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HCI 440 – Usability Engineering
Project 4: Usability Test Plan – ParkNSeek
Team 5: The Interaction Design Demons
Joseph Howerton
Afolake Oritsejafor
Oksana Kresnina
Kathryn Wozniak

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Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................... 3
II. Methodology ............................................................................................................................................. 3
III. Test Script ................................................................................................................................................. 4
IV. Post Task Questions ................................................................................................................................. 5
V. Post Test Questions .................................................................................................................................. 5
Contributions ................................................................................................................................................ 6
Appendix A: Project 3 Prototypes ................................................................................................................. 7
Appendix B: Nielsen’s Heuristics ................................................................................................................. 16

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I. Executive Summary
ParkNSeek is an application that ensures motorists never have to search for a place to park or find the
location of their parked vehicles again. This document includes our plan for conducting an informal
usability test and an analytical evaluation of our ParkNSeek prototype (see Appendix A for Project 3
Prototypes).
Our goals for this usability test are the following:
1. Identify and evaluate efficiency and learnability: weaknesses in navigation structure; ease of
identifying application's main functions; and clarity of icons and supportive text.
2. Identify and evaluate user expectations: what functionality user expects from an application such as
ours; did we meet, exceed or fail any of the expectations.
II. Methodology
• Number of Participants: 12
• Participant Demographic: Motorists, middle ‐aged (25‐50), professionals, smartphone
owners/users, people on the go.
• Test Locations and Time: Because of the study’s informal nature, the test will take place in
various locations with friends and family. Each group member will conduct the test in a variety
of environments at different times/days of the week in an effort to model real‐world
environments where the product will be used.
• Usability Test Type: We will be conducting an informal Usability Test, using a think‐aloud
protocol and heuristic evaluation (see Appendix B for Nielsen’s Heuristics). We chose these
approaches as they fit within our time and resource constraints and will provide us with rich
data to inform our goals.
• Recording: Each team member will take notes during and after each session.
• Prototype: We will be using the high‐fidelity prototype we created in Project 3 (see Appendix A).
We will use colored printouts of each screen for each step of the use case.
• Session Details: Each team member will conduct three 15‐minute sessions, one session for each
participant. Each session will include three tasks in the order outlined in Project 3. Scripts will be
prepared for each use case to ensure participants are given the same instructions. Using the test
script, we will give participants a brief overview of the purpose and function of ParkNSeek
before beginning the Usability Test in an effort to familiarize them with it. Testing will begin
after the overview with each participant starting with ParkNSeek’s home page and receiving
other printouts (or feedback) based on their actions. We will provide the participant verbal
feedback as needed.

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• Questions about Tasks/Test: We will ask the participant a set of pre‐determined questions
about the application before and after the test. Further, we will ask questions, as necessary,
between tasks. See Test Script and Post Task/Post Test questions in Sections III‐ V below.
• Data Collection: We will collect a combination of qualitative and quantitative data about the
participant and the participant’s experience using the mobile application:
o Demographic information (age, years using a smartphone, years driving)
o Time spent completing each task
o Number of times using a specific button/function
o Number and type of errors per task
o Overall experience with application
We will remove any identifying information, create codes for our test questions, and collate the
Usability Test data/responses in an Excel spreadsheet.
III. Test Script
Script to greet participants
Thank you very much for participating in this evaluation.
This is a group project for a Graduate course in Human Computer Interaction at DePaul University. The
goal of this project is to evaluate the interface of our ParkNSeek mobile application, and to coordinate
the findings into a framework for analysis. The results of our evaluation will be summarized and
presented to our internal team, and then to our Usability Engineering professor David Burns.
We will ask you to engage the ParkNSeek application to resolve specific parking needs and objectives.
We will ask you to “think aloud” as you navigate the ParkNSeek interface to complete the specified tasks
we give you. We will provide you with verbal cues if required, but please remember that there is no
right or wrong way to use this application. Your interaction and feedback regarding the application will
provide us with valuable information for modifying and/or improving it.
We will be taking notes on what you say or “think aloud” as you navigate the interface to complete the
tasks. Only your interactions with the application will be recorded in our notes. Your identity will remain
anonymous.
We need you to review and sign this statement of consent. Please let me know if you have any
questions about it.
Introduction
This evaluation is to assess the usability of a new mobile application called ParkNSeek. ParkNSeek is an
application that allows motorists to easily find parking or their parked car.
Imagine that:
• (‘Find Parking’ Use Case) You are looking for a parking garage in downtown Chicago.

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• (‘Save Location’ Use Case) You are at O’Hare airport parking your car before leaving for a
long trip. You need to ensure that you remember where you parked it when you return.
• (‘Find My Car’ Use Case) You have finished shopping downtown and you’re looking for
your car, which you parked earlier in the day.
Let’s start. You are at the home screen of the application, (give them home page printout), how do you
proceed?
(Let participant walk you through their each step with the application.)
IV. Post Task Questions
Post task Questions for “Find Parking” use case:
• What worked well/didn’t work well when executing this task?
• What worked well/didn’t work well when you used the list view?
Post task questions for “Save my Location” use case:
• What worked well/didn’t work well when executing this task?
Post task questions for “Find my Car” use case:
• What worked well/didn’t work well when executing this task?
• What worked well/didn’t work when you used the map view?
• Was it clear why “Find my car” option was highlighted when executing this task?
V. Post Test Questions
• On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being confusing and 5 being very clear), how would you rate the
organization of information on the screens you viewed?
• On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being confusing and 5 being very clear), how would you rate the prompts
for input on the screens you viewed?
• On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being confusing and 5 being very clear), how would you rate your overall
experience with the mobile application?
• What would you say you liked most about the application?
• What would you do to improve this application?
• What is your understanding of the “Help” text?
• What is your understanding of ParkNSeek icon?
• What is your understanding of “List View” / “Map View” icons?

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Contributions
Team 5 – Interaction Design Demons
Afolake Oritsejafor–POST TEST QUESTIONS, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/METHODOLOGY
Kathryn Wozniak –EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/METHODOLOGY, COMPILER & EDITOR
Joseph Howerton –TEST SCRIPT, METHODOLOGY, PROJECT MANAGER
Oksana Kresnina – POST TASK QUESTIONS, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/METHODOLOGY
Brief Description
All team members attended two project conference calls, each about an hour long. During the calls,
team members collaborated on, viewed, critiqued and discussed every portion of the project.
All team members were engaged in the drafting and final review of the project.

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Appendix A: Project 3 Prototypes
Prototype: Use Case #1
Planned Outing with Secure Parking
George has a planned outing with four friends in 3 vehicles at the theater district. They’d like to
park in a secure location within the same proximity because of how late the show will run.
Step #1:
Access ParkNSeek Mobile
Application on Smartphone

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Step #2:
Select ‘Find Parking’
Step #3:
List View of parking locations
appear based on current
location. Select desired parking
location from list provided.
*if a map view is preferred the ‘Map
View’ icon is selected.

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Step #4:
The directions are listed on your
screen. Click ‘Share with a
Friend’ to send to others in your
party.

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Prototype: Use Case #2
Remember My Car Location at O’Hare
A business woman is on her way to O’Hare Airport to catch a flight to Japan for a meeting with a client.
Once she gets to the airport, she parks her car in the Long‐Term Parking garage. After parking, she
realizes she is a bit behind schedule and may miss her flight, but she doesn’t want to forget the car’s
location when she returns from Japan (as has happened on many business trips). She quickly opens her
iPhone, opens the ParkNSeek application, and selects the “Remember My Car Location” function on her
iPhone. She ends the application and heads to the main terminal, knowing she will not have to worry
about finding her car when she returns from her trip.
STEP # 1:
Access ParkNSeek Mobile Application
on Smartphone

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STEP # 2:
Choose ‘Save My Location’

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STEP # 3:
Confirm that location is saved.
&
STEP # 4:
Close ParkNSeek Application

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Prototype: Use Case #3
A Weekend of Christmas Shopping in the City: Find My Car Location
Mary and Joseph have driven into Chicago from the Far West suburbs for a weekend of
Christmas shopping along Michigan Avenue. They are staying at the Hotel Intercontinental, and
they are planning on shopping down Michigan Avenue on Saturday, and up Michigan Avenue
on Sunday, so they parked their car in‐between Illinois (where the hotel is situated) and Oak
street (where the Magnificent Mile ends or begins). They found a cheap outdoor parking lot on
Superior which is exactly between Illinois and Oak, just East of Michigan Avenue.
Step #1:
Open ParkNSeek Mobile
Application on Smartphone

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Step #2:
Select FIND MY CAR
(If you have a saved location,
the button will be displayed in
RED.

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Step #3:
The default view will be an
interactive map view of
directions to their parked car.
The user’s current location and
the location of their car are
displayed in RED text.

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Appendix B: Nielsen’s Heuristics
Visibility of system status
The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate
feedback within reasonable time.
Match between system and the real world
The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the
user, rather than system‐oriented terms. Follow real‐world conventions, making information
appear in a natural and logical order.
User control and freedom
Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to
leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and
redo.
Consistency and standards
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same
thing. Follow platform conventions.
Error prevention
Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring
in the first place. Either eliminate error‐prone conditions or check for them and present users with
a confirmation option before they commit to the action.
Recognition rather than recall
Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should
not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of
the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
Flexibility and efficiency of use
Accelerators ‐‐ unseen by the novice user ‐‐ may often speed up the interaction for the expert user
such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor
frequent actions.

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Aesthetic and minimalist design
Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of
information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their
relative visibility.
Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem,
and constructively suggest a solution.
Help and documentation
Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to
provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the
user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.