User Testing Phase 2 - Planning

Users

Set of five users. The identified user groups from the RK&A Evaluate for Impact Project are the broad public, scholars, and educators/caregivers. We should incorporate a representative user for these three groups.

Users could be:

• Researcher (Current fellow(s) interested in the collection?)

• Undergraduate Student

• German Language Teacher (Dr. Christina Frei from UPenn?)

• General Curious Public

• Internal staff member (Nicole maybe? She knows how to use the DC, but isn’t invested in this project)

Set of Representative Tasks

Iterative (may need to do another round). This round is focused on translation and transcription features to inform us in what direction we should take any improvements. Especially want to know what the user might use the features for, and how the interface could be best suited for those needs.

Seeking feedback on the efficacy of the layout and features, not the content or information presented on the page.

Searching efficacy, bolded text, layout, etc…

Tasks:

• Ask to find a specific letter. Find a letter written by Svante Arrhenius in the Bredig Papers Collection.

• Ask the user to find some specific piece of information in the letter?

• You want to read the content of this letter. What do you do?

Possible Test Records:

Letter from Svante Arrhenius to Georg Bredig, January 1896: long, handwritten, has a description, transcription, and translation.

https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/4yo9hul#tab=translation

Observation

Begin with a little interview to get background on the user, get to know their habits, and make them more comfortable with speaking.

• What was easy or difficult for you to understand?

• Have you used online translation or transcriptions of manuscripts anywhere else?

• How would you imagine this functionality assisting your work as a scholar?

• Others…?

Use the chat feature (if conducting a remote interview) or print out the tasks in advance and have the user read them aloud before attempting the task.

Qualitative Analysis: Provide a small list of tasks and ask them to talk aloud while they complete them one at a time. Record. Observe and take notes of their actions.