3rd Edition – Interactive Training Workshop on ‘Conducting and Designing User Studies’
@ICCGIS, Albena (Bulgaria)
June 15, 2016
The invitation to this workshop can be found here.
Module 1:
Methods and techniques of use, user and usability research in geo-information processing and dissemination.
Kristien Ooms, Ghent University
The first module will introduce you to use, user & usability research in geo-information processing and dissemination. Reasons for doing such research are to understand and explain how GI tools work for their users and to design more usable tools. In this first module, the focus will be on the latter. The concept of User Centred Design will be presented and an overview will be given of the most commonly applied research techniques, along with tips & tricks on how and when to use them. Experiences will be shared in interactive sessions.
Module 2:
Quantitative versus Qualitative user research: selecting the right approach.
Robert Roth, University of Wisconsin Madison
When setting up a user study in cartography and GIS, it can be a difficult task to select the right method from the long list of available options. Methods commonly are divided between quantitative and qualitative approaches, with an increasing recommendation to mix these methods across a research or development project. This module will introduce and characterize quantitative versus qualitative methods, and discuss their similarities and differences across four aspects of experimental design using a series of case study examples: (1) participants, (2) materials, (3) procedure, and (4) analysis. From this module, you will have a better understanding of how to select and administer an appropriate method for your user study.
Module 3:
When and how to apply Eye Tracking?
Kristien Ooms, Ghent University
The module will explore one of the use and user research techniques in greater detail: Eye Tracking. The goal of this module is to show this technique up-close, with demonstrations and hands-on exercises. In this context, we will focus on the different aspects of eye tracking research in the geo-domain. We will show how to set and experiment, taking into account the tips & tricks from previous modules. Next we will demonstrate how to conduct an eye tracking experiment, taking into account special characteristics of eye tracking devices (e.g. light conditions). Finally, we will show how the data can be analysed (e.g. using sequence analysis).
Module 4:
An Introduction to Thinking Aloud
Corné van Elzakker, University of Twente
Thinking aloud has been considered as a very valuable usability engineering method by several leading authors. Also in the domains of cartography and geo-information science it is now frequently applied in qualitative user research, often in combination with other methods. During this interactive module you will get familiar with the idea behind this method: What are the pros & cons of applying this method? How do you set up a think aloud research project? What hardware and software do you need to record and process the data? How do you analyze the data? How do you combine thinking aloud with other methods (e.g. eye tracking)?
Wrap up of the day
Kristien Ooms, Ghent University
2nd Edition – Interactive Training Workshop on ‘Conducting and Designing User Studies’*
@Pre-ICC, Curritiba (Brazil)
August 20, 2015
Module 1:
Methods and techniques of use, user and usability research in geo-information processing and dissemination.
Kristien Ooms & Corné van Elzakker, ICA Commission on Use and User Issues,University of Ghent and ITC, University of Twente
The first module will introduce you to use, user & usability research in geo-information processing and dissemination. Reasons for doing such research are to understand and explain how GI tools work for their users and to design more usable tools. In this first module, the focus will be on the
latter. The concept of User Centred Design will be presented and an overview will be given of the most commonly applied research techniques, along with tips & tricks on how and when to use them. Experiences will be shared in interactive sessions.
–>Slides for this module can be donwloaded here
Module 2:
Designing your user study or experiment
Amy Griffin, ICA Commission on Cognitive Visualization, University of New South Wales Canberra
The second module will walk through some of the common questions a researcher must ask himself or herself when designing a user study: which (and how many) variables to manipulate and to measure, what type of study design to choose (e.g., within- or between-subjects designs), how many participants to recruit, and what type of analytical methods to use. These questions will be explored through interactive discussion of several case study examples.
–>Slides for this module can be donwloaded here
Module 3
Hypothesis – a tool to conduct to cartographic user research
Zbyněk Štěrba, ICA Commission on Cognitive Visualization, Masaryk University
Hypothesis is a interactive web based testing tool which is suitable for user research in a variety of scientific fields, but with a strong focus on cartographic application. In this module you will be introduced to the capabilities of Hypothesis: functionalities, experimental designs, combination with other methods and techniques, future developments …. and how to use it for your own research.
–>Slides for this module can be donwloaded here
Module 4
When and how to apply Eye Tracking.
Kristien Ooms and others, ICA Commission on Use and User Issues, University of Ghent
The final module will explore one of the use and user research techniaues in greater detail: Eye Tracking. The goal of this module is to show this technique up-close, with demonstrations and hands-on exercises. In this context, we will focuss on the differents aspects of eye tracking research in the geo-domain. We will showhow to set and experiment, taking into account the tips & tricks from previous modules. Next we will demonstrate how to conduct an eye tracking experiment, taking into account special characteristics of eye tracking devices (e.g. light conditions). Finally, we will show how the data can be analysed (e.g. using sequence analysis).
–>Slides for this module can be donwloaded here
1st Edition – Interactive Training Workshop on ‘Conducting and Designing User Studies’*
@AutoCarto, Columbus, Ohio (USA)
September 26, 2012
Module 1a – Methods and techniques of use, user and usability resaerch in geo-information processing and dissemination (Kristien Ooms & Corné van Elzakker)
Module 1b – Improving the usability of pedestrian navigation systems (Ioannis Delikostidis & Corné van Elzakker)
Module 2 – Designing your user study or experiment (Amy Griffin)
Module 3 – Research instrument integrity (Amy Lobben)
Module 4 – Working with the card sorting method (Robert Roth)
*slides to be added on slideshare