Use cases and scenarios

The end of this week was pretty quiet. I was able to put my headphones on and listen to podcasts while I worked on writing use cases and scenarios. I was able to put together a half dozen or so use cases (all very similar, but that's how use cases will be for this particular project). From those, I created a use case diagram, although it might not be particularly useful.

Showcase Use Case Diagram

The use cases are actually more extensions of a basic use case of "search portal", but I wanted to extend it to more specific types of searches. Also, the actor is generally a user, but there are three basic types of users who might use the portal, so I extended those roles. It isn't the best diagram; I'll probably make changes to consider more of the input and maintenance side of things. But it's a start.

From this, I wrote up the use cases specifying some of the actions to do each of these searches. These correspond with the ten or so scenarios I have started writing, which look at specific types of the use cases. For example, I have written a scenario of an anthropology professor looking for previous projects that might be in similar disciplines to get an idea of how she could use the AVL's resources and expertise for her own research.

I only have drafts of a couple of the scenarios written, so I need to work more on those next week.

In terms of use cases, there is plenty more work I can do, as noted above, by expanding to use cases and scenarios for input and maintenance. I want to finish the end-user scenarios first, though, because it's easier to concentrate on one thing at a time. Also, I find that letting a problem simmer in the back of my mind for a few days tends to help clarify it.

As for take-aways this week, it really comes down to being in a self-directed phase to some extent right now. At the last meeting we came up with a list of tasks for me to work on during the development phase so I have some things to work on, but I get to decide which to do each day.

The AVL is a group used to being somewhat experimental. Granted, they want their experiments to succeed, but when you push the envelope, sometimes there are failures. The point of failures is to learn from them. In that regard, working with the AVL has allowed me to take some chances and try things multiple ways if need be. Having the freedom to try something, then just redo it if I'm not happy with it, is kind of nice. It isn't seen as a waste of time and resources; it's a learning process, which is actually perfect for an internship.

Development phase

Just before spring break, I passed the schema and structure document to the developers on the team. They said the document I created was useful, which is good. I'm glad I was able to provide them with the information they need. 

They are researching the best way to implement the plans. There are a lot of tech considerations; there might be a solution that already exists that will get them most of the way there, or they might start from scratch. I might be able to follow along with some of their decision-making, but there isn't a lot I can do at this point in the project; development is their job.

I'm actually glad I don't have to make some of the decisions at this point. I'm glad there are developers who like to do the coding and all the other stuff involved with this part of the project. That is not my forte and not something I am overly interested in doing. So I am happy to hand the project off.

Basically, it might be a while before the Showcase comes back to me for UX testing. 

Time to wait....

So, what am I working on while the project is in development? 

• Synonyms
• Personas
• Use cases

Synonyms: I have a good start on this part of the project. There are three of the facets that require synonyms: campus (done), discipline (maybe done), category (I need the final vocabulary for this first). 

Campus was easy. We are using the format "IU Bloomington" for campus, so synonyms are "IUB" and "Bloomington".

Discipline is a little tricky. I settled on using the existing schools as the base, but that's still complicated because different campuses categorize fields a little differently. But, it's the cleanest way I could come up with the categorize disciplines. The synonyms, then, involve putting all the departments and certain institutes and such under the appropriate discipline (school). There are a few that I want to discuss before finalizing the list.

Category is not done at all. I am relying on the team to come up with the appropriate categories for technologies and initiatives (which may end up being the name for this facet). Once that is done, I can work on synonyms, but that will again require some assistance from team members as subject matter experts.

Personas: I have my proto-personas from earlier in the project. I didn't truly finish them, giving them names and personalities, so I will finally do that. 

Use Cases: One of the tasks I have been asked to do is come up with some use cases. I have a list of four or five that I will write up. I would like to come up with a few more. Basically, the point of use cases for this project is to think about who might need to find what types of projects and test that the interface has been designed such that those projects could be found.

If I finish the synonyms, personas and use cases before development is done, I think I can start some UX testing on low-fi prototypes. I have the wireframes I created, so I could work from that. 

Take away today: It's always good to have other things to work on.