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Command Terms:
Design Display information in a diagrammatic or logical for
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Now that you have decided what it is you are going to evaluate you need to plan how you are going to do it. You will need to use a range of different techniques. Some will work better than others depending on what it is that you want to find out. The main strategies that are available to you are : User trip/User trial, Questionnaires, Product Comparison, Analysis of Data, and Product Testing. You can also add your own testing methods depending on the nature of your product and what you want to achieve.
Now that you have decided what it is you are going to evaluate you need to plan how you are going to do it. You will need to use a range of different techniques. Some will work better than others depending on what it is that you want to find out. The main strategies that are available to you are : User trip/User trial, Questionnaires, Product Comparison, Analysis of Data, and Product Testing. You can also add your own testing methods depending on the nature of your product and what you want to achieve.
User trial - These are quite similar and generally used to evaluate similar factors, but are conducted in a slightly different way. A user trial involves watching a variety of people use your product. It is important that you plan the user trial carefully and have a list of actions that you want the person to perform and questions that you want them to answer. You need to ensure that you observe the user closely so that problem areas can be identified as well as clearly record their answers to your questions. A user trip is a similar alternative but is only carried out by one person, usually the writer of the report. The user will use the product and record any relevant information. The disadvantage of this is that you only get one person's opinion.
Survey- The survey method is a research method and a tool used to collect information from a representative sample of a population. This collection of information can be used to learn about the user's self-reported attitudes, opinions, and behaviors. Surveys can be distributed online, in-person, on paper, or even over the telephone.
Questionnaires allow designers to gain information from a wide range of people. It is important that you think carefully about the questions you need to ask and ensure that it is possible for the person to answer them without having used the product. Questions should be quick to answer so that people don’t have to take up too much of their time to complete the questionnaire.
Data Analysis - There are three common ways of analyzing data with respect to evaluating a product. The first relates to ergonomics and anthropometric data. It is possible to take measurements of parts of your product and compare these to the data given in the ergonomics books to see how well this information has been considered when designing the product. The second method of analyzing data is to use existing customer reviews of a product and analyse what this can tell you about the product. You can obtain this information from most websites that sell the product, and it can be good for identifying issues that you may not have considered. But BE CAREFUL. Do not solely rely on one website and make sure you read the good and bad reviews that a product has been given before drawing any conclusions. You can also analyse data with reference to materials. Data sheets on the properties of materials can be looked at to help determine whether or not the most appropriate material has been used.
Expert Appraisal - Expert Appraisal is a process in which an expert practitioner, chosen on the basis of their expert knowledge of the subject matter (the expert appraiser), investigates the product. The appraiser then provides advice on the facts and possible and desirable outcomes and the means whereby these may be achieved.
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