Spring+2008,+G4

**[SS comments: This work was completed by a two-person group; however, a bit more detail would have been good, as would including a scenario.]**

Spring 2008   Group 4 ... WEEK 5 (February 3, 2008)

Topic: Website design  Narrowing: We narrowed the topic of website design down to a subject we felt more interested in pursuing, specifically usability. We were intrigued by some of the usability testing topics that came up in our last assignment, WEEK 4, and we used those ideas to begin the brainstorming process. 

We narrowed our topic several times and came up with at least five ways to research our subject, including:  ·  Usability testing research  ·  Website design  ·  New method usability testing  ·  Eye tracking usability <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·  Human-computer interaction <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Some terms we found were too general, specifically in the area of newer methods of testing usability. Also, we think it is important to note that excluding general terms, like 'THE,' 'AND,' ‘OR,’ and ‘TO’ helps in the search process. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Lucida Grande'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">By using the GOOGLE search method, we entered the above search terms and were most intrigued with the results we saw with "eye tracking usability." Using GOOGLE also provided us with other keywords for searching, including: <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">* Heat Zone Maps <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">* Vista Compatible <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">* Eye Tools <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">* Eye Tracker <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">* Gaze-Detection <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> Some of the resources we used included online journals and websites in relation to our topic, including Visual Communication Journal (2006), The National Council of Teachers of English (February 2007), and The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2005). Existing secondary literature was a bit more of a challenge to find without diving too far into the Dewey decimal system or the World Wide Web because much of the information was from primary research or the reporting of the findings of such research. The articles, books, etc. we found that could help in the learning process of this topic include **Eye Tracking Methodology: Theory and Practice** //(Clemson University, 2007)//; **Incrementality in Naming and Reading Complex Numerals: Evidence From Eyetracking** //(Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 2/1/2006, Vol. 59, Iss. 2, p. 296-311)//; and **Eyetracking Web Usability (Voices that Matter)** //(Jakob Nielsen & Kara Pernice, 2007).// <span style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Lucida Grande'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Lucida Grande'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Responsibilities for developing this process were truly equally divided. Through an almost-daily exchange of e-mails, we found we were completing the assignment almost without realizing it. The communication required for deciding on the topic, narrowing the subject, and the method of research became the process. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Lucida Grande'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Book Published in this Topic:

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> * Eyetracking Web Usability (Voices that Matter) / by Jakob Nielson and Kara Pernice. New Riders Press, c2008. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Major Player in this Research: <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> * Jakob Nielson. P.h.D., User Advocate and Principal, Nielsen Norman Group.