Lecture 5:

HCI, advanced course,

Task Analysis, GOMS & HTA

To read: Shepherd: HTA as

a framework for task analysis
John & Kieras: The GOMS
family of user interface
analysis techniques
Outline
•  What is Task analysis (TA)?
•  How do we use TA?
•  What methods support TA?
•  Results from using TA

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What is TA?
•  How people perform/act when
using a system
•  Finds reasons for some problems,
helps attending to problems
•  Organising information about a
system

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 Motives for using TA
•  Finding problems
•  Gathering information about problems
•  Organising gathered information
•  Modelling sub-processes for finding
sources of problems
•  Forming hypotheses for solving
problems
•  Actions seen in a context
•  Anything that supports predictions is
welcome

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Procedure, TA
•  Data gathering
–  Manuals, instructions
–  Observation, interview
–  Iterative
•  Description
–  Method used -> task described
•  Analysis

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Some analysis techniques
•  Many techniques are mentioned in
HCI literature, we will talk about:
–  HTA
–  KLM
–  CMN-GOMS
–  CPM-GOMS

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 Example of HTA analysis

0. Clean
house

plan 0:
do 1-2-3-4.
any order

1. Clean 2. Clean 3. Clean 4. Clean living-

kitchen bedroom bathroom room

plan 1:
do 1.1 and 1.2 …

1.1 Remove 1.2 Clean

the dust floor

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 Example of HTA analysis

1.2 Clean
floor

plan 1.2:
do 1.2.1 and 1.2.2
if necessary do 1.2.3

1.2.1 Prepare 1.2.2 Start and 1.2.3 Scrub

vacuum cleaner use vacuum floor
cleaner plan 1.2.3.: do 1.2.3.1
do 1.2.3.2, any order
plan 1.2.1.:
if necessary do 1.2.1.1 and 1.2.1.2

1.2.3.1 Find 1.2.3.2 Find

1.2.1.1 1.2.1.2 scrubbing rag bucket
Change bag Throw away
old bag

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Hierarchical Task Analysis, HTA

•  Developed by John Annett & Keith

Duncan 1967 and forward
•  From line work to system
supervision
•  Context
•  Complex tasks
•  Flexible method

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HTA: Goals and operations
•  Goals
–  Goal to achieve and describe
–  Expressed as verb-noun, e.g. book
lecture room, clean kitchen, watch
power plant
•  Operations
–  what a human being does to make the
system approach the goal

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HTA: Two kinds of analysis
•  Human-task interaction
–  Operations in terms of
•  Input – what is needed?
•  Action – is it doable?
•  Feedback – is the goal closer?
•  Redescription
–  goals are described as sub-goals and
a plan
–  when human-task interaction is not
clear

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HTA: Different sorts of plans
•  Fixed sequences
•  Contingent sequences
•  Choices
•  Optional completion – any order
•  Concurrent operations
•  Cycles (repeat one or more times)

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HTA: Stopping analysis
•  P x C rule
–  P = probability of inadequate
performance
–  C = cost of inadequate performance
•  when redescription has reached
operational level

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HTA: Documenting results
•  Diagrams
•  Numbering
•  Tabular formats
•  Plans
•  Stop criteria
•  Gathered data

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HTA: How to use the results
•  Documenting an activity
•  Identifying problems
•  How to educate users
•  Writing a user manual
•  Starting point for further analysis,
such as Cognitive Walkthrough

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Benefits using HTA
•  Flexible
•  Any type of activity
•  Different abstraction levels
•  Combined with other analysis
methods, a supplement
•  Graphical presentation

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HTA: Drawbacks

•  Diagrams might be big

•  Large number of diagrams
•  Stop criteria not accurate or exact

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Commence
task analysis 1.Identify and state
next goal to be examined

2. Explore its constraints

3. Judge whether the goal will be

met to an acceptable standard
given privailing circumstances

Current performance is acceptable Current performance is unacceptable

yes
4. Cease redescription at this point 5. Examine the operator-
system interaction
Are there One or more hypotheses have been
further goals identified to enable current
remaining to performance to become acceptable
be examined?
6. Estimate the cost-

no benefits of the hypoteses

An acceptable (or best) No acceptable hypothesis
hypothesis has been selected has been selected
Redescrip-
8. Attempt to redescribe
tion. was
7. Record the hypothesis and the goal successful
cease further analysis at this

point
Redescription unsuccessful
Finish task analysis either Repeat from 5.
– move on to develop-
ment and evaluation 9. Seek advice or review constraints are
constraints not relaxed
constraints
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Characteristics for GOMS
•  Combines cognitive aspects with
an analysis of a task
•  Results in quantitative predictions
of time
•  Qualitatively GOMS can explain the
predictions

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Restrictions for GOMS
•  Procedural knowledge, ”how-to-
do-it”
•  Routine tasks, ”skilled behaviour”
•  A lists of relevant tasks is needed

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GOMS terminology
•  Goals - what the user wants to
accomplish
•  Operators – the means that leads
to a goal at a detailed level
•  Methods - sequences of operators
•  Selection rules – rules (general or
personal) for choosing a certain
method

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GOMS - Example
•  Goal: Edit an article
•  Operators
–  Use arrow keys
–  Use mouse
–  Use other keys
•  Method: Delete text (sub-goal)
–  Positioning: 1) arrow key 2) mouse
–  Marking: 1) double click 2) use mouse
–  Delete (and add text): 1) start writing
2) press delete, then write new text
•  Selection rules: if close, use arrow
key etc.

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Keystroke Level Model - KLM
•  The simplest of the GOMS-
techniques, serial model
•  When a specified method exists,
(other GOMS-techniques might
predict a method)
•  Uses duration estimates for
keystroke-level operators
•  Quantitatively – predicts time for
skilled users
•  Qualitatively highlights new ideas

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KLM – keystroke operators
•  K = key press
•  P = pointing
•  H = home hands
•  D = drawing a line
•  M = mental thinking
•  R = system response time
•  Ttotal = K + P + H + D + M + R

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CMN-GOMS
•  CMN means Card, Moran & Newell
who introduced GOMS in HCI
•  When operators are strictly
sequential
•  Breadth-first until relevant level of
detail, could be at a keystroke
level

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CPM-GOMS
•  CPM - Cognitive Perceptual Motor,
or Critical Path Method, see
example
•  Based on MHP, i.e. Model Human
Processor, involving parallel
processing
•  Uses operators as in CMN-GOMS

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Conclusions
•  TA - focus on tasks/actions
•  HTA - complex tasks, in context
–  Finds problems
–  Ideas for redesign
–  Systematic walkthrough
•  KLM – key-stroke level
•  GOMS – simple tasks, could be
more complex than just pressing
keys
–  Comparing systems
–  When time is crucial

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