Design and Task Description:
User Interface Design 1.5
(pictures and some description go here)
Tasks:
- You're a babysitter. You are willing to babysit between 6pm and midnight most days, but you are going to a party this Friday and you have a test on Wednesday you want to spend some time studying for. Update your schedule accordingly.
- You're a babysitter for the Edwards family. You've forgotten when their daughter Katy is supposed to go to sleep. Look up this information.
- You want to hire a sitter for Friday 7-10PM. Find out if any of your babysitters are free for that timeblock and make a job posting for it.
- You want to hire a stieer for Friday March 22, 7-10PM. Your preference order for Sitters is Dana>Bob>Emily>Alice>Charlie. Find out if a sitter you like is free for that timeblock.
User Interface Design 1.0
In the original design we had four tabs at the top: Profile, Jobs, Schedule, and Contacts. These swapped between screens. The names were confusing and not sufficiently self-descriptive. After an initial user test, we made the change to design 1.5.The only changes were the removal of the tabs, adding a button in the upper right to allow schedule/profile editing, and having clicking on families or babysitters bring up contact information.
User Interface Design 2.0
User Testing Notes:
Round 1:
User 1:
Task 1 - post your availability
- Completed without issue
Task 2 - look up bedtime
- Went to 'jobs' tab
- Went to 'profile' tab; commented "this isn't useful either"
- After some thought, went to 'contacts' tab and completed the task.
Task 3 - schedule a babysitter
- Went to 'contacts' tab; seems confused
- Went to 'jobs' tab
- Examines the timelines closely and intensely for a while before completing the task; timelines appear to be hard to read in their current form.
Comments
- Tabs are not self descriptive
- From the parent's perspective, it seems strange to call them 'jobs'
User 2:
Task 1
- While viewing the contacts pop-up, asks "Can I just click on the background to make this go away?" (instead of clicking the small exit button)
Task 2
- Took a while to find the 'request a sitter' button
- Didn't know what sitter timelines were. It might be good to have a title.
- Suggested that times pop up on the side, so that the user knows the 9pm block includes all times from 9pm-10pm
- Suggested an explicit 'delete mode' instead of a second click clearing the previous selection. "It's not explicitly clear that clicking on a painted square unpaints it"
- Confused about the state of the pop-up after clicking 'post your request'. Perhaps the pop-up should disappear
- Suggested reversing babysitter's schedules and your calender, because you might not care when they are free if you have constraints on when your commitments occur.
- Suggested explicitly stating 'send to selected babysitters'
Task 3
- Had trouble realizing he had to click 'edit schedule'. Tried clicking 'display schedule'.
- Wasn't sure what, if any, the default color to paint is. If we want it to be 'good' we may wish to highlight this.
- "Every week I have to come enter/reenter my schedule?"
- Suggested log in/out button.
User 3:
Task 2
- Clicks on family name and completes the task
Task 1
- Clicks 'edit schedule'
- Drags down over available calender squares (once again misunderstanding our metaphor but it will result in the correct behavior).
- Only fills in 'good' times - assumes that they do not want to babysit before their test.
- Questions what the initial paining status will be ('good' vs 'ok')
- Seemed initially confused by the 'ok' setting, but ends up using it correctly.
Task 3
- Checks displayed babysitter availability; does not notice checked/unchecked babysitters
- Completes the task with the schedule
- Wants to know why they couldn't just contact one of the babysitters directly
Task 4
- Tries to click on the names in the middle to bring up more information.
- Successfully checks schedules with preference.
Comments
- Wanted to contact the babysitter directly
- Babysitter interface was very usable; but parent's was confusing.
- Couldn't figure out how to navigate to the profile/contact info of a babysitter.
Round 2:
User 5:
Task 1 - schedule
- Clicks Create a Job
- Selects the Friday time and posts job
- We ask about multiple times - doesn't immediately see how to do so, wants a rank order preference
- Finally finds Flexible schedule button (we should make this big and obvious)
- Clicks 'ok' thinking it will confirm this schedule - not obvious
- Does want the interface to give range and time, is not intuitively convinced of what our representation means
Task 2 -babysitter schedule
- Attempts to use the calender filters to make the schedule
- Thinks the displayed schedule represents her schedule
- Doesn't notice the 'edit schedule' button
- When prompted, opens the schedule and paints over everything in green
- Is confused by the 'good'/'ok' difference
- Is confused by the paining metaphor (clicking 'ok' to change color and then interacting in a different state)
Task 3 - Apply for a job
- Completes successfully without issu
Comments
- 'seems pretty good and simple, but might be hard for non-digital natives like me'