ITC 504 Interface Usability Proof Reading Services

ITC 504 Interface Usability Proof Reading Services

This is the assessment 3 of ITC 504 Interface Usability

Design evaluation:

For design evaluation, the Nielsen Heuristic principles are used.  The Nielsen gives ten principles for User Interface design. The Nielsen principle is known as Heuristic usability principle that is used to investigating the usability issues from the application. We are working on the Group 2 Sydney toll road application. First issues are found by the Swapna Gowri Akula that is based on the 4 principles of the heuristic model and next three principle based issues are found by the Shruti Sri Vaishnavi boddu. The design evaluation of group2 (Sydney toll road app) user interface:

Issues are found by Swapna Gowri Akula:

1. Visibility of system status:  The application should always inform the users about the actions that are performed by the application. The users get informed by proper feedback within a reasonable period.

Issue and its location: Various screens of the application have visibility issue.

The reason of issue: The application does not provide all information; it may create difficulties to perform actions.

Issue classification: This is considered a major issue.

Action to resolve the issue:  Provide the names with their icon in the screen header. If the user performs incorrect actions, the application should inform by giving feedback message.

2. Match between system and the real world: The Sydney toll road application should provide easy language that is easily understood by the users and match with the real world. The concepts of the application should be familiar with the users. The application should appear the information in logical order and natural order.

Issue and its location: This issue occurs in three screens of the application.

The reason of issue: The spelling of vehicle, toll, and CVV is incorrect. The user gets confused what application wants?

Issue classification: It should be a major issue. 

Action to resolve the issue:  correct all the incorrect spelling (Figure 2 and figure 3).

3. User control and freedom: The functions of the application should be clearly understandable by the users. If the user selects the function of the application by mistake then the application will be marked clearly to leave this screen. The application screen should have back button or exit button to leave unwanted function or screen.

Issue and its location: the Maximum screen of this application occurred with this issue.

The reason of issue: The screen has no back button and application not display an error message.

Issue classification: It should be a major issue.

Action to resolve the issue:  design back button on the screen and display an error message if the user inserts wrong information or perform wrong actions.

4. Error Prevention: The application should ask the user before performing an action. So, the application should provide a confirmation of user action to prevent them from errors. The error message should be in clear language that must be easily understood by the users.

Issue and its location: The Various screen of the application faces this issue.

The reason of issue: The screens are not displayed any confirmation message before performing an action.

Issue classification: It should be a major issue.

Action to resolve the issue:  Provide the confirmation message before clicking on add option, apply option, edit and done option.

Issues found by Shruti Sri Vaishnavi Boddu:

5. Recognition rather than recall:If application follows this principle, the user does not need to take more loads how they use this application. The application should provide the instruction to use it and that instruction should be easily visible on the screen.

Issue and its location: This issue occurs on the screens header.

The reason of issue: The screens not provide instruction or give names of the icon. It creates confusion for a new user or inexperienced users.

Issue classification: It should be a major issue for new users.

Action to resolve the issue:  Provide icon names on the screen header to instruct the users. Display the login username on the screen where user profile pic is displayed.

6. Help users recognize, recover and diagnose the errors: The Sydney toll road application should indicate the issues and recover them by giving a solution. The language should be clear or plain without any of code when it shows an error message.

Issue and its location: Various screen faces this issue like register vehicle delete part screen, apply e-tag screens etc. (Figure 1, 2)

The reason of issue: If the user inserts wrong information, it does not show any error message.

Issue classification: It should be a major issue.

Action to resolve the issue:  if the user inserts incorrect information in the given fields of the screen, it should provide an error message to resolve the errors.

7. Help and documentation: Application or software should provide a help and documentation option to guide the users. In documentation, it provides the steps to runs the application and these steps should not be large.

Issue and its location: Home screen and other screen face this issue.

Reason for issue: There is no help and documentation to help or instruct the new users.

Issue classification: it should be a minor issue for experienced users but for new users it should be a major issue.

Action to resolve the issue: Help option on the home screen that contains all the steps to run the application. The steps should not too large. 

8. Flexibility and efficiency: The application should be interactive for the users and easy for both types of users such as experienced and inexperienced or new users. The design of the application or software should good (Nielsen, 1995).

Issue and its location: Multiple screens of the application face this issue.

Reason for issue: The screens of Sydney toll road application must have a background image and have each designed icon name on the screen.

Issue classification: It should be a minor issue.

Action to resolve the issue: To make application flexible and efficient, the group2 must provide background image on the screen and also provide the icon name on every screen.

Remediation of the usability issues

The usability issues are discussed above with their locations of the application. Some issues are minor and some are major issues that are found by us. To improve the Sydney Toll road application, the group2 must follow these remedies:

Remediation gave by Swapna Gowri Akula

1. Correct the incorrect spelling such as a vehicle, CVV, toll etc.
2. Provide the icon names that are located in the screen reader.
3. Provide the background image on the entire screen of the application (all screens).
4. Provide username with his profile picture that is located on right side of screens (all screens).
5. Provide confirmation message to ask the user before performing the action .
6. Provide a drop-down list for data visibility .

Remediation gave by Shruti Sri Vaishnavi Boddu

1. The screen title must be bold or look is different from other given options.
2. Provide back button on the entire screen to go the previous screen.
3. Provide help function to guide new users with documentation. The documentation presents the steps to run the application.
4. If the user inserts wrong information in the fields, the application must show an error to the users. The error message must show the error with description.

Usability Strategy

The usability strategy is applied to make application easy and pleasant. Group2 must apply all the usability principles according to solution or action that is given above. The experienced & inexperienced users easily use the features of the application without taking more loads. There is ten usability principle defined by Nielson (Nielsen, 2012). In Sydney toll road application of group2 has complete all the requirement of the two principles that are aesthetic and minimalist design and consistency and standards. The aesthetic and minimalist design principle is completed by not giving irrelevant data or features; every screen contains relevant fields that are related to the user visibility. This is the positive point of the grou2 application. The consistency and standard principle are completed by designing the header on the entire screen of the application. Every screen of the application also contains the footer with same icons and also has user profile picture.  We evaluate the application and found various issues such as incorrect spelling, no background image, no icon name etc. To resolve these issues, group2 follows the usability principle of the heuristic model. When all the usability principles are followed, the application will be easy and pleasant for users.

References

Nielsen J. (1995). Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/

Nielsen J. (2012). Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-101-introduction-to-usability/