Integration of National-Level Geospatial Ecological Tools and Data (2014)

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117 Introduction The primary objective of the SHRP 2 C40A project is to develop an integrated, geospatial ecological screening tool for early transportation planning that can produce results that can carry through and inform the environmental review process. This tool will advance both Eco-Logical and the IEF by providing the transportation community with the means to identify and analyze environmental impacts at a regional scale. The tool consists of two major components, shown in Fig- ures G.1 and G.2. Testing Objectives As part of our ongoing efforts to create a useful and usable GIS tool for state and MPO transportation planners, we plan to conduct two testing studies and investigate the func- tionality and user experience of this tool in supporting the target audience’s information needs. The feedback from users in your organization will help us to uncover issues on this tool and guide us to enhance the design, content, and functionality. This is a beta version of the website. The project team is in the middle of development and plans this testing task to receive comments on the website so far and get feedback on the use- fulness of future functionality. The team is considering the fol- lowing possible tasks for the second half of development, if validated by user feedback: • Build search capabilities so website content can be found by keywords. • Incorporate ways for the user to draw or upload a project on the Eco-Plan site. • Provide an intersection tool to allow Eco-Plan users to see what important data layers intersect with their project. • Build the About and Help pages. Methods Functionality Testing Functionality testing acts as a verification of the proper func- tioning of the system. In this test, participants will receive a Word document that contains test scripts and a questionnaire. The test scripts list the steps that they need to take in order to successfully com- plete the tasks. Each step also describes the expected result. Participants will be asked to follow the scripts to perform a few tasks, mark whether the actual result matched the expected result, and record any difficulties, comments, or questions encountered during the process. A short question- naire is included in the end for participants to assess the over- all experience and indicate how useful the content and functionality are. No moderation is needed for this test. Par- ticipants will be asked to fill out and return the test document in two weeks. Usability Testing The goal of usability testing is to determine how well people can use this GIS tool on their own, uncover any usability issues, evaluate the participant’s satisfaction, and identify opportunities for enhancements. The test will consist of a series of 1-hour sessions. Each participant is invited to join an online meeting with one test moderator and one or more silent observers who are taking notes or just watching and listening. Participants will be asked to perform a few realistic task scenarios as they normally would in a neutral environment without any instruction and verbalize their thoughts as they are per- forming. The moderator will initiate tasks and probe ques- tions to understand participants’ perspective and needs, but will not provide assistance on the task. Data will be A p p e n d I x G Testing Plan

118 collected via the direct observation of, and conversation with, the participants. Feedback Link You may also send us your comments through the feedback link at the bottom of the Eco-Plan website at any time, shown in Figure G.3. Participants Each organization will identify one person to participate in the usability testing and a few others to participate in the functionality testing. Each person can only attend one test. Please do not share with the usability testing participants any information about the Eco-Plan website and the tasks we are going to test. The goal is to find out how a user will natu- rally interact with the system without any prior background. We don’t want them to look at the Eco-Plan website in advance of the testing session. The only information they would need to know before usability testing includes: • The objective of the usability testing is to improve a GIS tool we are developing. Figure G.3. Eco-Plan feedback link. Figure G.2. Eco-Plan Advanced. Interactive ArcGIS Online portal with preloaded theme maps and data layers to help experienced users integrate state and local data and perform geoprocessing. Figure G.1. Eco-Plan. Portal of theme maps, data layers, and resources to help novice users explore relevant environmental and ecological data during planning. • Their participation is highly appreciated, and their feed- back will be kept confidential. • Participants will need access to a phone and a computer with Internet access to participate. • Their scheduled data and time. • The conference number to call in (1-877-423-6338, 910391#). • Our contact information in case they have to reschedule (jasper.liu@icfi.com, 734-972-2728). Schedule and Logistics Functionality Testing The test will take 1 or 2 hours. The test scripts will be sent out to participants on January 31. Participants will be asked to perform the tasks; fill out the results, comments, and questionnaire; and e-mail the document back to ICF (Beverly.Bowen@icfi.com) on or before February 17. Usability Testing The test will be conducted remotely. ICF will use and provide the following equipment:

119 • Online meeting software (join.me, backup tools: Lync, Skype); • Conference call number (1-877-423-6338, 910391#); and • Video capture software (Morae) for recording the sessions. We aim to schedule the testing sessions on February 11 and 12, 2014. Here are the time slots available in eastern standard time. Please contact us if the participant in your organization prefers to attend the test at a different date and time. We will try to schedule additional sessions if necessary. Testing documents • Functionality Testing: A Word document with Test Scripts and A Questionnaire. • Usability Testing: Usability Testing Moderator Guide. Tue., Feb. 11 Time Participant Name Job Title Organization E-mail and Phone Session 1 10:00–11:00 Session 2 11:30–12:30 Lunch 12:30–1:30 Session 3 1:30–2:30 Session 4 3:00–4:00 Session 5 4:30–5:30 Wed., Feb. 12 Time Participant Name Job Title Organization E-mail and Phone Session 1 10:00–11:00 Session 2 11:30–12:30 Lunch 12:30–1:30 Session 3 1:30–2:30 Session 4 3:00–4:00 Session 5 4:30–5:30