Midterm
Midterm
This is a take-home quiz. You may turn in a hardcopy or submit a softcopy through the
COL web site.
For Part I, initially answer questions without the benefit of the book or notes. Then
correct answers using provided solutions and explain any discrepancies. For the first part,
you will not be penalized for having any initially incorrect questions provided that they
are corrected with explanations. Even correct answers should benefit from additional
comments and explanations. Your score will be partially based on the quality of your
comments. Use a different font or color when correcting answers or adding comments so
that they are easily distinguished from the initial answers. Finally, use the provided
answers to obtain an estimated score for Part I (your calculated score for Part I is for your
own assessment and will not be used for scoring the quiz).
Part II can be completed with notes and the book. No correct answers will be provided
for this part.
Part I -- 15 points
1. Post-test questionnaires (conducted after a usability test) are particularly useful for
measuring
a) safety.
b) efficiency.
c) learnability.
d) user satisfaction.
2. A pluralistic walkthrough
a) is usually conducted at the end of the development process.
b) is often conducted with low-fidelity designs.
c) requires having several alternate designs.
d) requires a fully functional prototype.
6. Provide one reason why Rick Spencer thinks discussing possible solutions while
conducting a cognitive walkthrough is not an effective use of time. (2 points)
7. Present two reasons why scripting the test monitor’s greeting and instructions is a
good idea. (2 points)
2
9. Your team of usability experts wants to quickly identify potential usability problems
throughout a Web site. Unfortunately, you have no time to recruit and use human
participants. Which evaluation method do you use? Why? (2 points)
10. Describe one circumstance when the actions for the cognitive walkthrough should
be constructed and analyzed at the micro-level (e.g. mouse-clicks and keystrokes). (2
points)
3
Part II – 15 points (5 points each question)
These questions pertain to the Chicago Reader Restaurant Finder, which can be accessed
with the following URL:
http://www.chicagoreader.com/cgi-bin/rrr/form.cgi?/
To answer these questions, you may use notes, texts and other resources as you find them
useful. Correct answers will not be provided for this part.
When answers questions, you may assume the following about the users and the context
of use:
Users:
Can successfully identify and use standard web controls including text fields,
buttons, checkboxes and drop-down menus.
Use web-based online stores to purchase items at least 5 times within the last year.
Have used forms to find content in a web application.
Do not have previous experience with the Chicago Reader Restaurant Finder.
Context of use: users would like to find a restaurant for personal dining based on a
variety of factors including recommendations, cuisine, price and location.
3. Consider a task that would address your research question. Write the task instructions
that could be given to a test user to see how he or she completes the task.