Participant Consent Form

The following pages contain the consent form that participants were required to read and sign before taking part in the user testing. A discussion of informed consent is in Section 5.3.

Participant Consent Form
User testing of the Freehand Formula Entry System
Steve Smithies

1. Background

For my Masters thesis, I have created a system which enables a user to enter formulae into a computer by using either a mouse or a pen and tablet.

You are being invited to take part in user testing, which means that you will be asked to try out my system, comment on it, and compare it to any other systems you know of.

The aim of this study is to test the system that has been developed. I am not testing you, the user. Any positive or negative feedback that you give will help me to evaluate and develop the system.

2. The Process

• Introduction. You will be first given an introduction to the system so that you know how it works and how to use it. This will be essentially a tutorial on using the system.

• Testing. There will then be a set of tasks for you to complete. The tasks will involve entering and modifying formulae, within the capabilities of the system. You will work through these with as little assistance from the tester as possible, though the tester will be available if you get completely stuck or frustrated.

  Unless you have any objections, I will be videotaping the computer's screen and keyboard as you work so that later analysis may be performed.

  There are no ulterior motives to this study. Everything we are testing will be made clear to you.

• The questionnaire. During and after testing the system, you will be asked to fill out a short question sheet about how you found the system.

  You will be given the questions before you begin, and you can choose to answer them either as you go, or at the end.

• After testing. Upon completion of the tests, you may be asked additional questions by the tester. You will also be given the opportunity to discuss the system with the tester.

  Once you're gone, the video tape will be reviewed to analyse any areas in the system that caused you trouble.

  Once I have tested a sufficient number of users, all the results from the question sheets will be collated and analysed.

  Findings from this study will be used as part of my final Masters thesis, and will also be used in papers submitted to journals and conferences. In no way will you be mentioned by name, or have any findings traceable back to you.

3. Participation

Your participation in this is totally voluntary, and you are free to stop at any time, no questions asked.

By signing below, you are stating that you have read and understood the above, and agree to participate in the study.

Participant's Name ___________________________________________

Participant's Signature ___________________________________________