CARMA: Assessing Usability through a Non-Biased Online Survey Technique

CARMA is an advisory and research support tool for grasshopper infestations. Designed with usability as a primary goal, CARMA presents an interface so intuitive that it completely eliminates the need for a user manual. To achieve this goal, CARMA interacts with the user through a goal-oriented, guided style reminiscent of a natural conversation between an advice seeker and an expert. Usability is furthered by its modeling of four important characteristics of human expert problem solving (speed, graceful degradation, explanations, and opportunism). In order to gain non-biased user feedback about CARMA's interface, we surveyed a group of novice users not previously familiar with CARMA. Positive survey results suggest that CARMA's approach to usability is a success. Furthermore, our survey approach illustrates a simple anonymous online technique which elicits candid non-biased feedback from participants about a product, and is particularly applicable to practitioners short on staff or time.

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