Tasks and Task Analysis

A task is meaningful unit of work. Here are some examples:

• Prepare a report
• Implement a data structure
• Draw a picture for use in a presentation.

Note that the task may involve subtasks, thus a task is not necessarily atomic.

Task Analysis

The goal of task analysis is to describe the task in sufficient detail that it can be realized in the system. To do this:

1. Interview and observe users in thw work environment. Choose users to represnet the diversity of the population.
2. Be concrete; talk about what the users are doing.
3. Summarize you udertanding of users, tasks, and environment; let the users critique it.
4. Based upon your understanding, design and build prototypes. Have the users test these, preferably in the work environment. Iterate!

Documenting Task Analysis

Some useful Forms for task analysis.

• A task/User table
• Pseudo Code for task descriptions
• A task/Object table

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Last Changed: 1 May 1995