Monday, March 7, 2016

Usability Testing

What is Usability Testing?
According to Usability.gov, usability testing “refers to evaluating a product or service by testing it with representative users.”  These tests can be helpful in many fields from software engineers trying to figure out if their site is user friendly, all the way to car designers attempting to find the most visually appealing design for the bodywork of an automobile.

How does this help?
Using the information gathered by the usability test, the person conducting the test can improve the product that was being tested. For instance if the tester told the software engineer that they got bored while reading, the engineer might add more color of better blocking of material, to give the readers eyes something to look at. It can also be used to add more or less details to an instructional brochure/video, as the author might have misinterpreted his/her audience, and either not put in some steps that he/she thought would be necessary, or put in too many.

What sources did I use for constructing my test?
During the process of researching how to make a great usability test, I stumbled across two websites that looked very helpful in terms of helping develop questions for my test.  These sites are Validately.com and Usertesting.com.  Both of these sites ran me through processes of how to construct my test to receive maximum information gain.

Some of my questions and why I asked them
The first question that I asked on my test was, “Was the script formidable for all audiences? What aspects made this possible or not possible?” By asking this question I opened up the main question that I was wondering, which was “Would this make sense to everyone?” Also by adding the secondary question of what made it possible/impossible, I received ideas on how to change it.

Another question that I asked during my test was, “Could you follow my thought path? Did I cover the information thoroughly enough?” I asked this in order to figure out if I would need to add more details, or if I needed to cover specific parts again.

The final question that I asked my testers was, “Overall what rating would you give this script, in terms of usability? (1-10)” This was to not only give the tester a sense of completion, but also to give myself an overall rating. By asking for an overall rating, it signifies to the tester that the test is done which, unless you thoroughly enjoy taking tests and giving your opinion, is a good thing.

My Usability Test Results
The usability test in which I constructed was going to be used on the final draft script for an instructional video on how to construct a sealed subwoofer box. The audience that I was aiming for includes car audio enthusiasts looking to make a box themselves, and also beginners in the car audio community.

One main objective of my test was to figure out if I covered the material thoroughly enough for the target audience.  This includes not covering to much basic material, like how to run a cordless drill, but still cover enough information on what I am doing.  

My draft covered the same amount of information that I included in my final video, with some filler language added in the video just to reduce the risk of people becoming bored and leaving. The test group that I chose included three other men from my Writing in the Technical Professions Class.  I believe these individuals represent my target audience quite well, as they all have some technical experience, but probably haven't built a subwoofer box.

After receiving the results of my usability test back, I was happy to see the average score that the three men had given me was a 8 (from 1-10). The major feedback involved some of the language that I used, and how it would only be suitable for those who DIY or are used to basic construction. All of them said that it was easy for them to follow, but could be difficult for someone with less experience.

While changing my script, I decided to cut out much of the technical language in exchange for more basic language. I also changed the way that I was going to create the box, as the current format would take up far too much time.


Innovations in Automobile Technology


Every once in a while someone picks up an object, or even looks at an object and wonders, “How can I make that even better?” People like this are called innovators. These are people who, want to keep improving life.  For an innovator, nothing is ever “Good enough”. This is different than an inventor in the sense that their ideas are based on ideas of others. One of the coolest recent innovations, in my eyes, is the WayRay Navion.  The Navion is a super advanced heads-up-display that you can connect to your phone and your car to try to eliminate distracted driving.

What is a HUD (Heads-Up-Display)?
According to Howtogeek.com, “A HUD is a digital transparent image that is projected onto the windshield of a car, displaying the same information you would get from the dashboard.”  These have been around since 1988, when General Motors first introduced them on their Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.  Nowadays they can be found on many cars from brands such as GM, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and even the Korean economy brand Kia.  Saying this, we can assume they are becoming pretty main stream.  The only downside is that many still only display the information you could just as easily find on your dashboard.  This was until Navion came along.

What can the Navion Do?
I called the Navion a “super advanced HUD” for a reason.  This is because the Navion takes the HUD available on a mainstream car, and combines it with a HUD similar to what you get in Forza Motorsports.  This includes a line of arrows simulating a racing line, displaying current speed, and also the distance until your next turn.  And these features are only the ones on the base model.  If you are willing to spend a bit more, you can get your Navion with an infotainment layer that connects to your Android or Apple device via Bluetooth and uses gestures and voice commands to interact with the system.




Why does the Navion help?
By projecting the navigation and infotainment information translucently on to the windshield, this eliminates the need to look at multiple screens while driving.  By not having to look at multiple screens you are a far more observant driver. This in turn makes the world safer.  

My Review of Navion
While the Navion isn’t out yet, I will still try my best to give a review on it. The questions that I will be asking myself while reviewing it are: “How is this better than existing HUDs on the market?”, “How well does it project information?”, and finally “Is it worth your money?”.

In my opinion the Navion is better than many existing HUDs in the fact that it displays information onto the actual windshield, rather than having to install a secondary opaque glass pane.  It is also the first of its kind, in the fact that it actually scans the road ahead of you, to give a much more accurate path. The Navion is also the first HUD to use holographic projection.

Judging only from demonstration videos, the Navion looks like it projects information rather well.  The image looks very high definition and also quite distinct.  The only problem I could see with the image, would be if the road were green for some reason.  This would cause the hologram to get lost in the background. A way to solve this would be to employ a red display that you could toggle between using a switch or button.  

As for the question that is truly on people's mind, price, I have an answer! The base Navion prices out at $300, while the model with the infotainment layer is $500.  This is an amazing deal, and I would spend the extra $200 to upgrade.  While this $500 may seem like a lot, you can consider it an investment, almost an insurance.  While I am not suggesting you replace your current auto insurance, I would complement it with a Navion. It can save you a lot of money that you could end up spending on car repairs, from an accident that occurred while you were messing with your GPS or answering a text.

Where could it go from here?
I myself look at the Navion and think it is great! But at the same time I am also thinking of ways to make it better.  What if you could link it a database that calculates braking distances for every car, and tell you a minimum following distance for that specific car.  What if you could take the specifications of your car and it could give you the perfect driving line for racing (around a track of course). The possibilities are seemingly endless.


How to Build a Subwoofer Box

This video gives instructions on how to construct a sealed subwoofer box for 2 10" subs.  The external dimensions of the box are 12" x 15" x 30", with the inside of the box having a volume of 2.19 cubic ft.  The materials and tools used are listed below.  Thanks for watching! Have fun bumping!

Materials
1 @ 4' x 8' MDF Particle Board (3/4" thick)
1 @ Speaker Box Terminal
1 @ tube of wood glue
2 @ 12 oz tubes of Silicone (I used window silicone)
40 @ 1" x 1/2" corner brackets
80 @ 1" wood screws

Tools
Table saw (one that can put miter on edge)
Jig Saw
Drill
3/32" Drill Bit
1/4" Drill Bit
Tape Measure
Square
Impact Driver