Task Analysis

Task analysis is the study of how a user will complete any certain task successfully. The process include complete detail about the task given to the user and approaches they are taking and the entire breakdown of the approach from the beginning till the end, until the user has solved the problem.

This not only include the cognitive approach, but also includes the Physical Approaches to solve a task if needed. It’s a systematic process used to document, understand, analyze the specific tasks, actions, or activities that users perform while interacting with a system, product, or service.

There are some key aspects of Task Analysis, which are given below:

• Understanding user tasks: Task Analysis begins with analysing the task given to the user or the task user has chosen to complete. It also involves studying the users’ role in the task, their responsibilities and their main goal.
• Observing the Users: Observing the users thoroughly while they use that application or prototype is also a crucial step in Task Analysis. How they are interacting with the elements, which approaches they are taking, what decisions they make etc. everything is being observed by the designers.
• Workflow Mapping: This is useful to map the workflow or the path user is taking to solve the problem. This is being done to represent the approach is a graphical or chart manner which is easier to understand.
• Understanding the Complexity of the Task: Understanding the task complexity is also a key point to understand the calibre of the user who is solving that task, and also used to determine the types of users that would be needed to solve the tasks.

Example:

Consider there is an opening for a software engineer in a certain organization, which is a lengthy and complex process.

• they will first start with discussing the requirements they want
• Then putting the advertisement about the vacancy,
• Then they need to open a portal through which people can apply
• Then from those submitted applications they need to select some and then schedule the interviews etc.

This complex task can be divided into smaller sub-tasks like one small team will come up with the advertisement, one team will take care of the portal, one team will filter the submitted Resume, one team will schedule the interview etc.

Each of the team will have a certain member who will observe the approach of each team to solve the assigned sub-task to them, then they will share their findings with the other teams, this way all of the team members will have their input in the final decision, and they will reach a consensus that a certain approach will be followed by everyone to solve the main problem and hire the perfect candidate they want.

Design Process is a systematic approach used by the designers to resolve complex issues or problems and deduce the solution. It is a structural method that helps designers to think, plan, and execute their ideas in real life to solve the complex problems given to them. In the rapidly changing world, design plays a key role in making any product or service to satisfy customers and meet their expectations. In this article, we will see some of the most important aspects of the Design Process and Task Analysis, and dig deep into the world of Design Methodologies, Task Analysis, Types of Task Analysis