Usability Evaluation Of Teletext

Teletext Usability Evaluation Yogesh  Ravi  Zul

Outline

About Teletext

Objectives of Study

Methodology Used

Goal Directed Design and Personas

Usability Goal Setting

Heuristic Evaluation

User Testing

Observations and Results

Redesign Recommendations

Conclusion

Q & A

About Teletext

What is Teletext?

TV based service

News and Information on demand

Flight Status

Lottery Results

Soccer News

Stock Updates

Classifieds

Free of charge

How Teletext Works

Input: Remote Control

Each page has 3-digit code

4 colour-coded buttons for quick access

Other buttons:

Hold

Text / TV Mix

Enlarge

Page Up-Down

Teletext: Past and Present

Invented in UK in 1974

Launched in Singapore in 1983 as SBC Text

Very limited information

Available only during normal transmission hours

Today, available on 3 channels

Extensive information coverage

24-hours access

Teletext: Useless or Unusable?

Think again…

Accessed by 22 million a week

Quick information for everybody

TV is everywhere

No set-up, no technical expertise

No subscription or phone charges

Compare getting information from Internet vs. Teletext e.g. Soccer news

Malaysia USA Spain India

Objectives of Study

Objectives

Establish reasons behind underutilization of this inherently powerful information medium

Identify key usability problems related to software and hardware

Improve Teletext design and enhance the user experience

Methodology

User Testing

Extracted from Contextual Inquiry

Steven Tang, 40, is a university lecturer and a soccer fan who loves watching the EPL with his two boys, specially matches involving his favourite team Arsenal.

Steven is a busy man but before leaving for university each morning, he makes it a point to check the latest soccer results on Teletext for matches that he could not watch, especially those that were played at early morning hours. Steven also uses Teletext for latest news that he can use for his class discussion. He finds Teletext useful as it saves him time and effort to boot up his computer.

Steven’s Goals:

Get latest soccer news with minimum hassles

Find at least two interesting news items to stimulate a

lively student discussion each day

Steven Tang Soccer Lover

Used as benchmarks for user testing

and redesign

Quantitative usability goals:

Communicating how Teletext works: 1 minute (new user)

Checking soccer match results and scores: 2-3 minutes (regular user)

Checking performance of scrips in portfolio: 2-3 minutes (regular user)

Checking Lottery results: Display results within a single level (no drill-downs)

Qualitative usability goals:

Selection vs. data entry

Provide cross-links to related content / pages

Show instructions upfront and in simple language, no jargon

Provide guidance about stock market investment

Maintain presentation consistency with newspapers and other media as for lottery results

Allow business user to compare data in order to make a decision

Heuristic Evaluation was conducted using

Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Heuristics

The Process:

The 3 project members acted as ‘Usability Evaluators’

Usage scenarios were created based on user profiles

The evaluators walked through Teletext service using scenarios

Heuristic violations were identified and noted

Usability problems were compiled and severity was assigned to each problem

Redesign solutions were generated

The 10 Heuristics

Visibility of system status

Match between system and the real world

User control and freedom

Consistency and standards

Error prevention

Recognition rather than recall

Flexibility and efficiency of use

Aesthetic and minimalist design

Helping users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

Help and documentation

User Testing

Usage Scenarios created based on literature review, contextual inquiry

1. Get the best and cheapest advertising deal for showcasing your products 2. Know the best sections on Teletext to place your ads 3. You want to study various advertising plans, compare them and choose the one that gives you most exposure within a budget of $100-$200 per month 4. You do not have a credit card and want to know available payment modes 5. Since you do not have any sources for doing artwork of the advertisement, you want to know if you can send your company logo and mobile plans to Teletext office and whether they can handle the remaining artwork. 6. Find out how you can track the response to your ad Scenario: Placing an Ad on Teletext You are a businessman who runs a hand phone shop. You have heard that a lot of teens use Teletext to find latest offers on ring tones, screensavers as well as for mobile based games. Description of User 1. Occasional user of new share IPOs, flight information, etc. 2. Frequent user of Lottery results, sports news, etc. Teletext proficiency Low-medium. May not understand uncommon English words Language proficiency You want to try out this inexpensive advertising platform to place your new mobile plans and ring-tone offers on Teletext. Motivations Business User

Results and Observations

- Heuristic Violations

1. Visibility of system status

No visual feedback about current

location

2. Match Between System and the Real World

Inconsistent colour coding

3. User control and freedom

No control over page selection

Remember Steven is in a hurry !

3. User control and freedom

“ Two” much control  !

? ?

4. Consistency and Standards

Inconsistent shortcuts

5. Error Prevention

Access to non-existent pages not

blocked e.g. 799

6. Recognition Rather than Recall

Topics hidden under categories

7. Flexibility and Efficiency of Use

No dedicated sub pages: Delay and lack of quick, repeat access

8. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design

Poor quality images, unnecessary

graphics, and poor text contrast

9. Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors

No Back or Return function

10. Help and Documentation

No help or user manual visible on index page

Results and Observations

- User Testing

1. System model vs. Mental model

If this is page 100, where are the first 99 pages?

‘ Information’… what kind of information?

Are ‘Movies’ under ‘Entertainment’ or ‘Leisure’?

. How do I know that different

channels have different Teletext

Content?

2. Wrong Visual Mapping

Many new users thought coloured text

and Teletext buttons were mapped

3. Negative transfer of knowledge

Different remotes - No standard design

4. Ambiguity causing delay and errors

Stock exchange grouping scheme

Find SMRT !

5. Subjective Satisfaction and Credibility

Cheap quality and arbitrary interface design not only

affected likeability but seriously impacted credibility

and future brand loyalty

“ I don’t think I can trust this info ” !

Redesign

Recommendations

Short term and Long term

Short Term:

Can be carried out fast and within the constraints of the existing Teletext platform.

Medium to Long term:

Although ideal to overcome all major usability problems, these may require substantial changes to the current Teletext display, and navigation protocol. Some standardization of TV remote controls is also assumed.

1. Color Enhancement

Light b/g colour and dark text. No arbitrary colours

2. Standardized Bottom Bar Placeholders

3. Audio Feedback and Loading Bar

4. Visual Feedback to Orient Users

5. Home Page Redesign

Clear mental model: Logo and links to other channel Teletext

User guide presented upfront

Readability of text

Topics grouped, easy to scan

Cursor navigation

Personalized bottom links

6. Alerts

Proactive ‘content push’ to minimize

user ‘excise’ (customizable alerts)

Full Results Alert: 4 D RESULTS May 15 2005 Close

Conclusion

The $50 Treasure Hunt…

Conclusion

Teletext is an inherently effective medium for getting information

By eliminating usability problems related to information architecture (Grouping, Labeling, Navigation, Personalization) and presentation (Colour contrast, visual feedback, good mapping); usability of Teletext can be significantly enhanced