Usability testing within User Interface (UI) is a central part of assuring high-quality UIdesign that provides good user-experiences across multiple user-groups. The processof usability testing often times requires extensive collection of user feedback, preferablyacross multiple user groups, to ensure an unbiased observation of the potential designflaws within the UI design. Attaining feedback from certain user groups has shown tobe challenging, due to factors such as medical conditions that limits the possibilities ofusers to participate in the usability test. An absence of these hard-to-access groups canlead to designs that fails to consider their unique needs and preferences, which maypotentially result in a worse user experience for these individuals. In this thesis, wetry to address the current gaps within data collection of usability tests by investigatingwhether the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) framework can be used to generatehigh-quality synthetic user interactions of a particular UI gesture across multiple usergroups. Moreover, a collection UI interaction of 2 user groups, namely the elderlyand young population, was conducted where the UI interaction at focus was thedrag-and-drop operation. The datasets, comprising of both user groups were trainedon separate GANs, both using the doppelGANger architecture, and the generatedsynthetic data were evaluated based on its diversity, how well temporal correlations arepreserved and its performance compared to the real data when used in a classificationtask. The experiment result shows that both GANs produces high-quality syntheticresemblances of the drag-and-drop operation, where the synthetic samples show bothdiversity and uniqueness when compared to the actual dataset. The synthetic datasetacross both user groups also provides similar statistical properties within the originaldataset, such as the per-sample length distribution and the temporal correlationswithin the sequences. Furthermore, the synthetic dataset shows, on average, similarperformance achievements across precision, recall and F1 scores compared to theactual dataset when used to train a classifier to distinguish between the elderly andyounger population drag-and-drop sequences. Further research regarding the use ofmultiple UI gestures, using a single GAN to generate UI interactions across multipleuser groups, and performing a comparative study of different GAN architectures wouldprovide valuable insights of unexplored potentials and possible limitations within thisparticular problem domain.

User Experience (UX) Writing is part of the product’s overall user experience design. It can be a part of a product content strategy as much as the visual design. The base for any UX centered profession is the understanding of usability — the practice of making products or services easy to use for the intended target group. The difference between the UX designer and UX writer is that the writer contributes with an in-depth understanding that textual content contributes to an overall better user experience along with the product brand. This study includes two UX writing usability evaluation methods for a defined functional service application. By performing the UX writing methods through an online form as well as in an in-person user interview, the validity of transforming an established method into an online tool was investigated. The liabilities of both contexts were evaluated and future developments are suggested. To accomplish this, a literature review was conducted and an online tool was developed. This was used to gather data from 20 users, 10 in the online context and 10 in the in-person context. The datasets were then compared for validation, which in turn served as a foundation for further discussing the possibilities of using an online tool in this situation. The conclusion is multifaceted. The in-person user tests require resources in terms of time for the UX writer, finances in terms of compensation for the users and result in a smaller data set. Digital user tests also require time and resources, but can generate a much larger data set, seeing as it provides a data set of the same quality level as the in-person user tests. Considering the advantages of an online tool, it can provide a valid replacement for in-person user tests, if one considers that the assets outweigh the minor liabilities. However, the potential of a future collaborative dataset and all the further developments suggested in this paper are what is truly worthwhile investigating further. / User Experience (UX) Writing, att anpassa text efter användaren, är en vital del av produktens övergripande användarupplevelse. Det kan vara en del av en produkts innehållsstrategi lika mycket som den visuella designen. Basen för alla användarcentrerade yrken är förståelsen för användbarhet den praxis att göra produkter eller tjänster lättanvända för den avsedda målgruppen. Skillnaden mellan en UX-designer och en UX-skribent är att skribenten bidrar med en djupgående förståelse för att även textinnehåll bidrar till en övergripande förbättrad användarupplevelse, tillsammans med produktens varumärke. Denna studie innehåller två utvärderingsmetoder inom UX writing, för en definierad service-applikation. Genom att utföra metoderna genom en online-formulär samt i en personintervju undersöktes validiteten kring att omvandla en etablerad intervjumetod till ett onlineverktyg. Svagheterna i båda sammanhangen utvärderas och framtida utveckling föreslås. För att uppnå detta genomfördes en litteraturöversikt och ett onlineverktyg utvecklades. Detta användes för att samla in data från 20 användare, 10 i ett onlinesammanhang och 10 i ett intervjusammanhang. Datan jämfördes sedan för validering, vilket i sin tur fungerade som grund för att ytterligare diskutera möjligheterna att använda ett onlineverktyg i denna situation. Slutsatsen är mångfacetterad. De personliga användartesterna kräver resurser i form av tid för UX-skribenten, kostnader vad gäller ersättning för deltagare, och resulterar i ett mindre dataset. Digitala användartester kräver också tid och resurser, men kan generera ett mycket större dataset, eftersom den ger ett dataset av samma kvalitetsnivå. Med tanke på fördelarna med ett onlineverktyg kan det fungera som en giltig ersättning för personliga användartester, om man anser att styrkorna överstiger de mindre svagheterna. Dock är potentialen i en framtida kollaborativt dataset och all ytterligare utveckling som föreslås i denna studie det som är verkligen värt att undersöka ytterligare.

In today’s society, using a website is something one does daily. There is an incredibly large amount of websites out there, and every website has a purpose. Previous research states that to fulfill that purpose it is important to consider the user experience of a website. However, there is little research when it comes to the user experience of public informational websites, and what is important to consider when designing one. Therefore, this paper investigates the user experience of a public informational website, Sveriges Radio’s website, with the aim of investigating what factors that affect the intuitiveness and user-friendliness of a website. In addition, factors affecting trust and reliability on a website have also been investigated. Nine participants were recruited to take part in a user test consisting of a cooperative evaluation and a semi-structured interview. The data was then analyzed using affinity diagramming and thematic analysis. The results indicate that factors like structure and layout, word association, and pictures are important to consider when designing an informational website. Having a clear and simple structure influenced both the intuitiveness and user-friendliness of the website in a positive way. It became evident that the existence of headings were important, however, to improve intuitiveness the word chosen as heading needed to be easily associated with the information located under the heading. The inclusion of pictures affected the perceived enjoyment of the site, while also creating irritation when the size of the pictures was perceived as too big. The factors affecting the reliability of the SR website were the amount of information provided, as well as the website’s structure and layout. / I dagens samhälle används hemsidor dagligen. Det finns en otroligt stor mängd hemsidor att besöka, och alla hemsidor har ett syfte. Tidigare forskning visar att det är viktigt att överväga användarupplevelsen av en hemsida för att uppnå det syftet. Det finns dock endast lite forskning gällande användarupplevelsen av offentliga hemsidor med syftet att informera, och vad som är viktigt att tänka på när man utformar en sådan. Denna uppsatsen undersöker därför användarupplevelsen av en offentlig informations hemsida, Sveriges Radios hemsida, i syfte att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar hemsidans intuitivitet och användarvänlighet. Dessutom har faktorer som påverkar förtroendet och pålitligheten på en hemsida undersökts. Nio deltagare rekryterades för att delta i ett användartest bestående av en cooperative evaluation och en semistrukturerad intervju. Affinitetsdiagram och tematisk analys användes sedan för att analysera datan. Resultaten pekar på att faktorer som struktur och layout, ordassociation, och bilder är viktiga att tänka på när en informations hemsida utformas. Att ha en tydlig och enkel struktur påverkade både hemsidans intuitivitet och användarvänlighet på ett positivt sätt. Resultatet visade även på att förekomsten av rubriker var viktigt, men för att förbättra hemsidans intuitivitet behövde ordet som valts som rubrik lätt kunna associeras med informationen under rubriken. Inkluderingen av bilder bidrog till en positiv upplevelse av hemsidan, samtidigt som de skapade irritation när storleken på bilderna upplevdes som för stora. Faktorerna som påverkar SRs hemsidas pålitlighet var mängden information som visades, samt hemsidans struktur och layout.

This paper explores the possibilities concerning the use of smartwatches for practical use when cycling in the city of today. What is explored specifically is how place-specific information can be displayed in the user interface of the smartwatch in the best way possible, while cycling in an urban context. A design proposal is therefore presented as a means to prove the beneficial aspects of place-specific services in the context of cycling. This proposal is based on analysing user feedback upon usability testing performed on the prototypes developed for this purpose.

Standardized methodologies for usability evaluation have been of interest to the Human-Computer Interaction(HCI) community for years due to their perceived advantages over non-standardized ones. Such methodologies include standardized questionnaires designed to measure usability, although it has been argued that such questionnaires can only measure user satisfaction and not usability in general. This study was conducted together with the editorial experience (EDX)team at Sveriges Television AB (SVT) in order to identify appropriate standardized methods for usability evaluation of the content management system they are currently developing, while at the same time exploring how questionnaire formats such as the System Usability Scale(SUS) could benefit from being complemented by objective measurement methods such as the keystroke-level model (KLM) and productive time. The project ran test sessions with participants using a benchmark version of the current content management system and a prototype of a redesigned version. SUS, KLM and productive time were then applied to both versions and compared. The results showed no significant difference in the usability of the two versions, although the study lacks reliable data to draw any strong conclusions. However, the data does raise interesting questions that may provide the groundwork for future research. This includes findings that may question the validity of SUS when used for the evaluation of prototypes and the benefits of objective measures to self-administered questionnaires.

Volvo Cars is working on reducing the frequency of small margin driving situation in order to reach Vision 2020; that no one should be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo car by 2020. In this specific case, there is one main goal; to increase the usage of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). ACC helps the driver by setting a time interval to the vehicle ahead, adapting the vehicle’s speed according to the set time interval. When using ACC, drivers will decrease the risk of crashes related to visual distraction, where close following conditions leaves the driver with too little time to recover when a lead vehicle unexpectedly brakes. By using ACC one increases the time for action during a potential crash situation. The purpose of the thesis work is to develop and iteratively test an ACC in-vehicle usage feedback concept that is using the principles of nudging. Nudging is an idea that relates to subconsciously pushing humans in a desired behavioural direction. Also, focus was on finding the right method for evaluation using traditional Usability testing as the ground design outline method. This work is divided into three phases; Research phase, Development phase and Final Performing phase. The research phase provides the opportunity to get to know the users and their experience of using ACC. The development phase was divided into two areas; the application development and method development. The third phase was the final performance, where the developed method was applied on the final implemented concept. This work resulted in a nudging concept aiming to encourage the driver towards a more frequent ACC usage, and a developed method for measuring drivers’ behaviour and experience on the usability and satisfaction of the concept.

This study presents the results of a usability test of reusable learning objects currently in development in the Instructional Services Department of the UNC-Chapel Hill University Library. The learning objects are Web-based learning modules that are part of a new project, Stories of the American South, and they aim to make digital primary source material more accessible by breaking it into manageable units and providing contextual information. Seven undergraduate students viewed three prototypes, each focused on a unique theme related to the history of the American South. The results suggested that the learning objects are generally usable in design and function, and participants’ responses to design and content were positive. Several changes are suggested to optimize the usability of the learning object prototypes, and further usability testing with other audiences is recommended.

Think-aloud protocol is a usability testing method whereby the participant running the usability test on an interface, thinks aloud as a way of giving feedback of the task he/she is performing on the given interface. It is one of the most researched on usability testing methods. It has attracted both praises and criticisms based on the effects it has on the participants or the tests at hand. A recently done study that used simple tasks, aimed at finding out the difference between using think-aloud protocol and not using think-aloud protocol. The study concluded that no notable differences were evident on the number of fixations and the amount of screen areas viewed when using think-aloud protocol and when not using think-aloud protocol.As an extension and follow-up of the recently done study, this study focused on finding the type of tasks that the concurrent think-aloud protocol has effects on. The tasks were chosen based on the information scent concept and eye-tracking methodology was used in collecting the necessary results.The study that involved twenty participants, resulted to some effects of the concurrent think-aloud protocol being noted on the low-scent tasks but not on high-scent tasks. It therefore goes ahead to conclude the tasks onto which concurrent think-aloud protocol would be more effective and the tasks that would be executed more effectively through other usability testing methods other than concurrent think-aloud protocol.

Die Fakultät für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik der TU Chemnitz beabsichtigt, ein Internetportal für den Fachbereich aufzubauen. Zielgruppe des Portals sind in erster Linie Schülerinnen und Schüler, die sich für Technik und Naturwissenschaften interessieren. Mit Hilfe des Portals soll ihnen der Gegenstand der Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik näher gebracht werden. Die Aufgabe der Bachelor-Arbeit besteht in der theoretischen Konzeption eines solchen Portals. Dazu wird zunächst der Begriff des Internetportals genauer beleuchtet. Es wird geklärt, welche Funktionen ein Portal erfüllt, wodurch es sich von herkömmlichen Internetseiten unterscheidet und wie es kategorisiert werden kann. Anschließend folgt eine Analyse bereits bestehender Schülerportale u.a. nach verschiedenen Kriterien der Benutzerfreundlichkeit. Die Grundlagen für diese Untersuchung werden vorab mit der Erläuterung des Verfahrens der Usability-Analyse und der Usability-Kriterien gelegt. Basierend auf den Erkenntnissen der Analyse sowie der Portaldefinition und den Usability-Kriterien erfolgt die theoretische Konzeption des Portals. Neben der Festlegung und Erläuterung zur Umsetzung der Portalfunktionen werden Vorschläge zur inhaltlichen Gestaltung und der Navigationsstruktur gegeben. Darüber hinaus werden verschiedene Maßnahmen erläutert, die dem Portal einen hohen Grad an Benutzerfreundlichkeit verleihen und damit zu dessen Erfolg beitragen sollen. Abgerundet wird die Arbeit mittels eines grafischen Entwurfs des Portals. / The faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at Chemnitz University of Technology intends to establish an internet portal for the department. The portal primarily addresses pupils who are interested in technology and natural sciences. It is aimed at giving them an understanding of the subjects of electrical engineering and information technology. The task of this bachelor's thesis consists in the theoretical conception of such a portal. Therefore, the term “internet portal” will be examined first. This will be done by clarifying which functions a portal fulfils, how it differs from a conventional website and how it can be categorised. Second, already existing portals for pupils will be examined, for instance for their usability. The basis for that will be laid down in advance by the explanation of the method of a usability-analysis and of the usability-criteria. The theoretical conception of the portal results from the findings of the analysis as well as the portal functions and the usability-criteria. Besides the determination of the functions of the portal which is to be created, and the explanation of their implementation, proposals for the content and the navigation structure will be given. Furthermore, different measures for the increase of the usability and the handicapped friendliness will be explained. The thesis will be completed by a graphic design of the portal.

The improvements of technical documents quality influence the popularity of its relevant product; as the customers do not like to waste their time in the help desk’s queue, they will be more satisfied if they can independently solve their problems through the technical manuals in an acceptable time. Moreover, the cost of support issues will decrease for the product providers. In addition, the help desk team members could have more time to support the rest of unresolved issues in a better-qualified way. To afford the mentioned benefits, we have done the current thesis to estimate the usability of the documents before publishing them. As the result of such prediction, the technical documentation writers could have a goal-driven approach to improve the quality of their products or services’ manuals. Furthermore, as different structural metrics have been observed in this research, the result of the thesis could create an opportunity to have multi-discipline improvement in Information Quality (IQ) process management.