A Collaborative Task Modeling Approach Based on Extended GOMS

Usability evaluation is traditionally used in the late stage of software development process. However, to some high-cost complex distributed collaborative software, such late-usability-evaluation or single-user-oriented usability inspection are unsuitable in modern situation. The early stage of evaluation always relies on a task model (interface model) to simulate the actions of real user. However, the existing task analysis models neither provide enough support to the high-level use-context, nor address the low-level description of the basic unit of collaborative behavior (such two level factors always have great effect on the usability of collaborative software). Thus, this paper analyzed the limitation of the traditional GOMS method, and then put forward a task modeling approach based on GOMS to fit usability evaluation in collaborative environment. This approach cost less, and is easy to be applied in the early development stage to discover and modify usability problems.