DATABASE GRAPHICAL

USER INTERFACE

WITH FISHEYE

TECHNOLOGY

Agency

Columbia Center for

New Media Teaching and

Learning

CCNMTL

Title:

Visual InterfaceEvaluation

New Systems of Access in Data

for

The Digital Government Research Center (DGRC)

Title

Presenters Peter Sommer Ju-Ling Shih Laura Zadoff

Date Month

Jan..

Feb..

March

April

May

Day

1

2

3

4

5

Present to DGRC Evaluation Board at Columbia University

Applet

CS EDS

Methodology Flowchart - PastMethodology Flowchart - Past

Start of DGRC Project (Link)

First DGRC Interface: Original Interface (Link)

Second DGRC Interface: Fisheye Interface (Link)

Analysis of DataGate Interface (Link)

Interview of Experts (Link) Define Users

User Needs, Behaviors, Preferences, Reactions

Stage One

Development of Evaluation Plan (Link)

Evaluation Started

Timeline

Fall 1999

Fall 2001

Responses To Fisheye Interface (Link)

Methodology Flowchart - PresentMethodology Flowchart - Present

Resource Analysis on Census Data (Link)• Interview Experts for Census Data Analysis

Fisheye Interface Research• Innovative Designs with Fisheye Applications• Componential Analysis on Fisheye Features

(Link)

User and Environment Profiles

Design User and Task Analysis

In Progress

Timeline

Spring 2002

Present

Stage Two

Formative-Illuminative Evaluation (Link)

Refine Heuristics for GUI

Census Characteristics and Interface Possibilities (Link)

Methodology Flowchart - FutureMethodology Flowchart - Future

Summative Evaluation With Questionnaire

Prototype Testing

Usability Testing

Perform User and Task Analysis• Think Aloud

• Interview with Heuristics

Timeline

Fall 2002

Stage Three

Development of Future Plans (Link)

About the ProjectAbout the Project

Project Description• Video Clip

• Project Description (Judith Klavans)• Rationale for Evaluation (Judith Klavans)

Project Presentation• Video Clip

• Project Presentation (Surabhan Temiyabutr)

• Screen Shot• Old DGUI • New DGUI• Gummy Bear Show

• Websites• DGUI• Old Gummy Bear Show• Colorful Gummy Bear Show

Development of Evaluation PlanDevelopment of Evaluation Plan

Goals of Evaluation• optimize the effectiveness of the interface,• identify usability problems,• provide feedback on the overall functionality,• anticipate changes in user need that might drive future

development,• validate the design,• indicate the extent to which the interface improves on

previous interfaces.Methods

• Heuristics• User and Task Analysis

Heuristics for Database InterfaceHeuristics for Database Interface

Usability inspection method targeting interface design by judging

compliances to principles for successful design.

Design• Adapted from existing research on interface design

• Modified for Database

Heuristic categories • Appearance, Language, Functionality, Structure, Assistance

Evaluators• Library Staff

User and Task AnalysisUser and Task Analysis

Process• Task Scenarios• Observation• Interview

Goal• User Behaviors• User Intuitiveness for Different Groups of Users• Strengths and Weaknesses of the Design

Participants• Content Experts• Government Agency Workers• Faculty and Students

Responses To Fisheye InterfaceResponses To Fisheye Interface

Interviewees:• EDS librarians

• Jane Weintrop• Nicole Fox

• Reference Desk librarians• Jerry Breeze• Alysse Jordan

Analysis of DataGate InterfaceAnalysis of DataGate Interface

Purpose• Understand User Behaviors with Database

Query Log Analysis of EDS DataGate by Nicole Fox

• Flexibility in Choosing Variables• Options to Sets of Variables• Options to Adjust Individual Variable

• Keyword Search: Search Methods and Syntax• “All” vs. “Any”• “And” vs. “Or”

• Modification of Queries• From General to Specific• From Specific to General

Interview FindingsInterview Findings

User Type Identification User Goals Kinds of Questions Brief History of Search Types of Searches Related Terms for Searches Selecting the database Learning to Use the

Interface

Students’ Searching Styles Searching Styles of Fisheye

Design Flexibility to Searching

Styles Helping the User Define the

Search Standardize Problem Librarians’ Duty Suggestions for the Fisheye

Design

Interview FindingsInterview Findings

User Type Identification• Novice and Power/Expert Users

Related Terms for Searches• Difficulty of Use of Alternative Terms

Learning to Use the Interface• Innovative Interface

• Need Orientation and Time to Familiarize with the Interface

Helping the User Define the Search• Help users to Visualize the Context and Structure of Information

• Definition and Redefinition of Search

[These issues need to be considered in all rich databases. All these issues were

shared with the team and considered in the further development of our

heuristics.]

Formative-Illuminative EvaluationFormative-Illuminative Evaluation

Playing Formative Role with Illuminative Goals• Inform Design Decisions

Change from Energy to Census dataAnchoring the Focus on Census would allow:

• Contribution to Census

• Testing the Interface with Existing Datasets:• Data is rich and accessible• There is enough of a user knowledge base to test

• Findings are Transferable to Energy, Labor, or other Census data.

Resource Analysis on Census DataResource Analysis on Census Data

Census Data Characteristics• User (Link)

• Variables (Link)

• Presentation Forms (Link)

• Geographical References (Link)

UsersUsers

Why define users? • To Create Task Scenario for User and Task Analysis

How? • Interview Experts

Regarding characteristics of PUMS:• Identify Target Users that

• Do not require to identify specific small geographic areas• Have knowledge, access, and time to program and process the samples

• Define Purposes and Tasks that involve• Cross-Variables Research• Study Relationships among variables not shown in existing tabulations• Concentrate on the characteristics of specifically defined populations

User TypesUser Types

AcademicDisciplinesFunctions

Non-AcademicGeneral Public

Novice Basic ResearchCourse Assignments

Personal UseResidence Relocation

Power/

Expert

ResearchLibrariansResearchers[cross-variables in research]

•Population

•Ethnicity

•Education

•Marriage

•Employment

•Residence

•Housing

•Etc.

Business UseMarketing

Expertise

Groups

VariablesVariables

Information Organization• Hierarchical Structure

• Massive Amount

Terminology• Some Variable Definitions Have Changed from Census to

Census

• Terminology is Not Always Obvious. • For example, there is no one variable for ethnicity. Asian ethnicity

is coded in the detailed race variable, Hispanic ethnicity in the detailed Hispanic origin field, and European ethnicity in the ancestry variable.

• Different Census Questions Performed in Different Years

Presentation FormsPresentation Forms

Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)Using Dynamic Query Maps

• Dynamic Queries: http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/eosdis

Applicable to All Types of Data

Geographical ReferencesGeographical References

Geographic Boundaries Change Over Time. • i.e. Zip codes, definition of blocks

Geographic Areas Are Unique to Census• i.e. Tracts, Blocks and Block Groups.

• PUMS 5%: Only 100,000 people are included.

Geographic Areas Are Identified by Codes.The Same Common Names May Be Used for

Different Geographic Areas. • i.e. New York is a state, metropolitan area, and county.

Fisheye Interface ResearchFisheye Interface Research

Fisheye Applications Purposes

• Searching Innovative Designs Using Fisheye Features for Reference

• Explore the Use of the Fisheye Features for Usability Analysis

• Emend Heuristics for Database Interface Using Fisheye Features

Features• Seeing Full Context while Focusing on Selected Items

• Content Visualization (Link)• Dynamic Menu (Link)• Zoom In, Zoom Out (Link)• Searchlight (Link)

Content VisualizationContent Visualization

Information Retrieval While Seeing the Full Content• PhotoFinder Project:

http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/photolib/

• A Hierarchical Focus+Context Method for Image Browsing http://www.viktoria.informatik.gu.se/groups/play/demos/hierarchical/

Dynamic MenuDynamic Menu

Demonstration of How the Interface Can Compromise Oversized Categories.

Magnification on Items with Visual Display of Full Content

• Fisheye Menu: http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/fisheyemenu/

• Sony Music 100 Years Soundtrack for A Century http://millennium.sonymusic.com/

• Visualization Menu: Jazz http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/jazz/

Zoom In, Zoom OutZoom In, Zoom Out

Being Able to Manipulate the Level of Magnification

•The SmartMoney Map of the Market http://www.smartmoney.com/marketmap/

•The Zoom Browser Applet http://www.viktoria.informatik.gu.se/groups/play/demos/zoombrowser/applet/

SearchlightSearchlight

Present Definition of the Selected Items Provide Synonyms Show Relationships Between Terms

• Example• Race =\= ethnic origin = ancestry =\= place of birth• educational attainment =\= highest education allocation• PUMA (above 100,000) = state =\= county =\= groups of counties

Show Number of Possible Results• Notes on the limitations of data. Make the users aware of the small

area data modification due to the confidentiality protection.

Display Cross-References Among Different Databases

Census Characteristics and Interface PossibilitiesCensus Characteristics and Interface Possibilities

Variables• Hierarchical Structure

• Massive Amount

Terminology• Definitions Change

• Obscure Terminology

• Census Question Change

Geographical References• Boundaries Change

• Unique Boundaries

• Codes for Areas

• Various Meanings for Same Names

Content Visualization• Display Information

Organization

Dynamic Menu• Magnification on Selected

Items with Full Content

Zoom In, Zoom Out• Manipulate the Level of

Magnification

Searchlight• Multiple Layers of Display

• Alternative Terms• Definition of Terms• Alternative Pathways

Create Dynamic Maps

PlanningPlanning

User and Task Analysis• Task Scenarios for Different User Groups

Prototype Testing. • Testing with Heuristics • Evaluate with Individual Features

• How effective is it? Are the results transferable to the usability of its totality?

• Define Minimum Functions in the Stage of Development• What are the basic criteria? How complete should the prototype be

in order to get meaningful results in functionality?

Usability TestingQuestionnaire

DiscussionDiscussion

We would like to invite discussion on experience in conducting formative evaluation, which provides proper feedback to the design team when the design is at its prototype stage.