Design Library

On June 18, the TLT Web Site Redesign committee conducted paper-prototyping sessions with faculty. Paper prototyping is a relatively quick usability test and highly effective way to incorporate user feedback into your Web page designs.

The process involved recruiting up to 3 faculty (middle adopters) and ask them to complete 2-3 basic tasks on paper versions of the web pages we've drafted. These pages included two different home page drafts, several springboard pages, a site map, and a profile in success. The sessions were 30-60 minutes. At end, we asked them to critique the Home Page designs from the point of view as a first time visitor and then as a 4th time visitor. We modified a script that Steve Krug mentioned at the Web Conference 2008, found on his website http://www.sensible.com/

The sessions were enormously helpful, thanks to the very enthusiastic faculty participants. Here were some of the observations:

• both participants recognized the "feature" on the (feature) home page wireframe as a rotating element.
• suggestion to move the links gallery side-by-side to the "feature". however, didn't like the (gallery) home page wireframe when shown.
• a suggestion for a more task-based section. (e.g. engaging students outside of class, get students to create media for assignments)
• criticism for "why should i use it" on the springboard pages. while he understands the need to define podcasts for users who aren't familiar with it, if he is already on this page from his perspective "why should I use it" is irrelevant. To him "why should I use this" implies "I shouldn't use this".
• one had no interest in "news", "event" and "discussions". the springboard page is too cluttered.
• one focused a lot on the left-column and the highlight boxes (stuff to click on) and not the text.
• one participant when asked to record lectures instantly went to Workshops and Training since he needs help to do this. Eventually he moved towards Audio and Video and chose Podcasting, recognizing the term once he thought it through. The other participant was more familiar with technology and would have used his own computer to record the audio and publish it to his blog or ANGEL.
• one said he might seek out the Faculty Multimedia Center to record audio because he has had colleagues use it and prefers human assistance.
• one deduced the function of the TLT departmental links at the bottom of the (feature) home page wireframe. He wasn’t as comfortable with the second (gallery) homepage revision. The list was too long and it wasn’t as well organized. He would have liked to have seen a mission statement for TLT somewhere on the page.