Running head: ED7814 EXPLANATORY PAPER

Explanatory Paper
Elaine M. Mello
Capella University
ED7814 March 15, 2016

ED7814 EXPLANATORY PAPER

When creating a user interface (UI), a designer needs to factor many components into the
design to create a successful interface that will do its intended job. When the design is computer
based, the human-computer interaction (HCI) becomes an important consideration of how users
will interact with the interface. Making sure that the design is natural and functions easily for the
user is essential to facilitating the user experience so that people interacting with the interface
can complete tasks is the ultimate goal for a designer creating the interface. The designer can do
this by having a clear understanding of the user audience, the tasks that need to be completed and
the environment in which they will be using the interface. This paper supplements the portfolio
submitted as a final project for ED7814 that is a companion for the ED7814 portfolio website:
http://emello-ed7814.weebly.com/
From a user perspective, the interface they interact with needs to be easy to understand
and use. If the UI is perceived as easy to use and affordable, they are more likely to use it (Park
& Song, 2014). An effective audience analysis can identify areas of affordability that will assist
in the design process.
Audience Analysis
Having a clear understanding of the audience is crucial to creating an effective design. In
creating a user-centered design, the designer will work with identified users to understand how
they work, their environment and what the tasks are that they need to accomplish in order to be
successful in their interactions with an interface (Stone et al., 2005). The audience analysis is
created from observation, interviews and surveys which will help inform the direction that the
design should go to be most effective.

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Rational for Choices Made

For the ED7814 project, the audience consists of university administrative and teaching
assistants who will be required to operate department video conferencing rooms on campus. The
interface will be a self-directed, self-paced e-learning website that will be used in lieu of former
group face-to-face training. To conduct an audience analysis, a typical department from the
Mechanical Engineering office was observed and interviewed to create the audience analysis in
the portfolio. Information from the audience analysis will be used to customize the design if the
interface so that it is most effective for the individuals being trained as well as the tasks that they
will be asked to complete.
Technological Influences
The online e-learning will replace in-person group training sessions. The website will be
easily accessible by users from their desktop computers or mobile devices and allow them to
choose the time that is most convenient for them to train. They can also complete the modules
individually, allowing for chunked learning for better retention and as time in their busy
schedules will allow, creating more effective training, as well as allowing future hires to access
the information after onboarding to the department.
Content Diagram
The learner analysis provides the basis for the content diagram design. Information from
the users and how they work within their environment are incorporated into use case studies
which the designer will use to begin the design process. The use cases will be broken down into
task analyses which will help the designer understand the needed functionality of the interface
and to create design scenarios which will be used by the audience (Stone et al., 2005). Having a

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clear understanding of what motivates the learners and their perception of the usefulness of using
the e-learning website for training will also factor into the design. Perceived usefulness and
aesthetics of the design will also impact user satisfaction and their desire to complete the training
(Sanchez-Franco, et al., 2014). Knowing the motivational factors which may affect users as they
go through the e-learning training will help the designer create opportunities for effective
performance (Szalma, 2014).
Rationale for Choices Made
The use cases and scenarios will feed into the conceptual design of the e-learning site
structure and the creation of a content diagram (Stone et al., 2005) that will identify key areas of
the interface. The content diagram will provide a structure map for use cases, tasks and actions.
These items will be put into containers in the diagram which will map the direction of the
training and interaction with the website. Understanding what motivates users will help to create
task scenarios and use cases (Stone, et al., 2005) which will lead to the creation of a plan for the
design of the e-learning site. The audience analysis identified several clear use cases which
administrative and teaching assistants would need to use in training to become successful with
scheduling a video conference, testing a connection and troubleshooting potential issues which
might arise. These use cases were broken down into task elements which informed the content
diagram design. Once a content diagram is created, the team will be able to analyze it and the
users interactions with the work environment to create an effective training site.
Technological Influences
Since the e-learning will be an online website, the technological influences for the design
will be those elements via a web interface that will best mimic a real-world experience for the

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learners. The content diagram will map interactive media and assessments that will enable the
users to effectively learn the material in a virtual setting before hands on practice with their
video conferencing room.
Project Prototype
The content diagram then becomes the designer's road map for the creation of a project
prototype. A prototype allows the design team to create a mockup of the future working site
which can be used for more in depth analysis and review by the team and stakeholders. Creating
either a low-fidelity or a high fidelity prototype allows for a virtual walkthrough of the final
design. It provides the opportunity to catch issues prior to the actual programming is done and to
fix potential issues when it is less expensive to make changes. The prototype needs to have
enough detail for viewers to understand the design and the way a user would interact with the
site so that they can make an informed analysis of functionality and usability (Rivero & Conte,
2013). The prototype allows stakeholders to examine the design and to provide feedback and
comments which can easily be integrated into the design before further testing.
Rationale for Choices Made
In creating a low-fidelity prototype, controls can be laid out so that they are visible,
affordable, consistent and provide feedback to the user. The prototype is an important piece in
the design as it allows everyone to conceptualize what the e-learning site will look like when it is
finished, but before further expenses are incurred in the creation of the site. A low-fidelity
prototype in a storyboard format was created for the ED7814 portfolio following design
principles and rules. Once feedback from stakeholders has been implemented, a high-fidelity
prototype can be created which will provide the wireframe model for the final design.

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Technological Influences
While a completely functional high fidelity prototype could be created with the
technology of a web site design, using a low fidelity model will allow the team to focus on the
content and the plan for interaction between the modules before creating the wireframe and more
functional test prototype which will then incorporate the programming necessary for the
interaction and assessment portions of the e-learning website. This allows the stakeholders to
remain focused on the content before looking towards the way the site will actually work once
completed.
Usability Inspection
The prototype also allows the design team to conduct a usability inspection prior to the
actual creation of the e-learning website. Using a combination of heuristic evaluation by the
design team and a hands-on walkthrough of the prototype by potential users will allow the
designer to identity what interactions will work best for the actual designed e-learning site
(Davids, et al., 2013). Heuristic reviews by experts can take specific guidelines and measure the
prototype for adherence to design principles. By using several experts using a heuristic
evaluation such as the one created by Nielsen (Stone et al., 2005), the design team will be able to
effectively test potential errors with a design. Data will be collected from the heuristic
evaluations and reviewed as well as compared to user evaluations. User evaluations can be
conducted in the field where users can be assessed in a natural environment which will allow the
designers to observe real-world situations, or in a usability lab which would allow for a more in
depth review of interaction using technology such as keystroke logging, timing of tasks and eyetracking to better understand users interactions with the site. Since a working prototype was not

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designed for the portfolio project, a similar website for video conferencing training was selected
to provide a review of usability interaction.
Rationale for Choices Made
The usability inspection for the ED7814 project will be a combination of heuristic
evaluation by the design team and user testing in a university usability lab. Information from
both will be used to revise the project design before programming begins.
Technological Influences
XYZ University has a Usability Lab with Usability Experience (UX) experts who will be
on hand to assist with the testing and to utilize technology in the lab to gather information about
the ways users interact with the site. This information will be helpful in regard to eye-tracking of
the site and what will be of interest and usefulness to the learners using the site as well as to
inform future changes to make the design more effective.
Script Test Plan
To create an effective usability test, a scripted testing plan needs to be designed for
consistent testing by the usability evaluators. Creating a script allows the designer to insure that
continuity between testers is similar and to make sure that all items are covered during the
evaluation (Stone et al., 2005). The script includes an introduction explaining the evaluation test
as well as supplying scenarios with tasks for the users to perform when they interact with the
prototype. The script should include information about participants' rights, non-disclosure or
confidentiality requirements if necessary, expectations of the designer, potential legal waivers
and all the information that a participant needs in order to make an informed consent decision
prior to the testing occurring. The script can also be used for a pilot test before general usability

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testing begins to confirm functionality of the site and the script so that the evaluators' time is well
managed during the actual usability testing. Since a working prototype was not designed for the
project portfolio, the sample site from Unit 6 was used to create a script and testing of usability
functions with two volunteers.
Rationale for Choices Made
Selecting individuals to test who closely match the intended audience will help the
designer understand how the actual audience will interact with the site. Having a range of
individual skill sets amongst testers will also help to assess both a complete novice experience as
well as a more expert individual and how effective the e-learning site will be. Creating tasks
which are similar to those which will be in the final design helps to see whether the users can
identify the right steps to take in order to be successful with the training.
Technological Influences
The e-learning course will be an asynchronous training environment. Testing will
include multiple technology platforms to best mimic actual use by the intended audience.
Emergent Technologies, Usability and Ethical Concerns
Designers should to be aware of trends in emergent technologies and how those may
impact their designs. The ubiquitous use of mobile devices at both schools and businesses
require that designers consider creating interfaces that come under responsive design principles.
Interfaces need to be flexible for different screen sizes and display types and work on all
platforms that a user might want to view the interface. This is especially true with webpages, but
can also be the case for more dedicated interfaces such as control system displays where web
apps might be created in the future. Making sure that the design can be flexible and built with

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responsive design standards can insure that the design will not become dated. They should also
be cognizant of adaptive learning possibilities and the use of ontologies which can be used to
create personalized learning opportunities, allowing technology to match pedagogy (Rodriquez
et al., 2014), while also matching the audience analysis to provide the best design possible for
the audience.
Rationale for Choices Made
While emergent technologies should be considered, it should not be the driver for the
delivery of the content if it is not necessary. The design of the e-learning website is planned to
replace in-person training, so an interactive website accessible by desktop computers and mobile
devices was chosen as the best technology to use for the intended audience.
Technological Influences
In the case of the portfolio project, while some learners may use desktop computers, the
site must be flexible enough to work with mobile devices, as users may find it easier to do the
training on a mobile phone or tablet instead of the desktop computer in their office. Ensuring
that the design accommodates the possibility of mobile interaction will allow the e-learning site
to be flexible for training of other individuals in the future.
Accessibility and Ethical Considerations
Designers also need to be cognizant of accessibility guidelines and providing a design
that will be compliant with government regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA), particularly with Section 508 disability accessibility (HHS.gov, n.d.). Adherence to these
guidelines will allow them to create a quality product which is compliant with ethical rules and
regulations. When designing and conducting usability testing, designers should follow all ethical

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rules regarding copyright, reuse of content and ensuring that all testers can make informed
decisions regarding permission to use video and audio of testing sessions as well as following the
User Experience Professional Association code of conduct guidelines (UXPA, n.d.) for testing.
Conclusion
Each of the elements that go into the creation of an interface design are important and
information from each feeds progressively to the next step in the design. An in depth audience
analysis should lead to a clear content diagram which will allow the designer to create a
prototype for stakeholder review. Using both the content diagram and prototype for evaluative
reviews will insure that the project matches the clients expectations and lets them make changes
at a time when it is less expensive to do so. From there, the prototype will be used to create the
final design and the use cases and task lists will provide the basis for the script design and
usability and accessibility testing. Information from the testing will be used to make changes as
necessary based on input and to complete the finalized project deliverable. Their feedback in
this iterative process helps to create an effective design that will satisfy client needs and create an
interface that will be used by the learner audience to receive the intended training via the elearning website.
What was learned was that having a clear understanding of the audience and how they
will interact with the final product is key to creating an effective design. Knowing the felt and
expressed needs of the audience and client stakeholder (Stone et al., 2005) is crucial to beginning
the process of the design, as is having clearly defined tasks which can be used to test the design
early on in the project and insure that those needs are being met. The design must be effective
using emergent technology appropriate for the audience and provided affordances which engage
the learner in a manner which will allow them to retain and use what they learn through the final

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interactive e-learning website. These are the keys to creating an interactive design which will
work best for the intended audience.

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Davids, M. R., Usuf M. E. Chikte, & Halperin, M. L. (2013). An efficient approach to improve
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Szalma, J. L. (2014). On the application of motivation theory to human Factors/Ergonomics:

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, (n.d.). Section 508. Retrieved March 8, 2016
from http://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/

User Experience Professionals Association, (n.d.). UXPA code of professional conduct.

Retrieved March 8, 2016 from https://uxpa.org/resources/uxpa-code-professional-conduct