Analyze summary from usability tests

Analyze of the usability tests. Questions 2 – 6 in the questionnaire

2. Testing the warning area in front

a) Ask the user what he/she thinks is happening when the yellow light is moving towards the car

• Five thought as we expected that something was closing towards the car. One of them thought that the object was exact in the area in front of the car.
• However...
• One said that he could not make out what it was, he did not recognize it as a known traffic sign, but he would reduce speed because he felt that the yellow color as a warning color.
• Two persons felt as it could mean some kind of danger and that they would reduce speed directly.
• Three testers said that the yellow light could be oncoming traffic, two of them pointed out that the yellow light looked like the headlights of another car.
• One test person mentioned that the object closing ahead could be a static object.
• One person mentioned that the yellow color could mean that they where driving in the dark

b) Ask the user what he/she thinks is happening when the complete area is filled with the yellow light

• None of the testers had a spontaneous answer that was expected and they all speculated differently on what it could mean.
• One of the testers thought that the yellow area was the area where danger could occur or that something is within the exact spot corresponding to the area in front of the car.
• One thought that it could be that the lit area is monitored by the system and provided an overview.
• Another tester thought that yellow meant highway and therefore that he could be driving on a highway or that there could be some kind of road construction up ahead.
• Another was very confused and felt being in a place that you should not be in.
• Two test persons interpreted it as their own headlights and one of them mentioned that it could be that the full beam was on.

c) Ask the user what he/she thinks is happening when the yellow light is moving away from the car

• Five test persons interpret as expected that the objects is moving away from the car. Two testers mention specifically that the danger is going away and that it is safer to drive.
• However...
• One thought that the system is loosing focus on this area and that it means that the system has less control in some way.

3. Testing the Warning area behind the car

a) Ask the user what he/she thinks is happening when the yellow light is moving towards the car

• All six users experience that there is something closing in on them from behind just as expected.
• However…
• Two of these believed that the yellow lights represented the headlights of the other car.

b) Ask the user what he/she thinks is happening when the complete area is filled with the yellow light

• Three out of the six test persons experienced that the closing in object is very close right now, just as expected.
• However…
• Two of the persons think that it may have something to do when you’re in reverse, for instance some kind of parking aid.
• One person thinks that it indicates that the object has hit him/her from behind.
• One person feels like as if he or she has run over something; passed a boundary that should not have passed.

c) Ask the user what he/she thinks is happening when the yellow light is moving away from the car

• All six test persons experienced that the object (car) was disappearing again, increasing the distance to you; just as expected.
• However…
• One believed that it also could mean that the distance between their car and some sort of static object increased for instance while parking the vehicle.
• One person believed that the yellow light is referring to the headlights of another car, and since they’re disappearing the distance also increases.

4. Testing the warning area on the side (blind spot)

a) Ask the user what he/she thinks is happening when the yellow light is moving towards the car

• Four out of the six test persons experienced that there was a car closing up on them from the side (or blindspot) just as expected.
• However…
• One person has trouble interpret this information since the yellow light is coming in from that angle, he/she believes that this is a way of showing that the current road holds more than one lane.
• Two persons experience this as the headlights of other cars or oncoming traffic from the side, whereas one of these doesn’t experience this as a real warning or less important compared to the other ones. This is mainly since he/she interprets this as ordinary traffic in their surroundings which happens constantly since it is moving towards the car from a diagonal angle.

b) Ask the user what he/she thinks is happening when the complete area is filled with the yellow light

• Three out of the six test persons experienced that the other car was very up-close to them on the side (or was trying to overtake them) just as expected.
• However…
• Two persons interpret this information as if they’ve been hit.
• Two persons thought that the yellow light referred to the headlights of another car and therefore they thought that another car was heading straight towards them from the side due to the angle
• Another person believed that it might look like this when he/she is traveling on a main (country) road and is passing an intersection where you have just passed a car standing still.

c) Ask the user what he/she thinks is happening when the yellow light is moving away from the car

• All six test persons experienced that the object (car) was disappearing again, increasing the distance to you; and therefore also the threat or hazard is disappearing, just as expected.
• However…
• One person thought that it also might mean that he/she has accelerated away from a car standing still in an intersection and that the yellow lights represents the headlights of that car. The distance is therefore increasing since the yellow light is fading out or disappearing.
• Another person also thought that it could mean that you’re driving in the dark.

5. Test the other ways of illustrating the information (bar with boundaries and slider)

5 a) Show the slider and ask for his/hers opinion(s) of this way of showing the information

• Four test persons described it as an object moving towards the car.
• However...
• None of the test persons felt that it was clear what was closing.
• One mentioned that it could either be an obstacle on the road another mentioned that it looked more like a traffic sign and that it could be a crossing road or train tracks up ahead. A third mentioned that it looked more like a static object a wall rather than a car. This because of the black parts on the sides makes it look more like an obstacle.
• Two test persons thought that it was less clear than bar without boundaries and that it was less noticeable.
• One person felt that the size or shape of the indicator did not matter, thin or wide that it started in the same place it still meant you had to pass it.

5 b) Show the bar with boundaries and ask for his/hers opinion(s) of this way of showing the information

• Five test persons felt that it was an indicator for distance or levels and One of them suggested that it could be connected with the three second rule.
• However
• One felt that it was hard to judge distance in meters or distance in general. Two other testers felt that it was easier and more natural to determine actual distance after learning how many meters each step represents in meters.
• One test person felt that it was unnatural and confusing. Another felt that it could be markings on the road or reflectors reflecting the head lights of the car.
• Two test persons would have decreased speed and react in the same way as before because they see the yellow as a danger.

6) Ask the user what he/she thinks about showing the actual car in the interface

• Five felt that the car was good. Two people mention that it is facing forward and that they like that.
• Four interpreted as their car, One person mentions that it makes it easier to understand where the front, back and sides are. Another mentions the cut out parts of the paper prototype as the reach of the sensors.
• However
• One questioned whether it was necessary and that it was could be redundant information since you are sitting in a car and that it maybe uses more space than is needed.
• One person did not like the color and felt that it was hard to see.