Improving usability with think aloud and focus group methods. A case study: an intelligent police patrolling system (i-PAT)

Tania Calle-Jimenez; Doris Tutillo-Sanchez; Sandra Sanchez-Gordon; Janio Jadán-Guerrero; Cesar Guevara; Patricio Lara-Alvarez; Patricia Acosta-Vargas; Luis Salvador-Ullauri; Isabel L. Nunes

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-20040-4_33

Improving usability with think aloud and focus group methods. A case study: an intelligent police patrolling system (i-PAT)

Tania Calle-Jimenez, Doris Tutillo-Sanchez, Sandra Sanchez-Gordon, Janio Jadán-Guerrero, Cesar Guevara, Patricio Lara-Alvarez, Patricia Acosta-Vargas, Luis Salvador-Ullauri, Isabel L. Nunes

Universidade NOVA de Lisboa

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

Abstract

This study proposes the use of Think Aloud and Focus Group methods for evaluating the usability of the Intelligent Police Patrolling System (I-Pat). The study was conducted with twenty-one students of computer engineering. The study included two evaluation methods. First, the application of Think Aloud using audio recordings, image capturing and questionnaires. Second, the application of a Focus Group for brainstorming. The total number of the usability problems identified was fifteen. Comprehensiveness (46%) and layout (43%) problems were the most frequently found. The study showed that the problems encountered were due to the lack of understanding of the system’s functions, so it is recommended increasing the users’ levels of knowledge about the system. The application of these methods caused the students to find a greater number of errors than when applying a single method, allowing them to generate a report with usability improvements according to the reported errors.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Advances in Human Factors and Systems Interaction - Proceedings of the AHFE 2019 International Conference on Human Factors and Systems Interaction
Editors	Isabel L. Nunes
Place of Publication	Cham
Publisher	Springer Verlag
Pages	361-373
Number of pages	13
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-030-20040-4
ISBN (Print)	978-3-030-20039-8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20040-4_33
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2020
Event	AHFE International Conference on Human Factors and Systems Interaction, 2019 - Washington D.C., United States Duration: 24 Jul 2019 → 28 Jul 2019

Publication series

Name	Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing
Publisher	Springer Verlag
Volume	959
ISSN (Print)	2194-5357

Conference

Conference	AHFE International Conference on Human Factors and Systems Interaction, 2019
Country	United States
City	Washington D.C.
Period	24/07/19 → 28/07/19

Keywords

Focus Group
I-Path
Patrolling
Think Aloud
Usability

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-030-20040-4_33

Link to publication in Scopus

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Calle-Jimenez, T., Tutillo-Sanchez, D., Sanchez-Gordon, S., Jadán-Guerrero, J., Guevara, C., Lara-Alvarez, P., ... Nunes, I. L. (2020). Improving usability with think aloud and focus group methods. A case study: an intelligent police patrolling system (i-PAT). In I. L. Nunes (Ed.), Advances in Human Factors and Systems Interaction - Proceedings of the AHFE 2019 International Conference on Human Factors and Systems Interaction (pp. 361-373). (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing; Vol. 959). Cham: Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20040-4_33

Calle-Jimenez, Tania ; Tutillo-Sanchez, Doris ; Sanchez-Gordon, Sandra ; Jadán-Guerrero, Janio ; Guevara, Cesar ; Lara-Alvarez, Patricio ; Acosta-Vargas, Patricia ; Salvador-Ullauri, Luis ; Nunes, Isabel L. / Improving usability with think aloud and focus group methods. A case study: an intelligent police patrolling system (i-PAT). Advances in Human Factors and Systems Interaction - Proceedings of the AHFE 2019 International Conference on Human Factors and Systems Interaction. editor / Isabel L. Nunes. Cham : Springer Verlag, 2020. pp. 361-373 (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing).

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abstract = "This study proposes the use of Think Aloud and Focus Group methods for evaluating the usability of the Intelligent Police Patrolling System (I-Pat). The study was conducted with twenty-one students of computer engineering. The study included two evaluation methods. First, the application of Think Aloud using audio recordings, image capturing and questionnaires. Second, the application of a Focus Group for brainstorming. The total number of the usability problems identified was fifteen. Comprehensiveness (46{\%}) and layout (43{\%}) problems were the most frequently found. The study showed that the problems encountered were due to the lack of understanding of the system’s functions, so it is recommended increasing the users’ levels of knowledge about the system. The application of these methods caused the students to find a greater number of errors than when applying a single method, allowing them to generate a report with usability improvements according to the reported errors.",

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Calle-Jimenez, T, Tutillo-Sanchez, D, Sanchez-Gordon, S, Jadán-Guerrero, J, Guevara, C, Lara-Alvarez, P, Acosta-Vargas, P, Salvador-Ullauri, L & Nunes, IL 2020, Improving usability with think aloud and focus group methods. A case study: an intelligent police patrolling system (i-PAT). in IL Nunes (ed.), Advances in Human Factors and Systems Interaction - Proceedings of the AHFE 2019 International Conference on Human Factors and Systems Interaction. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol. 959, Springer Verlag, Cham, pp. 361-373, AHFE International Conference on Human Factors and Systems Interaction, 2019, Washington D.C., United States, 24/07/19. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20040-4_33

Improving usability with think aloud and focus group methods. A case study: an intelligent police patrolling system (i-PAT). / Calle-Jimenez, Tania; Tutillo-Sanchez, Doris; Sanchez-Gordon, Sandra; Jadán-Guerrero, Janio; Guevara, Cesar; Lara-Alvarez, Patricio; Acosta-Vargas, Patricia; Salvador-Ullauri, Luis; Nunes, Isabel L.

Advances in Human Factors and Systems Interaction - Proceedings of the AHFE 2019 International Conference on Human Factors and Systems Interaction. ed. / Isabel L. Nunes. Cham : Springer Verlag, 2020. p. 361-373 (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing; Vol. 959).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

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AB - This study proposes the use of Think Aloud and Focus Group methods for evaluating the usability of the Intelligent Police Patrolling System (I-Pat). The study was conducted with twenty-one students of computer engineering. The study included two evaluation methods. First, the application of Think Aloud using audio recordings, image capturing and questionnaires. Second, the application of a Focus Group for brainstorming. The total number of the usability problems identified was fifteen. Comprehensiveness (46%) and layout (43%) problems were the most frequently found. The study showed that the problems encountered were due to the lack of understanding of the system’s functions, so it is recommended increasing the users’ levels of knowledge about the system. The application of these methods caused the students to find a greater number of errors than when applying a single method, allowing them to generate a report with usability improvements according to the reported errors.

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Calle-Jimenez T, Tutillo-Sanchez D, Sanchez-Gordon S, Jadán-Guerrero J, Guevara C, Lara-Alvarez P et al. Improving usability with think aloud and focus group methods. A case study: an intelligent police patrolling system (i-PAT). In Nunes IL, editor, Advances in Human Factors and Systems Interaction - Proceedings of the AHFE 2019 International Conference on Human Factors and Systems Interaction. Cham: Springer Verlag. 2020. p. 361-373. (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20040-4_33