Project part 2a
Gathering Requirements - Task Analysis
Introduction
The application we choose to test is UTMSmart application, this app is designed to meet the needs of students, staff, and the public. The top section of the interface has a colorful background with four icons. Users can choose up to four favorite icons out of eight in the menu button at the top left corner. The middle section provides news and event updates, along with icons and labels for What's New, Getting Around, People Directory, Library, Health, Contact, and Survey. The bottom part features a charity section and social media sharing buttons for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.
We test this product by asking three users to complete three tasks within the app which is locating the shuttle bus page from the home page of UTMSmart, checking bus availability, and exploring the ways to reach KDOJ from KTHO.
Derivation of HTA
HTA for Task 1 - Locating the shuttle bus page from home page of UTMSmart
User 1: Local Student
0. Find the shuttle bus page from home page
1. Click on menu button
1.1 Can’t find shuttle bus page
1.2 Return home page
2. Click on “Getting Around”
2.1 Click on “Shuttle Bus”
2.2 Located shuttle bus page
Plan 0: do 1 if needed; do 2
Plan 1: do 1.1 if needed; do 1.2 if needed
Plan 2: do 2.1; do 2.2
User 2: International Student
0. Find the shuttle bus page from home page
1. Click on “What’s New”
1.1 Can’t find shuttle bus page
1.2 Return home page
2. Click on “Getting Around”
2.1 Click on “Shuttle Bus”
2.2 Located shuttle bus page
Plan 0: do 1 if needed; do 2
Plan 1: do 1.1 if needed; do 1.2 if needed
Plan 2: do 2.1; do 2.2
User 3 : Off-Campus Residents Student
0. Find Shuttle Bus Page From Homepage
1. Click “Getting Around”
1.1 Look for “Shuttle Bus”
2. Click “Shuttle Bus”
Plan 0 : do 1; do 2
Plan 1 : do 1.1
Findings from the HTAs for Task 1
Users have difficulties finding the shuttle bus page due to the current user interface, which is not user-friendly.
User 1 finds the process hard and complicated, he clicks the menu first and then needs to go back to the homepage again before finding the bus page, making it quite lengthy and suggesting a need for a bus page button directly on the homepage.
User 2 experiences similar difficulties, she clicks "What's News" first before locating the bus page.
While User 3 can find the bus page more easily, she still thinks it is inconvenient to click through multiple pages.
Overall, the shuttle bus page is hard to find, indicating a need for improvement. Adding another icon on the homepage or implementing a clearer navigation method such as search bar could help users access the shuttle bus page more easily.
HTA for Task 2 - Checking the bus availability
User 1: Local Student
0. Checking the bus availability
1. Click on “Getting Around”
1.1 Click on “Shuttle Bus”
1.2 Located shuttle bus page
2. Click “Available Now”
2.1: Read list of bus available
3. Click “Shuttle Schedule”
3.1 Check available bus operating time for whole day
Plan 0: do 1; do 2 and 3 if needed
Plan 1: do 1.1; do 1.2
Plan 2: do 2.1
Plan 3: do 3.1
User 2: International Student
0. Checking the bus availability
1. Click on “Getting Around”
1.1 Click on “Shuttle Bus”
1.2 Located shuttle bus page
2. Refresh the page to see real-time available bus
Plan 0: do 1; do 2 if needed
Plan 1: do 1.1; do 1.2
User 3 : Off-Campus Residents Student
0. Check Current Bus Availability
1. Click “Getting Around”
1.1 Look for “Shuttle Bus”
2. Click “Shuttle Bus”
3. Read list of current bus available
Plan 0 : do 1; do 2; do 3
Plan 1 : do 1.1
Findings from the HTAs for Task 2
All three users mostly do not have issues navigating to find the bus availability page and can read the bus information easily.
User 1 finds the bus availability feature quite nice but sees room for improvement, particularly with live location tracking.
User 2 easily finds the bus availability, refreshes it, and wants to know how long they will wait for the bus.
User 3 also easily finds the bus availability but notes that buses are sometimes not punctual, which is inconvenient for students.
A common issue is that users only know which bus is available at the time but are unsure whether the bus is near or has already passed them. Implementing a bus live location function could provide students with the bus's location and an estimated arrival time.
HTA for Task 3 - Exploring the ways to reach KDOJ from KTHO
User 1: Local Student
0. Plan bus route to reach N24 from K9/K10 1. Click on “Getting Around” 1.1 Click on “Shuttle Bus” 1.2 Located shuttle bus page 2. Click on “Shuttle Schedule” 3. Locate the bus route 3.1 Find bus that pick up from K9/K10 3.2 Find bus that goes to N24 3.3 Find the common bus stop that both buses will pass by 3.4 Located bus route from K9/K10 to N24
User 2: International Student
0. Plan bus route to reach KDOJ from KTHO 1. Click on “Getting Around” 1.1 Click on “Shuttle Bus” 1.2 Located shuttle bus page 2. Click on “Shuttle Schedule” 3. Locate the bus route 3.1 Find bus that stop at KDOJ 3.2 Find bus that stop at KTHO 3.3 Find bus stop that both buses will reach 3.4 Located bus route from KDOJ to KTHO
Plan 0: do 1; do 2; do 3;
Plan 1: do 1.1; do 1.2
Plan 3: do 3.1; do 3.2; do 3.3; do 3.4
User 3 : Off-Campus Residents Student
0. Plan bus ride from KTHO to KDOJ
1. Click “Getting Around”
1.1 Look for “Shuttle Bus”
2. Click “Shuttle Bus”
2.1 Look for “Shuttle Schedule”
2.2 Click “Shuttle Schedule”
3. Look for current location under bus name
3.1 Choose Bus
4. Look for desired destination
4.1 Find common location for exchange
4.2 Choose Bus
Plan 0 : do 1; do 2; do 3; do 4
Plan 1 : do 1.1
Plan 2 : do 2.1; do 2.2
Plan 3 : do 3.1
Plan 4 : do 4.1 if needed; do 4.2
Findings from the HTAs for Task 3
All users succeeded in finding the route to reach their destination, although it took them some time to figure out which route to take.
User 1 finds it hard to manually search for the bus he wants to transit and suggests a feature that allows searching for the starting point and destination, with the ability to save searches to a recent search bar for easy access.
User 2 finds it difficult to understand the bus routes clearly, as the current system does not show the way to reach their destination.
User 3 thinks the descriptions are hard for beginners to read but believes it will get easier over time. In addition, there is no map in the app to show the bus routes visually.
In short, implementing a trip planner and a comprehensive map could significantly improve the user experience by providing clear route information and visual aids.
Design requirements
Through our analysis of existing application and user behaviors based on the HTA for the three tasks, we've identified the design requirements for our system.
Our primary focus is on simplicity and ease of use, we want to make sure that users can easily find what they need by putting all the main tasks in the home page.
Next, we also want to enhance the user experience by making the icons and labels more clear and intuitive which will aid users in understanding the application's functions without confusion.
Additionally, instead of relying solely on textual route descriptions for each bus, which is confusing and hard to imagine, we are developing a bus route map for visual understanding.
Finally, we aim to enhance the app's functionality by integrating live bus location tracking and a trip planner feature which can provide users with real-time information such as location and estimated arrival and efficient route planning capabilities.
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