Post on 10-May-2015
Team 02 Omid Farivar | Evan Kerrigan | Benjamin Nayer
Agenda
1. Introducing NEEShub 2. Methods Employed
3. PrioriGzed Findings & RecommendaGons
4. Summary
ABOUT NEESHUB
What is NEES? • Network for Earthquake Engineering
SimulaGon is an NSF-‐funded research organizaGon
• Serves as a network to coordinate and share data and research among earthquake, civil, and structural engineers and 14 different laboratories throughout the U.S.
• Offers mulGple services including NEEShub, which is our focus
NEEShub? Project Warehouse? • Suite of soTware and tools to store, share,
and analyze data—tailored to the needs of the NEES community
• At its heart is the “Project Warehouse,” which serves as the repository for uploading, managing, and sharing research data
• Also offers an array of tools for visualizing and analyzing data outside of the Project Warehouse
USER ARCHETYPES
Meet Dr. Hank Bryant
• Professor at UCSD
• Infrequent NEEShub & Project Warehouse user
• More involved with researching than managing data
Meet Natalie Winkler
• Graduate student
• Frequent NEEShub & Project Warehouse user
• More involved with uploading and managing data
METHODS
Methods 1. Interviews
3 interviews (2 PhDs, 1 Prof.) resulGng in personas
2. ComparaGve EvaluaGon 7 total sites
3. HeurisGc EvaluaGon 3 Evaluators, 55 Total Findings
4. Survey 30 Complete Responses
5. Usability TesGng 5 users; 2 in-‐person tests & 3 remote tests
PRIORITIZED FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS
PrioriKzed Findings & RecommendaKons
1. Search & Browsing FuncGonality
2. DocumentaGon & Help
3. Management of Files & Data
4. Project Warehouse File Browser
Finding 01: Search & Browsing FuncKonality in the Project Warehouse
• During interviews, users reported that searching and browsing through data in the Project Warehouse were challenging: “Other researchers have just called me to request the data…it’s easier to have a conversa5on than find it through NEES.”
Finding 01: Search & Browsing FuncKonality in the Project Warehouse
• Site-‐wide search doesn’t match user expectaGons: usability test subjects were frustrated that project and experiment data did not appear in its search results—separate “project search” box does, however…
Finding 01: Search & Browsing FuncKonality in the Project Warehouse
• There were bright spots: one usability test subject thought the automaGcally provided subject tags would be helpful in structuring queries
RecommendaKon 01: MulK-‐pronged approach
• Return project and experiment data in site-‐wide search results or noGfy users that these data are not included
• Improve training for users on how to navigate Project Warehouse data
• Conduct further, deeper study on user’s behavior within the system’s file browser
Finding 02: Help DocumentaKon in the Project Warehouse
• NEEShub has done some good work providing contextual help, parGcularly when compleGng online forms
Finding 02: Help DocumentaKon in the Project Warehouse
• Usability test subjects and survey respondents liked that the help documentaGon was made available, but were oTen unable to find what they were seeking
• “There should be a ‘Quick Start Guide’ or something for newbies…”
RecommendaKon 02: Design Changes & Further Analysis Required
• Perform audits of help resource contents as well as further, deeper invesGgaGons on usage – A/B TesGng
– AnalyGcs
• Make the “Quick Start Guide” more visually prominent and consider offering a virtual “guided tour” on first login
Finding 03: File & Data Management in the Project Warehouse • User interviews revealed that the data
upload process is confusing, parGcularly regarding file types
• HeurisGc evaluaGon supported this as well – Inconsistent documentaGon on acceptable file types
– Unhelpful error responses for wrong file types
– DocumentaGon for data & file formats are not proximal
RecommendaKon 03: Prevent errors & Provide helpful documentaKon
• Provide clear, consistent, contextual help and documentaGon for file uploads
• Validate file formats during file upload
• Provide clearer, more accurate error messages with clear acGons for the user to take
Finding 04: File Browser Usage in the Project Warehouse • HeurisGc evaluaGon revealed a major issue:
some directories with 10+ GB data appear to be empty upon access—what happened? – Is the data gone?
– Has an error has occurred?
– Do I have insufficient privileges?
– Is the system sGll loading?
– Something else?
RecommendaKon 04: Provide accurate & appropriate noKficaKon of system status
• If the directory sizes are incorrect, provide correct labels
• If the system needs addiGonal to load the view, provide users with a status indicator such as a spinner to inform them as such
• Offer helpful error noGficaGons (e.g., “You do not have permission to view these data”)
Photo source: Panic – hmp://panic.com/goods/
WRAPPING UP
Summary
• We have covered four primary areas for usability improvements – Search funcGonality
– Help & documentaGon resources
– File & data management
– File browsing
Summary
• NEEShub development team has addressed a number of usability issues that match those from our observaGons and analyses
• We believe that addressing the four issues outlined today will improve usability and user saGsfacGon
Q & A
THANKS!