The usability test was given to friendly and professional acquaintances
using laptops that were loaded with our low fidelity prototype. The users
were told to imagine the prototype was displayed on a device that is about
the size of a common Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). The small buttons
in the upper and lower parts of the Graphical User Interface (GUI) were
used to simulate push-buttons that would be located on the sides of the
PDA-like device. Each person was informed that they would be wearing a
tight, long-sleeved shirt, similar to an Under Armour shirt, while having
the PDA-like device attached to their upper-arm, around the bicep and
triceps.
Pre-Test User Information
The users of our prototypes varied in their levels of
knowledge and experience with working out and exercise expertise. We
intentionally took different skill levels in order to create a wider
range of responses to our design. The level of experience ranged from
those who frequently go to the gym (advanced), those who go occasionally
(intermediate), and those who rarely or never have gone to the gym (beginner).
The age range of our test subjects was 20-23 years old (college students),
with an outlier of one expert who was 42. Our users were predominantly
male who frequented the gym about 3 times a week on average. Most had
their workouts somewhat planned or completely planned before starting
their routine each time they entered the gym, with nobody using an electronic
device to record their workout results each day. About half of the users
before the Usability test said that they would use an electronic device
to record data is one was provided to them. The users showed that a
PDA size device on one’s arm was somewhat not preferred. However,
most of our users showed that they were comfortable in wearing a top
that is a long-sleeved tight shirt, something similar to Under Armour.
Finally Most of our users showed that they were comfortable in using
a PDA like device.
Subject One
The first subject was a 21 year old male. He is a student at the University
of Maryland, College Park. He had a right shoulder injury a month ago.
He commented that this system is very efficient for recovering from
a major injury. The system gives details on a day to day routine and
recovery. The device would also help him to use his muscles efficiently
and recover quickly without damaging any other muscle.
Subject Two
The second subject was also 21 year old male. He regularly works out
at the gym. He stated that having a detailed list of workouts and a
planned routine would help him to concentrate on his workout. The device
would also help him to use his muscles efficiently and while working
out, the device would keep track of his heart rate and informed him
if his heart rate became critical.
Subject Three
The third subject was a 20 year old male. He could never become a regular
in going to the gym. His experience with the system was also positive.
He commented that having a compact and a light weight device on the
arm kept him focused on his workout and it didn’t come in the
way of his exercise. Also the logging screen and a unique pin number
kept his data secure and protected. He really liked this feature of
the Diamond Suit interface. He was also impressed by the icons for each
area, as they made it easy to select and helped him process the workouts
quickly.
Subject Four
This subject is a recent graduate from American University. He is a
23 year old male. In addition to playing tennis for the school during
his undergraduate career, he is also the Eagles new Tennis coach. Although
he has never had any major injuries, he liked the idea of the Diamond
Suit project. He admitted that since he wasn’t a tech savvy person,
getting used to the PDA would be a learning curve, but he then proceeded
to say that since he liked the device features, he would be willing
to try to get over that curve.
He also recommended several features. He mentioned that in addition
to using the Diamond Suit as a rehabilitation helper, he would also
use it as a workout trainer.
Subject Five
This subject was the oldest test person we tested our interface one.
He is a 49 year old tennis trainer. Observing him during the usability
test, we noticed that he was slow in using it. During a short conversation
after the usability test, we realized that the user had very little
exposure to technology. This user has never owned a CD player, or even
a computer. Although he saw the usefulness of the Diamond Suit he still
had trouble using it because of his lack of exposure to technology.
Subject Six
This subject was a 20 year old female. She’s a current student
at American University who plays tennis as a hobby and works out regularly.
After taking the usability test, she showed only slight interest in
the Diamond Suit. She implicitly mentioned she wasn’t competitive
enough to get injured. She didn’t believe she would ever use the
Diamond Suit. She did however find the interface easy to use and intuitive.
Subject Seventh
This subject was a 21 year old male. He is part of the management staff
at a gym. He is a regular to the gym and works out often. He does not
record his workout but rather remembers the amount of his workout on
his own. He had a positive impression on the project. He was a little
confused however with some certain tasks, but overall liked the interface.
Subject Eighth
This subject was a 19 year old male. Goes to the gym on his spare time,
he however rarely lifts weights. He is some what technological savvy
and has used PDA like devices. He liked the idea and purpose of the
interface, the noted that it was very interesting. He went through the
tasks without any problems.
Subject Ninth
This subject was a 19 year old male. Goes to the gym regularly and uses
supplement when lifting weights. He felt the interface was easy to use,
though he did go through some problems with the tasks. Overall he liked
the idea of the Diamond Suit.
Usability Test Tasks
The users of our prototype were asked to perform several
common tasks and then give their feedback. The touch-screen, push-buttons,
and stylus were simulated with a Visual Studio GUI using Visual Basic
and a mouse. Tasks:
1. Turn on the PDA device and log into the program by entering your
password.
• The user was told that they would be using a stylus to enter
a 4-digit code to unlock their device. This action was simulated using
a mouse.
2. Click on “Settings” and adjust if necessary
• The user was told to select their preferred language and that
the ability to select a Bluetooth connection would be available, but
the latter would not be available in the testing.
3. Click on “Condition” and view your current condition
• The user was told to view their muscle strength and their heart
rate. These values were created and not actually obtained for the prototype.
4. Click on “Progress” and view past workouts
• The user was told to view the results of a particular day in
the past that they had worked out. Next, they were told to view their
progress during a time span. These values were created for the prototype.
5. Click on “Workout” and view workout details
• A workout was created and the user was told to skip an exercise
and move on to the next exercise. This simulated the ability to perform
a particular routine in the order the user desired.
6. Finish the Workout
• Users were told to complete their workout. Clearly, this was
simulated similar to the other tests performed involving the suit itself.
7. View condition at the end of your workout
• The user was told to now view their condition, similar to Task
#3. However, this time the condition was post-workout.
8. View your progress after today’s workout
• Much like Task #4, user was told to view their progress. However,
this time the “current day” used in the test was to be used
as one of the days in the day-selection process.
9. Exit program.
• The user was told to exit the current screen and log out of
the program.
Results
After letting the users go through the given tasks, we
had the users fill out a post test survey. In the post test survey we
asked how well the user liked the different screens of the interface
on a scale from 0 to 5 (0 being the least and 5 being the most). For
the Authentication page, the average score out of twelve users was a
4. This was considered good for most users. The Home screen also received
an average score of a 4. We did receive some comments during the tests
that people did not like the fact that you had to select the icon and
then press enter, to go to the selected screen. Another comment about
the Home screen was that the user would like it if the enter button
acted in a manor that would open more features to the user. The Settings
screen received an average score of a 3. The users did not like the
fact that a new window opened during the tests with the Settings screen.
They found that the Setting screen was hard to understand and that they
did not like the fact that no back button was provided. The user also
commented on how the Settings screen should provide the user with more
languages. The Condition screen received an average score of a 4. The
Progress screen also received an average score of a 4; there was however
a comment from a user that they would like the alignment to be better.
The Workout screen received an average score of a 4, which like most
screens is a good score. However, some users thought that it was unrealistic
to complete all those workouts in one session, though our group found
this comment to be arbitrary because a doctor or physician would be
the one providing the user with the exercises.
When we asked the user if the information provided on each of the information
screens was adequate. We found that for the information that was provided
on the Current Condition screen, Workout screen, Immediate Workout screen,
Immediate Workout Calendar screen, and the Workout Progress Calendar
screen; that all the screens received an average score of a 4. The only
comment we received out of all the information screens was concerning
the information provided on the Current Condition Information screen.
The user felt that we should provide information on the user’s
body fat, user liked the idea on having the interface provide the user’s
body fat because they wanted to see how much body fat they had lost
during their workout.
In the post test survey we also asked questions concerning how the user
felt about the size of the interface, the icons that were being used,
the product being wireless, the button placement on the interface and
the PDA placement of the product when in use. We found that the size
of the interface was acceptable for most users. The scores varied because
some users would rather have a larger screen while others would rather
have a smaller one. The icons that were used, received an average score
of a 4, which is a good score. We found that the button placement on
the interface was fair with an average score of a 3. The users really
liked the fact that the product would be wireless with a strong average
score of 5. Finally, we found that the placement of the PDA like device
on the arm when the diamond suit is in use received an average score
of a 4, which is good for most users.
Overall the interface scored an average of 4 to the users that were
tested. This is a good sign that our group is on the right track, but
leaves us room for improvement.
Changes
Below are some of the concerns about our interface that
we have confronted and fixed. A score of 1-5 points in terms of importance
(5 is most important) and effort (5 is most time consuming) is given
to each problem giving you the idea on how we went about solving each
problem.
