These examples are taken from my work at Claris Corporation. In these projects I developed and conducted the research and provided recommendations for improvements. Interaction and visual design work was done by other designers on the team. Product names, images, and research data are all copyright or property of Claris Corporation. Use of images granted permission by Claris Corporation.
On this page...
Usability
Testing
Cognitive Modeling
Ethnographic Interview
Claris Organizer 2.0 - Dialog Box Identity
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In usability testing it was found that many item creation dialog boxes such as Create an Appointment and Create an Event looked similar because they contained similar fields. Often users got confused which dialog box they had open and which Organizer item they were creating.
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Increase dialog box visual distinction and identity by including an icon in the top right corner. Leverage off the visual identity for the different Organizer items already created in the application button bar by using the same images. |
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The final design used slightly modified versions of the Button Bar icons. |
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Claris Organizer 2.0 - Decreasing Appointment Duration
| Outward arrows suggested to users that appointment duration could only be increased by dragging the arrows outward. They didn't realize it could be decreased by dragging the arrows inward as well. |
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| I recommended to change the cursor to up and down arrows when it is rolled over the top or bottom border of an appointment. |
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| The up and down arrow cursor was implemented. |
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Claris OfficeM@il 1.0 - Non-Clickable Images
In initial testing of OfficeM@iler, users thought large graphics were buttons to be clicked on. Users were so busy clicking on the figures that they failed to notice the clickable Start button at the bottom of the panel. Users also asked why there was a picture of a flying cheeseburger on this screen. Based on these test findings, the designers moved buttons closer to the images, made buttons look more clickable, and the satellite image was redrawn to look less cheeseburger-like.
FileMaker 3.0 - Long menu item arrangement
FileMaker 2.1 users were given several FileMaker script names printed on index cards and asked to arrange them into logical groupings. They were then asked to label their groupings. Users created similar groupings and gave the groupings similar labels: scripts relating to modifying fields, modifying records and importing and exporting. These results were used to determine the arrangement of the scripts in FileMaker's Script Menu.
The Ethnographic Interview technique taken from anthropology provides a deep understanding of the user's culture such as a customer's work environment. Through conversations with users in their own work environment, an understanding of users' work processes, work responsibilities, tools used, time sinks, frustrations, and needs can be gained. This process is ideal at the conceptualization phase of a project.
New Family of Claris Products Research
Before Interviews
It was assumed that our target market performed tasks a and b and thought of them as independent from one another. Claris planned to make two separate products to assist users in performing task a and task b.
Interview Result
It was found that users perform both tasks a and b, but they are inter-related and often require the same pieces of information. Users would not be helped by a product that does task A but not B or vice versa.
Recommendation & Action
Rather than making two new products for task a and task b, make one new product that does both. Claris took this recommendation.
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