Sara Shahzad

Probing an agile usability process

In this paper we describe adaptations to the classical Extreme Programming (XP) process. The approach described integrates HCI (human computer interaction) instruments. The implemented HCI instruments are: user studies, extreme personas (a variation of the personas approach), usability expert evaluations, usability tests, and automated usability evaluations. By combining XP and UCD (user centered development) processes we take advantages of both approaches.

Integration of Extreme Programming and User-Centered Design: Lessons Learned

One of the most important factors for the success of a software application is user acceptance by having a usable user interface. Since summer 2007 in our project regarding mobile phone application, we have combined Extreme Programming and User-Centered Design methodologies aiming to deliver usable and useful software. The HCI instruments we have integrated are: user studies, personas, usability expert evaluations, usability tests, automated usability evaluations in the form of extended unit tests, as well as lightweight prototypes. After one and half years we conducted a retrospective full-day workshop with our off-site usability engineer to reflect on the adopted process regarding the HCI instruments. This paper presents those reflections - the lessons that we learned.

User Interface Design for a Mobile Multimedia Application: An Iterative Approach

Mobile phones have become full-featured mobile computers. Applications providing good user experience and taking full advantage of the increasing capabilities of mobile phones are still rare. One such application is audio and video on mobile phones which is expected to become a killer application in the near future. A lot of valuable audio and video content is hidden in archives of content providers. We are developing an application that enables a user to perform content-based search for audio and video content in large databases and play it on a mobile phone virtually anywhere, at any time. Our approach to application development focuses on the adoption of agile software development methodologies and user-centered design, emphasizing iterative user-interface development involving usability engineers and non-technical users. Thus, the application evolves according to the needs of the end user, providing maximized usability and customer satisfaction.

Agile User-Centered Design Applied to a Mobile Multimedia Streaming Application

Mobile computing is leading a revolution. Multimedia consumption on mobile devices is increasing day by day. The most important factor for the success of such applications is user acceptance. Additionally, the success of a software development project is associated not only with tools and technologies but also depends on how much the development process is both user-centered and developer-oriented. We are working on a project to develop a multimedia streaming application for mobile phones. The paper describes our adopted development process: the integration of Extreme Programming (XP) --- one of the popular agile methods --- with User-Centered Design (UCD) and shows how the integrated process facilitates user-orientation and at the same time preserves the social values of the development team. The paper also presents a summary of a recently carried out usability study.

Learning from Experience: The Analysis of an Extreme Programming Process

A software development process is required not only to guide and structure the development activity but at the same time it should allow improvement in the process itself. Agile development methodologies are said to be flexible and adaptive to the context in which these are applied. This flexibility and adaptability makes experimentation with the process more plausible and opens new ways to learn by experience. This paper is based on the theoretical analysis of an Extreme Programming (XP) process deployed to develop a multimedia streaming application for mobile phones. It presents the steps taken to initiate the development process, its setup and the continuous review of the process in order to find the best suited way to perform the practices which are needed for a software development activity, as well as, workable for the development team. The paper gives a detailed account of the implementation, analysis and the adjustment of the individual XP practices in order to emphasize how the development team has learned to shape the XP process according to the organization and the project context in which it is applied.

Concept and Design of a Contextual Mobile Multimedia Content Usability Study

The popularity of consuming multimedia content on mobile phones is increasing more and more, not only because of the availability of the technical infrastructure, but also because of the mobility in modern society. We are developing a mobile multimedia streaming application. The crucial factor for such applications in order to be adopted and successful is user acceptance. This paper presents the preliminary concept and design of a contextual mobile multimedia content usability study. The study is conducted within are search project on agile software development methodologies with special emphasis on Extreme Programming and continuous usability evaluation. Past work included satisfaction of the needs of end users by means of focusing on user-experience in all steps of the development process. To gain scientific relevant data, the careful design of a study is considered most important. The study which will be conducted in October 2008 will give insights into mobile HCI concerning the coherence of content types, consumption times, and consumption contexts.

Inside View of an Extreme Process

Agile processes encourage embracing change in an efficient and flexible manner. Extreme Programming (XP), being a popular agile methodology, has been widely experimented with by software development teams and many case studies have been presented by the research community. Our team has employed the XP methodology to develop a mobile multimedia application. The aim of this paper is to define our project and team setup and the prevailing XP environment in order to highlight various aspects of our process.