User & Task Design

Task Design doesn't Predict Users' Work Cause Usability Application

Pyramid Consulting company have an application name PMS. Staffs use this application for daily report to their manager what did they do each day.

It look interesting but exist mistakes. These mistake increase time to complete a task. This is cause there are usability troubles in this application.

In this article, I mention a usability mistake. I name it is “Duplicate Report”.

The web page they use to done:

Figure 1: Web page characters introduction.

• Some characteristic:
  • Calendar is control which allow user click and view the report of click date.
  • The date view is bold character.
  • The current date is bold and red color character.
  • Misreport date is black and normal character.
  • Report date is green color and normal character.
  • Approve date is report date(green color and normal character) with background color is yellow color.
• The task of this page:
  • Create new task.
  • Enter the time for each task user worked a day.

Report Date 16/10/2006

Figure 2: Web page of date 16/10/2006

I work a task 3 day from(13, 16, 17) so today is 16/10/2006 I create 1 task with name “PMS Usability Test”.

Report Date 13/10/2006

Figure 3: Web page of date 13/10/2006

I forgot report task “PMS Usability Test” for date 13/10/2006. So I make a report but the task I just create(date 16/10/2006) is not exist here. I recreate the same task.

Figure 4: Recreate task

Report Date 17/10/2006

Figure 5: Web page of date 17/10/2006

Next date(17/10/2006), I continuous incomplete task. But I found a little surprise about duplicate of task “PMS Usability Test”.

Below things are unusability

• I waste my time to create an exist task.
• Now, I confuse how to report a task which is duplicate.
• My manager is going to confuse too.
  • Why I report 2 task with same name?
  • Is it a little difference?
• Close a task 2 time.

In Conclusion

• The exist of UI:
  • User don't use UI:
    • With developer, this is waste time and money.
    • With user, this redundancy make them feel UI too busy and confuse.
  • UI is not exist, it lead to unmet user goals.
  • UI unpredictable what user will do with application it will not improve effect of application.
• UI designer:

  Anyone can create UI which allow user interact with main function of an application. But an application meet user goals it hardly. Usability is not a skill. It is an approach to representing users’ needs and developing a good product. It require UI designer must know the application goal, UI principles, usability guidelines and special understand user for successful product.

  With task design, UI designer predict users are going to use UI to do what? It is fundamental of useful application.