Optimizing the User Experience Through Integrated Information Design Sowmini Sampath and Richard Ellis

What We’ll Be Talking About In this talk, we’ll describe our approach to developing help solutions that: Integrate context sensitive help (CSH) into product user interfaces Integrate CSH with our existing knowledge base Derive content from interaction analysis

In this talk, we’ll describe our approach to developing help solutions that:

Integrate context sensitive help (CSH) into product user interfaces

Integrate CSH with our existing knowledge base

Derive content from interaction analysis

The MathWorks Products The MathWorks produces software for engineers and researchers in a variety of industries: Automotive Electronics Industrial equipment Telecommunications

The MathWorks produces software for engineers and researchers in a variety of industries:

Automotive

Electronics

Industrial equipment

Telecommunications

How People Use Our Products? Users create computer models Run simulations Perform data analysis and visualization Create new tools and applications using our software.

Users create computer models

Run simulations

Perform data analysis and visualization

Create new tools and applications using our software.

Task Complexity User tasks often require configuring a number of complex dialogs. Each element represents a decision that the user must make.

User tasks often require configuring a number of complex dialogs.

Each element represents a decision that the user must make.

Designing Help for Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) Increasing use of GUIs by products required better help design Design goals: Integrate user assistance into product interfaces. Provide targeted information for each decision Make CSH an entry point into the existing user documentation.

Increasing use of GUIs by products required better help design

Design goals:

Integrate user assistance into product interfaces.

Provide targeted information for each decision

Make CSH an entry point into the existing user documentation.

Initial Investigations Needed to partner with engineers to integrate the help into the interface. Many people thought context sensitive help was of little value. Why had people rarely found it useful?

Needed to partner with engineers to integrate the help into the interface.

Many people thought context sensitive help was of little value.

Why had people rarely found it useful?

What Was Not Working Tooltips were often used to provide scant information Help button dove into usage topics and often required you to wade through a pool information to find the answer.

Tooltips were often used to provide scant information

Help button dove into usage topics and often required you to wade through a pool information to find the answer.

Why it Was Not Working Tooltips lack: Enough information Linking Formatting Not persistent Help browser: Overwhelming amount of information Deep hierarchy of information Is cumbersome – starting another application Need to provide the right amount and type of information.

Tooltips lack:

Enough information

Linking

Formatting

Not persistent

Help browser:

Overwhelming amount of information

Deep hierarchy of information

Is cumbersome – starting another application

Need to provide the right amount and type of information.

Analysis of User Help Requirements We developed use cases, observed usability test, and brainstormed to develop a model of user information needs. A “critical mass” of information necessary. A progression from specific details to general concepts – information escalation. Avoid quantum leaps in your information escalation path.

We developed use cases, observed usability test, and brainstormed to develop a model of user information needs.

A “critical mass” of information necessary.

A progression from specific details to general concepts – information escalation.

Avoid quantum leaps in your information escalation path.

User Interactions We Support with Help New users tend to explore before doing actual work. Users need to map their task onto the products features Experienced users often wanted to be reminded of details. All users wanted unobtrusive, on-demand information.

New users tend to explore before doing actual work.

Users need to map their task onto the products features

Experienced users often wanted to be reminded of details.

All users wanted unobtrusive, on-demand information.

The On Ramp – Provided by Help Button Purpose High-level workflow Information gateway

Field-Level Help Right-click context menu displays a popup window with help on individual item. Purpose Relevant details Link to related information

Right-click context menu displays a popup window with help on individual item.

Embedding Help in the User Interface Application starts with instructions displayed Start by doing this Built in on ramp

Application starts with instructions displayed

Procedures Update as Work Progresses The help always matches the tool’s current state. Close help pane GUI has reconfigured Help automatically updates

The help always matches the tool’s current state.

Tying It All Together A well planned information escalation path – information must stay in context. We know what users are doing because they have requested help from a particular location in a GUI. Through task analysis the writer has determined what supporting information needs to be in the user’s manual. Our metaphor – the link opens the user’s manual at just the right page.

A well planned information escalation path – information must stay in context.

We know what users are doing because they have requested help from a particular location in a GUI.

Through task analysis the writer has determined what supporting information needs to be in the user’s manual.

Our metaphor – the link opens the user’s manual at just the right page.

The CSH model integrates all help CSH becomes an entry point into our knowledge base User tasks Product workflow

Introduction Brief description of the SimBiology® application Challenges posed to the writing team by the software Implementation of the solution Summary

Brief description of the SimBiology® application

Challenges posed to the writing team by the software

Implementation of the solution

Summary

SimBiology® SimBiology is a product from the MathWorks that lets biologists visualize and analyze biochemical reactions. The SimBiology application extends MATLAB® for use by scientists in academia, and in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry.

SimBiology is a product from the MathWorks that lets biologists visualize and analyze biochemical reactions.

The SimBiology application extends MATLAB® for use by scientists in academia, and in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry.

Interface Description

How to Begin? We started by analyzing the user’s workflow: Took a user’s task and mapped it out in the SimBiology GUI Created task scenarios and did usability testing Noted user interactions with the GUI to help drive the design process Observed that there were many sub tasks within the overall workflow

We started by analyzing the user’s workflow:

Took a user’s task and mapped it out in the SimBiology GUI

Created task scenarios and did usability testing

Noted user interactions with the GUI to help drive the design process

Observed that there were many sub tasks within the overall workflow

Selecting a Solution Selected embedded procedures as the solution to documenting subtasks

Selected embedded procedures as the solution to documenting subtasks

Observation Novice user asks “Where do I begin? Having these multiple tasks confront the user posed a different challenge: Users may not know what they need before and what they must do after in the overall workflow.

Novice user asks “Where do I begin?

Having these multiple tasks confront the user posed a different challenge:

Users may not know what they need before and what they must do after in the overall workflow.

Solution Provide an on-ramp to the GUI Provide an overall view of the general workflow, and show how to map tasks to product features

Provide an on-ramp to the GUI

Provide an overall view of the general workflow, and show how to map tasks to product features

Research Workflow

SimBiology User Workflow

Process of Creating the Diagram Helped us conceptualize the workflow Learned about user task scenarios Help us understand what information the target audience needs

Helped us conceptualize the workflow

Learned about user task scenarios

Help us understand what information the target audience needs

Observation Experienced users require more in-depth information but want this in the context of their task.

Experienced users require more in-depth information but want this in the context of their task.

Solution A path to more in depth information that is closely related to users’ tasks – information must stay in context or users do not read it.

A path to more in depth information that is closely related to users’ tasks – information must stay in context or users do not read it.

Summary of SimBiology Help SimBiology documentation includes: Embedded-help pane Procedures to accomplish typical tasks in the GUI Cross-references to supporting information Usage Topics An overall view of the general workflow, and how to map tasks to product features In-depth information – conceptual topics, tutorials, reference materials with lots of examples

SimBiology documentation includes:

Embedded-help pane

Procedures to accomplish typical tasks in the GUI

Cross-references to supporting information

Usage Topics

An overall view of the general workflow, and how to map tasks to product features

In-depth information – conceptual topics, tutorials, reference materials with lots of examples

CSH becomes an entry point into our information system Conceptual topics Tutorials Reference

Conceptual topics

Tutorials

Reference