Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ASIA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION & USABILITY (CE00306-02)
GROUP ASSIGNMENT
HCIU
Page 1
Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 5
USER PROFILING By Serwalo Neo Mogorosi | TP015007 ............................................................. 6 USER REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................ 7 WHO ARE STAKEHOLDERS? .......................................................................................................... 8 DATA GATHERING/DATA COLLECTION.................................................................................... 12 DATA GATHERING TECHNIQUES ........................................................................................... 14 INTERVIEW ................................................................................................................................. 14 QUESTIONNAIRE/SURVEY ....................................................................................................... 15 OBSERVATION ............................................................................................................................. 16 FOCUS GROUP ............................................................................................................................ 17 SELECTION AND JUSTIFICATION OF A CHOOSEN DATA METHOD .................................. 18 QUESTIONNAIRE QUESTIONS ................................................................................................. 19 QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS.................................................................................................... 21 TASK ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................ 26 LIST OF REFERENCE ................................................................................................................. 28 USABILITY GOALS AND COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS ........................................................................... 29 Human Factors ...................................................................................................................................... 29 Physiology ..................................................................................................................................... 29 USABILITY GOALS By Brian Mbulawa | TP016084 .............................................................................. 31 Relationship between Usability Goals and User type.............................................................................. 31 DESIGN PRINCIPLES .......................................................................................................................... 33 Selection of Design Principles ............................................................................................................... 35 Selection of Usability Goals ................................................................................................................... 36 Heuristics and Usability Principles ........................................................................................................ 37 COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................... 38 Asiaxpress.com.my................................................................................................................................. 39 Nationwide2u.com ................................................................................................................................. 40 Websites interface design in relation to Design Principles .................................................................... 41 Websites interface design in relation to Usability Goals........................................................................ 44 HCIU Page 2
HCIU
Page 3
HCIU
Page 4
Introduction
This company is concerned with package shipment for customers both locally and internationally. Whenever a customer wishes to ship a package, they can call the companys customer service personnel to place a shipment request. There are few options on mode of shipment the customer has to choose from. Firstly, we would like to discuss about the user requirements. In this part, differenttypes of users will be identified and data gathering will be conducted to get all thenecessary requirements from the user and stakeholder. The second part of this assignmentwill explain the usability goals and competitive analysis whereby few elements of usabilitywill be discussed in the new system and comparison between similar systems will be madefor enhancing the features and building a unique system with creative ideas. Next, is the prototype and walkthrough stage, in this part, designs will be exercisedto meet the user requirements including all the features to finalize the interface of thesystem. Lastly, testing of design will be conducted to users for evaluating the prototype byexperiencing themselves.
HCIU
Page 5
WHAT IS USER PROFILING? www.exa.unicen.edu.ar/catedras/knowledge/apuntes/56400193.pdf explains user profiling as a representation of information about an individual that is essential for the application. This section describes the most common contents of the user profiles that are; user interests, the users knowledge, background and skills, the users goals; user behavior and the users interaction preferences. One can again define user profiling as the process of establishing knowledge about the users. User profiling is a way of identifying the user requirements and their needs regarding the system, and what are the main activities they (users) want to perform by using the system. WHY DO USER PROFILING? The purpose of user profiling is to gather the information about the requirements from the users. We do user profiling to identify the interest of all the stakeholders who may affect or be affected by the system. Another purpose of user profiling is to give adequate feedback or just to make the system enjoyable and satisfaction. We need to find out the demands from the users to achieve the goal of the system, because the system will fail if it; Does not do what the users needs. Is inappropriate to the user. So the system must match the users task and must meet the requirements. PRINCIPLE OF USER PROFILING First we should know who our users are, before we can answer the question How do we make our user interfaces better, we must first answer the question: Better for whom? A design that is better for a technically skilled user might not be better for a non-technical businessman or an artist. WHO ARE USERS? Users are group of people who will ultimately operate an application to get a job done. They are the targeted users from the point of view of the development team. According to www.businessdictionary.com user is an entity that has authority to use an application, equipment, facility, process, or system, or one who consumes or employs a good or service to obtain a benefit or to solve a problem, and who may or may not be the actual purchaser of the item.
HCIU Page 6
We want to know the users so that we can identify attributes of the users such as; Physical characteristics e.g. height, physical abilities or disabilities Background; education, social, religious Task experience. USER REQUIREMENTS User requirements are the prerequisite function which will be implemented in the website as expressed by the uses. A good set of user requirements are needed for any project to be successful. This is where many projects fail, in that they do not specify correctly what the system should do. There are two types of user requirements which are; Functional Requirements; these are the type of behavior you want the system to perform. The important point to note is that WHAT is wanted is specified, and not HOW it will be delivered. Non-functional Requirements; they are the restrictions or constraints to be placed on the system and how to build it. They are restrictions on the types of solutions that will meet the functional requirements. USER CLASIFICATION There are three main types of user which are; Novice Knowledgeable/ Intermittent user Expert/ Frequent user Users can however, be classified in any other way that is appropriate to the system being built. Some users may have keyboard skills and others not, some users may have knowledge of other similar systems and others not. Trulock (2008) explained that the advantages of classification mean that generalizations can be made about users and their needs. This does not necessarily mean that the best system has been designed for every individual. It simply means that the system has been designed to fit the generalizations for each user group. THE NOVICE Novice users are considered as beginners or amateur users of a system. For the novice user of a system, progress is slow because of the limitations of working memory, chunking is almost entirely absent. Systems used by novices require more feedback and more opportunities for closure.
HCIU Page 7
GUIDELINES FOR NOVICE USERS BY TRULOCK (2008) 1. All initiatives should come from the computer the novice may not know what is to be done. 2. Each required input should be brief the shorter it is the more likely it is to be remembered. 3. Input procedures should be consistent with user expectations humans search for patterns and will generalize. 4. Help should always be available online 5. There should be sufficient feedback closure. KNOWLEDGEABLE/INTERMITTENT USERS These users need consistent structures, good help facilities, and good documentation. EXPERT USERS Faulkner (1998) described the expert as users who have fast response time and will require brief feedback; they organize their knowledge according to a high conceptual structure. Expert users can recall more than novices because their knowledge is chunked; they find constant confirmation screens irritating use these only when important. WHO ARE STAKEHOLDERS? Stakeholder is a person, group or organization that has direct or indirect stake in an organization because it can be affected or be affected by the organizations actions, objectives and policies. www.investorglossary.com/stakeholder.htm defines stakeholder as anyone who is affected by the success or failure of the system. TYPES OF STAKEHOLDERS Stakeholders are the one of the most important elements in the system, not only in the developing life cycle. In each and every step in the project life cycle, stakeholder plays as a vital role. Stakeholders are classified based on the following characteristics; Interest Involvement Affect Position relative to the organization Level in the organization
HCIU
Page 8
Example Primary; customers, end user, project sponsors, project managers, team members. Secondary; Administrative staff, financial or legal consultants.
Supporter/Opponent Interest
Internal/External
Position relative to Internal; Project managers, team members. the organization External; Government agencies, customers and competitors. Direct; Team members Indirect; Customers, end users. in the Operation; Team members Strategic; Senior Executive
Direct/Indirect Operation/Strategic
Affect Level
organization
Stakeholders are classified into four main types which are; 1. PRIMARY STAKEHOLDERS/KEY STAKEHOLDERS: This are the people who has direct interest in the resource and these people need to be kept updated in regular intervals and will intervene if their interests are neglected. So our key stakeholders will be our customers. 2. SECONDANRY STAKEHOLDERS: They are those who do not directly use the system but receive output from it or provide input to it. Our secondary stakeholders will be the recipient; these are the people who receive customer packages. 3. TERTIARY STAKEHOLDERS/PASSIVE STAKEHOLDERS: Tertiary stakeholders are those who do not fall into primary or secondary stakeholders but who will be affected by the success or failure of the system. This includes companies that may need to market their products through the system. Passive stakeholders may not provide the input to the system but they will get some kind of an output from the system as a request feedback.
HCIU
Page 9
HCIU
Page 10
HCIU
Page 11
DATA GATHERING/DATA COLLECTION Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes. Data gathering is also defined as a type of tool that is used to gather information from particular company, organization or any sort of a resource. Data gathering techniques can be divided into two categories, qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research is used to explore and understand peoples benefits, experiences, attitudes and behavior and interactions. It is the most efficient and must be used whenever possible. Quantitative methods are most used in focus groups and observation, where direct reference to the people is required. Quantitative research refers to data that can be represented with numerical values. It generates numerical data or data that can be converted into numbers, for example the National Census, which counts people and households. QUALITATIVE grounding. Recommended research projects. Qualitative data is more rich, consuming, and less able to be generalized. objects. during earlier phases QUANTITATIVE Everything is either 1 or 0. of Recommended during latter phases of research projects. time Quantitative data is more efficient, able to test hypotheses, but may miss contextual detail.
All research ultimately has a qualitative There is no such thing as qualitative data.
Data is in the form of words, pictures or Data is in the form of numbers and statistics.
WHY DO DATA COLLECTION? 1. To decide on which appropriate method of data collection to use. First we must know; What data we need to achieve the objectives? From whom do you need to collect it?
HCIU Page 12
2. Develop clear objective Know what we want to achieve Know the organization Identify the stakeholders 3. Determine scope and resource allocation Coverage of the organization Estimate the level of human, financial, physical and technical resources 4. Choose methodology Data gathering (Questionnaire) Data analysis and evaluation 5. Develop communication strategy Communication before, during and after Communication of findings and recommendations Communication of implementation of recommendations.
STEPS IN DATA GATHERING 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Schedule initial visit to user site Gather and read background materials Establish data gathering objectives Determine what data gathering techniques to use Identify contact persons Schedule data gathering activities Assign to data gathering teams Identify deliverables.
HCIU
Page 13
DATA GATHERING TECHNIQUES There are various ways of data gathering techniques. We discussed about four (4) techniques which are; Interview Questionnaire Observation Focus group
INTERVIEW Interview is one of the most important ways to gather information and create content for a story. Interviews are conducted on one-on-one or small group of people. The purposes of an interview are to become familiar with different types of interviews, to understand when interviews might be useful for the evaluation, and to identify the components of a good interview. TYPES OF INTERVIEW 1. STRUCTURED INTERVIEW: Sometimes referred to as patterned interview. Interviews that use predetermined categories of answers. The main purpose of a structured interview is to pinpoint job skills that are essential to the position. 2. OPEN-ENDED (SEMI-STRUCTURED) INTERVIEW: Broad questioned are asked in a predetermined manner allowing for free-flowing conversation. Can be used bothto give and receive information. 3. IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS (LIFE HISTORY):An in-depth interview is a conversation with an individual conducted by trained staff that usually collects specific information about one person.
STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS Suitable for short, non-sensitive topics Can address program processes and subjective responses to program outcomes. May be useful for needs assessments and satisfaction surveys. 2. OPEN-ENDED AND IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS Used to gather detailed information, opinions and experiences and to thoroughly document processes. Help to make connections between the program impact and other aspects of participants lives.
HCIU
Page 14
ADVANTAGES OF INTERVIEWS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Enable us to learn about things that cannot be directly observed. Add an inner perspective to outward behaviors Increase accuracy of response Respondents can raise concerns Enable modification to lines of inquiry The interviewer can probe deeper into a response given by an interviewee.
DISADVANTAGES OF INTERVIEWS 1. It is time consuming. 2. The interviewer may be biased and ask close questions. 3. Quality of information obtained is largely dependent upon the interviewer
QUESTIONNAIRE/SURVEY Questionnaire is a document containing a set of questions regarding the information that needs to be gathered, and it allows the analyst to collect information and opinions from respondents. The purposes of a questionnaire are to understand survey would be useful for the evaluation and to learn about the components of a good questionnaire/survey. CLOSED-ENDED QUESTIONS: Questions that give the respondent a choice of answers to select from. OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS: Questions that allow the respondent to write an answer in his/her own words.
ADVANTAGES OF QUESTIONNAIRES 1. The responses are gathered in a standardized way, so questionnaires are more objective, certainly more so than interviews. 2. Generally it is relatively quick to collect information using a questionnaire. However in some situations they can take a long time not only to design but also to apply and analyze. 3. Potentially information can be collected from a large portion of a group. This potential is not realized, as returns from questionnaires are usually low. However return rates can be dramatically improved if the questionnaire is delivered and responded to in time.
HCIU
Page 15
DISADVANTAGES OF QUESTIONNAIRES 1. 2. 3. 4. Questions may be misunderstood by respondents Responses to closed-ended questions provide limited depth. Quantitative analysis is less meaningful when the sample size is small. Survey use requirements an understanding of survey design and statistics.
OBSERVATION Observation method is a technique in which the behavior of research subjects is watched and recorded without any direct contact. It is a qualitative method that provides descriptive information about what happens in a program event, including the environment or context, activities, processes and discussions. TYPES AND USING OBSERVATION METHODS This method can be independently or in combination with other methods of a job analysis. There are three methods of job analysis based on observation, which are; DIRECT OBSERVATION: This method observes employees in the performance of their duties, recording observation as they are made. WORK METHODS ANALYSIS: This method is used to describe manual and repetitive production jobs and is used by industrial engineers to determine standard rates of production, to set pay rates. It includes time and motion study and micro-motion system. CRITICAL INCIDENT TECHNIQUE: Though they employ the same method, these methods differ in terms of who does the observing, what is observed, and how it is observed. ADVANTAGES OF OBSERVATION 1. 2. 3. 4. Firsthand observation Simple to use Verifies data from other sources Useful for manual and psycho-motor tasks.
DISADVANTAGES OF OBSERVATION 1. 2. 3. 4.
HCIU
Time consuming May bias worker performance Small sample size Requires skilled observer
Page 16
FOCUS GROUP Focus groups present a unique opportunity to a group of end-users to discuss their needs, objectives and perceptions in an interactive environment. The opinions and statements of the respondents enable one to derive strategic information and draw interesting conclusions. CONDUCTING A FOCUS GROUP The seven basic steps for conducting a focus group are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Determine research objectives Develop a discussion format Choose and screen participants Select a moderator Convene the focus group meeting Collect and analyze data Make a presentation
To improve the effectiveness of the focus group, a special facility, consisting of a meeting room with a round or oval table to enhance communication among the respondents, should be used.
DESIRABLE QUALITIES OF MODERATOR The moderator must lead the discussion and ensure that all the predetermined objectives of the interview are met, while making sure that no personal bias affects the course of the interview. Some of the desirable qualities of the moderator are: Must be well-informed in the nuances of the industry being discussed for a better understanding of the discussion. Must be able to encourage members of the group to discuss concepts in greater detail. Must be able to encourage a debate among the respondents to generate deeper discussions. However, he/she must not allow the interview to degenerate into an argument. Must encourage the involvement of all the members in the group. Must be adaptable. The moderator should commit the sessions questionnaire to memory and allow the session to flow smoothly without enforcing an arbitrary question order. Must exhibit significant degrees of empathy with the group, while maintaining control over the interviews.
HCIU Page 17
ADVANTAGES OF FOCUS GROUP 1. Opinions or ideas of the individual group members can be taken and defined by the group, resulting in more accurate information. 2. A snowballing effect can occur, causing the ideas of individual members of the group to be passed around the ground, gathering both momentum and detail. 3. Focus group interviews are generally more interesting to the respondent than individual interviews. As a result, answers are likely to be longer and more revealing. 4. As the questions of the moderator are directed at a group rather than individuals, the degree of spontaneity of resultant answers is often greater in a focus group interview.
DISADVANTAGES OF FOCUS GROUP 1. Structuring a random sample is a complicated task. The responses of the participants in the interview are likely to be different from those that did not participate. Therefore, nonresponse can be a serious problem. 2. Focus groups are generally costlier than other end-user interview alternatives. 3. The moderator can introduce significant biases into the proceedings, should he/she fail to ask certain questions or delve deeply into specific areas. 4. Skilled moderators are difficult to find, and when their services are available, they are often expensive. SELECTION AND JUSTIFICATION OF A CHOOSEN DATA METHOD I chose questionnaire method as our form of data collection method the reasoning being that, the responses are gathered in a standardized way, so questionnaire is more objective, certainly more so than interviews. Generally it is quick to collect information using questionnaire. Potentially information can be collected from a large portion of a group. This potential is not often realized, as returns from questionnaires are usually low. However return rates can be dramatically improved if the questionnaire is delivered and responded to in class time. Another reason why I chose questionnaire is because questioning is usually faster and cheaper than observing. Questionnaires permit respondents time to consider their responses carefully without interference from, for example, an interviewer.
HCIU
Page 18
1. Whats your age group? o 20 30 o 31 40 o 41 50 o 51 and above 2. Gender? o Male o Female 3. What o o o o o is your profession? Student Software Engineer Businessman Unemployed Others
4. Whats your email address? ___________________ 5. How often do you send packages? o Daily o Weekly o Monthly o Annually o Never 6. Which mode of delivery would you prefer? o Air o Road o Rail o Ocean
HCIU
Page 19
HCIU
Page 20
Age
10% 20 - 30 years 17% 46% 27% 31 - 40 years 41-50 years 51 and above
The above diagram shows that people from the age group of 41 50 are the most who answered in the distributed questionnaire. Whereas those who are 51 years and above are the least. 2. Gender
100 50 65 0 Male Female Total 85
As indicated in the above diagram, females are the most people who managed to do this questionnaire as compared to males. 3. What is your profession?
PROFESSION
20% 27% 17% 33% 3% Student Software Engineer Businessman Unemployed Others
HCIU
Page 21
In question three (3), software engineers are the least number of people who managed to answer the questionnaire that we allocated during our research while businessmen answered the most. 4. What is your email address?
EMAIL ADDRESS
150 100 50 0 email gmail yahoo hotmail
In the diagram above, most people use Hotmail address. Others use Gmail and yahoo email addresses. 5. How often do you send packages?
SEND PACKAGES
3% 3% Daily 13% 34% 47% Weekly Monthly Annually Never
Most of the people usually send packages every month followed by those who send their packages annually. Daily and never has the same number of people.
HCIU
Page 22
Total
Total
70 Air
40 Road
20 Rail
20 Oceac
The above diagram shows that most of the people prefer to use air as their mode of deliver, the reason being that; it is the fastest of them all. Road is the second mode of delivery which people prefer, followed by rail and ocean with the same number. 7. What kind of payment services do you prefer?
PAYMENT METHOD
8% 7% 2% Bank draft Telegraphic transfer 38% 45% Wire transfer Online Cash
The above diagram is about the payment method which people prefer to use. So here, most of the people use wire transfer as their form of payment. Telegraphic transfer has the least number of people. Online payment takes the second place in the above diagram.
HCIU
Page 23
DELIVERY METHOD
200 150 Handling of dangerous 100 50 0 Delivery Service Low cost delivery Fast delivery Door to door
A large group of people prefer to use handling of dangerous delivery services. After handling of dangerous delivery service, then followed by low cost delivery. 9. What kind of packages do you normally send?
PACKAGES
60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Fragile Temperature sensitive Electronics Others
Series 1
Most people normally send fragile and electronics packages as compared to temperature sensitive and others.
HCIU
Page 24
10. What additional service would you like to see Ex-Courier offering?
ADDITIONAL SERVICE
100 50 0
Series 1
CONCLUSIONS ON QUESTIONNAIRES A questionnaire is a powerful evaluation tool and should not be taken lightly. Design begins with an understanding of the capabilities of a questionnaire and how they can help your research. If it is determined that a questionnaire is to be used, the greatest care goes into the planning of the objectives. Questionnaires are like any scientific experiment. One form a hypothesis and an experiment that will help prove or disprove the hypothesis. Questionnaires are versatile, allowing the collection of both subjective and objective data through the use of open or closed format questions. There are many guidelines that must be met before a questionnaire can be considered a sound research tool. The majority deal with making the questionnaire understandable and free of bias. Mindful review and testing is necessary to weed out minor mistakes that can cause great changes in meaning and interpretation. When these guidelines are followed, the questionnaire becomes a powerful and economic evaluation tool.
HCIU
Page 25
TASK ANALYSIS Within the usability and human-computer interaction communities, the term is generally used to describe study of the way people perform tasks that is, the way in which a task is not currently performed in real-life situations. Task analysis does not describe the optimal or ideal procedure for solving a problem. It simply describes the way I which the problem is currently solved. Task analysis provides a helpful toolkit for understanding everyday processes and for describing how human beings solve problems. It is not appropriate to perform detailed task analysis in every situation, due to cost and complexity concerns. However, the results of a task analysis can usefully inform design or pinpoint usability problems, particularly differences between the system designers assumptions and the users mental models ways of looking at the task to be performed. PURPOSE OF TASK ANALYSIS We perform a task analysis in order to: 1. Determine the goals and objectives 2. Define and describe in detail the tasks and sub-tasks to be performed 3. Specify the knowledge type (declarative, structural and procedural knowledge) that characterize a task 4. Select outcomes that are appropriate for the development 5. Prioritize and sequence tasks 6. Determine activities and strategies 7. Select appropriate media environments 8. Construct performance assessments and evaluation.
TYPES OF TASK ANALYSIS 1. HIERARCHICAL TASK ANALYSIS (HTA):Hierarchical task analysis is a structured, objective approach to describe users performance of tasks; it originated in human factors explained Hornsby (2010). Hierarchical task analysis requires a detailed understanding of users tasks. One can achieve this understanding by; Identifying users primary goals Detailing the steps users must perform to accomplish their goals Optimizing these procedures.
HCIU
Page 26
HCIU
Page 27
ONLINE REFERENCING 1. Vivienne, T., 2008, Understanding hci [online], Available from http://ilikecake.ie/hci/des_userclassification.htm [Accessed 25th January 2011] 2. Peter, H., 2010, Hierarchical Task Analysis [online], Available from http://uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2010/02/hierarchical-task-analysis.php [Accessed 14th February 2011] 3. Anon, nd, www.exa.unicen.edu.ar/catedras/knowledge/apuntes/56400193.pdf [Accessed 1st March 2011] 4. Anon, nd, www.businessdictionary.com [Accessed 31st January 2011] 5. Anon, nd, www.investorglossary.com/stakeholder.htm [Accessed 9th March 2011]
HCIU
Page 28
Human Factors Human factors affect how people interact with computers and computer programs. It comprises of the following: physiology, social, cognition, perception, biological and safety. Physiology The design of devices is often affected by the human physiology. Some constraints can be introduced and applied based on the physical built up of the users. Example: y Keyboard keys cannot be smaller than finger size. y Smaller machines must use different input facilities. Physiology is broken down into three areas: 1. Movement Speed of accuracy of movement is important for interactive systems. For example, mouse and keyboard movement affects choice of which devices/controls operate which actions of the system. 2. Reaction Time The amount of time taken for a user to react to a system needs to be considered when designing systems such as games, phone and traffic lights. 3. Disabilities Designers must design so that disabled users can achieve maximum functionality and usability from computer systems.
HCIU
Page 29
HCIU
Page 30
The following are the main usability goals that we have covered are as follows:Learnability Learnability refers to how easy is it to learn and use the system and be able to carry out tasks without too much effort. In the Ex-Courier website,the team decided to design user friendly interface to attract both expert and novice users. The icons are designed to be easily understandable for both expert and novice users. The pages have been designed to be readable in many formats, users with old versions of browsers, Linux users, and users on slow modems or those with graphics turned off. Memorability This refers to how easy it to remember how to use what the user have learned from the system. The user who have not used or operated the system for a longer period of time, they should be able to remember and they should not be relearning ho to carry out tasks.
HCIU
Page 31
User satisfaction This refers to user experience towards the system from their point of view rather than evaluating how productive the system is. This goal can be achieved if the system is satisfying, entertaining, motivating, fun, rewarding, enjoyable, helpful and emotionally fulfilling. For us to make sure that our users are satisfied the information gathered during user profiling and data gathering will be used to make sure that the system designed meet all user requirements obtained from our users. By so doing the system developed will be easy to learn, effective to use, and satisfying as we will be developing a system that will be useful to our clients.
HCIU
Page 32
Constraints
HCIU Page 33
Mapping This refers to the relationship between controls and their effects in the world. Mapping eventually will provide the users with guidelines on how the system going to perform a certain task, An example of good mapping between control and effect is the up and down arrows used to represent up and down movement of the cursor, respectively on a computer keyboard. Affordance Affordance is a term used to define the properties of an object that indicate how it can be used. For example, a mouse button invites pushing by the eye in which it is constrained in its plastic shell.
HCIU
Page 34
HCIU
Page 35
HCIU
Page 36
HCIU
Page 37
HCIU
Page 38
Figure 1.1 AsiaXpress website (source: asiaxpress.com, 2009) AsiaXpress provides international courier services solutions customized for Corporate Clients. Backed with more than 175 years of experience of Pos Malaysia, the National Postal Service Provider in Malaysia, AsiaXpress aims to deliver a personal touch to all customers in Malaysia. Despite the advancement in technology and changing of urban lifestyle, the national postal service under Pos Malaysia still plays a pivotal service to all Malaysians. Pos Malaysias core business is the provision of national postal services. It also provides a wide range of services in its post offices that include bill payments and agency services to third parties, remittance services and courier services under the PosLaju brand name (asiaxpress.com, 2009).
HCIU
Page 39
Figure 1.2 Nationwide express website (source: nationwide2u.com) Nationwide Express main hub is located at its Head Office in Shah Alam, Selangor handling over 50,000 packages per day and with ongoing of facilities; it may handle up to 70,000 pieces of packages daily. With over 118 locations, Nationwide Express has the most comprehensive and extensive network in the whole of Malaysia. We have centers strategically located in virtually every town dotted along the length and breadth of the Peninsular and East Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore reflecting our commitment to provide a truly national coverage (nationwide2u.com, 2010).
HCIU
Page 40
AsiaXpress (similar website) Home page Textual toolbar menu is aligned on the top right corner and they are not visible enough. The registration page is not easily found, if you are not registered and you try to log in, the page will not lead you to the registration sessions.
Nationwide express (Similar website) Textual toolbar menu is on the Centre of the website and too much of a red color is used. The registration page is not easily found, if you are not registered and you try to log in, the page will not lead you to the registration sessions.
Feedback
For example if you are not registered and you try to log in, the feedback given is not helpful to the customers, because from there the system will not take you to registration page. So this design principle here is not fully covered. There is also no feedback if the user provides wrong tracking number.
This website has the same problem as AsiaXpress. For one to register he/she has to go through unnecessary steps to find the registration link.
Ex-Courier (To be developed) For our system we will include some additional features to make the interface more efficient and effective. For instance, colorful background will be used but not red color, button has to be designed according the color flow, and the navigation link will be placed in appropriate order. A link for registration in case a customer is not yet registered into the system will be visibly provided. Feedback is vital to create user friendly systems. Having feedback allow all kind of users to use the system without any guidelines. Simple and easy to use. The website will provide feedback by changing of colors of buttons when the mouse is placed over them. Feedback is also employed by use of a loading bar to show that the page is loading when the
Page 41
HCIU
Consistency
User task expectation is very low because there are no guidelines. Functionality of the structure of this interface can cause difficulty for novice user. In addition, the list of the font size is inconsistent and there is no instruction pop menu to proceed to next level. Color coordination interface is not consistent because each navigation has in the interface is not sufficient to ensure consistency.
For Nationwide, its website is much better than asiaxpress, because it is more consistent.
Mapping
The textual menu links are placed in a way that the user understands them easily without any guidelines, and these controls performs what they are supposed to perform.
HCIU
Constraints
HCIU
Page 43
Memorability
It seems to be hard for Much memorable than the novice user to asiaxpress system. memorize what they might have learnt from this system.
Error Handling
As the design principle of feedback state that the system does not give a helpful message when wrong information is provide, it will be difficult to recover
HCIU
User Satisfaction
The system is not The system also lacks entertaining, of user satisfaction. motivating, fun, rewarding, enjoyable, helpful and emotionally fulfilling, so there is lack of user satisfaction.
HCIU
Page 45
HCIU
Page 46
What is a prototype? A prototype is a model of a product, which is used for testing before a manufacturing run is ordered. Many companies run through several prototypes when developing a new product, as they learn more about the manufacturing process, how people will use it, and how it can be broken. Typically, access to prototypes is limited to a very small number of people, since these early models of products are often extremely imperfect; in some cases, a limited release of a prototype may be released to beta testers, people who specialize in testing early versions of products and providing feedback. Developing a prototype starts with the development of a concept for the product. For example, a company might want to create an innovative cellphone. Engineers and consultants work on the design features, typically producing several cardboard and paper models to illustrate how the product will look and feel. Once the development team is given the go-ahead, a single working prototype is created. This prototype is evaluated to determine how effective it is, and additional prototypes may be developed with different features as the design team responds to feedback (S.E. Smith, 2008). Engineers and prototyping specialists seek to understand the limitations of prototypes to exactly simulate the characteristics of their intended design. A degree of skill and experience is necessary to effectively use prototyping as a design verification tool. Prototyping can be divided into low-fidelity prototyping and high-fidelity prototyping.
HCIU Page 47
May provide the proof of concept necessary to attract funding Early visibility of the prototype gives users an idea of what the final system looks like Encourages active participation among users and producer Enables a higher output for user Cost effective (Development costs reduced). Increases system development speed Assists to identify any problems with the efficacy of earlier design, requirements analysis and coding activities Helps to refine the potential risks associated with the delivery of the system being developed Various aspects can be tested and quicker feedback can be got from the user Helps to deliver the product in quality easily User interaction available during development cycle of prototype
y y y
Disadvantages of prototyping
y y y y y y
Producer might produce a system inadequate for overall organization needs User can get too involved whereas the program can not be to a high standard Structure of system can be damaged since many changes could be made Producer might get too attached to it (might cause legal involvement) Not suitable for large applications Over long periods, can cause loss in consumer interest and subsequent cancellation due to a lack of a market (for commercial products)
HCIU
Page 48
HCIU
Page 49
Paper prototype of a web-shopping cart user input is on removable tape (from IBM Developerworks).
HCIU
Page 50
Card sorting
Card sorting is an inexpensive technique that allows the web designers to understand how the users group the items of a web site. Therefore this technique allows the designers to develop the structure of the website which can maximize the probability of users being able to find items easily. To do this, each item is written on a small index card; in a typical card sorting exercise there can be anything from 30 to 80 numbers of cards in total (Nasa, 2010). Users working on it, either on their own or in pairs sorts these cards into groups. Each is needed to be labeled. The designer can use this information to help organize structure. There also a variation of this method which is called reverse card sort, entrails giving the participants the main category labels for the website along with a set of cards which represents the websites information, content and functions (Gaffney, 2000).
HCIU
Page 51
1) First and foremost, a high-fidelity prototype gives you something realistic enough to try out your ideas with target users and customers before making a significant investment. This lets you discover which ideas are good and which are not, and if the product has real value, and also discover if users can figure out how to use the product. 2) Doing a high-fidelity prototype helps you - even forces you - to think through your product to a much greater degree than paper specs. 3) A high-fidelity prototype enables and encourages the type of collaboration between product manager, interaction designer, and architect/engineer that is necessary to discover a valuable, useful and feasible product. 4) A high-fidelity prototype provides the level of information necessary for accurate engineering cost estimates, early in the process when these estimates are most useful.
HCIU
Page 52
HCIU
Page 53
A Horizontal, or User Interface, Prototype is a model of the outer shell of an entire system, i.e., windows, dialogue boxes, menus, screens, reports, and batch processes, with little or no processing behind them. It typically contains all of the system functions on menus, but includes only dummy screens, reports, and database queries (if applicable) for core functions. Initially, the Horizontal Prototype is unlikely to contain any processing logic behind the external features. In later stages, the Horizontal Prototype may be expanded to eventually evolve into the final system. A Horizontal Prototype is usually developed during the early stages of analysis (Craig Borysowich 2007).
Vertical Prototyping
Vertical prototyping do not attempt to show all that will be in a system, instead of that it focus on implementing set small set of features in a nearly complete fashion. The vertical prototyping do not attempt to show all the features of the system, instead of that this type of prototyping focus on implementing a small set of features in a nearly-complete fashion. The vertical prototyping are more appropriate when a certain complex feature of a system is poorly understood and needs to be explored. (Foraker, 2010)
Software Prototyping
Scripting language is more suitable for software prototyping. Included among these advantages is the power to address rapidly changing software requirements. In addition, the effectiveness gained from user-centered design, which consists of continues user feedback, which impacts the software design. Fast compile-debug-test cycles, and high programming Suppleness make vigorously typed languages such as Perl, Python and PHP are ideal for the rapid creation of prototypes both on component and system levels (Bernstein, 2009).
Wizard of Oz
This is a method of testing a system that does not exist. It allows designers to test ideas without implementation a system. The Wizard of Oz technique works as follows: the user interacts with a screen, but instead of a piece of software responding to the user's requests, a developer (the wizard) is sitting at another screen (generally in another room) simulating the system's intelligence and interacting with the
HCIU Page 54
HCIU
Page 55
Since we are doing a web based system we have taken on account how users interact with web sites, how they think and what are the basic patterns of users behavior. Basically, users habits on the Web arent that different from customers habits in a store. Visitors glance at each new page, scan some of the text, and click on the first link that catches their interest or vaguely resembles the thing theyre looking for. In fact, there are large parts of the page they dont even look at. Most users search for something interesting (or useful) and clickable; as soon as some promising candidates are found, users click. If the new page doesnt meet users expectations, the Back button is clicked and the search process is continued.
y
Users appreciate quality and credibility. If a page provides users with high-quality content, they are willing to compromise the content with advertisements and the design of the site. This is the reason why not-that-well-designed web sites with high-quality content gain a lot of traffic over years. Content is more important than the design which supports it.
HCIU
Page 57
Users dont read, they scan. Analyzing a web-page, users search for some fixed points or anchors which would guide them through the content of the page.
Users dont read, they scan. Notice how hot areas abrupt in the middle of sentences. This is typical for the scanning process. y Users follow their intuition. In most cases users muddle through instead of reading the information a designer has provided. According to Steve Krug, the basic reason for that is that users dont care. If we find something that works, we stick to it. It doesnt matter to us if we understand how things work, as long as we can use them. If your audience is going to act like youre designing billboard, then design great billboards. y Users want to have control. Users want to be able to control their browser and rely on the consistent data presentation throughout the site. E.g. they dont want new windows popping up unexpectedly and they want to be able to get back with a Back-button to the site theyve been before: therefore its a good practice to never open links in new browser windows.
HCIU
Page 58
According to Krugs first law of usability, the web-page should be obvious and selfexplanatory. When youre creating a site, your job is to get rid of the question marks the decisions users need to make consciously, considering pros, cons and alternatives. If the navigation and site architecture arent intuitive, the number of question marks grows and makes it harder for users to comprehend how the system works and how to get from point A to point B. A clear structure, moderate visual clues and easily recognizable links can help users to find their path to their aim.
Don t squander users patience
In every project when you are going to offer your visitors some service or tool, try to keep your user requirements minimal. The less action is required from users to test a service, the more likely a random visitor is to actually try it out. First-time visitors are willing to play with the service, not filling long web forms for an account they might never use in the future. Let users explore the site and discover your services without forcing them into sharing private data. Its not reasonable to force users to enter an email address to test the feature.
Manage to focus users attention
As web-sites provide both static and dynamic content, some aspects of the user interface attract attention more than others do. Obviously, images are more eye-catching than the text just as the sentences marked as bold are more attractive than plain text. The human eye is a highly non-linear device, and web-users can instantly recognize edges, patterns and motions. This is why video-based advertisements are extremely annoying and distracting, but from the marketing perspective they perfectly do the job of capturing users attention.
HCIU
Page 59
HCIU
Page 60
Design 1 (Brian)
This design consists of a navigation bar in the top, which is consistent to all pages and a banner with a news scroller and the login at the bottom.
HCIU
Page 61
Design 2 (Neo)
This design also consists of the navigation bar at the top, and a banner. The login button is at the navigation area that is highly visible.
HCIU
Page 62
Design 3 (Kokila)
In this design includes a top navigation bar and a dialog box with shipping details in its home page.
HCIU
Page 63
Design 4 (Saameen)
This design also included are top navigation bar and a banner with thre services the company offer.
HCIU
Page 64
Final Design
The final design is a combination of all the designs that is evaluated in the parallel design stage. In deciding on the final design, we have focused on the following design principles. 1. Visibility 2. Feedback 3. Constraint 4. Mapping 5. Consistency
HCIU
Page 65
The benefits we got from the parallel design y Allows a range of ideas to be generated quickly and cost effectively. y Parallel nature of the approach allows several approaches to be explored at the same time, thus compressing the concept development schedule. y The concepts generated can often be combined so that the final solution benefits from all ideas proposed. y Only minimal resources and materials are required to convey product feel.
HCIU
Page 66
HCIU
Page 67
HCIU
Page 68
y y y y
Storyboarding helps catalyze feelings about the feasibility of the proposal idea. Omissions may be spotted as a result of producing the storyboard. A detailed storyboard can save time in content research. The storyboards serve as documents which everyone can point to as a common point of reference, enabling the grant writing team to say, Yes, that is what I meant, or No, we've a problem here.
Below are the screenshots and there descriptions of the final prototype design. Home Page
This is the home screen, where the users are taken at first. The screen consists of the delivery modes the system offer and the login button to send packages. It also includes the navigation bar and search bar which is consistent on all the screens. The logo and the site banner is also visualize here.
HCIU
Page 69
These pages are the content pages of the site and this page is used to post various forms of the company and their flyers etc.
HCIU
Page 70
Users can use this page to view current job openings in the company and apply to other unspecific jobs.
HCIU
Page 71
Users use this page to download the companies shipping guide, which is published annually.
HCIU
Page 72
This page is used to publish the companys history and mission, visions.
HCIU
Page 73
This is the login page of the online system. This page is used to login to the system to send or track packages.
HCIU
Page 74
This screen allows new users to register to the system before sending a package or track. Avoid users to scroll the pages long.
HCIU
Page 75
HCIU
Page 76
HCIU
Page 77
If the user didnt enter anything to the fields, it gives error and cannot go further.
This page is used to track the packages. Only logged in users can use this page.
HCIU
Page 79
HCIU
Page 80
HCIU
Page 81
This navigation is used consistently in the site to make the user easy to navigate throughout the site. It gives feedback by placing a blue bar on every menu that it stops or it enters.
Logout Button
Welcome message to the user and the logout button is consistent in all the pages if the user is logged in. so the users cannot be lost in the system.
Login Feedback
HCIU
Page 82
HCIU
Page 83
Craig Borysowich, 2007, prototyping [online], Available from http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/enterprise-solutions/prototyping-types-of-prototypes-14927, [Accessed 1st March 2011]
Nielsen, 1996, parallel_design [online], Available from http://www.useit.com/papers/parallel_design/, [Accessed 3rd March 2011]
Robert Campbell, 2010, parallel-design-has-some-major-benefits [online], Available from http://www.bestwebimage.com/archives/parallel-design-has-some-major-benefits/ ,[Accessed 4th March 2011]
Nielsen, 1993, parallel-designs [online], Available from http://www.usabilitynet.org/tools/parallel.htm, [Accessed 4th March 2011]
answers, 2010, prototyping [online], Available from http://www.answers.com/topic/prototype, [Accessed 11th March 2011]
Vitaly Friedman, 2008, principles-of-effective-web-design [online], Available from http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/31/10-principles-of-effective-web-design/, [Accessed 12th March 2011]
HCIU
Page 84
Bell, 2005, Prototyping, [Online] Available from http://hamilton.bell.ac.uk/btech/hci/hcinotes17.pdf [Accessed on 11th March 2011]
Nasa,2010, User Centered Design Methods, [Online]; Available from http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/portal/usability/process/ucdMethods.htm [Accessed on 11th March 2011]
HCIU
Page 85
Usability metrics A usability test can be used to measure a number of elements of user interaction, such as the: y y
HCIU
Data collection methods Below are the table outline on the common data collection that was used during an usability test. It is always advised to use a few different type of combination methods to capture a better quality data for usability test.
Method Observation
Data collected by Involves human or mechanical observation of what people actually do or what events take place during a buying or consumption situation. Information is collected by observing process at work during the usability test. Users verbal report after completing the Usability test. Using users thoughts throughout the usability test. A set of questions being combined to gain Information and user responses during the usability method collection.
Debrief/Verbal Report
Thinking-Aloud
Questionnaire
HCIU
Page 87
objectives
HCIU
Page 88
Important: Managers and designers should also identify Themselves as mere observers rather than major stakeholders. y y y 6. participants Debrief Conduct session with minimum disruptions. Record observations on logging sheets. Keep a check on the time. Try not to let the test run overtime. y Ask participants to fill in the feedback questionnaire. Important: Remember to collect this form and check for Completion. y Ask the participant to provide general feedback about the Web site and answer observers' questions. y 7. Collect and y analyze data 8. Recommendations y y y Thank and compensate the participants. Collect logging sheets, feedback material, and observers notes from all sessions. Group results into usability categories for analysis. Document what was observed. Determine which usability goals were met and which were not met. y Recommend changes to make the site usable. Distribute findings to all stakeholders.
Usability Scenario Development What is a scenario? User scenarios are built around defined user profiles and personas and include descriptions of common user tasks.
HCIU
Page 89
y y y y
Example: do not use words in the scenario that are identical to those that appear on the screen.
Developing tasks The following table outlines the main steps required to develop a task list for usability testing.
Step 1
Comments data to be logged. y The tasks must reflect the user groups information requirements. y Based on the user group issues list determine information requirements that are: important, performed frequently, and/or Hard to locate. Note: Try to include at least one task based on an issue
Determine the nature of the Understand the user groups, key metrics and qualitative Identify the right tasks
HCIU
Page 90
Example: Problems identified from site feedback. Write out complete tasks in a: y y non-directed scenario, or Directed task-based format. easy to hard tasks, or Common to uncommon tasks. lead them, mislead them, or "Give away" correct interactions.
Determine sequence of tasks Sequence final task list from y y Check wording of tasks
HCIU
Page 91
Usability Checklist Checklist Use the following checklist to check for common usability issues. Note: This list is a guide only and is not an exhaustive or complete test.
Question y y y Does the structure fit the purpose? Is the navigation scheme clear? Where are you? How do you find what you want? y y Is it clear where to go next? Does interaction support informational retrieval tasks? y Are there a reasonable number of navybar choices? y y y Do link names match page names? Are links clearly marked? Is there a clearly marked link back to the home page? y Is there an option to search for information? y y Is there a site map? Does every page have standard
HCIU
Page 92
y y y
Is layout consistent on all pages? Is excessive scrolling required? Is there a main display area on each page? Does the layout work visually? Proper use of alignment and grouping? Proper use of contrast? Is it cluttered? Is the text clear and concise? Is there excessive use of jargon or acronyms? Is text organized in small chunks? Are there spelling or grammar errors? Are dialog methods concise and consistent?
y y
y Content y y
y y Forms y
Are there clear submit and reset buttons? Is download time fast enough - do pages load in 3-10 seconds? Do all the links work? Are there broken images? Are pages written to be found by search
Page 93
y y y
HCIU
HCIU
Page 94
Conducting a Usability Testing Session Introduction This topic contains information on conducting a usability test session. General guidelines for conducting a session The following guidelines should be adhered to when conducting usability testing with users: y y y y y y y Keep the session neutral. Treat each participant as a completely new case. Assist the participants only as a last resort. Help participants to relax. Use the thinking aloud technique. Be aware of the effects of your voice and body language. If you make a mistake, keep going on.
Keep the session neutral The session has to be entirely natural by having the attitude that the results of the test has no vested interest one way or another. Do not indicate through your speech or mannerisms that you strongly approve or disapprove of any actions or comments offered by a particular participant. Encourage participants to focus on their own experiences and not to be concerned with what other people of similar characteristics might hypothetically think or need.
HCIU Page 95
Treat each participant as a completely new case Treat each participant as a completely new case, regardless of background of the participant and what previous results and sessions have shown for an instance collect data without interpretation. Assist the Participants only as a last resort
If the participants are assisted, it may lose the opportunity to understand what happens when people
The tendency to rescue is due to our natural empathy and even embarrassment when watching someone struggle. Assist the participants only as a last resort. Help participants to relax Humour can counteract participants self-consciousness and help them to relax. Indicate to the participants that there is no right or wrong response. If participants are having fun, they are more apt to let their defences down and tell you what is really on their mind.
Use the thinking aloud technique Thinking aloud is a simple technique intended to capture what the participants are thinking while working with interactive software. To use this technique, have the participants provide a running commentary of their thought process by thinking aloud while performing the tasks of the usability test.
Be aware of the effects of your voice and body language It is common for us human being to react and respond intentionally or unintentionally towards others by the way we are. Either by verbally or through body language. To prevent any bias effects, make a special effort to be mindful of your voice and body language.
If you make a mistake, keep going on Dont lose charge or take control over the situation especially when inadvertently reveal information or in some other way bias the session of a usability test. Proceed without any hesitation. At best, the participant will not even observe your comment or action.
HCIU
Page 96
Analyze both types of data together to get a complete picture of usability issues and problemsits utterly important. It can be obtain by categorization, then quantification of data. See: Sample issues table and Sample metrics table below. Qualitative information will provide a rich context to understand core usability issuesits is an important aspect to understand. Direct observations record what users did during the usability test. This qualitative information should provide more information on why users faced problems. Example: Users might provide a high score against site navigation but directobservation indicates that users consistently face navigational problems, this can be one situation. Collecting data Extract and cluster observations and user comments into groups of data. Use only one or two grouping schemes. Some examples of useful groups are: y y y y
HCIU
Collect all quantitative data into tables in a word processor or a spreadsheet. Analysis steps The following table outlines the broad steps required to analyse usability data Step 1 2 3 Action Go through the list of groups and observations. For each group, find a common issue. Describe the issue in terms of the cause or problem. Identify why there was difficulty or what the source of problem might be. Examples: List specific factors such as, confusing labels or placement of navigation features, poor colour contrasts between text and background. 4 Understand the issue in terms of the impact on users when generating recommendations.
Sample issues table This is a sample table to record observations. [Record observations and user comments about the following usability features of the [URL and name] portal.]
Feature Home Page Look and feel Navigation Labelling Content General observations
Comments
HCIU
Page 98
Information Design 1
HCIU
Page 99
Summative evaluation can also be subdivided: y outcome evaluations investigate whether the program or technology caused demonstrable effects on specifically defined target outcomes y impact evaluation is broader and assesses the overall or net effects -- intended or unintended -- of the program or technology as a whole
HCIU
Page 101
Evaluation Questions and Methods During this method of evaluation, evaluators may ask different kinds of questions and use a variety of methods to address them. These are considered within the framework of formative and summative evaluation as presented above. In general, maybe customers and users has the same question to be asked such as, whats the useful of evaluation? Why should we doing evaluation? The importance of having evaluation would be having the major goal of evaluation should be to influence decision-making or policy formulation through the provision of empirically-driven feedback. Evaluations is to provide "useful feedback" to a variety of audiences including sponsors, donors, client-groups, administrators, staff, and other relevant constituencies. Often, feedback is perceived as "useful" if it aids in decision-making. But the relationship between an evaluation and its impact is not a simple one -- studies that seem critical sometimes fail to influence short-term decisions, and studies that initially seem to have no influence can have a delayed impact when more congenial conditions arise. You can know the truth and ability about the target. This kind of activity is particularly important during requirements gathering and then later for checking that prototypes of the system do fulfill users need. There are various occasions when designers occasionally wants to compare two or more designs or design ideas. Standards bodies have rigorous testing procedures to test that products confirm to the standards that they have set.
HCIU
Page 102
HCIU
Page 103
HCIU
Page 104
HCIU
Page 106
The advantage of heuristic testing is not costly to conduct, and can save effort time and cost as it can be used early in the development process. It does not require advanced planning
HCIU
Page 107
Let a new user 15 sec to use the and back website, comes use again
expected time. The user cant have the effect on website, not absorbing this the very
after a week, it
website maybe
Cognitive
Test the time 5 sec that the user recognize button know function each buttons Testing response time by the system when the user booking clothes the and the of the 5sec
Response
Review Checklist Does every display begin with a title or header that describes screen contents? Is there a consistent icon design scheme and stylistic treatment across the system? Is a single, selected icon clearly visible when surrounded by unselected icons? Do menu instructions, prompts, and error messages appear in the same place(s) on each menu? In multipage data entry screens, is each page labeled to show its relation to others? If overtype and insert mode are both available, is there a visible indication of which one the user is in? If pop-up windows are used to display error messages, do they allow the user to see the field in error? Is there some form of system feedback for every operator action? After the user completes an action (or group of actions), does the feedback indicate that the next group of actions can be started? Is there visual feedback in menus or dialog boxes about which choices are selectable? Is there visual feedback in menus or dialog boxes about which choice the cursor is on now? If multiple options can be selected in a menu or dialog box, is there
Yes
No
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
1.9
1.10
1.11
1.12
HCIU
Page 109
# 1.15
Review Checklist Is there feedback when function keys are pressed? If there are observable delays (greater than fifteen seconds) in the
Yes
No
1.16
systems response time, is the user kept informed of the system's progress?
Are response times appropriate to the task? Typing, cursor motion, mouse selection: 50-1 50 milliseconds Simple, frequent tasks: less than 1 second Common tasks: 2-4 seconds Complex tasks: 8-12 seconds Are response times appropriate to the user's cognitive processing? Continuity of thinking is required and information must be remembered throughout several responses: less than two seconds. High levels of concentration aren't necessary and remembering information is not required: two to fifteen seconds. Is the menu-naming terminology consistent with the user's task domain?
1.23
1.24
1.25
HCIU
Page 110
1.27 1.28
1.29
2. Match Between System and the Real World The system should speak the users language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
Review Checklist Are icons concrete and familiar? Are menu choices ordered in the most logical way, given the user, the item names, and the task variables? If there is a natural sequence to menu choices, has it been used?
Yes
No
Page 111
HCIU
Review Checklist Does the system automatically enter commas in numeric values greater than 9999? Do GUI menus offer activation: that is, make obvious how to say
Yes
No
2.21
Page 112
2.22
HCIU
2.23
2.24
3. User Control and Freedom Users should be free to select and sequence tasks (when appropriate), rather than having the system do this for them. Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Users should make their own decisions (with clear information) regarding the costs of exiting current work. The system should support undo and redo.
Review Checklist If setting up windows is a low-frequency task, is it particularly easy to remember? In systems that use overlapping windows, is it easy for users to rearrange windows on the screen? In systems that use overlapping windows, is it easy for users to switch between windows? When a user's task is complete, does the system wait for a signal from the user before processing? Can users type-ahead in a system with many nested menus? Are users prompted to confirm commands that have drastic, destructive consequences? Is there an "undo" function at the level of a single action, a data entry, and a complete group of actions?
Yes
No
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
HCIU
Page 113
3.10
3.11
3.12
3.13
3.14
3.15
Yes No
3.16
3.17
3.18
3.19
3.20
3.21
HCIU
Page 114
3.23
4. Consistency and Standards Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.
Review Checklist Have industry or company formatting standards been followed consistently in all screens within a system? Has a heavy use of all uppercase letters on a screen been avoided? Do abbreviations not include punctuation? Are integers right-justified and real numbers decimal-aligned? Are icons labeled? Are there no more than twelve to twenty icon types? Are there salient visual cues to identify the active window? Does each window have a title? Are vertical and horizontal scrolling possible in each window? Does the menu structure match the task structure? Have industry or company standards been established for menu
Yes
No
4.1
4.11
design, and are they applied consistently on all menu screens in the system?
HCIU
Page 115
4.13
4.14
4.15
4.16
4.17
Yes No
4.18 4.19
4.20
HCIU
Page 116
4.29
4.30
4.31
4.32
4.33
4.34
4.35
4.36
4.37
4.38
4.39
4.40
4.41
HCIU
Page 117
4.42
4.47
4.48
4.49
4.50
4.51
5. Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover From Errors Error messages should be expressed in plain language (NO CODES).
# 5.1
Yes
No
HCIU
Page 118
5.3 5.4
5.5
5.6
5.11
5.12 5.13
5.14
5.15
HCIU
Page 119
5.20
5.21
6. Error Prevention Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place.
Review Checklist If the database includes groups of data, can users enter more than one group on a single screen? Have dots or underscores been used to indicate field length? Is the menu choice name on a higher-level menu used as the menu title of the lower-level menu? Are menu choices logical, distinctive, and mutually exclusive? Are data inputs case-blind whenever possible? If the system displays multiple windows, is navigation between windows simple and visible? Are the function keys that can cause the most serious consequences
Yes
No
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4 6.5
6.6
6.7
HCIU
Page 120
6.8
6.9
6.10
6.11
6.12
6.13
6.14
6.15
7. Recognition Rather Than Recall Make objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
Review Checklist For question and answer interfaces, are visual cues and white space used to distinguish questions, prompts, instructions, and user input? Does the data display start in the upper-left corner of the screen? Are multiword field labels placed horizontally (not stacked vertically)?
Yes
No
7.1
7.2
7.3
HCIU
Page 121
7.5
7.6
7.7
7.8
7.9
7.10
7.11
7.12
7.13
7.14
Page 122
7.15
7.16
7.17 7.18
HCIU
7.21
7.26
Page 123
7.29
7.30
7.31
HCIU
7.36
7.37 7.38
7.39
7.40
8. Flexibility and Minimalist Design Accelerators-unseen by the novice user-may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions. Provide alternative means of access and operation for users who differ from the "average" user (e.g., physical or cognitive ability, culture, language, etc.)
Review Checklist If the system supports both novice and expert users, are multiple levels of error message detail available? Does the system allow novices to use a keyword grammar and experts to use a positional grammar? Can users define their own synonyms for commands? Does the system allow novice users to enter the simplest, most
Yes
No
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
common form of each command, and allow expert users to add parameters?
HCIU
Page 124
8.6
8.9
8.10
8.11
8.12
8.13
8.14
8.15
8.16
HCIU
Page 125
Review Checklist Is only (and all) information essential to decision making displayed on the screen? Are all icons in a set visually and conceptually distinct? Have large objects, bold lines, and simple areas been used to distinguish icons? Does each icon stand out from its background? If the system uses a standard GUI interface where menu sequence
Yes
No
9.1
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
has already been specified, do menus adhere to the specification whenever possible?
9.6
Are meaningful groups of items separated by white space? Does each data entry screen have a short, simple, clear, distinctive title? Are field labels brief, familiar, and descriptive? Are prompts expressed in the affirmative, and do they use the active voice? Is each lower-level menu choice associated with only one higher level menu? Are menu titles brief, yet long enough to communicate? Are there pop-up or pull-down menus within data entry fields that have many, but well-defined, entry options?
9.7
9.8
9.9
9.10
9.11
9.12
HCIU
Page 126
Review Checklist If users are working from hard copy, are the parts of the hard copy that go on-line marked? Are on-line instructions visually distinct? Do the instructions follow the sequence of user actions? If menu choices are ambiguous, does the system provide additional explanatory information when an item is selected? Are data entry screens and dialog boxes supported by navigation and completion instructions? If menu items are ambiguous, does the system provide additional explanatory information when an item is selected? Are there memory aids for commands, either through on-line quick reference or prompting? Is the help function visible; for example, a key labeled HELP or a special menu? Is the help system interface (navigation, presentation, and
Yes
No
10.1
10.2 10.3
10.4
10.5
10.6
10.7
10.8
10.9
conversation) consistent with the navigation, presentation, and conversation interfaces of the application it supports?
Navigation: Is information easy to find? Presentation: Is the visual layout well designed? Conversation: Is the information accurate, complete, and
HCIU
Page 127
11. Skills The system should support, extend, supplement, or enhance the users skills, background knowledge, and expertise ---not replace them.
Review Checklist Can users choose between iconic and text display of information? Are window operations easy to learn and use? If users are experts, usage is frequent, or the system has a slow
Yes
No
Page 128
HCIU
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7 11.8
11.9
11.10
11.12
11.13
11.14
11.15
11.16
11.17
11.18
HCIU
Page 129
11.20
11.21
11.22
12. Pleasurable and Respectful Interaction with the User The users interactions with the system should enhance the quality of her or his work-life. The user should be treated with respect. The design should be aesthetically pleasing- with artistic as well as functional value.
Review Checklist Is each individual icon a harmonious member of a family of icons? Has excessive detail in icon design been avoided? Has color been used with discretion? Has the amount of required window housekeeping been kept to a minimum? If users are working from hard copy, does the screen layout match the paper form? Has color been used specifically to draw attention, communicate organization, indicate status changes, and establish relationships? Can users turn off automatic color coding if necessary? Are typing requirements minimal for question and answer interfaces?
Yes
No
12.4
12.5
12.6
12.7 12.8
HCIU
Page 130
12.13
12.14
12.15
12.16
12.17
13. Privacy The system should help the user to protect personal or private information- belonging to the user or the his/her clients.
# 13.1
Review Checklist Are protected areas completely inaccessible? Can protected or confidential areas be accessed with certain passwords. Is this feature effective and successful.
Yes
No
13.2
13.3
HCIU
Page 131
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/5233[Accessed on 7th March 2011] 8. Welsh, Formative vs. Summative Assessment, [online], available
from,http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/about/index.html [Accessed on 8th March 2011] 9. Diagnostic Formative & Summative Assessment, [online], available
HCIU
Page 132
HCIU
Page 133