A Brief, Very Brief, Introduction to Task Based Models

A Brief, Very Brief, Introduction to Task Based Models Indi Young [email_address] user experience design & research

What is a Mental Model?

What is a Mental Model? Fill coffee maker with water Take first glorious sip Go to cafe for beans Grind beans Clean out filter Find clean mug Wipe up counter Measure and scoop grounds

What a Mental Model Diagram Looks Like
Collections of tasks organized in a skyline horizon chart
Three levels  Task, Tower, and Mental Space

You can use a mental model to define a product

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Ah Ha!

Three Classes of Research Software Structure Information Architecture Content Location Contextual Information Contextual Marketing Gap Analysis Task Interviews Contextual Inquiry Surveys Conceptual How things get done Interaction Design Interaction Flow Page Layout Nomenclature Prototypes Usability Testing Log Analysis Customer Feedback Card Sorting Ability What is understood or accomplished with a tool Visual Interpretation Branding Target Marketing Surveys Focus Groups Preference Interviews Card Sorting Preference Preferences, opinions, desires Uses Techniques Data

Building product improvements based on
Preference Research
is like
Building a house from a
stack of magazine clippings
instead of a blueprint

Glossy Kitchen Advertisement

Define the Groups by Task
Movie-goers:
80-year-old grandmother 17-year-old teenage boy

Possible Segment Names from Other Workshops
Movie Buff, Expert
Singles Scene, Dating Couples, Husband & Wife (on a date)
Movie Mom, Mom’s Circle (person w/dependents)
Frugal Moviegoer
Whining Moviegoer (high maintenance)
Celebrity Fan
Enthusiasts (single person)

Create a Dynamic Screener

Dynamic Screener - Bottom

Non-Directed Interviews
Six Rules
Do, not Feel
Open Questions Only
No Words of Your Own
Follow the Conversation
Not About Tools
Immediate Experience
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Interviews: Transcript After

Phone vs. Face-to-Face Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yuk yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak... Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yuk yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak...

Task Analysis = Combing + Grouping

Combing
Pull from the transcript:
Tasks
Implied Tasks
Third Party Tasks

Combing
VERB + NOUN
(walk the dog)
(buy popcorn)

Grouping
Notice patterns .
Group similar tasks together.
Name the group based on task words.

Task Analysis: Task Table

Task Analysis: Outline View

Consists of: Tasks
The individual tasks that people perform when attempting to achieve a larger goal
Mental Model: What It Looks Like

Consists of: Task Groups
Tasks for the same goal grouped together

Consists of: Mental Spaces
The set of goals which together form a complete activity

Mental Model: How It is Used
Later: Existing site content from audit is “slotted” underneath to show where current site meets (or doesn’t) users’ needs.
Proposal Template Proposal Submission Form Online Discussion Boards
Content Slotting

Mental Model: Horizon Chart –or- City Skyline
Shows where the existing tool succeeds in meeting these goals, where it overshoots, where opportunities for future development lie
Excels as a reference document, a starting point for discussions about user requirements

Time Out: Check Your Audience Segments
Re-examine and verify/validate audience segments
Adjust names of segments
Combine or Separate segments

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A Brief, Very Brief, Introduction to Task Based Models

by Indi Young

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