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? 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

Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak... Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak... Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak kak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak...

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

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)

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

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.

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 Mental Model: What It Looks Like

Consists of: Mental Spaces The set of goals which together form a complete activity Mental Model: What It Looks Like

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

A Brief, Very Brief, Introduction to Task Based Models

More Related Content

What's hot

Viewers also liked

Similar to A Brief, Very Brief, Introduction to Task Based Models

Recently uploaded

A Brief, Very Brief, Introduction to Task Based Models

Editor's Notes