This document summarizes the conceptual design of a learning tool for Autodesk software based on learning theory and user research. The design incorporates features like workflow visualization, command prediction, and in-canvas tutorials. User research validated the usefulness of comparing workflows and accessing tutorials within the software. Users also wanted options to generate, save, and share workflows. The conceptual design was well-received, though some interfaces could be improved. The tool aims to actively support learning through strategies like modeling, exploration, and reflection.

1. Learning Tool Conceptual Design
Insights & Implications: 8/17/12
Jennifer Briselli
User Experience Design Intern: Summer 2012
© 2011 Autodesk

2. Table of Contents
Learning Theory & Design Implications
Initial Conceptual Design
User Research Findings
Insights & Recommendations
© 2011 Autodesk

3. Learning Theory & Design Implications
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Research included:
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learning science
learning experience design
gamification & tutorials
mobile learning
current best practices & future trends
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Learning Research Summary: Learning Research Summary
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Supplemental LXD Learning Resources: SharePoint Folder
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High level (5 min) presentation of my process: Intern Presentation
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© 2011 Autodesk
Presented to Amar & his staff on 8/15/12

4. Learning Theory & Design Implications
1.
Aim to „cover all the bases‟
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Learning domains:
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Accretion, Transmission, Acquisition, Emergence
„Cognitive Apprenticeship‟ strategies:
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Modeling, Coaching, Scaffolding, Articulation, Reflection, Exploration
2.
Promote Active Learning, Internalization & Reflection
3.
Develop strategic knowledge to supplement command knowledge
4.
Incorporate best practices:
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© 2011 Autodesk
Inventor-style tutorials, CommunityCommands, Delta, IP-QAT, AKN Learning Map

5. Learning Theory & Design Implications
Opportunities to facilitate a better learning experience:
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Workflow Visualization
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Command Prediction & Suggestion
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Promotes reflection, exploration, & possibly articulation (if users are able to
create, save & share workflows)
Incorporates ideas from Autodesk Research: Delta, IP-QAT, AppMap
Builds awareness of new features & commands, develops strategic knowledge
Incorporates ideas from AR: CommunityCommands, Uber Learning
Tutorial
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© 2011 Autodesk
Provides the software equivalent of modeling, coaching & scaffolding
Based on best practices: in-canvas, active/scrollable, screen hints, short videos

6. Initial Conceptual Design: Mentor Learning Tool
(more complete concept walkthrough here: User Research Slides)
“Mentor” panel opens in the bottom tabbed
panel, (inspired by RnH designs that recommend
a properties panel to save canvas).
Tabs allow the tool to remain active while
working; users would be able to resize or
move the window to dock elsewhere on the
canvas or a second monitor.
© 2011 Autodesk

7. Initial Conceptual Design
Workflow Visualization
My Workflow visualizes the user‟s current
workflow in a manner that is easier to
navigate (and encourages deeper learning)
than a traditional log or command history.
Based on the command sequence, more likely or
commonly used workflows are displayed.
These might include workflows identified by LXD
(from the help page) as well as user- or third partygenerated workflows that may be saved and shared.
© 2011 Autodesk
Using technology similar to Delta and other
visualization tools, a linear flow chart illustrates
the past several commands and selections.

8. Initial Conceptual Design
Workflow Visualization
The visualization compares the user‟s
workflow to a selected workflow to illustrate
key differences and increase awareness of
more efficient patterns.
© 2011 Autodesk

9. Initial Conceptual Design
Command Prediction & Suggestion
“Next Steps” combines the strengths of Uber Learning and
CommunityCommands. Research suggests that users can benefit
from expert modeling; predicting the likely next steps of the user and
comparing them to the likely next steps of an expert can help the
user adjust workflows.
© 2011 Autodesk

10. Initial Conceptual Design
Command Prediction & Suggestion
Following the recommendations in Uber Learning, the
next likely commands are represented in a spectrum and
color coded according to their use by an expert, the
user, or commands used in common.
© 2011 Autodesk

11. Initial Conceptual Design
Command Prediction & Suggestion
The tool can also leverage CIP data and user history to
include CommunityCommands functionality and
recommend unfamiliar commands to the user.
© 2011 Autodesk

12. Initial Conceptual Design
Command Prediction & Suggestion
The command icons themselves would be
clickable but would not run the command;
instead a toolclip will appear to encourage
internalization.
© 2011 Autodesk

13. Initial Conceptual Design
Tutorial
The “Smart Tutorial” displays a step-by-step guide similar to the
Inventor Getting Started tutorials. Users can select suggested
workflows (as with My Workflow) or search for one. The steps can be
populated by help content as it already exists online; chunking the
text into steps allows the user to follow easily and for LX writers to
make updates or clarifications to individual components as needed.
Instead of a Getting Started tutorial that loads sample
data, these tutorials act as a guide or cookbook
alongside the user‟s open model. The user is able to
follow the steps working with his own data.
© 2011 Autodesk

14. Initial Conceptual Design
Tutorial
When the user hovers over a
step, screen hints or callouts appear
to identify the location of a feature in
the ribbon or a toolbar.
© 2011 Autodesk

15. Initial Conceptual Design
Tutorial
Short videos for each step or
subset of steps will include a
screen capture of the process
with on-screen callouts.
© 2011 Autodesk

16. Initial Conceptual Design
Safe Mode
To facilitate low-stakes experimentation and
ease of use with a tutorial, Safe Mode allows
the user to make changes to the model and
later keep or discard those changes.
Users already tend to experiment this way, but currently
make extensive use of the “undo” button or file copying.
Safe Mode gives users more control over the
experimentation process and could be activated at any
time, with or without the intent to follow a tutorial.
© 2011 Autodesk

17. User Research
5 participants were recruited via the PDC (with thanks to Claire & Bego for their help)
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1
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All 5 identified themselves civil engineers
3/5 considered themselves tech-savvy, including one self-titled “technogeek”
User Research Session
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45 minutes ~ 1 hour
Background questions about learning style
Concept walkthrough & needs validation
Additional comments
User Research Slides
Research Goals
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© 2011 Autodesk
Validate needs & assess perceived usefulness of designed solutions
Evaluate initial navigation/interaction & elicit expectations
Identify potential improvements for further iterations

18. User Research: General Findings
5/5 users felt workflow visualization would be very useful, especially:
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The ability to compare different workflows (5/5)
 The possibility of generating, saving, and sharing workflows with colleagues (5/5)
 3/5 independently suggested the idea that CAD managers or resellers could
pre-load common or company standard workflows for employees to visualize and learn
But,
 3/5 expressed concern about feasibility of visualizing more complex workflows
Responses were mixed on the value of command prediction
Most disliked the UI for „next likely commands‟ (4/5),
But,
 Most found it useful to compare user and expert tendencies (3/5)
 Some were already familiar with CommunityCommands (2/5)
 5/5 would use CommunityCommands in this context
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4/5 users felt in-canvas tutorials would be very useful, especially:
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© 2011 Autodesk
Accessing step-by-step instructions without leaving the product (4/5)
On screen hints and callouts (5/5)

19. Insights & Recommendations
Workflow Visualization concepts
“This is a fantastic idea.
Plus, resellers or managers could
generate the „expert workflows‟ for
a client with specific company
standard practices. It would take
the training out of the classroom
and into the software.”
Insights
Users were very interested in:
a) Visually comparing their own workflow to more efficient options
b) The possibility of saving & sharing workflows with colleagues
These functions encourage reflection and support a community of practice.
Recommendations
• Explore options for incorporating Chronicle with a visualized workflow.
• Allow users to save a given workflow as shown, and modify it before saving
with drag & drop editing.
© 2011 Autodesk

20. Insights & Recommendations
Workflow Visualization UI
“I would click on any of those
items, say the start point
button, and it would allow me to
readdress that start point, or grip
edit..”
Insights
Users were shown several alternative visualizations but the simplest and most familiar “flow chart”
style resonated most. All 5 preferred the linear style to a tree or concept map. They provided
several suggestions for visual formatting.
Recommendations
• Keep a streamlined, linear flow chart paradigm.
• Consider arranging the commands in a direct horizontal line, shifting selected commands into
the center and rearranging alternative (unselected) options around them at each node.
• Consider the option to collapse and expand unselected options as desired.
• Add on-screen hints and toolclips for click/hover interactions within the visualization.
© 2011 Autodesk

21. Insights & Recommendations
Command Prediction concepts
“I‟d like to have a list of commands that
I‟ve taken advantage of after they are
suggested, so I can remember them a
few months later instead of them
disappearing from the list and never
seeing them again.”
Insights
Users were interested in command prediction but felt the value came in comparing their own
tendencies to that of a veteran user or colleague, which can also be found in the My Workflow
function. The larger value of this function was the CommunityCommands function, all 5 users
would like to see relevant but unfamiliar command options to consider.
Recommendations
• Consider eliminating the next likely command function and only include CommunityCommands
technology to predict and suggest relevant commands.
• CommunityCommands currently shows commands that have never been used; once used a
command no longer appears. Consider allowing for users to still access recently used
commands from this function.
© 2011 Autodesk

22. Insights & Recommendations
Command Prediction UI
“I don‟t like the idea of it actually
being clickable… it doesn‟t
encourage you to actually learn the
software… but if clicking opened
the ribbon or showed you where to
click, that would be useful.”
Insights
The next likely command UI was not intuitive; users preferred a separate list for
experts, user, community, etc but also acknowledged that would require a lot of
space. Some users suggested the command icons should be clickable and run the
command itself; others preferred would advise against that option, „so it doesn‟t
become a crutch‟ and instead would expect toolclips and on-screen hints pointing
them in the right direction. The latter would better encourage internalization and
support a scaffolding process for improved strategic awareness.
Recommendations
• Include on-screen hints and toolclips on click/hover for the icons.
• Eliminate or redesign the predicted next steps as separate catagories.
© 2011 Autodesk
“The bulk of the time I‟m
showing someone how
to do something, their
reaction is, „I never new
that button existed.‟”

23. Insights & Recommendations
Tutorial concept
“To me, pausing and re-watching videos
and looking back and forth from website
to Civil interrupts the learning process. I
like this design very much; you‟ve got
your steps, your images, your videos, all
right there, and having it interact with the
software itself as you go is very valuable.
Insights
The in-canvas tutorial was popular with all users. They especially liked the on-screen
callouts and the ability to follow step-by-step within their own model data. Some
expressed an interest in saving and sharing tutorials as a supplement to those created
by LXD, similar to My Workflow recommendations.
Recommendations
• Draw on the success of the Inventor-style tutorial; include separate steps and short
video clips that can be generated from LX help content and modified in small chunks.
• Include on-screen hints and callouts for each step in the process.
© 2011 Autodesk

24. Insights & Recommendations
Safe Mode
“I do the „undo‟ thing usually, but
you‟ve always got in the back of
your mind, the undo might not
actually work, it might crash and
you lose everything, or you may
actually undo too far.”
Insights
Most users were in favor of a more streamlined process for experimenting with less risk to the
model. One admitted using a similar feature in a competitor product and found it confusing; most
habitually use the undo button or copy files and admit it might not be something they right away
but they still would like to see it in a product.
Recommendations
• Provide feedback or indicators beyond the on/off switch to alert users when they are using safe
mode and whether changes are being saved.
• Consider an additional window that logs the commands as they run, as a mini-workflow
visualization that can be later modified and certain steps saved while others discarded.
© 2011 Autodesk

25. Alternative UIs
Insights
Users were indifferent to whether the learning tool
is designed as three separate functions or as a
more integrated all-in-one panel. Some claimed
they would immediately move the tool to their
second monitor regardless; others preferred to
keep a tutorial or learning tool on the same
screen because it promotes learning and aids
their work process. Users want options.
Recommendations
• Provide multiple configurations; allow users to
open the tool in the bottom panel (as designed)
or pop out to dock on screen or move to a
second monitor.
• In a single-panel integrated tool, allow users to
collapse the individual components as desired.
© 2011 Autodesk
“Once I understand the logic of
what I‟m doing, I don‟t need to see
the command flow any more, so
maybe I‟d start one way and want
to adjust as I learn it better, close it
or move it off screen.”

26. Insights & Recommendations:
A few more thoughts…
 On-screen
hints and callouts were universally popular.
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Consider adding this functionality everywhere possible for tutorials or workflow
visualizations.
 They support the scaffolding process so users can learn more implicitly over time
without interrupting the learning process.
 Several
users suggested using the workflow visualization or safe mode (or both)
as a new way to create, edit and save macros.
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Visually editing a workflow, saving some components and not others, and then
running that self-optimized workflow was considered powerfully useful.
 A visual programming paradigm may be useful here, as inspiration for visualizing and
editing workflows. Nodes and blocks for workflow editing?
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Blockly, Scratch, Grasshopper, etc.
This type of function would strongly support exploration and strategic knowledge.
Consider leveraging the technology developed for Autodesk Research‟s Delta
to visualize and compare workflows, combined with Chronicle to record and
share workflows with colleagues.
© 2011 Autodesk

27. Most of these features exist in many forms already, but they are
most often built from a usability standpoint. Our goal should be to
build them not only to make the software more usable but to
support the user‟s learning process.
This document and related materials are available on SharePoint:
Learning Resources Folder
(Learning Experience Design Internship 2012)
© 2011 Autodesk