国内一款不错的用户体验管理软件 “UX Office System...

2009-07-06 14:37:15 来自: Ybz(@Beijing)

UX Office System introduction

1 What is UX Office System?

UX Office System, developed by ISAR User Interface Design Co. Ltd and German partners, is specialized in the fields of Usability Evaluation and User Experience Projects Management.
UX Office System combines software and hardware perfectly to assist the practitioners to implement the UX projects more effectively and efficiently.

UX Office is a software tool combined with some hardware components:
 Server with windows server operation system and related environment
 Screen capturing devices
 Video capturing devices
 Other related devices

Most parts of the UX Office modules are web based in order to support collaboration and reuse of data, A few parts are windows based in order to provide high performance for critical tasks.
UX Office System consist the components below:
 Web based server software
 Windows based server software
 IE Browser (for using the modules based on the web)
 Windows based client software



UX Office is designed for the four main clients like bellowing:
 the UX team, related UX experts and practitioners
 the Large and medium corporations
 Research Associations
 Colleges

2 How Does UX Office System Work?

UX Office System’s dramatic effectiveness lies in the fact that it really provides an integrated UX management platform for the UX team and it actually reduces the amount of work required to manage the projects and conduct usability evaluation. For the project management, it supports the setup, manage and track the project information, like project briefing, task, resource, deliverables, outlay and status. For the usability evaluation, it supports the whole work of the usability test, not only at the setup, the participant recruiting and scenario and questionnaire composing, but also during and data logging, data refinement, data analysis, presentation report stages, including the highlight video.

Its design works well for the UX team in big and medium companies new to the field of user experience, as well as for seasoned professionals. In addition, UX Office System is also applied to the individual users major in user research, usability evaluation and project management.

UX Office Software System is composed by two main modules: Usability Evaluation and Project Management, and other four supporting modules: Client, Library, Resource and Administration.

UX Office System also combines software and hardware perfectly, can be used to conduct usability tests with different products in different environments.

2.1 Project Management Module
UX Office’s Project Management Module is developed according to the common project management software, like MS Project. It could support the basic features like below:
 Project overview with project status
 Setup and manage project information
 Resource management for project staffing
 Track working time for budget control
 The storage and reuse of project information

Also it provides the improved functions like below:
 Customized project dashboard with project status
 Task centered manage mode, each task has its own information including period, deliverables, resources, status, outlay and etc.
 Flexible options to manage status of project activities
 Effective collaboration between members in a UX team and the stakeholders



2.2 Usability Evaluation Module
UX Office’s Usability Evaluation module is developed for managing the whole process of the usability evaluation which including the following steps:
 Evaluation Setup
 Recruiting
 Evaluation Guide
 Conduct Evaluation
 Refinement
 Data analysis
 Report
This module could assist users to conduct summative and formative usability test more effectively and efficiently. It will reduce the amount of work required in each step and improve the quality of the final result, it also could decrease the project period and save more costs.
In addition, this module has developed its own Plugins, UX Office_Observer, and matched devices to support the different products’ testing.

2.2.1 Setup the whole UE process by “step by step Guide”


When a user wants to conduct a new evaluation, UE Module will guide s/he to setup and conduct the whole process according to workflow above.
This method will help the UX team new to this field of user experience to learn and form a standard UE workflow.

2.2.2 Compose the task Scenarios and Questionnaires
UE module’s flexible options let you create a user research configuration for your specific needs. Before conducting tests, user could define the user task scenarios and markers you’ll use during the test, and compose different questionnaires, like post-task questionnaires, post-test questionnaires and etc.
UX Office questionnaire module provides types of question templates that you could use to compose an integrated questionnaire. After all you could print the whole test script which includes the procedure, introductions, scenario tasks and questionnaires to paper for moderator.

2.2.3 Recruit participants
UE module has a separate child-module for recruiting participants. User could define the user group and user group’s profile, and store the participants’ information in it.

2.2.4 Record the whole test process
During the each test session, user could use the plug in, “UX Office_Observer”, to capture the activity, operation, camera video and audio of the participant, also with the onscreen activity of the user’s computer if the test product is screen based product, like websites or software, even the applications in the mobile phone.
UX Office_Observer has matched devices to capture video and audio and can also save the audio and video content from the test session in a video file (WMV), so they can immediately share or review the session once it is complete.

2.2.5 Observe and log important events
From their desks, multiple observers in the UX teams can connect to UX Office Server over a LAN or WAN network to collaboratively watch and hear the whole test process, mark important events when they happen, add notes to markers, and easily track task start and end points. With the UX Office_Observer, observers could capture the whole raw data, including errors, helps, is completion, task lasting time, operation flow, operation steps, faces, comments and etc. Also observers could use the pre-defined questionnaires to fill each participant’s data. Markers and tasks set during recording are placed along a zooming visual timeline, so you could instantly choose and edit each task and marker you have added.

2.2.6 Refine the logged data and imported videos
After each participant’s test, observers could review the test session to makeup the missed data and edit the logged data with the refinement feature of UX Office_Obeserver. Markers and tasks set during recording are placed along a zooming visual timeline, so you can revisit them with a single click.
Even more, if user has recorded the series of videos by DV or other devices, you could import external videos into UX Office_Observer, associate with participant defined in Recruiting module and redo the Observing and Logging jobs. With this feature, UX Office System could be more compatible and flexible.

2.2.7 Cluster the logged dataring
After refine the logged data, user could use this the module, “Clustering”, to classify the markers(flaws, supports and other events) which are logged in each test session into user-defined clusters by kinds of properties, like marker type, marker severity, effort to fix, scope and etc.
During your searching and browsing the marker list, you could click the special marker to review the related video clip, also the task video clips. With this feature, you could search and find the markers you need more quickly.
Based on well sorted markers, user could give more proper and professional improvement suggestions regarding of the sorted markers and frequency and severe usability problems.

2.2.8 Data analysis
During the Data analysis Step, UX Office supports user to customize the analysis metrics and data resource, after this, UX Office can automatically calculate and create the primary statistical result, like the form of SPSS tables. The pre-defined analysis metrics in UX Office now mainly are the three indications defined in the ISO-9241, including:
 Effective, included completion percent and etc
 Efficiency, included error numbers, help numbers, completion time and etc
 Satisfaction, mainly included the post-task questionnaire and after-test questionnaire
User also could transform the tables to customized graph charts, like a pie chart and etc and save the valuable charts.
Results from the filled questionnaires can also be instantly analyzed by different question types.

2.2.9 Quick Creation of highlight Videos
Graphs and video clips can be quickly assembled into professional video presentations to share with stakeholders. User could use the UX Office_Observer’s Video Cutting feature to choose the typical video clips, form the storyboard and export the highlight video.
Meanwhile, user also could transform the clustered markers’ video clips in “Clustering” module to highlight Video quickly. That makes it efficient for usability engineers to do quick creation of highlight video, they don’t need using other tools to cut, edit and integrate the tedious videos any more.
Quick Creation of Reports
UX Office has a separate child module for reports, Report module. In this module, user could create new reports by kinds of templates, including CIF report template, ISAR template and the user-defined. After this, when user compose the contents, s/he could quote the pre-defined data, tables & charts you have saved and data in other four supporting modules instantly.
After composing, user could preview the report and export it to other formats, like PDF, Word and PPT.


2.3 Library Module

Among the four supporting modules, Library module takes charge of the management of resourceful database, including three main parts:
1) Templates, mainly include
 Project templates
 UE templates, including the product templates, user group templates and etc.
 Questionnaire templates and question templates, including the common types of questions, like multiple level scale question, Yes/no question, open question, rank question and etc.
 Report templates
This part provides user lots of pre-defined data templates and user could define, reuse and edit each template for special needs.

2) Use cases, ISAR has developed lots of use cases in different applications and industries, UX team can use this database to define the typical scenario tasks and conduct benchmarking research.

3) Types and Status, user could use this to define the basic data types and status, like Project Activity type, Marker type, Resource type, Deliverable type, report type, activity status, report status and etc.

This module makes the whole system more efficiently, expansive and customized. User could define the resourceful database for his/her UX team’s special needs. Also, user could enrich and update this database continuously..


3 Why Choose UX Office System?

Integration
UX Office System combined the software and hardware perfectly to an integrated system which could be equipped in the usability lab or office for the daily project management and usability test. Meanwhile, UX Office System has the portable solution, you could take the package to anywhere for quick UE.
UX Office System applies to kinds of products’ usability test, like website, software, IT products, Home appliances, Handhold devices and etc.
UX Office System has integrated the basic modules (PM, UE, Library and etc.) and it will integrate more UX activities in the future (the User Research, Design, Proposal and etc.)
So, UX Office System will provide you the integrated platform by adding and improving more and more modules related with UX activities.

Collaboration
UX Office System supports the collaboration between each member in the UX team, also with the clients and stakeholders. Especially, multiple observers could connect to the UX Office_Server to collaboratively watch and hear the whole test process; meanwhile, they could synchronously log the related information.

Reuses & Efficiency
UX Office System supports the reuse of the types of data, like project template, evaluation template, charts, report templates and etc.

Professional
UX Office System is designed based on the professional workflow of the UX projects and the Usability Evaluation. So it works well for the UX team new to the field of user experience, as well as for seasoned professionals.

What benefits you could get from UX Office System?

Increased research result quality
By predefined workflows, (re)use of UX assets (questionnaires, report structures, etc.) and (re)use of research results
Shortened project time
By reuse of UE assets and research results
Reduced project costs
Because workflow allows to staff with non-expert people and shorten project time by reuse of UE assets
Increased customer loyalty
By sharing interim results and project status with customers, repeatable higher result quality for a lower price


4 How Are People Using UX Office System?

4.1 Usability Testing

Whether you need to conduct a rigorous scientific study or a quick study to gather qualitative feedback from users, UX Office System’s design makes it easy.
UX Office System’s UE module not only supports the professional and standard process of UE, including the Setup, Recruit, Guide, Conduct, Refinement, Analysis and Report, but also allow user to choose the necessary steps to conduct quick evaluation.
Regarding of UT, UX Office System find the better methods for kinds of different products like below:
 Software & Websites via Computer
 Applications via Mobile Phone
 Electronic Games
 Industrial Products, like Office Equipment, Home appliances, other electronic product and etc
 Different Prototypes, like paper prototype, medium-fidelity prototype and high-fidelity prototype
Even more, from their desks clients and senior managers could use the special feature “Remote Observation” to observe the real-time test session by Internet.
With the advantages described in “Usability Evaluation Module”, UX Office System makes the UT process like a stream line, you only need fill the necessary data in proper module during proper process; you could get the whole results outputted by UX Office System.


4.2 UX Projects Management

How to manage UX projects?
UX Office System is designed mainly for the UX team in large and medium companies, so it will help your team to specialize and refine the UX Projects’ execution flow; meanwhile, project managers could use the PM module to setup, manage and monitor the project related information more effectively and efficiently. Senior managers also could use this module to manage the all projects that have been done and in progress.

PM module, one of the most important features in UX Office System, has been specialized and improved according the requirements, workflow, behaviors, and preference of the common UX team. Meanwhile we define different roles and assign the proper rights to the each role. This makes the project data more safety.

Even more, this module supports the collaboration of project team. Members could enter, edit and view the project information collaborative.


4.3 Remote Observation

From their desks, managers and clients could use the UX Office_Observer to connect the UX Office_Server by the special IP address to observe and monitor the real-time test session by WAN network. Of course, the remote observation will be some delay for the not good status of WAN network.
This application will reduce the costs and increase the customer loyalty.



4.4 User Research

Because UX Office System has the separate Questionnaire module and Video recording feature, some companies use it to conduct qualitative and quantitative User Research, including:
 Focus Group
 One on one Interview
 Online Questionnaire
During the Focus Group and One on one Interview session, UX Office System could record the whole process; meanwhile, user could fill the online questionnaires instantly by the UX Office_Obeserver. After that, user could use the Analysis Module to analysis the logged data by different types of questions. Regarding of online questionnaire, user also could user the Questionnaire module and Analysis module.

Regarding of Focus group:
Multiple recorders could connect to UX Office Server to observer and listen to focus group session from their desks. During the observation, UX Office Server will record the whole session videos, meanwhile, recorders could use the UX_Observer to log the important opinions, comments, ideas and preferences of different participants; after the session, recorders can review and share the session videos, refine the logged data and cluster the typical conclusions.
With the productions has been done before, user could compose better reports.

Regarding of one on one Interview:
Like the method of conducting Focus group, UX Office Server could record the whole interview sessions, meanwhile, recorders could log the interview information by UX Office_Observer, then refine, cluster, analysis and compose reports at last.
If the interview is structural or semi-structural, user could use Questionnaire module to setup integrated questionnaires, fill the data during the interview session, refine, analysis and compose the final report.

Regarding of Online questionnaire:
It’s the in-depth usage of questionnaire module. UX Office System is improving the scope and ability of questionnaire module. In the near future, it will support the large scale online questionnaire; user only need setup an online questionnaire template and release it by internet, after the special period, user will collect the feedbacks. After this, the Analysis module will help to statistics the result for each question.
By the way, the Questionnaire module is improving the types of question, now it could support types bellowing:
 Yes/No
 Single selection
 Multiple selections
 Blanking
 Ranking
 Multiple item scale
 Open

4.5 Teaching Usability and Human Computer Interaction in Higher Education

UX Office System is used by universities all over the world as a teaching tool for students studying in Human Computer Interaction, Human Factors, Usability, Information Systems, and many other degree programs. Because UX Office System is a integrated, professional and solution, multiple colleges in China has equipped it to their usability labs, students are able to learn it quickly and use it effectively for the related research.

具体的信息可以查看以下地址中实际产品操作展示：
http://www.isaruid.com/view/support/index#/support/index