Task Sequence in User Interface Design and Evaluation Sessions

Abstract

User-evaluation and user-design are two common techniques in user-centered user interface design practice. These two methods yield different types of information from users. However, sometimes they need to be combined in one session with the same users, and the sequence with which design and evaluation are applied can influence the results. In this study, we compared two different sequences of user evaluation and design tasks. The results showed that participants behaved very differently in sessions with different sequences of steps. Users who critiqued interfaces first, then designed their own, were ready to borrow design ideas from existing systems. Participants who designed first then critiqued others and finally redesigned their original suggestions were much more reluctant to borrow ideas. They felt ownership over their designs, they felt threatened by "professional" designs, and they were more critical of those designs. The results of our study provide guidance to sequencing evaluation and design steps in cooperative design sessions.