Usability evaluation is an increasingly important part of the user interface design process. However, usability evaluation can be expensive in terms of time and human resources, and automation is therefore a promising way to augment existing approaches. This article presents an extensive survey of usability evaluation methods, organized according to a new taxonomy that emphasizes the role of automation. The survey analyzes existing techniques, identifies which aspects of usability evaluation automation are likely to be of use in future research, and suggests new ways to expand existing approaches to better support usability evaluation.

/pdf/the-state-of-the-art-in-automating-usability-evaluation-of-1c9cn51uch.pdf

The state of the art in automating usability evaluation of user interfaces

The present invention provides for the management of user information of both site server and regular web site users. A site server is provided with information stored thereon including preferences, roles, and details related to users. A database separate from the site server is also provided. The database has information stored thereon including preferences, roles, and details relating to the users. An identity of one of the users is authenticated. A single interface is displayed which provides the user access to both the site server and the database upon authentication of the identity of the user. The user is allowed to view and change the information that is stored on the site server and the database and that is associated with the user. The single interface is tailored based on the information associated with the user.

Managing user information on an e-commerce system

Different approaches to the measurement of usability are reviewed and related to definitions of usability in international standards. It is concluded that reliable measures of overall usability can only be obtained by assessing the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which representative users carry out representative tasks in representative environments.This requires a detailed understanding of the context of use of a product. The ESPRIT MUSiC project has developed tools which can be used to measure usability in the laboratory and the field. An overview is given of the methods and tools for measuring user performance, cognitive workload, and user perceived quality.

Usability measurement in context

The invention can enable monitoring of the display of content by a computer system. Moreover, the invention can enable monitoring of the displayed content to produce monitoring information from which conclusions may be deduced regarding the observation of the displayed content by an observer. The invention can also enable monitoring of the display at a content display site of content that is provided by a content provider site over a network to the content display site. Additionally, the invention can enable the expeditious provision of updated and/or tailored content over a network from a content provider site to a content display site so that the content provider's current and appropriately tailored content is always displayed at the content display site. Aspects of the invention related to transfer of content over a network are generally applicable to any type of network. However, it is contemplated that the invention can be particularly useful with a computer network, including private computer networks (e.g., America Online™) and public computer networks (e.g., the Internet). In particular, the invention can be advantageously used with computer networks or portions of computer networks over which video and/or audio content are transferred from one network site to another network site for observation, such as the World Wide Web portion of the Internet.

Content display monitor

A system and method are provided for providing an activity framework. First, a plurality of sub-activities are created which each include sub-activity logic adapted to generate an output based on an input received from a user upon execution. Second, a plurality of activities are defined which each execute the sub-activities in a unique manner upon being selected for accomplishing a goal associated with the activity. Selection of one of the activities is allowed by receiving user indicia. An interface is depicted for allowing receipt of the input and display of the output during execution of the sub-activities associated with the selected activity.

Activity framework design in an e-commerce based environment for providing supporting services to a model view controller

A method for evaluating application software used with a computer system having a graphic user interface The method is implemented as a computer program that runs simultaneously with the application software The program continually checks a system-provided event record to determine if a user-initiated event has occurred If so, the program relates the event to an on-screen object of the graphic user interface and to the time at which it occurred The program outputs an event capture log, which may be used for subsequent analysis

Event capturing for computer software evaluation

A method for evaluating application software used with a computer system having a graphic user interface. The method is implemented as a computer program that runs simultaneously with the application software. The program continually checks a system-provided event record to determine if a user-initiated event has occurred. If so, the program relates the event to an on-screen object of the graphic user interface and to the time at which it occurred. Events and objects and their attributes are associated with identifiers so that the invention can be programmed to select only certain event data. The program outputs an event capture log, which may be used for subsequent analysis.

Filtering event capture data for computer software evaluation

Our on-line data capture and analysis tools include an event capture program, event data filtering programs, a multimedia data analyzer, and a retrospective verbal protocal recorder for use with the multimedia data analyzer. Off-line observation logging is also supported. Additional plans for development include the integration of an online time-synchronized observation logger, and time-synchronized eyetracking data recording. The tool set provides an integrated multi-source data collection, processing, and analysis system for: 1) comparing and evaluating software applications and prototypes; 2) evaluating software documentation and instructional materials; and 3) evaluating on-line training. The tools currently run on Macintosh computers and under Microsoft Windows. Plans are to port the tools to run under Presentation manager and Motif.

Integrated data capture and analysis tools for research and testing on graphical user interfaces

Various technologies described herein pertain to voice directed context sensitive visual searching. Visual content can be rendered on a display, and a voice directed query related to the visual content can be received. Contextual information related to the visual content can also be identified. Moreover, a search word recognized from the voice directed query and/or the contextual information can be used to detect an object from the visual content, where the object can be a part of the visual content. Further, a search can be performed using the object detected from the visual content, and a result of the search can be rendered on the display.

Voice directed context sensitive visual search

Various technologies described herein pertain to controlling functionality of a display based on visual focus of a user in a multiple display or multiple computational device environment. A particular display from a set of displays on which a user is visually focused is identified. The set of displays includes at least a first display and a second display. Moreover, a type of input receivable from the user via the first display and/or content rendered on the first display is controlled based on the visual focus of the user.

Monty Hammontree

Papers

Event capturing for computer software evaluation

Filtering event capture data for computer software evaluation

Integrated data capture and analysis tools for research and testing on graphical user interfaces

Voice directed context sensitive visual search

Visual focus-based control of coupled displays