Task Analysis
Problem:
Many college students want to adopt new habits: going to the gym everyday, reading everyday, etc. In our habit tracker application users will choose what good habit they want to adapt to and using scientifically backed data our app will make sure they perform the activity everyday and track it consistently until they fully adapt the habit.
Many college students want to adopt new habits: going to the gym everyday, reading everyday, etc. In our habit tracker application users will choose what good habit they want to adapt to and using scientifically backed data our app will make sure they perform the activity everyday and track it consistently until they fully adapt the habit.
Red Smith
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/9/5/13950517/5830848.png)
(20yr old, English major from Dallas)
Red is a horrible procrastinator. He waits until Sunday night at 11PM to start his ethnography homework. He wants to change this and learn to do a little bit of work everyday, instead of waiting until the last minute to do everything.
Red is a horrible procrastinator. He waits until Sunday night at 11PM to start his ethnography homework. He wants to change this and learn to do a little bit of work everyday, instead of waiting until the last minute to do everything.
Tracey Treadmill
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/9/5/13950517/6728619.png)
(21yrs old, Graphic Design Major, From California)
Tracey is going to florida for spring break this year. She wants to get in bikini body shape, however late nights at Punter’s Pub haven’t been helping. She wants to get back in shape and go to the gym everyday.
Tracey is going to florida for spring break this year. She wants to get in bikini body shape, however late nights at Punter’s Pub haven’t been helping. She wants to get back in shape and go to the gym everyday.
Stakeholders:
Primary: College students who want to create new habits.
Secondary: Behavioral psychologists who research habit changes and provide input to the algorithm.
Tertiary: None
Task Analysis
1. Set a goal
Tracey wants to lose 5lbs in 3 weeks. She goes onto the app store and finds the good habit progress tracker. She opens up the app and chooses a weight loss goal, the goal description says that she has to go running for 40 minutes everyday.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
2. Tracking a goal
Tracey’s first day back in the gym went well, she ran a total of 47 minutes on the treadmill. Although she is not in the cardio shape she used to be in, she’s glad she was able to accomplish her task. She fires up the app and checks in the first day of progress!
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
3. Visualizing progress
7 Days in, Tracey has already lost 2lbs! She uses the app to visualize her progress throughout the first week. She’s attending her brother’s wedding tomorrow so she plans ahead and spends an hour and half in the gym tonight to make up for her day off tomorrow.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
4. Damage control (if you don’t stay on track)
Tracey succombed to her old habits and had a little too much to drink at the wedding. She was bedridden with a hangover the next day and wasn’t able to make it to the gym. The app updates her tasks accordingly informing her that she has to run 4 miles tomorrow to make up for the day off.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
5. Sharing your progress
Tracey has lost 3lbs so far! She’s ecstatic and wants to tell her friend Marissa who’s also going on the spring break trip with her. She uses the app to send her progress graph to Marissa’s app so that Marissa can see how she’s been doing.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
6. Searching goals (see what other people are doing).
2 Weeks in and Tracey’s addicted to the gym! She wants to see how other people are structuring their weightloss and help cheer them on to their goal. She uses the app to search for other goals.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
7. Profile
Red has heard about Tracey’s progress through Facebook and wants to see if he can use the app to help him stop procrastinating. He downloads it and creates a profile with his current habits and goals.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
Usability Requirements
Primary: College students who want to create new habits.
Secondary: Behavioral psychologists who research habit changes and provide input to the algorithm.
Tertiary: None
Task Analysis
1. Set a goal
Tracey wants to lose 5lbs in 3 weeks. She goes onto the app store and finds the good habit progress tracker. She opens up the app and chooses a weight loss goal, the goal description says that she has to go running for 40 minutes everyday.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
- Decide you want to set a good habit
- Find the goal that aligns with your habits
- Commit to that goal.
2. Tracking a goal
Tracey’s first day back in the gym went well, she ran a total of 47 minutes on the treadmill. Although she is not in the cardio shape she used to be in, she’s glad she was able to accomplish her task. She fires up the app and checks in the first day of progress!
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
- Complete daily activity
- Validate that you’ve done it by inputting the progress into the app.
3. Visualizing progress
7 Days in, Tracey has already lost 2lbs! She uses the app to visualize her progress throughout the first week. She’s attending her brother’s wedding tomorrow so she plans ahead and spends an hour and half in the gym tonight to make up for her day off tomorrow.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
- Choose the goal you want to visualize
- Visualize your progress throughout the course of the plan
- See how much more you have left to do.
4. Damage control (if you don’t stay on track)
Tracey succombed to her old habits and had a little too much to drink at the wedding. She was bedridden with a hangover the next day and wasn’t able to make it to the gym. The app updates her tasks accordingly informing her that she has to run 4 miles tomorrow to make up for the day off.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
- Make a mistake
- Admit to the app that you’ve missed a day
- Determine how to get back on track
5. Sharing your progress
Tracey has lost 3lbs so far! She’s ecstatic and wants to tell her friend Marissa who’s also going on the spring break trip with her. She uses the app to send her progress graph to Marissa’s app so that Marissa can see how she’s been doing.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
- Choose what you want to share
- Choose who you want to share with
- Share
6. Searching goals (see what other people are doing).
2 Weeks in and Tracey’s addicted to the gym! She wants to see how other people are structuring their weightloss and help cheer them on to their goal. She uses the app to search for other goals.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
- Pick goal category
- Search through other goal types
7. Profile
Red has heard about Tracey’s progress through Facebook and wants to see if he can use the app to help him stop procrastinating. He downloads it and creates a profile with his current habits and goals.
Hierarchical Task Analysis:
- Enter your information relative to the first goal you want to accomplish.
Usability Requirements
- Quick to set up a goal
- Quick to enter progress
- Easy to navigate the app to view your progress
- It’s okay if it takes longer to share
- Low percentage of errors made, everything should be as simple as possible.
- Efficiency is more important then learnability (however learnability shouldn’t be ignored).
- There should be no need for help or documentation (the app should be straightforward enough)
- Keep the interface minimal to prevent slips and mistakes