Usability Study Cartoon Network Lorena Paz

Usability Study

Cartoon Networks 2.0Latin America

March 2009NeoTVLab

Unidad de Vinculación TecnológicaUniversidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, Argentina

Three Research lines

Heuristic analysis

Usability tests with a software that monitors users actions while they perform their tasks

•Post-tasks survey involved in contextualization of users and their consumption

Sample Caracteristics

30 (thirty) Boys and Girls from 7 to 11 years old . 60% males and 40% females.

• Who play frequently in Cartoon Network site.

• Have cable television at their homes.

• Watch Cartoon Network channel.

Gessel room & Interviews

Two video cameras recorded simultaneously. One of them records the

users´s work and the other one records the computer screen.

Software: Morae

Speed Connection: 3 Megas

The conversations were recorded in order to have different sources of information

The interviews followed a grip of 18 (eighteen) tasks

288

168

144

312

156

132

0

40

80

120

160

200

240

280

320

360

400

Free browsing Find content Search microsite

BoysGirls

Task with gender-comparative-in seconds-

54

132

168

8496

150

0

40

80

120

160

200

240

280

320

360

400

Back to Home Go to Votatoon section and vote

BoysGirls

Watch a video

Task with gender-comparative-in seconds-

150 156

90

222

132

66

0

40

80

120

160

200

240

280

320

360

400

Play a game Downloading Find today’s programming

BoysGirls

Task with gender-comparative-in seconds-

108

48

342

66

24

408

0

40

80

120

160

200

240

280

320

360

400

Click on an advertising banner Return Home If you are not registered, sign in

BoysGirls

Task with gender-comparative-in seconds-

80

125130

195

0

40

80

120

160

200

240

280

320

360

400

 Navigate on planets   Chatting, apply emoticons

BoysGirls

Task with gender-comparative-in seconds-

118

172192

88

0

40

80

120

160

200

240

280

320

360

400

Watch a video in full screen Vote the video and post comments

BoysGirls

Task with gender-comparative-in seconds-

105

238

0

40

80

120

160

200

240

280

320

360

400

 Create an avatar

BoysGirls

Task with gender-comparative-in seconds-

10290

126

66

0

40

80

120

160

200

240

280

320

360

400

Click on an advertising banner Find today’s schedule

BoysGirls

Task with gender-comparative-in seconds-

Amount of Mouse Clicks per task

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Create an avatar

Rate the video and post comments

Find content

Play a game

Free Browsing

Watch a full screen video

If you are not registered, do it

Watch a video

Search microsite

Browsing planets

Downloading

Add credits

Find CN TV schedule

Back home

Go to the Votatoon and vote

Click on advertising banner

Conclusions: Re-design recommendations

Conclusion:

Difficulties to browse the site:

It uses drag and drop logic of mobile devices software which is not

familiar to users of this range of age.

It is not easy to go back home.

Recommendations :

Cancel drag and drop.

Change the size and shape of the “go back home” button.

Conclusion:

Not accesible for search engines.

 Recommendations for programming:

The programming should consider the accesibility by search

engines.

Add semantic tagging.  

Change the flash design for XHTML.

Conclusions: Re-design recommendations

General design recommendations:

Have a clear and visible search tool in the site.

The links to download contents and videos should use universally

recognized icons.

Make clickeables the images of Votatoon and Schedule.

Insert "return" on the video screen.

Conclusions: Re-design recommendations

Semantic Recommendations:

Achieving a smooth interaction on the planets.

Add a free writing Chat.

Change the location of advertisements, currently in “blind” places.  

Turn on comments.

Reduce the amount of steps for user registration.

Conclusions: Re-design recommendations

Most important tasks order from less to moretime and gender-comparative

BOYSGIRLS

Boys Girls

Find content

Watch a video

Downloading

Play a game

Search microsite

Go to Votetoon and vote

Create avatar

Return home

General Conclusions of the study objectives

To enhance the strengths of the website it should be easier to return to home so that user's stay more time in the site.

The chat mode should be modified according to the needs of the children´s narrative language.

The Sign up process should be easier to achieve a smooth, interactive relationship between the users of the site. This one is the best advantage of interactivity in 2.0.

Advertising should be more explicit. Kids-users, who have skills to upload / download / share content from the web to digital platforms (mobile, mp3), need to difference these contents from advertising.

The three most critical tasks in order of complexity

• Back to home

• Log in

• Understanding Banner Advertising

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

• Name: Usability Study for Turner/Cartoon Network. File Number 1038-08

• University Department: NeoTVLab (Laboratorio de Usabilidad y Tecnologías Interactivas), Unidad de Vinculación Tecnológica (UVT) of the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero (UNTREF), Argentina.

• Duration: 8 (eight) months

• Methodology: based on usability studies with children combined with experimental psychology methods, video data, sound and software.

• Interviews: Gessel room. Two video cameras recorded simultaneously. One of them records the users work and the other one records the computer screen. Two psychologists made the interviews following a grid of tasks.

• Software: Morae

• Sample: 30 (thirty) Boys and Girls from 7 to 11 years old, that play frequently in the Cartoon Network site, who have cable television at their homes and watch Cartoon Network channel. 60% males and 40% females.

• Confidential and reserve.• 6 (six) laboratory proofs were made with 6 (six) children.• Interviews made during 3 (three) days.• 36 (thirty six) analyzable cases.

• Team:• Coordination Team & Production Studio: Mg. Lorena Paz • Heuristic Analysis: Lic. Carlos Neri• Methodology Coordinator: Lic. Diana Fernández Zalazar• Interviews: Lic. Raúl Damián y Lic. Mara Oses • Usability Technician: Tec. Alejandro Karpich Zardalevich

• Bibliographie:• Jakob Nielsen, Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity. New Riders

Publishing, Indianapolis.• Markopoulos, P.; Bekker, M. (2003). On the assessment of usability testing methods

for children. Interacting with Computers, 15, 2003.• Kids' Corner: Website Usability for Children. Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox • Libby Hanna , Kirsten Risden. Methods & Tools: Guidelines for Usability Testing with • Children. http://www.microsoft.com/usability/UEPostings/p9-hanna.pdf• http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000319.html

http://www.nosolousabilidad.com/articulos/test_usuarios.htm• http://www.nosolousabilidad.com/articulos/heuristica.htm• Jakob Nielsen, http://www.useit.com/

Technical Information