In this assignment you will practice the skill of systematically observing potential users using your product or game.
The purpose of UX Task Analysis User Observation Research is to draw insights about users and needs for a new product idea – or to make an existing product better.
You will plan and conduct user observation research to learn more about your users.
Play Testing can be done at any phase of the development process:
Paper Prototype
Low Fidelity
High Fidelity
There are three steps to the Play Testing Research Project: Planning, Data Collection, and Report Writing.
Step 1: Planning for Data Collection and Protecting Human Subjects
Step 2: Conduct the user observations.
Step 3: Analyze your data and write your report.
Specific Planning Steps:
Develop your observation plan. How and where and when will you conduct your observations?
What is your sampling plan (how will you choose Who to observe)?
What will you observe (create a coding form that provides an easy way to record the qualitative and quantitative observation categories while you are there observing).
What steps will you take to protect the rights of your human subjects?
Here are samples, you may want to adjust these to fit your product and allow it to receive digital input or use it as a paper on site.
DEI
Efficacy
Accessibility
Fun
Usability> (if you had made iterations from when you did usability testing - although this focus is more on Emotions and fun)
etc
If you’re working alone on the project, it’s a good idea to recruit a friend who will accompany you and help out.
Bring your coding form. Be careful not to be disruptive or obvious. Protect your human subjects. While you’re there, also think about 2 people you might interview for the next step, either at this site or somewhere else.
Bring your coding form. Protect your human subjects. While you’re there, also think about 2 people you might interview for the next step, either at this site or somewhere else.
Sample Coding Form from UXPA.org
You can make your own that is more specific to your project, it could be digital too to make it easier for you to translate later.
Writing the report will make more sense after you have collected data and watched the mini-lectures. There is a formal structure and method for writing user observation research reports. This will be due later and a part of the insights from data module.
Include these sections
Introduction (short paragraph describing why you conducted this design research study - for example, your design challenge or problem you are trying to solve)
Methods
How you selected your sample
Diagram and description of the observation location
Summary table of your observations (use pseudonyms for people or groups, include demographic or other key identifying information about each)
Verbal description of your sample (describe the information the table presents, in words)
Findings (repeat the structure below for each section or set of related categories you analyzed)
Section Introduction (describe what you will examine in this section. Group logically related observation categories into different sections)
Table or charts (present your observations in charts or tables first)
Overview (Summary statement describing overall results)
Details (More detailed results, focusing on how individuals you observed, or groups if you were observing groups, are unique or similar)
Insights (Draw insightful comparisons across the observations you are analyzing, including implications for your product idea and refinements of your audience or design challenge)
Overall Recommendations (Use bullet points to list and then paragraphs to discuss the key recommendations you make to your team based on this analysis. Images will likely be needed, pointing to areas for improvement. What should we do or not do?)
Add a link to your User Observation Report on your slides if it is in paper form, you can also submit it as slides.
Here is the percent of your grade each section of the report provides, along with a description of what a well written report would be like in each section.
20% Methods section:
Have a strong justification of your sampling approach -- how and why you picked the people or groups to observe, as well as how many observations were made. Give details of the settings and characteristics of the people you observed
50% Findings, organized by section:
Tables and Charts: creative, clear, informative tables and graphs, good use of color, thoughtful ordering
Overall summaries: Clearly convey overall observations for each section.
Details and Comparisons: Discuss key similarities and differences among the people or groups you observed. Point out observations about individuals or sets of individuals that have implications for your project. This section is like a guided tour of the content of the tables and charts.
Insights: How do your observations relate to your own project? Discuss useful implications for design of your team project are provided, based on your analysis of the observations.
30% Recommendations section:
Format for easy reading, use bullet points, make helpful suggestions grounded in the analysis of your observations. Your recommendations will be used to iterate the project.