Subject: UWired Usability Meeting, Friday, October 29, 2:30-3:30


  NEXT MEETING: Friday, October 29, 2:30-3:30pm
    ACC Ground Floor, C&C Client Services hosting

   Agenda:
     - Feedback on the TC Design Heuristics - How did your test of the
       TC Design Heuristics go? What ideas did it give you for a
       set of UW specific design heuristics?
     - Developer's Retreat - Please review the following proposal 
       developed by the adhoc retreat committee

  ---------------------------------------------------------------

            Basic Proposal For A Developer's Retreat 

  1. Half day workshop format - a couple brief speakers,
     break up for topical discussions, gather again to share
  2. Invite developers of official UW sites (not students or 
     personal sites)
  3. Theme something like "What do we want to have happen 
     with the UW's information space?"
  4. Basic agenda
     a. Speaker One - What Is Coming?
        Vision of what is coming in the near future, including
        MyUW, UW NetID, etc., touching on growing role of 
        interconnectivity and interoperativity. Oren?
     b. Speaker Two - The UW Home Page's Approach
        Summarize the design/functionality concepts behind 
        the UW home page - how it implements interconnectivity
        of information.
     c. Speaker Three - Setup Groups Discussion
        Explain three salient issues in site management and
        design at the UW (Identity & Trust, Interoperativity
        & Interconnectivity, User-Centered Design).  
     d. Group Discussions  
        Audience splits into three discussion
        groups (each with a facilitator) and shares viewpoints
        on the topic, identifies issues, and comes up with 
        recommendations
     e. General Session
        Everyone gathers again and representative from each 
        group summarizes its results. Followed by general discussion
        focusing on specific steps to take next.
       
  ---------------------------------------------------------------

Notes from adhoc retreat committeeA discussions 

  Who Are Developers?
  o Anyone creating, adding to, or managing washington.edu sites
  o Includes administrative and departmental pages, but not
    staff or student personal pages
  o Not just limited to class or departmental sites. 
    UWired Usability committee is a cooperative group from all
    over the UW
  o Issues relate to how all UW sites can interconnect and
    interoperate
  o People who can make site designs that improve
    the user-centered design of the UW Web 

  What Would Developers Talk About If They Got Together?
  o Might get caught up in technical details (which Javascript 
    works on which browser)
  o Compare and contrast design goals
  o Compare and contrast design process 

  Following a Task Vector
  o Users move through Web infospace on a vector to achieve
    a specific task 

     0          UW          Depts       Math       Entry
    /|\ ------> Home ---->  Page  ----> Home ----> Requirements 
                Page                    Page 
   I want
   to be a
   math guy        
 
  o What usability features are good, which are bad, for person trying 
    to follow a task vector?
     - Connectivity - want designs that allow direct connection
       between steps in common user task vectors
     - Transitions - going between designs as you follow your
       vector can be disconcerting, lower usability
     - Vocabulary - consistency in vocabulary along pathway
       helps user follow the right vector

  Establishing Identity and Trust
  o Because you can jump in anywhere, each page must establish
    identity and trustworthiness
  o Old information erodes trust, how to keep up to date
  o Logos, colors, layout, design concept establish identity
  o Comparing print versus web - what is lost when documents are
    moved from print to Web. What is possible on the Web that 
    is not possible in print.

  Interconnectivity/Interoperativity
  o Tools for shared services and information
  o UWNetID - one central official method for authentication
    and authorization
  o Calendar dataBase
     - Any authorized person could add events to a central
       database
     - Anyone needing a calendar could query the database
       with selection criteria and get a calendar
  o UW Administrative applications
  o MyUW - how should sites be designed to work with MyUW?

  User-Centered Design 
  o Content appropriate for audience
  o Tasks your audience wants to do
  o Software/hardware of your audience
  o Environment your audience works in/from
     - home, office, labs
     - might be under time pressure
     - might have slow connection
  o What audience surveys/research has been done by UW developers? 
  o How did audience research affect design 
   

 |- Rick Ells - 543-2875 - rells@cac.washington.edu - Rm 301 4545 Bldg -|
 |-                http://staff.washington.edu/rells/                  -|