[ATTW-L] usability assignments

[Karabinus, Alisha D]

We did a fun project last summer - our students here do a lot of collaborative work (multiple projects per semester, on average), so I had my students study the optimal platforms for asynchronous collaboration. We co-constructed a list of seven platforms for collaboration and communication (like MS Online, Google Docs, Slack, etc.), including some they hadn't much used, and each team studied three platforms. They created user profiles, surveys, study protocols and did a lot of pilots - our goal was not to conduct a full study, because it was a truncated summer class, but to walk through how to conceive and construct a study, so there was also a reflective element at the end on how to enact what they'd learned in a larger study. They really seemed to enjoy the meta-analysis of trying to uncover the best platforms to use in their own contexts instead of just defaulting to whatever was most convenient, and students were more engaged than in a typical summer course.


Alisha Karabinus
Assistant Director, Introductory Composition
PhD Candidate, Rhetoric & Composition
Purdue University

pronouns: she/her


On Sat, Apr 20, 2019 at 12:30 PM Quan Zhou <Quan.Zhou at metrostate.edu<mailto:Quan.Zhou at metrostate.edu>> wrote:
Hi Ligia,

In my usability courses, I ask my students to sit down with users and collaboratively explore the optimal ways users would like the product to be. This often gets students out of the restricted box of the existing product. Students co-think with users and co-make early prototypes. These collaborative sessions, typically 20-40 minutes long, are some of the most engaging and useful activities.


Quan Zhou, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Department of Technical Communication and Interaction Design
School of Communication, Writing, and the Arts
Metropolitan State University, Twin Cities, MN
quan.zhou at metrostate.edu<mailto:quan.zhou at metrostate.edu>



On Apr 15, 2019, at 10:47 PM, Ligia Mihut <limihut at yahoo.com<mailto:limihut at yahoo.com>> wrote:

Hi, all.
I am somewhat new to PW and I am looking for any suggestions or possibly well designed assignments on usability testing or website reviews. I am particularly interested in suggestions from more seasoned instructors in terms of what has worked or not when it comes to usability testing but any type of advice is appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Best wishes,
Ligia

Ligia A. Mihut, PhD
Assistant Professor
Barry University, Miami, FL


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