LazyPM/build/PARTICIPANT_README.md

Project Management Interface Survey - Participant Guide

Welcome! This survey evaluates how people use different project management interfaces to complete common tasks.

Overview

Duration: 15-25 minutes Goal: Complete 8 task-based exercises using different interfaces and provide feedback on your experience

Data Collection Notice

You will be given a username and password you have to enter before starting the survey. We do this to ensure no unwanted actors are interfering with our data collecting.

• Responses are anonymized before analysis
• We collect task results, questionnaire answers, and interaction events during the survey
• We do not collect personally identifying information
• You may exit at any time by pressing Ctrl+C between tasks or closing the terminal
• Data is collected continuously, so exiting early still contributes valuable insights

After Each Task

You'll answer a short questionnaire about:

• How difficult the interface was to use
• How difficult the task itself was
• Specific questions about the task experience

Tips for Success

1. Task Details: At the start of each task, a "Task Details.txt" file is created with full instructions. You can have this open throughout the survey and go back to it any time you need.
2. Take Your Time: There's no time limit, focus on completing the task correctly
3. Read Carefully: Each task has specific requirements that will be validated
4. Exit Anytime: Press q (depending on interface) to skip a task early if needed
5. Interface Help: Each interface has built-in help - look for it!

Troubleshooting

• Shift Key Stuck: There is currently a bug where the shift key gets stuck, if this happens it usually fixes itself after tapping shift.
• No database connection: You can continue without submitting responses and submit later with pm submit
• Terminal too small: Resize your terminal window to at least 55x16 characters, we recommend to keeping the terminal as large as possible for best experience.
• Interface not responding: Press Ctrl+C to exit, then restart the survey

Interfaces You'll Use

You will complete tasks using different interfaces. Here's what to expect:

REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop)

• Interactive command environment
• Type pm help to see available commands
• To see task progress use the command status or pm status
• Suggestions appear as you type use tab to auto complete
• You can run shell commands directly (e.g., git, ls, cat)
• Type exit to skip task during the survey

TUI (Terminal User Interface)

• Text-based interactive interface
• Navigate using keyboard inputs
• For task progress press ? to view details.
• Help menu at bottom shows available keybinds
• Two views: List View (browse issues) and Kanban (track progress)
• Press q to quit task during the survey

Web Interface

• Accessed through a web browser
• Mouse-driven interaction only
• For task progress press the red button in the upper right corner.
• Two views: Issues (list format) and Kanban (sprint tracking)
• Press q in the server terminal to skip the task

The Tasks

You will complete 8 tasks in sequential order with different interfaces:

1. Backlog Refinement Task

Difficulty: Easy | Time: ~2 minutes

Clean up duplicate issues in the backlog:

1. Go to the backlog
2. Find two issues with the same name
3. Open one of them
4. Select "Close issue"
5. Choose "Duplicate issue" as closing reason
6. Save/close the issue

2. Create Issue Task

Difficulty: Medium | Time: ~3 minutes

Create a new issue with specific details:

1. Create an issue titled: "My first Issue"
2. Add description: "I need to do some coding"
3. Assign to: "Me"
4. Mark as: "In Progress"

Note: The test is not case sensitive.

3. Coding Task

Difficulty: Hard | Time: ~5 minutes

Fix a logical error while managing an issue:

1. A text file (code.txt) will appear in your directory
2. Open it and follow the instructions inside
3. Fix the code: change the function to add two numbers (a + b) instead of subtract (a - b)
4. Save the file
5. Change the status of the issue "Fix major error" to "Closed"

4. Sprint Planning Task

Difficulty: Medium | Time: ~3 minutes

Organize the backlog for a new sprint:

1. Review backlog issues
2. Select issues to include in the sprint
3. Add issues to the sprint
4. Address blocked/dependent issues
5. Prioritize high-priority items

Goal: Create a realistic sprint plan with at least 3 issues, including at least 2 high-priority items.

5. Priority Management Task

Difficulty: Medium | Time: ~4 minutes

Rebalance sprint priorities due to a critical production issue:

A database connection issue needs urgent attention:

1. Find the database-related issue
2. Change its priority to 4 (highest)
3. Set all other issues (features and chores) to priority 1

6. Dependency Management Task

Difficulty: Medium | Time: ~3 minutes

Manage issue dependencies:

1. Find 2 issues that mention dependencies in their description
2. Set their status to "Blocked"
3. Find the foundational issue that others depend on
4. Set its priority to 3
5. Set its status to "In Progress"
6. Assign it to: "Me"

7. Issue Review and Cleanup Task

Difficulty: Medium | Time: ~3 minutes

Review and maintain project issues:

1. Add a comment to two different issues
2. Delete the issue titled "Delete this issue"

8. Git Task

Difficulty: Hard | Time: ~5 minutes

Perform a Git operation:

1. Assign the issue "Upgrade the codebase" to "Me"
2. A folder called "task" is created in your directory
3. Inside, find README.md
4. Edit the file (add your name or a short note)
5. Commit your changes:
   • Open a terminal in the task folder
   • Run: git add .
   • Run: git commit -m "updated codebase"
6. Set the issue status to "Closed"

Thank You!

Your participation helps us understand how different interfaces impact project management workflows. We appreciate your time and feedback!