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

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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

1 comments

Notes on slide 1

18 Favorites & 2 Groups