Heuristic Evaluation Project Usability Aspect...

Dhruba BaishyaCharles Szymansky Rajesh V.B.INFSCI 2470 Interactive System Design

Heuristic Evaluation ProjectUsability Aspect Report

The Evaluation Our group decided to apply the heuristic analysis approach for the evaluation process. We need identify both the flaws and good features and take a deep look at how these features or problems can affect user’s experience. Each group member conducts the evaluation process independently and then UARs are collected and medication, deletion and merge are possible for some of reports. In the final report, we present those most distinguishable features and problems that hold the highest priority .We have categorized the severity of the problem into strong, .medium and small.

Project Completion Schedule

1. Project Discussion2. Independent evaluation, each submits 7 UARs3. Combination of UARs 4. Make summary table5. Prepare outline and coversheet6. Final review of report and proofreading

1

The System All our group members are interested in evaluating the Conference Navigator 2.0 beta system, which can be used by anyone who is interested to track and follow up the conference papers for the conference “Adaptive Hypermedia 2008”. Primary target users for this system would be students, academician, researchers and others searching information about conferences. We would like to take this opportunity to identify both pros and cons of system interface design so feedbacks could be forwarded to development group for improvement. The URL is located at: http://washington.sis.pitt.edu/cn20beta/

ConferenceNavigator is a web-based system that integrates many visualization features to view information regarding a conference.

http://washington.sis.pitt.edu/cn20beta/



ID Good feature

Problem

HE1: Tabbed browsingHE2: Collapsible panels

HE3: Drag and drop panelsHE4: Usage of word cloud to highlight important conceptsHE5: Users cannot save state of the layouts (panels) after changing themHE6: Lack of consistent navigationHE7: Word clouds corresponding to less significant contributors are unreadable

HE8: Simple account creation interfaceHE9: Well defined login (entry) and logout(exit)HE10: Top Ten categorization based-on annotation, visits, and communityHE11: Sorting features in all the three top-ten panels HE12: System is too text heavyHE13: “Paper Summary”, Notes and “Schedule This Paper” are not given appropriate screen spaceHE14: “Schedule This Paper” phrase is not self-explanatory

HE15: Hierarchical presentation of users’ scheduleHE16: Ability to personalized scheduleHE17: User friendly program calendar layoutHE18: Text area in “Schedule This Paper” is unnecessarily largeHE19: Too many WYSIWYG text controls for simple notesHE20: Lack of affordance HE21: Word clouds are drawing too much user attention

2



HE1 – Good FeatureNameTabbed BrowsingEvidenceHeuristic: Minimize user memory load

ExplanationIt minimizes number of “back” and “forward” clicks. Also, the required number of windows are reduced. Current structure resembles a tree-like pattern.BenefitTabbed browsing lets users see all the relevant pages in one window.Trade-offsAt this stage, it is difficult to anticipate the nature of browsing when system will have multiple conferences.RelationshipsHE6Submitted byDhruba Baishya

3



HE2 -- Good FeatureNameCollapsible PanelsEvidenceHeuristic: Minimize User Memory Load

ExplanationUsers can collapse any panel available inside the system into a bar-like panel. It reduces clutter present in the system, and it allows users to focus on specific panel contents. BenefitUsers can focus on specific panel contents better. It allows a user to hide contents that is not relevant to him/her.Trade-offsNone.RelationshipsHE3; HE6Submitted byDhruba BaishyaHE3 -- Good FeatureNameDragging and dropping features in panels.

4



EvidenceHeuristic: Minimize User Memory Load

ExplanationDragging and dropping allows users to change the layout as per his/her preference. Different contents of the system may be useful to different users at different level. This feature provides personalization from a design and layout perspective.BenefitsIt allows users to reorganize system layout, which helps with reduced memory load.Trade-Offs RelationshipsHE6Submitted byDhruba BaishyaHE4 -- Good FeatureNameUsage of word cloud to highlight important concepts

5



EvidenceHeuristic: Provide Shortcuts.

ExplanationTags and tag clouds are a nice way to understand current flavor of the system and its community. Tag clouds lets users see what concepts are more popular in partiular edition of a conference.BenefitIt helps users to identify with the conference community and understand what is more popular in the ongoing event.Trade-offsCurrent tag clouds do not handles obvious concepts very well. A conference on Adaptive Hypermedia is bound to have bolder adaptive tag cloud, which it has. Whereas highlighting non-obvious but popular concepts might be more useful to research community.RelationshipsHE20, HE21Submitted byDhruba Baishya

HE5 -- ProblemNameUsers cannot save state of the layouts (panels) after changing them

6



EvidenceHeuristic: Minimize user memory load.

(Modified View)

(Section of Default View)

ExplanationCustomizable layouts allows users to change the layout as per his/her preference. However, modifications are lost when users sign-out or page is refreshed. SeverityIf users see this effect repeatedly, they may prefer not to use layout customization feature at all. Possible SolutionRequired solution is more of a technical then design. There should be a way to save changed layout, such as - “Save this layout”.RelationshipsHE3Submitted byDhruba BaishyaHE6 -- ProblemNameLack of consistent navigation

7



EvidenceHeuristic: Be consistent

ExplanationAs mentioned in HE1, system layout resembles a tree-like pattern. When user clicks a particular paper, users expects it to open as a sub-child of Summary-tab or least Conference-tab, instead a new tab is opened along with the Conference-tab. Here consistency of navigation is lost. SeverityConsistency could be bigger problem with multiple conferences. If you have multiple conferences any paper or new window should open as a sub-child of particular conference, so that user can keep track of this paper and its parent conference.Possible SolutionPossible solutions is once again technical than design. It would be useful to maintain a Tree-like structures for entire system.RelationshipsHE2, HE3Submitted byDhruba Baishya

8



HE7 -- ProblemNameWord clouds corresponding to less significant contributors are unreadableEvidenceHeuristic: Provide shortcuts.

ExplanationTag clouds are usually useful and they are very useful when applied appropriately. Here tag clouds corresponding to some less popular concepts are so small that it is practically impossible to read them, which is not improper way to provide shortcuts.SeverityFrom aesthetics perspective it is not good. Users are more likely to ignore this feature then trying hard to figure out what these less popular concepts are.Possible SolutionSolution is more of a technical than design. But it would be useful to set some minimum and maximum font-size for tag clouds.Relationships

Submitted byDhruba Baishya

9



HE8: – Good Feature NameSimple account creation interface. EvidenceHeuristic: Simple and natural dialog

The account creation is presented in a way that is simple as well as that solves the purpose.

ExplanationWhen an unauthenticated user needs to some actions (like add a paper to his schedule) what only an authenticated user can do, he/she needs to signup. So the user is presented with this simple and natural dialog box. BenefitNew users have a charm to signup because this dialog box doesn’t prompt the user to answer a lot of questions.Trade-offsOther information like security question is not requested from the user. It is omitted from this group to save space.RelationshipsHE9,HE17Submitted byRajesh V.B

10



HE9 -- Good Feature NameWell defined login (entry) and logout(exit)EvidenceHeuristic: Provide FeedbackUsers can know the current status of their account just by looking at the appropriate places.

ExplanationStudents can manage their assignment documents via uploading the files under the right catalog. And students can also submit a comment with their assignment files. BenefitIf the user wants to get authenticated he needs just to signup a simple form and on clicking on submit he is indicated whether his account is created or not. Once created, he is logged into the home page and from there if he feels to exit, he just needs to click on the ‘Logout’ button at the top right (just as in case of many other forms) corner. Trade-offsNone.RelationshipsHE8,HE17Submitted byRajesh V.B

11



HE10 -- Good FeatureNameTop Ten categorization based-on annotation, visits, and communityEvidenceHeuristic: Speak the user’s languageThe conference papers most rated information can be clearly pictured.

12



ExplanationWhen a user enters the home page he is provided three collapsible menus one each for top ten visited pages, top ten annotated pages and top ten most active communities.

BenefitsThe user can access the “most interested” information about conference papers and communities very easily.Trade offs

RelationshipsHE2

Submitted byRajesh V.B

13



HE11 -- Good FeatureNameSorting features in all the three top-ten panels.EvidenceHeuristic: User control and freedomUsers are able to control what order they to view the papers.

Ascending Sort

Descending Sort

14



ExplanationTo track the top ten papers in alphabetical order the user needn’t squeeze his memory. Instead he can use this very nice feature to sort elements in all of the three top ten panels.BenefitThe users can use these view to sort the elements of top ten panels alphabetically. Trade-offsJust after loading the home page this option doesn’t show up in the top ten menu. It gets activated once the user clicks on the title bar. RelationshipsHE16Submitted byRajesh V.B

15



HE12 -- ProblemNameSystem is too text heavyEvidenceHeuristic: Speak the user's language

ExplanationWhen the user wants to view the summary of Adaptive Hypermedia 2008 program he is presented with information that is too text heavy and that it doesn’t speak user’s language. It would be fine if he perceives this information visually.SeverityThe users will have to ponder over the venue of the conference where it was held each year. Possible SolutionThe system can rely on googlemaps as a geo interface to show to user the locality of these conferences. RelationshipsHE7,HE21Submitted byRajesh V.BHE13 -- ProblemName“Paper Summary”, Notes and “Schedule This Paper” are not given appropriate screen spaceEvidenceHeuristic: Aesthetics

16



ExplanationWhenever a user wanted view information about a particular conference paper he clicks on the link which leads to the page as shown above. As wee see that appropriate text space is not allocated for viewing information about the paper and follow ups.SeverityUsers will take more time to find the information about the conference paper and consequently they may not be in a position to quickly decide whether to follow up the paper or not.Possible SolutionWe can increase the space in which the information about the conference paper is given by showing “schedule this paper” on user’s request. Also the space for whether or not to recommend this paper to communities can be shortened. RelationshipsHE18Submitted byRajesh V.B

HE14 -- ProblemName“Schedule This Paper” phrase is not self-explanatoryEvidenceHeuristic: Speak the users language

17



ExplanationWhenever the user wants to keep track of a paper for his future reference and follow up, he has no clue what this ‘schedule this paper’ means to him. The language used is not user friendly. SeverityThe user may not understand what is to schedule the paper and ultimately he may not use this option and probably may not track the papers too. Possible SolutionA small text description saying that schedule this paper would mean to follow up the paper along with tag value specification for easy remembrance. Relationships

Submitted byRajesh V.B

18



HE15– Good featureNameHierarchical presentation of user’s scheduleEvidenceHeuristic: Speak the user’s languageUser’s schedule is presented in a simple, easy to understand format

ExplanationAuthenticated users can view a personalized schedule of papers or talks that they are attending. The schedule is presented in a hierarchical format, where each day has its own box, and within that box, each paper presentation has another box. BenefitUsers can easily review which presentations they are attending since it is presented in a clear manner. Each day’s box can be expanded or collapsed so it takes up less real estate on the page.Trade-offsThe schedule is only available by hour. Some users may want to see it by location of the presentation, especially at conferences that are at large venues.RelationshipsHE2, HE9, HE16ObserverChris Szymansky

19



HE16 – Good featureNameAbility to personalize scheduleEvidenceHeuristic: User control and freedomUser’s are able to control what they want on their schedule

ExplanationAuthenticated user’s can browse papers and use the “Schedule this paper” panel to add it to a personalized schedule. That will add the paper to their personalized schedule.BenefitThis gives the system a degree of personalization. User’s are able to tailor the system to their individual interests and needs by personalizing their conference schedule.Trade-offsNoneRelationshipsHE9, HE15ObserverChris Szymansky

20



HE17– Good featureNameUser friendly program calendar layoutEvidenceHeuristic: Speak the user’s languageThe conference overview is presented in a way that makes sense to users. Dates, times, and locations are clearly marked.

ExplanationUser’s can click on the “Program” tab to see an overview of the conference. The main window has basic conference information, and the bottom window has tabs that correspond to each day of the conference. Each tab has a complete program schedule for that day, including times and locations of each event.BenefitIt is very easy to determine how long the conference is just by glancing at the page, since each tab is clearly marked with a date. User’s can then drill down by clicking on a date to see detailed information for a given day. The tabbed layout by day makes it very easy to toggle between days. Furthermore, within a day, users can sort by event name, start time, end time, or location. Trade-offsAlthough the layout itself makes sense, the layout approach with two vertical frames may not be ideal for some users, since it squeezes a lot of information into a small window and requires a lot of scrolling.RelationshipsHE1, HE11ObserverChris SzymanskyHE18– ProblemName “Schedule This Paper” takes up a large screen areaEvidenceHeuristic: AestheticsScheduling a paper takes up more screen real estate than necessary.

21



ExplanationScheduling a paper should be simple and intuitive. Currently, the ability to schedule involves viewing a right side pane, which suffers from excessive scrolling, mainly due to a large textbox for notes. How many notes could a user conceivably post about a paper? The “notes” text area could be half this size. Because the text area is so large, a user must scroll down to see the text “Post to your schedule”. Without seeing this, it is unclear exactly what happens when a paper is scheduled.SeverityMedium. If a user has difficulty understanding what happens when a paper is scheduled, it makes the feature less useful. By making a simple aesthetic improvement users would not have to scroll down. More text could be conveyed in a smaller area.Possible SolutionsReduce the height of the textbox or condense some of the other controls.RelationshipsHE16ObserverChris Szymansky

22



HE19– ProblemNameLack of feedback when scheduling a paperEvidenceHeuristic: Visibility of system status, provide help and feedbackThe status of the system when a user schedules a paper is unclear

ExplanationUpon scheduling a paper, it goes to the user’s personalized schedule page. However, it takes trial and error to understand this, since there is no system status or feedback that explains this to the user. There is only a message in yellow text that says “Submitted”, however, to see this message, it requires scrolling. Worse, the message is not particularly meaningful, and certainly does not inform the user that the scheduled paper is now viewable on another page. SeverityMedium. If a user cannot understand how to schedule a paper, or where a scheduled paper goes, it makes a key feature of the site less valuable.Possible SolutionsProvide clear messages, feedback, and directions to users. Have text that says “Scheduled papers appear on your personalized schedule”. And then when a paper is scheduled, provide a message that says “Click here to see this paper on you personal schedule” or something similar.RelationshipsHE16, HE18ObserverChris Szymansky

23



HE20 -- ProblemNameLack of affordances when navigating papersEvidenceHeuristic: Provide affordancesMake it clear what can be clicked and how to get from one part of the site to another.

ExplanationUsers have come to expect that a clickable link should have a hand-style cursor rather than an arrow, since a hand cursor affords that a user has moused over a link. When navigating papers, there is no such affordance. Additionally, there is only a light grey highlight behind the paper text. Highlights and text color changes also afford that something is a link. Depending on color settings, it is difficult to see the grey color.SeverityLow. Users will likely eventually figure out to click on the papers even without affordances.Possible solutionsUse a hand cursor and a more distinct background color when mousing over links.Relationships

Submitted byChris Szymansky

24



HE21 -- ProblemNameWord clouds draw too much user attentionEvidenceHeuristic: AestheticsThe user’s eye is drawn to an area of the page that should be secondary.

ExplanationThe word clouds on the right side of the main page are the first thing that “pop” off the page when a user visits the site. Although these word clouds are a useful tool for secondary navigation, they should not be the primary thing the eye is drawn to. They are one of the only items on the page that has a non-grayscale color and they have a large font, so they really stand out.SeverityLow. This is an aesthetic fix rather than a major issue. It fails to showcase the main draw to the site, conference papers, and instead showcases the word clouds.Trade-offsReduce overall size of word clouds. Add color to the paper lists, so they stand out to users.RelationshipsHE20, HE7Submitted byChris Szymansky

25



26

Heuristic Evaluation Project Usability Aspect...

Documents

Transcript of Heuristic Evaluation Project Usability Aspect...