An Evaluation Of The Comprehensibility and Usability Of a Design Method For Ubiquitous Computing Applications

Abstract

We have recently proposed a design process framework that assists the practitioner in tackling the privacy and security issues of ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) applications during their development. In this report, we discuss a design study to evaluate the comprehensibility and usability of the design method. The study was conducted with six graduate students at our institution. Students were given the option of using the design method for completing a semester-long design exercise of a ubiquitous computing application of their choice. Researchers analyzed their written deliverables using quantitative metrics and conducted follow-up interviews. Results suggest that the design method is comprehensible and usable by inexperienced designers. Participants commented that the method might help especially in the design of exploratory applications with diverging stakeholders, broadening the coverage of the design process and generating stronger rationales for design decisions.