Mark Corner

Project 1

This is an exercise in identifying usability issues associated in an interface with which you are familiar: a common door.  This is an individual assignment and is designed to show you how easily something simple can be so badly designed.

First: identify a door

Pick one that is accessible to you (campus, Amherst, the mall, etc.) that you believe to be difficult to use.

• Make sure you take a few photos of the door
• Choose a door you can easily observe without causing problems.  Ie. bathroom doors or doors at the airport may be a problem
• The double door between Polymer Science and the LGRT is a great example, but off limits

Second: observe people using the door

Record how many users used the door correctly on their first try, and how many made errors and what kind of errors they made.  Record demographic information if it is relevant to the usability of the door (ie, tall people have trouble reaching the handle).  You need a good number of subjects (more than 20) to get a good sampling.  If people ask what you happen to be doing, be sure to be polite, courteous, and honest.

Third: create a writeup of your data and an analysis of the door's usability

Be sure to apply Norman's principles to identify what the problems with the design:

• Visibility
• Natural mapping
• Constraint
• Feedback
• Conceptual Model (connecting the design model, the system image, and the user's model)

Characterize as clearly as you can the general issue that was at the root of the problem. This shouldn't be overly vague and general ("The interface is badly designed") nor just a repetition of the breakdown description. Look for a level of description that could apply to a family of breakdowns of which your case was an example. Use whichever of Norman's principles are relevant to characterize the problem.  Give an example of something you would do to fix the problem and how your solution is better grounded in general principles. 

Fourth: post this writeup through SPARK

Grading (out of 10 points):

• Clear identification and explanation of the problem (2 points)
• Coherent discussion of which of Norman's principles the design violates, and how it does so (5 points)
• Identification of a design which avoids the breakdown, and a clear explanation of why it is better in terms of Norman's principles (3 points)
• There is a prize for finding the best door (and by best, we mean worst).

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