Questions relating to the country analysis
As QQ Petfood is not a real company, am I allowed to imagine and create the company’s goals and objectives?
Yes, it is up to you to imagine the company’s background and objectives (as a guide, you can take a look at the websites of similar businesses). For this assignment, we are not really going in-depth into the company’s business background and objectives, so do not waste too much time here (instead, you should be focusing on the country analysis). In general, just a paragraph or two in your introduction section of the report to briefly highlight the company’s background and objectives will be enough.
Do I need to provide definitions in my report (eg. for GDP, inflation, FTA, etc)?
No, do not waste your time (and word count) on definitions. The focus of this assignment is on analysing the countries, not on explaining the meaning of terms and variables.
I have never done this type of research before. Where can I find relevant sources to support my country analysis?
A special video was made by our liaison librarian (see Lecture Recordings section). In this video, the librarian highlights relevant databases and websites that are useful for this assignment. It is important that you go through this video before you start working on this assignment.
Should I focus on past or future data when doing the country analysis?
For the purpose of this assignment, you are analysing the countries in terms of their market potential. As such, you should be looking into important developments over the recent years as well as future potential. For example, ask yourself this… if you run a business that has products that you are interested in exporting to an overseas market, what would you consider as part of your market research? You will definitely not be interested in things that happened in that country 10-20 years ago as these are likely to be no longer important, but you will probably pay attention to trends over the recent years that are relevant to your products’ sales potential. Also, you will likely be interested in potential developments and trends for the future (in Part B of Assessment #1, you graphed the 10-year GDP projection of both countries… this may be relevant to include as part of your country analysis). An important rule in doing a country analysis is that you should not rely on ‘very old’ sources (eg. statistics published ten years ago) to support a ‘current’ country analysis.
Is it alright for me to contact a similar business to ask them a few questions?
No, please do not do so. Under university policies, students are not supposed to contact any business directly without going through formal ethical clearance procedures. For this assignment, we are interested in ‘your’ analysis and proposal and not what another company is doing in terms of their internationalisation strategy (contacting an existing company will not benefit your preparation of this assignment in any way).
I am trying to look for more information sources for industry and market research. What are the relevant databases?
To search for database options, try this. First, go to the library website and click on ‘Business’ in the ‘Databases and specialised search tools’ section. You will notice a box on the right side of the page (‘How to find’). Click on the item ‘Industry reports and market research’ and you will see the major databases (eg. Passport, Marketline and IBISWorld, see the librarian’s video for a quick overview to these databases). In addition to these databases, you may also find useful online information from government sources (play around with your search terms on google and you may be able to access some of these online industry reports).
Do I need to use all the recommended databases? Is one database more important than another?
Databases are ‘tools’ to help you with information search and consolidation. Rather than thinking about how many databases to use, think about what information you really need to support your analysis. It is part of doing a good assignment to be able to exercise judgement on what information to cover in your analysis and how to logically consolidate and report your analysis.
Does this assignment focus only on analysing the potential of the countries for export sales? Do I also need to consider their potential as production locations?
As noted in the assignment task guidelines, you are analysing the ‘market potential’ for the company’s products in these two countries. This means that your analysis is for the purpose of selecting an export market and not for setting up production/FDI. You should not consider production/FDI related issues as they are not relevant to this report.
What are the key differences between analysing a market for export potential and for production?
A simple example… if you are planning to set up FDI for foreign production, you will probably be interested in issues and trends relevant to local wages, access to raw materials, presence of skilled labour, foreign ownership regulations and requirements, etc., but these are not relevant to an exporter (and not relevant to this assignment). An exporter is likely to be more interested in issues and trends relevant to income level, economic growth, potential demand, ease of trading, tariff, etc.
How in-depth do I need to go when analysing the countries? Do I need to go into details such as evaluating export strategy, distribution/delivery methods, etc.?
As a guideline, you do not need to cover more than what has been asked for. This report is more like a ‘preliminary assessment’ that is done when a business is considering a suitable export location among various choices. As such, the focus is on analysing and comparing county data between the two country options and then proposing which could be a better export market. The analysis will focus on information relevant to economic stability, market potential, income level, relevant industry trends, etc. The strategic and operational issues (eg. export procedures and distribution methods) are factors to be considered after a business makes an actual commitment to start exporting, and these are not relevant to this assignment as we are not considering beyond the preliminary country selection process.
Do I need to consider issues such as whether the business will set up its own stores or sell through other retailers?
No, as noted above, this assignment should only focus on analysing and choosing a target country. The report should conclude with the choice and justification of the preferred export market. There is no need to consider details regarding the export operations or strategies (eg. selling through stores or distributors) as these are beyond the scope of this assignment (if you do AMB210 in future, that unit’s assignment will explore these additional operational considerations).
I do not understand what a weighted index is and how to prepare one. Can you provide an example?
Simply speaking, we create a weighted index for the purpose of decision-making. You consider the selection criteria, decide weighting for each criterion, then evaluate the countries accordingly and pick the one with the higher overall score. There are 2 examples available in the assessment folder (see the item “Examples of a weighted index” – the first document provides a step-by-step illustration using a simple decision-making scenario, while the second document is an extract from a previous assignment).
Do I decide the selection criteria and weights for my weighted index?
For this assignment, the weighted index items and weightings are all based on what you think would be important and relevant to the selection decision of a new export market for your business. You should briefly discuss and justify why you have chosen these items/weights for your weighted index, but it’s not a requirement to provide references for support as the index is constructed based on your own judgement and decision-making. The emphasis here is that you present a logical and sensible index that can be used to justify your country choice.
Should I include all the variables I have analysed into the weighted index?
No, do not put all your variables into the index as it will become too complex. Have a look at the weighted index example from a previous assignment (see Assessment 2 folder). Basically, by end of the report, you should have analysed a number of different variables and explored relevant considerations. To create an index to help you decide which country is the better choice, start by categorising what you have analysed into a smaller number of key factors (each will represent an issue that you feel is important to your country selection decision). You then weigh these factors and calculate the overall index score.
Some variables seem to relate to both ‘socio-economic analysis’ and ‘political analysis’, how should I decide which section they should be covered?
As discussed in lectures, there is often a strong linkage between economic and political issues. This is the reason why some variables may potentially fit both sections. If you encounter such variables, it will be up to you to decide which section is more appropriate based on your coverage and discussion.
I am interested in researching tariff rate, where can I find this information?
As this is an assessment item, I cannot provide you the full information, but here’s a little hint to get you started on your research. Every product category in the world is classified according to a set of numbers called ‘HS code’. If you know the HS code, you can easily check a product’s import tariff through the target country’s customs or trade website. For example, baked bread/cake products are classified as 1905.90 and apples as 0808.10. Do a search to find out the HS code for pet food products, and you can then use this HS code to check for a country’s specific import tariff rate. Take note that tariff may also be referred to as customs duty or import duty.
Is there a correct answer on whether Japan/New Zealand should be the export destination?
No. Just like in a real-world situation, there is no right/wrong answer. Your country choice will be influenced by your analysis as well as your weighted index.
Is there a fixed number of variables that I’m required to analyse for each section of this report?
No, there isn’t really a right/wrong answer in terms of how many variables you should analyse. In general, I’d say that you should consider at least a few variables for each of the three environments (economic, political and business). Do not just throw in every single variable that is available (this could be overwhelming from the reader’s perspective and will likely create more confusion). Be selective and think about what are the issues that are likely to be most important from the perspective of a business interested in choosing a new export market (eg. are there signs of stability?… do they show promising current and future trends?… etc).
Can you provide some clues on what should be covered in ‘Business Environments’? Are there any specific issues that I should cover in relation to ‘Market Potential’?
Here is a little hint… this report has three main sections related to analysis: economic, political and business environments. The ‘economic’ and ‘political’ sections are more about the country (eg. economic stability, political risks, etc). The ‘business environment’ section is where you should consider issues and trends that are more specific to the business. If you are thinking about exporting (selling) products to a country, you will probably be interested in whether there is potential interest, demand and sales. For example, trends relevant to demand and sales for pet food in recent years (within these two countries), trends relating to pet ownership, etc. may tell you something in terms of whether these countries are suitable as export markets.
Can you tell me what the word count should be for each section of the environment analysis?
Although I can provide the assignment structure, I cannot say too much about the word count for each section as this is an assessment item (you will need to exercise some judgement on what should be covered for each section). In general, I’d suggest that you should cover a few important variables/issues for each of the three analysis sections of the report (economic, political and business environments). As the main purpose of this report is for choosing an export market rather than a location for FDI, the business environment analysis is probably more important than the political environment analysis and can be longer.
Is there a guide available on how to interpret data from the PRS database?
There is a document that explains how to read the items in PRS called ‘ICRG methodology’ available through the QUT library website. You can download the PDF version here:- https://www.library.qut.edu.au/search/howtofind/statistics/
According to the task guidelines, I’m a consultant doing this analysis for QQ Petfood. Do I need to briefly discuss my consulting firm or should I just focus on QQ Petfood in my introduction?
You do not need to discuss the consulting firm that you are working for (this is not important for the report). Your introduction should focus on QQ Petfood and its business.
Am I required to follow the exact structure shown on pg. 5 of the task guidelines document? For example, can I have more sub-headings in Section 4 rather than just 4.1 and 4.2 as stated?
It is up to you to add extra sub-headings for each section if you find it necessary. The structure shown on pg.5 is just to give you an idea on what are the important items and how they should be placed. It is essential to have the three sections on environment analysis (economic, political and business) and the weighted index, but within each of these sections, you can have additional sub-headings if you like (eg. although the task guidelines document doesn’t show 5.2 or 2.3 or 3.3, it doesn’t mean you can’t add these if you have additional points to cover).
Am I required to convert all the currency value in the data into Australian $?
No, this is not a requirement. Just report the data as it is shown.
For this assignment, do we need to take into consideration the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic? Should we ignore this and use older data?
This assignment has a ‘real world’ focus and you are meant to be taking the position of an export consultant who is advising the business using up-to-date country research data. All research materials that you are likely to use (eg. library databases, government websites, etc) have already been updated to reflect the current pandemic, and the impact on economic projections and predictions has already become part of the live data (eg. as seen in the graph you made for Part B of Assessment #1), so for this assignment, there is no way that you can avoid this issue and must take this into consideration.
As the economic data and statistics for 2020 is very different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will it be unfair to consider this year in the analysis?
An important point to note is that in an actual real-world situation, we do not ignore data just because they look unfavourable (we always report them as they are). Also, when businesses make important decisions, they do not rely on data for a single year alone (they try to observe the trend over a time period). For example, in Part B of Assessment #1, you did a graph that shows the GDP trends for both the countries… although 2020 looks bad for both (which is expected), what about the overall trend across the entire time period?
Is inflation the same as CPI? Is it essential to report this? Which one is preferred?
Inflation and CPI are actually related (inflation is calculated using the percentage change in CPI). As noted previously, it is up to you to decide what indicators you wish to highlight and discuss in your analysis/comparison of the two countries. There is nothing wrong with your decision to use either one as long as you understand what they are and how they may be relevant to your coverage.
I have tried researching for information through different sources rather than simply relying on EIU? Why is it that some statistics are slightly different? How do I know which source is correct?
To ensure that you have accurate data, it is important to look at reliable and reputable sources. Besides EIU, you can also take a look at the government websites of Japan and New Zealand. For example, in Australia, we have our Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) website. Both Japan and New Zealand have something similar for reporting economic data and statistics. Figures may be a little different between sources due to minor variations in the actual time period data is consolidated/calculated, currency value based on exchange rate conversion, etc. Just make sure you reference your sources accordingly.
I am not sure whether the items and variables I have chosen to cover in this report are correct. It seems that I can potentially cover many different things in this report, so how do I decide what is relevant and important?
As a start, always reflect on the purpose of this assignment and why you are preparing this report. As stated, you are playing the role of an ‘export consultant’ for this assignment and you are trying to analyse and make comparison between Japan and New Zealand to decide which is potentially better as the export location for pet food products. Think about this… what would an actual consultant do before it is possible to decide whether a country is suitable as an export location? Simply speaking, a consultant would need to consider the general attractiveness of the targeted export country as well as issues that may be important to the relevant business/industry in this country. This is why we have the three major sections of environmental analysis in this report (economic/political/business). The ‘economic’ and ‘political’ environments sections would focus more on exploring the country-level macro issues, while the ‘business’ environment section would focus more the micro issues that are specific to the relevant business/industry. Rather than thinking about whether it is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ to include something in your coverage, consider instead why you have chosen to cover this and whether or not it is relevant for your purpose.
General questions on the assignment
Is this an individual or group assignment?
This is an individual assignment. You must not submit an assignment that looks similar to another student’s work. We may refuse to mark a submission that exhibits a significantly high percentage of similarities with another student’s work.
How strict is the word limit? Is there a penalty for exceeding the word limit or for writing less?
According to the school’s assessment guidelines, we must set word limit for an assignment according to marks allocation (the rule is a limit of 50 words for each mark worth). Therefore, the word limit must be 1,500 words for an assignment worth 30%. However, I do understand that it is very difficult to follow the required word limit for an assignment of this nature. So, we do exercise a little ‘flexibility’ when marking. First, we do not consider these items in the word count: all references and in-text citations, graphs and charts, tables, diagrams, content page and cover page information. Next, we will not be wasting time calculating every assignment word-by-word. Instead, we take a rough estimation by looking at the number of pages used and number of lines per page. This means that going slightly over the limit is alright as long as it does not become too obvious to your marker (as a guideline, going slightly above the word limit is ok as long as you do not have more than one extra page of coverage… if you have more than one extra page of coverage, then it becomes very obvious that you have significantly exceeded the word count and a penalty may apply). Although there is no penalty for writing less, you should be cautious if your overall coverage is significantly shorter than the recommended number of words as this may mean that it is either too brief or has insufficient depth/detail. It is part of doing a good assignment to be able to decide what should be included and excluded in your coverage.
What is the acceptable similarities percentage for this report?
Anything below 45% is acceptable. If you have similarities score higher than 45%, you should check the similarities report before submission (if the high percentage is due to similar items like headings, charts and graphs, statistics, references, etc., then there is nothing to worry about… but if you have similar sentences in your discussion, these should be adjusted).
Are there any formatting requirements (font type, spacing, etc)?
Readability/neatness is always important for an assignment. I would recommend: Times New Roman, 12pt font, double spacing and default margins.
Are references required?
Yes, absolutely. This assignment will require you to exercise your research and analytical skills, so referencing is essential. For more details on referencing procedures, check http://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/ .
For referencing, do I need only to attach a list of references at the back of the document or do I also need to include in-text references within the coverage of the report?
As noted in the assignment document, you should use APA referencing style. This means including both in-text references and a reference list. This is a standard practice in all academic writing. A reference list included at the back of a document does not serve any useful purpose (we need to see the in-text references to know how you have utilised your references in the coverage). A simple example is to take a look at the referencing style used in any published journal article (eg. in Journal of International Business Studies). If you are new to academic referencing, please make sure that you check the APA style on Cite/Write as this will be important for all your assignments http://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/ .
How many references do I need?
There is no strict rule on how many references you need for the whole report (you need to exercise some judgement here). It is important to ensure that you have references to support your country analysis. For example, any data you used from the library databases, any articles you read to support your analysis, etc. will all need to be referenced.
Is there a structure/format to follow for this assignment?
Refer to pages 4-5 of the task guidelines document (remember to read through this entire document thoroughly).
Is it possible to apply for an extension? If I need an extension, how can I apply?
As a rule, an extension is only granted under special circumstances. Under the university’s assessment policy, lecturers and tutors are not allowed to negotiate with students on an extension. If you require an extension, you will need to apply by going through the formal procedures (read this page… https://www.student.qut.edu.au/studying/assessment/late-assignments-and-extensions). Once you have submitted an extension application, you must be prepared to wait up to 5 working days to receive an outcome. If you do not receive an outcome or a response before the due date, you should submit whatever work you have already completed. This is important because if your extension application is rejected and you have not submitted anything by the deadline, you will not be graded for the assignment. The university is very strict regarding this, so do be careful. Take note that the university’s assessment policy applies to all units and not only BSB119.
Guide on ‘Words Reduction’:-
I understand that many of you are concerned about the word limit. So, I have included in this section some strategies on how to cut down the number of words. Hope you will find this useful.
* Focus on the required tasks only…
As noted, this assignment is just a preliminary assessment for the purpose of choosing an export market (your job is to analyse the socio-economic/political/business environments of both countries and then propose the preferred export location).
Have you included unnecessary coverage/analysis that relates to other entry methods? For example, your objective is simply to choose a country to export (sell) to and not to set up a store/subsidiary, so FDI-related analysis should not be covered (eg. regulations on setting up a company, hiring employees, company and profit taxes, factor endowment suitable for production, etc. are not relevant).
The report should end with country selection. There’s no need to go further by proposing strategic and operational considerations (eg. no need to discuss which distributor or retailer to sell to, how to promote products and set prices, how to package, etc).
Have you written too much about the company? As noted, you only need 1-2 paragraphs in your introduction section to briefly present the company’s background and objective. Do not waste words with pages long coverage on the company as this is not the focus of the assignment.
The ‘conclusion’ section is not so important and can be just a short paragraph to finalise the report (no need to utilise a full page for this).
* Remove all definitions…
You are not required to include any definitions of terms/concepts in this assignment or to present any theoretical frameworks.
The focus of this assignment is on analysis (of the countries) and decision-making (choosing an export location), not on general discussion of terms, concepts or theories.
* Use specific and straightforward language…
Be as direct and straightforward as possible in your language. If you can explain something using one sentence, then you should avoid wasting one entire paragraph to do so.
Remember that you are preparing a business report (and not writing a drama script), so use simple language and avoid long sentences and complex expressions.
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We’re essentially researching Lil Miquela, the AI influencer, and all I Essay
We’re essentially researching Lil Miquela, the AI influencer, and all I have to do is to research her for her Facebook platform, you can look at the other social media platform paragraphs for reference, this is our report. Please include infographics and use the websites mentioned, you can use any, basically whichever give you the best/most information. Thank you![supanova_question]
You will read the chapter titled, Global Problems, which covers our content for this unit. It is very important
You will read the chapter titled, Global Problems, which covers our content for this unit. It is very important to read the entire chapter and pay close attention to the characteristics of global social problems that affect the entire world. At the end of this chapter there are 3 critically thinking questions located on page 425, where you will choose one question to type a three page answer and response. The concept sheets and the video can be a useful guide in helping you construct your answers. Remember MLA format, get analytical and critical do outside research, bibliography is always on 4th page and never with the text, incorporate some anthropology terms, and watch basic writing errors. Send to me as a word document to my LMC email.
Here are the questions:
1) What particular advantages do anthropologists have in trying to solve practical problems?
2) Select one of the Social Problems discussed in this chapter and suggest what you think could be done to reduce or eliminate it.
3) Do Global problems require solutions by Global Agencies? If so, which ones?
These questions lay a foundation for a position paper, argumentative paper, compare and contrast essay, and a critical response essay.
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You will read the chapter titled, Global Problems, which covers our
Writing Assignment Help You will read the chapter titled, Global Problems, which covers our content for this unit. It is very important to read the entire chapter and pay close attention to the characteristics of global social problems that affect the entire world. At the end of this chapter there are 3 critically thinking questions located on page 425, where you will choose one question to type a three page answer and response. The concept sheets and the video can be a useful guide in helping you construct your answers. Remember MLA format, get analytical and critical do outside research, bibliography is always on 4th page and never with the text, incorporate some anthropology terms, and watch basic writing errors. Send to me as a word document to my LMC email.
Here are the questions:
1) What particular advantages do anthropologists have in trying to solve practical problems?
2) Select one of the Social Problems discussed in this chapter and suggest what you think could be done to reduce or eliminate it.
3) Do Global problems require solutions by Global Agencies? If so, which ones?
These questions lay a foundation for a position paper, argumentative paper, compare and contrast essay, and a critical response essay.
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ASSIGNMENT 2 Directions: The Digital interface selected for the assignment is –“The
ASSIGNMENT 2 Directions:
The Digital interface selected for the assignment is –“The Google Maps App”
(must have original informed consent form an example is at the end of the directions)
Usability Evaluation Test Plan Paper–Propose a usability test plan (also known as a usability study and also a usability evaluation. The usability evaluation test plan involves you selecting a digital interface (google maps app) and proposing a usability test plan that details what and how you would observe three participants to complete tasks with parts or the whole of the interface. If the evaluation is planned effectively according to standard usability testing procedures, the process of the usability evaluation can lead to valuable recommendations for improving the quality of the interface. You will prepare.
A detailed paperof15-20 pages (including back matter as needed) that will contain a presentation and discussion of the entire usability evaluation test plan process, particularly test goals, usability measures and metrics, and a task list (a list of doable tasks the potential participant would perform with the interface).
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING ASSIGNMENT #2: Usability Evaluation Test PlanAssociated Learning Outcomes with Assignment #2:Inspect and contextualize major considerations of user experience (UX), including defining the user, userexperience levels, and various usabilityattributes (e.g., ease of use, usersatisfaction, other). Explain the major aspects of usability engineering and user testing.Specify established methods for identifying users’ requirements and analyzing users’ tasks in developingusability test plans.About the Structure of the Paper:It is important that you read the entire documentand follow its contents to prepare the paper. In general, Sections 1 through 3 will involve a detailed proposal for a usability test plan of an interface of your choice thatdetails whatwouldinclude three potentialparticipants but withoutrunning the actual test.Focus on planning!General Directives:(1) Review and integrate into the paper recommended textbookor articles for background on usability evaluationand test planning, (2) Reviewprofessor’s notes on usability evaluation, and (3) Locate some of your own usability articles or sources to integrate into the paper.Overall Task:You will PROPOSEa Usability Evaluation/Test Plan –how you would plan a usability evaluation, commonly known asa usability test or a user test or a user study. The planning process of the usability evaluationcanlead to valuable recommendations for improving the quality of the interface. Thisexercise will also give you, thenovice researcher, experience in proposing a test plan for assessing userinterface design. Note: these instructions are a generalguide toproposing a usability evaluation. Your usability evaluation test planwill have to present detailsbased on this general method. Irecommend Rubin and Chisnell’s text for details on conducting usability testingto help you plan your particular usabilitytest. Remember, you are only focusing on the test planparts. Choose an interface (e.g., anything –some specific technology device, hardware or software or website, or smart device app, other) that is manageable, an interface that you can propose to test onthree participants to work through independentlythe major features of theuser interface you have chosen to evaluate. This assignment is focused on planning, rather than actually performing the user test with three participants.In following this approach, you need toaddress the details involved with test planning.The goal ofusability evaluationis to locate usabilityproblems and to recommend improvements to the interface. To do this you will need a test planwith test goals and otherelements. You need to devise a usability task list that potentialparticipants wouldwork through independently to help you discover usability problems (and/or good design achievements) with the interface.You will prepare a list of tasks to be performed.The tasklist includes a brief description of each task tobe performed with the interface as the focus of the evaluation. You may (if appropriate) prepare a flowchart showing the order tasks would beperformed and other important events and sequences. Your job, as the student researcher, is to describe theprocess in
11the form of a test plan you would follow to give potential participants appropriate written and/or verbal directions on how to complete the task list; this includes how you would observe the participants working through each task and how you wouldrecord (on paper) the sequence of events and data observed. A reminder to student researchers in HCI: It is the product/interface that is being evaluated, not the participants! Your test plan should also cover the essentials of ethical considerations in working with participants, if you were to run the usability test with them! Important Note: The assignment requires extensive discussion of detail about process. You need to detail an understanding about process and how you describe the user experience of participants doing a planned walkthrough of the chosen interface, if you were to conduct the walkthrough. Synthesize the literature to support your notions or decisions regarding process. Do Not include website citations unless they are suitable UX sources like ACM SIGCHI, UX Matters, UXPA, etc. Throughout the entirepaper, you should provide a substantial synthesis of current HCI literature sources that support or contradict conceptual aspectsthat relateto your user study. The paper should be about 20 pagesof content, but this might vary, depending on items that are included in the Appendices.General Guide to the User Study Test Plan and General Structure of the PaperPlease refer to all ofthe lecturenotes for details on different phases of a user studyand how you might proposea user study. Consult the course text on information about usability test planning. Focus only on planning. The general outline is as follows:Front Matter•TitlePage (include an actual title, like “AProposal of a UserStudyTest Planof The Canvas Learning Management System” –whatever “technology interface” you would test). Make sure you add your name, course and semester. •Table of Contents •AbstractSection 1. Introduction (with subheadings as is below)(Focus onlyon test planningas if you were proposing to do the test)BackgroundDescription of the technology interface being tested. State the problem or perceived problem being addressed.PurposeTest Goals (include usabilityattributes)Potential participants and userprofile Test environmentRole(s) of the ResearcherSection 2. Review of the Literature(deepliterature synthesis about usability concepts,usability testing methods,issues in observing users, user experience design, evaluation paradigms, etc.)Section 3. Methods and Procedures (Focus only on test planningas if you were proposing to do the test)Restatement of test goals11the form of atest plan you would followto give potentialparticipantsappropriate written and/or verbaldirections on how to complete the task list; this includes how you wouldobserve theparticipantsworking through each task and how you wouldrecord (on paper) the sequence of events and data observed. A reminder to student researchers in HCI: It is theproduct/interface that is being evaluated, not the participants! Your test plan shouldalsocover theessentialsof ethical considerations in working with participants, if youwere to run the usability test with them!Important Note: The assignment requires extensive discussion of detailabout process. You needto detail an understanding about processand how you describe the user experience of participants doing a planned walkthrough of the chosen interface, if you were to conduct the walkthrough. Synthesize the literature to support your notions or decisions regarding process.Do NOTinclude website citationsunless they are suitable UX sources like ACM SIGCHI, UX Matters, UXPA, etc. Throughout the entirepaper, you should provide a substantial synthesis of current HCI literature sources that support or contradict conceptual aspectsthat relateto your user study. The paper should be about 20 pagesof content, but this might vary, depending on items that are included in the Appendices.General Guide to the User Study Test Plan and General Structure of the PaperPlease refer to all ofthe lecturenotes for details on different phases of a user studyand how you might proposea user study. Consult the course texton information about usability test planning. Focus only on planning. Thegeneral outline is as follows:Front Matter•TitlePage (include an actual title, like “AProposal of a UserStudyTest Planof The Canvas Learning Management System” –whatever “technology interface” you would test). Make sure you add your name, course and semester. •Table of Contents •AbstractSection 1. Introduction (with subheadings as is below)(Focus onlyon test planningas if you were proposing to do the test)BackgroundDescription of the technology interface being tested. State the problem or perceived problem being addressed.PurposeTest Goals (include usabilityattributes)Potential participants and userprofile Test environmentRole(s) of the ResearcherSection 2. Review of the Literature(deepliterature synthesis about usability concepts,usability testing methods,issues in observing users, user experience design, evaluation paradigms, etc.)Section 3. Methods and Procedures (Focus only on test planningas if you were proposing to do the test)Restatement of test goals
12Usability metrics (match to test goals)Task List and Task Scenarios (match to test goals and metrics)Specific usability evaluation methods used for test planning and test proceduresDetailed description of the test procedures to be done (pre-test, during, post-test).Describe debriefing process (post session)Section 4. Discussion Conclusions (including your own reflections about proposing to conducta user studyandthe advantages and disadvantages ofusability evaluation and testing)References (APA 6thor 7th)Appendices (as needed)Required: Informed Consent Forms (a draft/proposedformthat wouldbe used)Potential materialsgivento participants(that wouldbe used)Questionnaires or Surveys(that wouldbe used)Other
BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ASSIGNMENT
These assignments require outside literature research and activity. •This assignment must be prepared in double-space format, 12 pt. type (preferably Times Roman), and should include a title page, table of contents, and reference list. All submitted work should contain student name and course number and term.
•APA 6thor 7thedition format is usedfor form and style. Consult the APA Guide for how to prepare papers, andfor specific directions on how to properly cite work and references in your papers.Do not use any other citation style other than APA!
•Use third person narrative consistently throughout your papers. Take a formal approach to presenting your discussion and arguments. Avoid “I, me, we” statements. Instead of, for example, ‘We think this is important…”, present it in this way, “This is important because…”
•assignment submissions have to be scholarly and well presented. You are to demonstrate scholarly knowledge of the subject area. Refrain from stating the obvious and generic things, but be clear. Approach your work from a high level of thinking—what are the underlying issues and how can we approach HCI and usability differently?
Synthesizing the literature is very important in this course. Do not direct quote authors. Instead, paraphrase (in your own words) and cite important sources that describe the essential aspects of the issues. Compare and contrast what authors are saying about a particular issue.
Acceptable Journals and Publications in Human-Computer Interaction Research
Below is the list of acceptable journals and publications for use in the course assignment
Tips on finding material online. Some publications are open access and free to download from the Web, while others require purchase of downloads. When you search for material, you can start with a topic searchon Google.
Focuson those publications listed.
ACM Interactions (the official publication of ACM SIGCHI)ACM SIGCHI SpecialInterest Group in Computer-HumanInteraction) ProceedingsACM CSCW (Computer-Supported Cooperative Work) ProceedingsACMUIST (User Software & Technology Symposium) ProceedingsAIS Transactions on Human-ComputerInteraction (AIS)AIS Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS)Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS)Communications ofthe ACM (ACM)Computer-Supported Cooperative Work(Springer)Computers in Human Behavior (Elsevier)HawaiiInternationalConference on SystemSciences (HICSS) ProceedingsHCI International (Conference onHuman-Computer Interaction) ProceedingsIEEE Computer or other peer reviewed IEEEjournals and conference proceedingsInteracting With Computers (Elsevier)International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS)International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates)International Journal of Human-Computer Studies (Elsevier/Academic Press)Journal of Organizational and End User ComputingJournal of Usability Studies (EBSCO open access)Personal and Ubiquitous ComputingSymposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS) ProceedingsUXmatters.com(though not an academic research site, this is a very usefulwebsite of articles for UX Practitioners)
TIPS FROM THE PROFESSOR REGUARDING THE ASSIGNMENT COPIED FROM ASSIGNMENT FORUM:
Identity usability goals that surround what you would like to discover about the interface design through another user’s perspective. Do you find problems with learnability or ease of use or navigability? Any one or all of these may be usability concepts you want to find out more about in your evaluation. Your usability goals should be positioned around what you want to discover along the lines of one or more usability concepts.
Consider your would be-potential participants – though mainly a convenience sample –your friends, family members, colleagues, etc., — What is the user experience level that fits best for your usability test? Does it matter? You need to decide, based on your usability goals, what user experience level would give you the most insight into the usability problems of interface you’ve chosen. You can propose to all novice users or all expert users or all intermediate users – or a mix of them. (Here, you are proposing potential participants.)
The paper is more about describing your PROCESS in depth. Your paper should not be an outline of steps, but rather a detailed NARRATIVE describing all the way from your choice of interface, usability goals (what is a usability goal), the general background of potential participants, the measures you seek, the task list, the conduct of the test, and conclusions about reflecting on test planning process. The paper needs to focus on test planning process and all its “moving parts” is to be described in detail. Please do not provide long lists of steps — narrate the process as you go through.
8. It’s very important that you use the HCI and usability literature to discuss and support your decisions throughout the process, throughout the paper. If you are looking at learnability, for example, what does the literature say about learnability – what is it, how is it measured, why is it important, etc. The importance of good HCI literature synthesis throughout the paper cannot be overstated. Use the required readings to weave into your papers, but also find more current HCI literature on your own – look at ACM Interactions, for example.
9. I am very much interested in a deep focus on PROCESS.
The assignment does not require testing with actual participants. You are proposing a future test plan that would describe how the plan would be carried out with three potential participants. The plan would describe the details up to the point of actual testing.
2. The requirements focus on you PROPOSING a test plan. The paper should be written in the present or future tense to describe your planning process in terms what you will do in a future test. Providing just a mixed bag of some examples here, use this type of narrative in your paper:
I will do the following ……
The following procedures will be used during testing…….
The Think Aloud Protocol (TAP) would be included in the process of working with each participant during the test….
The task list to be performed by would-be participants include…….
In observing participants, I will or I would do the following
What items should be placed in the Appendices?
Additional documentation that helps you facilitate the test process such as a draft informed consent form, a form you might use for note-taking during the sessions, any “scripts” or ways you would facilitate the test with participants (through greeting the participant to thanking them for their participation at the end of the session), any surveys (like System Usability Scale (SUS) or other), or how you might be presenting scenarios or tasks to the participants visually. It’s a mixed bag of things – it depends on your own test plan and ways you would document the test situation– if you were to run it.
In the body of the paper, you want to describe your process, and in the Appendices, you would share some of the materials you might use to facilitate the test process with the participants.
Can I add graphics or charts to the paper?
A few screenshots and graphs are ok, but I prefer to see your depth narrative description rather than an overabundance of visuals. Stay away from outlines and bullet points. Describe your process, and avoid just listing things. You don’t want to overpack your paper with visuals; it takes away the depth of your narrative, which is most important.
Is this assignment about doing research?
Yes, UX research includes test plans and the stuff about learning about what users are doing with technology. You have chosen an interface that you feel has usability problems. You want to try to see if those usability problems are similarly found by other users – if you were to observe them – and would the participants find other usability problems that you were not aware of? Observation helps us uncover usability problems – which is why we test – to find usability problems with the interface and recommend improvements to the design. This is what UX researchers do – they work with users to determine through observation and other usability evaluation methods and techniques – what users find to be problematic or to be working with the interface. UX testing is also iterative – we test different parts of the interface during different cycles in development. We also use different users to test different parts of the interface – it’s important that we focus on the user profile of the potential users of our product to get a fuller account of how the interface is being used and what things need improvement in the next cycle.
It’s a lot a work to plan a usability test!
That is true! There is a lot of prep work involved in planning a test. It’s a lot like preparing to repaint a room in your house. You don’t just get a can of paint and start painting. You have to clear the area, tape around ceilings and other areas, sometimes use a primer, etc. The actual painting part is the least of the efforts. The preparation is most time consuming. User testing is this way – if you don’t plan the test in the right way, you might not be getting the input you need from users. Preparation isn’t excluded in “guerilla testing” or “in the wild” testing, where you might be testing a technology product in a café or at an airport. You still have to figure out what you want to test and why.
How many methods do we use to propose the test?
In test planning, you want to be selective in terms of using the task list as a tool to recreate usability problems and find new ones, through direct observation of users. You have to ask yourself related to the chosen interface, what do you want to know about the design of this interface? The participants are there to help you find usability problems (if you were to run the test), so that you can recommend improvements to the design. So, I’ve given you the structure to follow for the paper, and each section and subsection should be a detailed narrative of the decisions you are making to run the test – this includes relying on the literature to support your decisions (about user profile, about usability attributes and metrics selected, etc.). You would not want to apply all possible usability methods, that would be too much because there are many different methods. You want to focus on the methods and techniques that best fit your test goals and objectives.
Keep in mind the important fact is that interface design and testing is contextual. Everything we do with technology has a context, a reason for doing, and steps for doing things. Every interface is contextually different and we experience technology in different ways. You need to think about context – while there is a common structure for the test plan, the plan itself has different decisions based on the context of the interface. A web site design is based on navigation; a word processor is based on using commands for input and creating content. These are contextually different – the testing experience is not the same.
Other
Tips:
Though a repeat from my other posts, make sure you are using the required textbooks and article readings as supporting literature to cite throughout the paper. Doing so, is giving the support for your decisions and you are showing me you are learning about the process through what you are reading.
Mandel’s checklist
Regarding Mandel’s Checklist. I have often used Mandel’s Usability Checklist as a way to check for completeness of a usability evaluation test plan– to make sure I’ve followed a standard pattern of “to do’s” for the UE. It’s useful to have a checklist to help you prepare your usability evaluation test plan. Not all things will be applicable, but the checklist is generic to most usability evaluations.
Mandel’s checklist HERE
Mandel’s Usability Test Report Card
Mandel, 1997, p. 131-132
Table 7.7 The Usability Test Report Card
Usability Test Topics and Questions to Ask:
Test Sponsor/Test Conductor: Who actually conducted the test?
Test Goals and Objectives: Are the test goals described? Are
test objectives described? Are test objectives operationally
defined (can they be measured)?
Test Design and Procedures: Is the test design appropriate given
the test goals and objectives? Does the test follow valid
experimental design methodology (within-between subjects,
randomized task order, etc.)? What are the test procedures
(introducing, training, tasks, questionnaires, debriefing, etc.)?
Software Products and Hardware Platform: Are the appropriate
products tested? Are the appropriate hardware platforms used?
Are the computers configured properly and similarly?
Test Participants: Who are the test participants? What
are their demographics? What are their computing skills?
What applications and operating systems have they used? Where
and how are test participants chosen? What methods and criteria
are used to categorize test participants (beginner, intermediate,
advanced, etc.)? How are test participants assigned to groups?
Are test participants paid for their cooperation?
Research Ethics: Are participants told about test tasks,
measures, and procedures (consent forms, video taping, observers,
etc.)? Are participants allowed to quit the test if they
feel they do not want to participate? Are participants
encouraged or discouraged to use certain functions or
perform certain tasks? Are participants encouraged or
discouraged to take their time or to complete tasks as
quickly as possible?
Tasks: What are the test tasks? Are task scenarios unclear or
leading the participant? Do tasks match test goals and objectives?
Are tasks performed by all participants? Are tasks performed
on all machines? Are tasks biased toward a particular product?
Test Assistance and Support: Are test participants trained
before the test? How? Is assistance provided to participants
during the test? Who provides assistance to participants?
Test Measures: What test measures are collected (performance,
preference, and observation measures)? Do the test measures
match with test goals and objectives? How are test measures
collected (self-scored, timed, videotaped, etc.)?
Test Criteria: What are the criteria for each measure? What
defines successful task completion? What defines an assist?
What defines a participant error?
Example of informed consent form:
Consent & Recording Release Form – AdultI agree to participate in the study conducted and recorded by the [Agency/Organization]. I understand and consent to the use and release of the recording by [[Agency/Organization]. I understand that the information and recording is for research purposes only and that my name and image will not be used for any other purpose. I relinquish any rights to the recording and understand the recording may be copied and used by [Agency/Organization] without further permission. I understand that participation in this usability study is voluntary and I agree to immediately raise any concerns or areas of discomfort during the session with the study administrator.Please sign below to indicate that you have read and you understand the information on this form and that any questions you might have about the session have been answered.
Date:_________ Please print your name: ____________________________________________________ Please sign your name: ____________________________________________________ Thank you!We appreciate your participation.[supanova_question]
We’re essentially researching Lil Miquela, the AI influencer, and all I have to do is to research her for Essay
We’re essentially researching Lil Miquela, the AI influencer, and all I have to do is to research her for her Facebook platform, you can look at the other social media platform paragraphs for reference, this is our report. Please include infographics and use the websites mentioned, you can use any, basically whichever give you the best/most information. Thank you![supanova_question]