Toaster usability study

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= Product Use =
= Product Use =
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During our study, we took photographs of how a customer would interact with a toaster.  Here is the general flow of a toaster's use.
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Here is a series of photographs depicting a typical customer's interaction with a toaster:
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[[Image:Toaster_step9.JPG|192px x 155px|thumb|left|Step 9: Bread is a beautiful golden brown! ]]
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[[Image:Toaster_step9.JPG|192px x 155px|thumb|left|Step 9: a beautiful golden brown ]]
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[[Image:Toaster_step10.JPG|192px x 170px|thumb|left|Step 10: Enjoy]]
[[Image:Toaster_step10.JPG|192px x 170px|thumb|left|Step 10: Enjoy]]
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[[Image:Toaster_step11.JPG|192px x 155px|thumb|left|Step 11: to clean, remove crumb tray and throw away crumbs]]
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[[Image:Toaster_step11.JPG|192px x 155px|thumb|left|Cleaning: remove crumb tray to throw away crumbs fallen in toaster]]
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= User=
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= User =
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Our users are normally people of all ages that have access to a kitchen.  For this usability study, we found four different people that have interacted with a toaster on a regular basis and interviewed them about what they liked and disliked about the toaster.  
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For a toaster, users fall into a wide range of people.  This includes all ages and economic status, but tend to be limited to people who own or have access to a kitchen.  The only major restriction is that toasters requires a user to have a supply of electricity in their household.
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For this usability study, we sent around a survey and interviewed several people who have interacted with a toaster on a regular basis.  The results of this study is shown below.
== Needs ==
== Needs ==
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We
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* to toast bread
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* low cost
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* easy usability
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* ability to use a wide variety of bread
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== Likes ==
== Likes ==
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*Golden Brown Toast
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* golden brown toast
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*Cancel Button
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* cancel button
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*Crumb Tray
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* well-defined settings
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* [http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/12/scan-toaster-puts-the-power-of-miracle-toast-into-the-hands-of/ custom printed toast]
== Annoyances ==
== Annoyances ==
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*Bread gets stuck inside the toaster
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* bread gets stuck inside the toaster
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*Unreliability of Toaster Settings
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* unreliability of toaster settings
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*Hard to clean
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* hard to clean
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* burned sides of wider bread
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* toast doesn't come out of the toaster high enough to grab it.
= Possible Usability Improvements =
= Possible Usability Improvements =
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From our usability study data we have come up with several possible usability improvements:
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* including a cancel button on the toaster to give more user control (already part of our dissected product)
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* have toast lifted higher after toasting for easy and pain-free removal
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* widening slots after toasting in order to remove wider bread products easily
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* allow toaster to fit a wide variety of bread sizes, keeping bread from either not being toasted or being burned on edges.

Current revision

Contents

Product Use

Here is a series of photographs depicting a typical customer's interaction with a toaster:

Step 1: Plug in Toaster
Step 1: Plug in Toaster
Step 2: Get some type of bread
Step 2: Get some type of bread
Step 3: Place bread in Toaster slots
Step 3: Place bread in Toaster slots
Step 4: Set desired toasting amount
Step 4: Set desired toasting amount


Step 5: Pull down handle to start toasting
Step 5: Pull down handle to start toasting
Step 6: Wait while bread is toasting to desired level
Step 6: Wait while bread is toasting to desired level
Step 7: If you want to stop it early, press cancel
Step 7: If you want to stop it early, press cancel
Step 8: Bread pops up when done or cancel button is pressed
Step 8: Bread pops up when done or cancel button is pressed



Step 9: a beautiful golden brown
Step 9: a beautiful golden brown
Step 10: Enjoy
Step 10: Enjoy
Cleaning: remove crumb tray to throw away crumbs fallen in toaster
Cleaning: remove crumb tray to throw away crumbs fallen in toaster

User

For a toaster, users fall into a wide range of people. This includes all ages and economic status, but tend to be limited to people who own or have access to a kitchen. The only major restriction is that toasters requires a user to have a supply of electricity in their household.

For this usability study, we sent around a survey and interviewed several people who have interacted with a toaster on a regular basis. The results of this study is shown below.

Needs

  • to toast bread
  • low cost
  • easy usability
  • ability to use a wide variety of bread

Likes

Annoyances

  • bread gets stuck inside the toaster
  • unreliability of toaster settings
  • hard to clean
  • burned sides of wider bread
  • toast doesn't come out of the toaster high enough to grab it.

Possible Usability Improvements

From our usability study data we have come up with several possible usability improvements:

  • including a cancel button on the toaster to give more user control (already part of our dissected product)
  • have toast lifted higher after toasting for easy and pain-free removal
  • widening slots after toasting in order to remove wider bread products easily
  • allow toaster to fit a wide variety of bread sizes, keeping bread from either not being toasted or being burned on edges.
Retrieved from "http://wiki.ece.cmu.edu/ddl/index.php/Toaster_usability_study"
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