trip, the app suggests bringing 7 shirts but only 1 toothbrush) Error checking is apparent when the user tries to continue without filling in all the information - the page will not advance, and a toast will appear prompting the user to fill out all information Information is not saved when the user decides to go back, since we decided not to distinguish between users accidentally hitting go back and users intentionally going back for sake of time in developing the app.
		To represent the different categories of items, a tab layout was implemented The shelf view with the items to be pack displays items in the category of the selected tab, which is tap-able and draggable as well Tapping items to add to the bubble underneath will log that many copies of the item as packed in the database Tapping items in the bubble will do the opposite The backpack is also a listener for drag events, allowing users to pack items in bulk Each item is given an automatic weight of 1 lb, and the scale to the right of the backpack displays the weight of the items in the bag
		The application keeps track of the weight of the items in the bag, changing the image based on weight
		The edit button switches the application into 'edit mode', changing the bubble to contain items that, when tapped, will be added to the unpacked list in the database. The list of items contain all the items viewable from each category tab The trashcan is also a listener for drag events, allowing users to discard items they do not want to pack from their shelf Editable text fields allow the user to add items not visible in the current list to the shelf
		Viewing trip information, such as packing tips and weather information is visible via the question mark button in the action bar Tabs reveal static pages displaying information based on the trip chosen

Evaluation

Testing Procedures

Three users were selected for testing. All three users have been on a trip that requires planning of what to pack - and have different problems with packing that could potentially be solved by this application. Two of the users explains that they go on a similar vacation every year. Two of the users describes that they are often unsure of what to bring when they go to somewhere they have never been to before. One user describes having forgotten to bring enough socks once.

Because this app is highly focused on efficiency (being able to quickly move and checkoff items), there are shortcuts that can be better understood by learning from other sources (eg: other people, or a short introduction video). In this case, learnability was sacrificed in this area in order to simplify the application, and to conserve the limited mobile screen space. The testing procedures were as follow:

A briefing video was shown to the user that summarized the purpose of the application, and gave a few pointers to using the application. The video can be found here.
Users started the application, and were given enough time to read the introduction.
Users were given a series of index cards that contained a task (shown below), and were told to complete each one as specified. There were 11 tasks in total, each task targeting a different functionality of the application.
Users received Skittles candy as compensation for taking time out of their busy schedules to test our application.

Raw Observations

These are observations that were recorded during the testing procedures. The document can be found here(opens a google document).

Summarized Observations

These are summaries of what was observed throughout the three users that tested PackIt.

No.	User Task	Summarized Observations	Plans for Improvement
1	Create a new trip called "Alaska Vacation", by plane from June 1st - June 8th	Users generally had no problem completing this task. The particular android phone we were using did not have a clear ENTER / DONE button on the built in keyboard, and one user was unsure of how to finish typing and close the window.	None
2	Pack 2 shirts into your backpack	Two of the users intuitively dragged the items into the backpack, then realized it dragged all the shirts as opposed to just 2. One of the users attempted to drag all the items back, but was unable to do so as this function does not exist. Users that made the mistake were able to move the items back on the shelf after they had understood the difference between dragging and clicking, and easily corrected their errors	Implement ability to DRAG items to different parts of the application, and not just to the backpack (eg, to the shelf, to the bubble that described what was in the backpack). Make the distinction more clear at the beginning - perhaps some popup TIP dialog.

Child pages

GR6 - PackIt User Testing