Recording the user actions

ErgoLight�� records the user actions when operating a Windows application, allowing back tracking, as well as history based automated analysis of the user confusion.

Identifying instances of user confusion

ErgoLight� provides both manual and automated identification of instances of the user confusion. Automated identification of user confusion is based on confusion identifiers, such as the user response delay, activation of a Help feature or invoking a Cancel or Undo feature.

Interpreting the user intention

ErgoLight� provides both manual and automated interpretation of the user intention. The user intention is interpreted in terms of the user task breakdown, which is entered to the ErgoLight� database at the design phase.

Identifying usability problems

ErgoLight� compares the user recorded actions to the user's intention, analyzes the matching between the user's intention and the user actions and identifies usability problems of three types:

�     Problems typical to users new to the application

Tasks that the user could not accomplish using the software application

For example, the user of a word processor wants to move text but fails to either do the Drag and Drop method, or understand the clipboard concept and how to use it.

�     Problems typical to experienced users

Sensitivity of the user interface to psychomotoric user errors

For example, the unexpected appearance of a dialog box on screen, because of the mouse slip or because of using the wrong shortcut key combination.

�     Problems that confuse occasional users

Confusion due to global attributes, such as setup parameters

For example, when the user fails to print because s/he is not aware of the �print to file� check box.

On line recovery

ErgoLight�� provides on-line assistance to the end user, based on the results of the problem analysis. This information provided allows the user to resolve certain usability problems, such as mode errors, and to learn how to avoid error prone operations, such as using the wrong key combinations.

Identifying deficiencies in the user information

ErgoLight�� classifies the records of user confusion by available sources of user information. For example, a designer can extract a report containing all user reports associated with the user's guide.

Evaluating the usability problems

ErgoLight�� provides various means for evaluating usability problems:

�     Backtracking the user actions, most useful in understanding error modes

�     Top down review of problems in user orientation, with reference to the relevant sources of user information

�     Top down review of conflicting Windows controls, with reference to optional design changes

�     Top down review of mode errors, with reference to optional design changes.

Quantifying the error costs

ErgoLightÔ �provides statistics of all identified usability problems, thus manifesting the effect of recurrent seemingly minor problems. The user errors are quantified in terms of the user time waste, allowing the application developers to:

�     Prioritize the usability problems by the error costs

�     Compare alternative implementations of a user task.

The usability problems are sorted by either the frequency of occurrence or the total user time waste.

Close-loop adjustment to the user terminology

ErgoLight�� provides means for easy adjustment of terms in the task breakdown according to those used by the end users.

Providing feedback to the application designers

ErgoLight�� provides means for adding comments to each usability problem identify, useful for transferring the knowledge gained by the application evaluator to the design team. ErgoLight�� generates default comments, using a knowledge base of user error modes.

Providing Help Desk information

The information obtained by ErgoLightÔ� is used mainly to identify design problems so that they can be fixed before delivery of the application. Unfortunately, the process of problem fixing is time consuming. Typically, many of the fixes are postponed to the next product release and the product is delivered even before the problems are fixed.

ErgoLight provides means to work around the problem for the meantime, until a new version of the application is available:

�     It provides additional information for the end user, added on the original application

�     It provides help desk information for customer support centers.

For the Help Desk, ErgoLight�� provides means for adding a comment to each usability problem identify, similar to the comments which the application evaluator adds to reports aimed for design changes. These comments are useful for transferring the knowledge gained by the application evaluator to technical support Help Desk centered. At the Help Desk, ErgoLight� conducts interactions synchronized with the end user, that allows the technical assistants to easily locate the comment relevant to a particular call for help.

Platforms

The first implementation of ErgoLight� is on Windows 95.