Block 3, Studio 2 | Applying Qualitative Usability Methods

Problem
Information overload

Selected section of video
0.00 - 0.18

Key to coding system ¹
Using a hierarchical system:

GIVE_INF - Give information
REQ_INF - Request information
CONF_INF - Confirm information

.FLIGHT
.LOC - (Location)


Transcript
Customer: OK, so we could go to Los Angeles -- REQ_INF.LOC
Agent: Yes and that's going to give you more flexibility. CONF_INF.LOC
Customer: -- and then if we wanted we could go from Los Angeles to anywhere else in the States. REQ_INF.LOC
Agent: Yes, CONF_INF.LOC
as long as you're all booked in. ²
Agent: Um, and that's going to give you, obviously, as I say, you can just -- that's going to New Zealand GIVE_INF.FLIGHT
-- so you can stop through the Pacific GIVE_INF.LOC
-- that uses Ansett -- GIVE_INF.FLIGHT
so you can travel around Australia... GIVE_INF.LOC

Graphs of frequencies of utterances

This first graph shows the relation between the amount of information requested on locations and the information recieved. It shows an equal balance which does not suggest any information overload.

This second graph, however, a comparison between the requested and received information on flights, is unbalanced. In fact, the customer did not ask about flights at all during the excerpt. The agent gave 2 utterances concerning flights, where the customer gave none. This imbalance between requested information and received information points to information overload.




¹ Based on examples by John Halloran
² Possibly GIVE_INF.FLIGHT, but depends on conformation from data prior to this excerpt