Heuristic Evaluation

HCI - Assignment 4

Shahriar Mullick Swapnil

Akhilesh Kotiya
Chris Malloy
Raj Sonani

Table of Contents
Feedback from Users (Raw Data)....................................................................................................................................... 2
1.

Visibility of System Status........................................................................................................................................ 2

2.

Match between system and the real world............................................................................................................... 2

3.

User control and freedom......................................................................................................................................... 2

4.

Consistency and standards...................................................................................................................................... 3

5.

Error prevention....................................................................................................................................................... 3

6.

Recognition rather than recall.................................................................................................................................. 3

7.

Flexibility and efficiency of use................................................................................................................................ 3

8.

Aesthetic and minimalist design............................................................................................................................... 4

9.

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors........................................................................................ 4

Analysis Criteria................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Heuristic Analysis........................................................................................................................................................... 5
Ease of Fixing Ranking.................................................................................................................................................... 5
Severity of Fixing Ranking.............................................................................................................................................. 5
Feedback Analysis............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Conclusion......................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Feedback from Users (Raw Data)

1. Visibility of System Status
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Signup screen doesnt mention what is Sync. There can be a help button to help the users.
Enter Manually can be replaced with a better phrase or word.
When I go to the interest information page I am not sure what to do next.
Swipe right to discard this functionality is unclear, what if I swipe accidently?
No indication of what the page is about on the login screen, register user screen, the main home screen
etc.
f. Brand visibility toggles between header & footer. Might prove asymmetric and confusing.
g. On login page, sign in & sign up could prove confusing. Instead of sign up, register should be a better
word.
h. Uncertain how error & tooltip information is provided and on what event.
i. The home screen doesnt include signing & sign up link which can cause the users to be baffled as of what
to do, if they wish to connect.
j. Also, sync options has been provided with only radio button, if the uses wish to sync all accounts like
Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, if they can choose only one option then they would still be unclear as of what
to do in case they like to include other pages as well.

2. Match between system and the real world

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

Enter Manually wasnt clearly identified as an appropriate button.

Icons and words are understandable except
How are several tags displayed in the app?
On the main page, notifications could be placed in a drop-down list or a navbar
No navbar and bread crumbs in place, so difficult to navigate through app.
Clear or Out button not in place anywhere.
Icons and words are understandable except the notification icon, which is the one between home and
location I have trouble figuring out what it is.
h. They proposed system conveys the match between the system and the real world.

3. User control and freedom

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

I click the Sync button, select an application. Will I be re-directed to the sign-up page?
Re-set button isnt mentioned
If I unintentionally tag can I un-tag it instantly?
As stated earlier, brand keeps hopping between header & footer
Sign up should be replaced with register.
For music in interest information page, we could have a dropdown list instead of textbox.
No cancel button while registering account, but considering it is a mobile app user can press the back
button if it is android based or swipe the screen if it is iOS based. This part is not articulate in the sketch.
h. The function Shake phone to randomly update the notification If the phone gets shaken by mistake what
will happen on that occasion?

4. Consistency and standards

a. Sync many people wont understand what it is.
b. Icons on the tag page might not be known to all. Can mention common ones used.
c. The button Enter Manually doesnt fit the level of understanding with which users see it at the first
instant. So, this is not consistent design.

5. Error prevention
a. Does the application have error messages for user who enter wrong ID & Password?
b. Create event; does the application have a feature to delete an event created.
c. When entering interest information users are supposed to input the things they are interest in textbox and
what they input will generate tags for future use.
d. If the user enters wrong word there will be no match. If the user input something like
e. If the user input wrong words there will be no match or if the user input wrong words there will be no
match or if the user input something like this everything but classified under music category, will the
system correctly put classical as interest tag for the user? The problem is letting user input what they
want increases the chance of mistakes. Would be better to give some present tags and let user to choose
what they like.

6. Recognition rather than recall

a. If user makes multiple selection for music and skills do we have a segregation to distinguish between
music ads and skills ads.
b. Design is good in this aspect, only point I can make is have good tooltips and informative pop-ups (using
models maybe) for first time users.
c. The Sync functionality does it have to be done all the time the users login to the SMU connect or is it done
once?
d. The swipe right to delete a notification might be hard to recollect for some users.
e. The function shake phone to randomly update the information is convenient, but the logic of this
operation is outside the common logic of operations and there is no hint for it. Uses might have trouble
finding it or remembering to use it.

7. Flexibility and efficiency of use

a. Interest information screen if it has a drop-down symbol for the various categories, that will be easy for a
user who browses applications frequently.
b. If the tag mentioned under event can be elaborate rather than giving meta words like blues, jazz the
users will still feel it much more flexible to use.
c. Giving notification alarm or a popup with alarm saying its time for the event can help the user if they are
offline.
d. Shake phone to randomly update the information is efficient for frequent user to browse information for
novices it is better to provide them with an entry for updating information which they can easily find.

8. Aesthetic and minimalist design

9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors.
a. No proper indication of error feedback methodology.

Analysis Criteria
Heuristic Analysis
Number

Broad Heuristic

Visibility of system status

Match between system and the real world

User control and freedom

Consistency and standards

Error Prevention

Recognition rather than recall

Flexibility and efficiency of use

Aesthetic and minimalist design

Help users recognize, diagnose and recover from errors

Ease of Fixing Ranking

Rating

Definition

Extremely easy to fix

Easy to fix. Involves specific interface elements and solution is clear.

Problem would require some effort to fix. Involves multiple aspects of the interface.

Difficult to fix. involves multiple aspects of interface.

Severity of Fixing Ranking

Rating

Definition

Violates a heuristic but doesnt seem to be a usability problem.

Superficial usability problem: may be easily overcome by user or occurs extremely

infrequently. Does not need to be fixed for next release unless extra time is available.

Minor usability problem: may occur more frequently or be more difficult to overcome.
Fixing this should be given low priority.

Major usability problem: occurs frequently and persistently or users may be unable or
unaware of how to fix the problem. Important to fix, so should be given high priority.

Usability catastrophe: Seriously impairs use of product and cannot be overcome by users.
Imperative to fix this before product can be released.

Feedback Analysis
*Duplicate entries are removed.
-

No need to fix these problems.

Probl
em
Numb
er

Problem

Sever
ity
Ranki
ng

Ease
of
Fixin
g
Ranki
ng

Heuris
tic
Numb
er

Group

Solution

Implementatio
n
Status

On the main page,

notifications could be placed
in a drop-down list or a
navbar

Controls

Notification icon
links to the
notification page.

Implemented

Clear or Out button not in

place anywhere.

Controls

Add Reset button

on interface

Implemented

No cancel button while

registering account, but
considering it is a mobile
app user can press the back
button if it is android based
or swipe the screen if it is
iOS based. This part is not
articulate in the sketch.

Controls

Use android softkey. No need to

fix anything.

The function Shake phone

to randomly update the
notification If the phone gets
shaken by mistake what will
happen on that occasion?

Controls

Push new
content from
server. Shake
Phone feature
will not be used.
No need to
refresh.

Implemented

Brand visibility toggles

Icons &

Standardize label

Implemented

between header & footer.

Might prove asymmetric and
confusing.

Labels

layout.

Icons and words are

understandable except the
notification icon.

Icons &
Labels

Icon will be
replaced with
standard bell
notification icon.

Implemented

How are several tags

displayed in the app?

Icons &
Labels

Change layout of
tags

Implemented

If the tag mentioned under

event can be elaborate
rather than giving meta
words like blues, jazz the
users will still feel it much
more flexible to use.

Labels and
Icons

Option for
entering
Description for
events will be
provided

Signup screen doesnt

mention what is Sync. There
can be a help button to help
the users.

Login

No need to sign
up. Users can
use SMUID and
password to log
in.

Implemented

10

Also, sync options has been

provided with only radio
button, if the uses wish to
sync all accounts like
Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, if
they can choose only one
option then they would still
be unclear as of what to do

Sync

Radio buttons
will be replaced
with buttons.

Implemented

Option provided
to fetch
information
about interests
from multiple

in case they like to include

other pages as well.

sites

11

Enter Manually can be

replaced with a better
phrase or word.

Sync
Profile

Re-format Sync
Screen. Re-name
button to
Additional
Interests

Implemented

12

When I go to the interest

information page I am not
sure what to do next.

Sync
Profile

Drop down lists

will replace
textboxes.

Implemented

Users will be able

to select and
type information.
13

If user makes multiple

selection for music and
skills, do we have a
segregation to distinguish
between music ads and skills
ads?

14

Giving notification alarm or a

popup with alarm saying its
time for the event can help
the user if they are offline.

15

Swipe right to discard this

functionality is unclear, what
if I swipe accidently?

System
Feature

No need to fix.
There are no
advertisements.
All selected
interests are
used to
recommend
content.

System
Feature

Option for setting

reminders will be
incorporated.

User
Training

Tutorial will be
provided for firsttime users.

Undo/Redo
support.
16

Does the application have

error messages for user who
enter wrong ID & Password

Problem
Area

Total
Numb
er of
users

No of
users
Experien
ced
Problem

Login

Sync Profile

Notification
button

Bread crumbs

1/2

Back
navigation

Tags

Clear/Reset

User
Training

Feedback will be
provided so that
users can
recover from
error easily

Appropriate
messages
Implemented in
the system

Button
App Name
logo

Swipe
Right/Left

Shake Phone

Event
Notification

Conclusion
Solutions provided in Feedback Analysis section will be implement in new design/sketch/prototype. All four users
experienced problems related to Login screen, notification icon, tags, user training. We will be addressing these issues
in new design.