Facebook quiz results and an even shorter Don't Know survey

William Hudson <[email protected]> Thu, 5 Aug 2010 16:14:46 +0000
Newsgroups gmane.comp.web.ucd,gmane.comp.web.design-for-usability
Message-ID <[email protected]>
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(Apologies if you receive this more than once.)

Thanks to everyone who took part in my Facebook quiz. There were over 300 r=
esponses. The full survey results are written up at http://www.syntagm.co.u=
k/design/facebookstudy.htm but there is a brief summary below.

Some of you noticed that I did not include a Don't Know response in my ques=
tions. My thinking was that it was a very short questionnaire (only two que=
stions warranted a Don't Know) and that I wanted respondents' best guesses =
rather than just an admission that they couldn't remember. Diana Kornbrot a=
t the University of Hertfordshire UK suggested it would be interesting to r=
un a short survey on what people normally did in questionnaire design, so I=
 have set one up at http://www.syntagm.co.uk/cgi-bin/dontknow-survey.pl

So if you design questionnaires in your work, please take the survey - it s=
hould only require about 30 seconds of your time. As usual, I will publish =
the results.

FACEBOOK STUDY SUMMARY

I ran this quiz because I have found that casual Facebook users get confuse=
d between the concepts of the wall and the news feed. So the main question =
in the quiz (Q3) was how to get to the wall. Only half of respondents got t=
his right (you need to click on the Profile tab). This is consistent with m=
y expectations, but unfortunately not absolute proof since respondents coul=
d just be poor at remembering how to get there.

A secondary issue was that of Facebook Privacy. I have to confess that I ha=
d not looked at this for a long time and was surprised at how potentially c=
onfusing it was. The correct answer to 'by default, who can see your Wall?'=
 (Q5) was 'it depends on what is posted'. Only 9% of respondents knew or re=
membered this.

In the full results (at http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/facebookstudy.htm) =
I suggest a different approach to the wall/newsfeed issue that would also a=
ddress privacy by making it more obvious to Facebook members what others ca=
n or cannot see.

Regards,

William Hudson
Syntagm Ltd
User Experience Strategist
UK 01235-522859
World +44-1235-522859
US Toll Free 1-866-SYNTAGM
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.syntagm.co.uk<http://www.syntagm.co.uk/>
skype:williamhudsonskype
twitter:SyntagmUCD

Syntagm is a limited company registered in England and Wales (1985).
Registered number: 1895345. Registered office: 10 Oxford Road, Abingdon OX1=
4 2DS.

UX, UCD and Usability Courses in London, Brussels and Hamburg
www.syntagm.co.uk/design/courses<http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/courses>


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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=3DEN-GB link=3Dblue vli=
nk=3Dpurple><div class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'c=
olor:#1F497D'>(Apologies if you receive this more than once.)<o:p></o:p></s=
pan></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p=
></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'>Thanks to ev=
eryone who took part in my Facebook quiz. There were over 300 responses. Th=
e full survey results are written up at <a href=3D"http://www.syntagm.co.uk=
/design/facebookstudy.htm">http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/facebookstudy.ht=
m</a> but there is a brief summary below.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DM=
soNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><p class=
=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'>Some of you noticed that I did n=
ot include a Don&#8217;t Know response in my questions. My thinking was tha=
t it was a very short questionnaire (only two questions warranted a Don&#82=
17;t Know) and that I wanted respondents&#8217; best guesses rather than ju=
st an admission that they couldn&#8217;t remember. Diana Kornbrot at the Un=
iversity of Hertfordshire UK suggested it would be interesting to run a sho=
rt survey on what people normally did in questionnaire design, so I have se=
t one up at <a href=3D"http://www.syntagm.co.uk/cgi-bin/dontknow-survey.pl"=
>http://www.syntagm.co.uk/cgi-bin/dontknow-survey.pl</a> <o:p></o:p></span>=
</p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></s=
pan></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'>So if you design=
 questionnaires in your work, please take the survey &#8211; it should only=
 require about 30 seconds of your time. As usual, I will publish the result=
s.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'>=
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F49=
7D'>FACEBOOK STUDY SUMMARY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><s=
pan style=3D'color:#1F497D'>I ran this quiz because I have found that casua=
l Facebook users get confused between the concepts of the wall and the news=
 feed. So the main question in the quiz (Q3) was how to get to the wall. On=
ly half of respondents got this right (you need to click on the Profile tab=
). This is consistent with my expectations, but unfortunately not absolute =
proof since respondents could just be poor at remembering how to get there.=
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'><o=
:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D=
'>A secondary issue was that of Facebook Privacy. I have to confess that I =
had not looked at this for a long time and was surprised at how potentially=
 confusing it was. The correct answer to &#8216;by default, who can see you=
r Wall?&#8217; (Q5) was &#8216;it depends on what is posted&#8217;. Only 9%=
 of respondents knew or remembered this.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMs=
oNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><p class=
=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'>In the full results (at <a href=
=3D"http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/facebookstudy.htm">http://www.syntagm.c=
o.uk/design/facebookstudy.htm</a>) I suggest a different approach to the wa=
ll/newsfeed issue that would also address privacy by making it more obvious=
 to Facebook members what others can or cannot see.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p=
 class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></=
p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN=
-GB'>Regards,<br><br>William Hudson<br>Syntagm Ltd<br></span><span style=3D=
'color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>User Experience Strategist</span=
><span style=3D'color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>UK 01235-5228=
59<br>World +44-1235-522859<br>US Toll Free 1-866-SYNTAGM<br><a href=3D"mai=
lto:[email protected]"><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'>mailto:will=
[email protected]</span></a><br><a href=3D"http://www.syntagm.co.uk/=
"><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'>http://www.syntagm.co.uk</span></a></span><=
span style=3D'color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><o:p></o:p></span><=
/p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:E=
N-GB'>skype:williamhudsonskype<br></span><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;co=
lor:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>twitter:SyntagmUCD</span><span styl=
e=3D'color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'> </span><span style=3D'color=
:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNo=
rmal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><o:p>&nbsp;</=
o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D;mso-fareas=
t-language:EN-GB'>Syntagm is a limited company registered in England and Wa=
les (1985).</span><span style=3D'color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>=
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D;mso=
-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Registered number: 1895345. Registered office: 10 =
Oxford Road, Abingdon OX14 2DS.</span><span style=3D'color:#1F497D;mso-fare=
ast-language:EN-GB'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=
=3D'color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><=
p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'>UX, UCD and Usability Cou=
rses in London, Brussels and Hamburg<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNor=
mal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'><a href=3D"http://www.syntagm.co.uk/desig=
n/courses"><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'>www.syntagm.co.uk/design/courses</=
span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p></=
div></body></html>=

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