Integrating task analysis into system design: Surveying designers' needs

The authors are presently developing tools to enable software designers to carry out task analyses (TA). The tools will support a methodology comprising techniques for carrying out task analyses and will also take account of integrating the resulting TA information into system design. To support integration and to identify the requirements for TA tools, a group of designers were surveyed. The survey identified how the designers approach design, whether the designers believe TA would be of use to them and how, why and where TA might contribute to design. Finally the designers' views of the desired characteristics of TA tools was sought. This paper outlines the results of this small, detailed survey of what designers want, need and expect from TA tools.