[67] in iswork
Observations from some short usability sessions
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Robyn Fizz)
Thu May 18 17:45:38 2000
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Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 17:45:34 -0400
To: iswork@mit.edu
From: Robyn Fizz <fizz@MIT.EDU>
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As I discussed at today's meeting, I met with a team leader, the IS
usability group, and two staff members from the IS usability group to
gather some observations about the iswork database in its current FileMaker
format. (The usability group only saw a print-out of fields, not the actual
database.)
Since what follows is long, I will summarize some key points at the top.
Key points
-For the iswork database to succeed, everyone across the organization will
have to contribute consistently. Otherwise, like the Projects database, it
will fail.
-There will need to be guidelines for how to provide information. There is
uncertainty about what level of granularity is expected, as well as who
sets the success criteria, priority etc.
-We will need to provide definitions of field terms (e.g., decommissioned
date) and minimize the use of acronyms. Miki suggested that the user
interface include a data dictionary, so that users can pop up a definition
for each field, as needed.
Now here are my notes from the informal user surveys. Please excuse the bad
formatting, which happened when copying the notes into e-mail.
Robyn
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Survey of iswork database: Team Leader 5/15/2000
1. You are told about a new database that tracks all significant work in
IS. Your initial reaction is=8A?
Just for IS or the whole world?
Will it be more successful than the Project Database?
2. What would motivate you to keep your own (or your team's) entries in the
database up to date?
If I felt everyone was doing it.
3. This database has a built-in hierarchy, from themes down to individual
projects and activities. At what level of the hierarchy would
you expect to find material of most use/interest to you?
Would spend time at initiative level (note that there were no projects
or activities for her to look at).
Will I have to assign theme, strategy, initiative to each project or
activity? If so, will need guidelines on
how to add/fill out new items.
4. What kinds of information might you want to look up or compare? (even
if it isn't on the current pages or grid of database fields)
Would look for what might be required of Support
Would look at stakeholders: performing and affected organizations
5. There are hundreds of initiatives, projects, and activities - too much
text-based data to work well on scrolling Web pages. Assuming that
the data could be sliced and diced however you wanted, what fields would
you want to sort by?
End date of projects. (e.g., What projects have an end date of=8A?)
Strategy to find out which projects/activities focus on communications
and outreach.
Would search on support process to seek TPS projects
Other Comments
Asked about archiving. I mentioned monthly snapshots. Question: What
happens when more than one modification is made to a field between monthly
snapshots?
Who establishes success criteria? Priority?
When asked to justify service level agreements, would be great if they
could somehow be tracked better through cost objects
What is a decommisioned date?
What level of granularity expected for ongoing work? Guidelines needed.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Survey of iswork database: Members of Usability group 5/16/2000
1. You are told about a new database that tracks all significant work in
IS. Your initial reaction is=8A?
Are these timesheets?
What's considered significant?
How do you fill them in ?
What about archiving?
2. What would motivate you to keep your own (or your team's) entries in the
database up to date?
The John Curry factor - sense of survival
Useful as a record of past tasks, with links to Project Notebooks that
could serve as templates
Useful to learn about unknown projects - just heard about Project X,
what is it?
Ice cream: Tosci miles
Knowing how high up the hierarchy it will be used, and how far down
3. This database has a built-in hierarchy, from themes down to individual
projects and activities. At what level of the hierarchy would you expect
to find material of most use/interest to you?
Since the Web version wasn't available to look at, I skipped this questi=
on.
4. What kinds of information might you want to look up or compare? (even
if it isn't on the current pages or grid of database fields)
Skipped to sort question.
5. There are hundreds of initiatives, projects, and activities - too much
text-based data to work well on scrolling Web pages. Assuming that the data
could be sliced and diced however you wanted, what fields would you want to
sort by?
Project name and description
New projects (by start date) as well as end dates
Priority
Practice
Other Comments
Talking about Practice field led to a discussion about how Processes (large
and small p), Practices, project teams and standing teams should be
reflected in the database.
There was a feeling that in addition to a responsible person field, team
members should be listed. Even when it was pointed out how difficult this
could be maintain and that many Project Notebooks would contain member
lists, several people still wanted team members reflected in the iswork
database.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Survey of iswork database: Two staff members 5/16/2000
Both staff members were part of the Usability group session. These were a
few comments they made as they looked at some iswork Web pages later the
same day.
Person 1: Looking at Initiative Detail
Have no idea what it's about or what to do with it. Seems to be for
the Directors.
Need to see at least a mockup of a project/activity
Should do a usability test with Jim (or if he's not available,
Dani) before it's all developed
Person 2: Looking at Initiative Detail 4-A50 Perform ISVP Role
Does this really need to be in the database?
What is "perform AA?" Code? 21-month total?
Person 2: Looking at Initiative Detail 4-A30 Perform Space Interface Role
What is a Bucket Foundation?
How did someone arrive at 8.4 Person months? Seems very exact.
ITLT Sponsor: AFD. Took a minute before realizing this is probably
Alison Dolan.
Names should be spelled out (include mailto: link?).
Projects/Activities will be most important
Robyn Fizz
News Coordinator
MIT Information Systems
N42-290B
Phone: (617) 253-0540
=46ax: (617) 258-6875
=46or up-to-date computing news, see
http://web.mit.edu/is/newslink/
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Content-Type: text/enriched; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
As I discussed at today's meeting, I met with a team leader, the IS
usability group, and two staff members from the IS usability group to
gather some observations about the iswork database in its current
=46ileMaker format. (The usability group only saw a print-out of fields,
not the actual database.)
Since what follows is long, I will summarize some key points at the
top.
Key points
-For the iswork database to succeed, everyone across the organization
will have to contribute consistently. Otherwise, like the Projects
database, it will fail.
-There will need to be guidelines for how to provide information. There
is uncertainty about what level of granularity is expected, as well as
who sets the success criteria, priority etc.=20
-We will need to provide definitions of field terms (e.g.,
decommissioned date) and minimize the use of acronyms. Miki suggested
that the user interface include a data dictionary, so that users can
pop up a definition for each field, as needed.
Now here are my notes from the informal user surveys. Please excuse the
bad formatting, which happened when copying the notes into e-mail.
Robyn
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
<fontfamily><param>Times</param><bigger>Survey of iswork database: Team
Leader 5/15/2000
1. You are told about a new database that tracks all significant work
in IS. Your initial reaction is=8A?
Just for IS or the whole world?
Will it be more successful than the Project Database?
2. What would motivate you to keep your own (or your team's) entries in
the database up to date?
If I felt everyone was doing it.
3. This database has a built-in hierarchy, from themes down to
individual projects and activities. At what level of the
hierarchy would you expect to find material of most use/interest to
you?
Would spend time at initiative level (note that there were no
projects or activities for her to look at).
Will I have to assign theme, strategy, initiative to each project
or activity? If so, will need guidelines on how to
add/fill out new items.
4. What kinds of information might you want to look up or compare?
(even if it isn't on the current pages or grid of database fields)
Would look for what might be required of Support
Would look at stakeholders: performing and affected organizations
5. There are hundreds of initiatives, projects, and activities - too
much text-based data to work well on scrolling Web pages. Assuming
that the data could be sliced and diced however you wanted, what fields
would you want to sort by?
End date of projects. (e.g., What projects have an end date of=8A?)
Strategy to find out which projects/activities focus on
communications and outreach.
Would search on support process to seek TPS projects
Other Comments
Asked about archiving. I mentioned monthly snapshots. Question: What
happens when more than one modification is made to a field between
monthly snapshots?
Who establishes success criteria? Priority?
When asked to justify service level agreements, would be great if they
could somehow be tracked better through cost objects
What is a decommisioned date?
What level of granularity expected for ongoing work? Guidelines
needed.
</bigger></fontfamily>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D
Survey of iswork database: Members of Usability group 5/16/2000
1. You are told about a new database that tracks all significant work
in IS. Your initial reaction is=8A?
Are these timesheets?
What's considered significant?
How do you fill them in ?
What about archiving?
2. What would motivate you to keep your own (or your team's) entries in
the database up to date?
The John Curry factor - sense of survival
Useful as a record of past tasks, with links to Project Notebooks
that could serve as templates
Useful to learn about unknown projects - just heard about Project
X, what is it?
Ice cream: Tosci miles
Knowing how high up the hierarchy it will be used, and how far
down
3. This database has a built-in hierarchy, from themes down to
individual projects and activities. At what level of the hierarchy
would you expect to find material of most use/interest to you?
Since the Web version wasn't available to look at, I skipped this
question.
4. What kinds of information might you want to look up or compare?
(even if it isn't on the current pages or grid of database fields)
Skipped to sort question.
5. There are hundreds of initiatives, projects, and activities - too
much text-based data to work well on scrolling Web pages. Assuming that
the data could be sliced and diced however you wanted, what fields
would you want to sort by?
Project name and description
New projects (by start date) as well as end dates
Priority
Practice
Other Comments
Talking about Practice field led to a discussion about how Processes
(large and small p), Practices, project teams and standing teams should
be reflected in the database.
There was a feeling that in addition to a responsible person field,
team members should be listed. Even when it was pointed out how
difficult this could be maintain and that many Project Notebooks would
contain member lists, several people still wanted team members
reflected in the iswork database.=20
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Survey of iswork database: Two staff members 5/16/2000
Both staff members were part of the Usability group session. These were
a few comments they made as they looked at some iswork Web pages later
the same day.
Person 1: Looking at Initiative Detail
Have no idea what it's about or what to do with it. Seems to be for
the Directors.
Need to see at least a mockup of a project/activity
Should do a usability test with Jim (or if he's not available, Dani)
before it's all developed
Person 2: Looking at Initiative Detail 4-A50 Perform ISVP Role
Does this really need to be in the database?
What is "perform AA?" Code? 21-month total?
Person 2: Looking at Initiative Detail 4-A30 Perform Space Interface
Role
What is a Bucket Foundation?
How did someone arrive at 8.4 Person months? Seems very exact.
ITLT Sponsor: AFD. Took a minute before realizing this is probably
Alison Dolan.=20
Names should be spelled out (include mailto: link?).
Projects/Activities will be most important=20
Robyn Fizz
News Coordinator
MIT Information Systems
N42-290B
Phone: (617) 253-0540
=46ax: (617) 258-6875
=46or up-to-date computing news, see
http://web.mit.edu/is/newslink/
--============_-1253436161==_ma============--
