IT201 - Human Computer Interaction - Project 5 - Summary of Prototype Test

This was my fifth project 

12-3: Project 5: Summary of Prototype Test

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Purpose

Your goal is to create a design for a software interface.  You will experience the scope of the design process from brainstorming ideas and gathering information about users’ needs to storyboarding, prototyping, and finally, testing and refining your product.
As you work on the software interface, you will demonstrate your ability to apply fundamental Human-Computer Interaction principles to interface analysis, design, and implementation. You will be responsible for delivering project components to your professor at several points during the course.

Action Items

Carolyn Snyder, author of Paper Protyping writes, “Paper prototyping is a variation of usability testing where the representative users perform realistic tests by interacting with a paper version of the interface that is manipulated by a person ‘playing computer’ who doesn’t explain how the interface is intended to work.”
1) You will conduct a heuristic evaluation of your paper prototype with expert users. Your classmates in this course would make great expert reviewers. You should use Jakob Nielsen’s Ten Usability Heuristics or another set of heuristics approved by your professor.
a) Print out whichever set you will use. You may use this worksheet. Have one copy for each expert user.
b) The purpose of the heuristics is to guide your expert users and help them find as many different types of usability issues as possible.
c) Instruct your experts to describe each issue noted as specifically as possible. Allow the expert to explore the interface and follow any paths.

2) Make sure to practice with your prototype so that you can operate it effectively and not waste time. Doing several practice runs or walkthroughs will help you identify missing pieces and dead ends.

3) It would be a good idea to do this testing in groups of three or four people. One person can be the expert tester while another works the prototype and the others take notes or photographs. Then, everyone can switch roles until all participants have been experts and had a chance to test their designs.

4) Review the feedback you got from your reviewers and use it to create a report called Summary of Prototype Testing Results.
a) Describe what worked and what didn’t.
b) Create a list of specific changes you want to make to your interface.
c) Submit to your professor

Submission Instructions

• Complete and submit your assignment per your professor's instructions.

Grading Criteria

• Problem solving and analysis:
• Answers complete and correct: 0 – 20 points

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below you can see my work and in this link Here 

Human Computer Interaction-IT 201

Project 5 - Summary of Prototype Testing Results.

Student name: ****** Alloush     1300********

I shared my application prototype with three of my colleagues, then I asked them find as many different types of usability issues as possible using a heuristic evaluation worksheet as a guide (attached with this summary).

 Their responses were as the following:

First User Review:

My first expert user was Safa’a, undergraduate Health informatics student.  She thought that my app's idea was very realistic and it was needed in the real world, too. She listed her description as follows:

·        Your app is prefect in a way that is easy to use and navigate through the menus, you used good colors and plain English in labeling.

·        One disadvantage in the design is that the app interface looks old a little bit, users would love to see an attractive modern design.

·        The app is related to the real world in the sense that it solves a major problem all of us had suffered from, but I think exchanging books with someone you don't know is a little bit risky, you need to make this more secure option.

·        The app provides error prevention through the pop-ups message that appears on the screen, although these messages may help novice users, they will annoy expert users who can figure it out by themselves. You may want to provide an option at the beginning of the app to allow the choice of showing these messages or not.

·         In the end, everything else is  fine from the flexibility, recognition rather than recall, help and documentation.

Second User Review:

My second expert user is Mohannad, undergraduate IT- student. He thought that the app's idea was good. He gave me the following feedback:

• Visibility of your app is good, only it needs some fixing regarding the colors of your icons. E.g. your user's icon is in black, and when it had been chosen it still in black, there is nothing shows explicitly that I choose this icon.
• When searching for nearby users, there is nothing that classifies the results. You need to include each user's interests along with their details page, so when using the app I can choose those who match my interest rather than adding them to favorite list, then discovering that they interested in the other book genre.
• You provided good help tips and error prevention with the pop up messages.
•  You need to make links appear as links, such as " send a follow request", it doesn't appear as a link or add a symbol  next to it. 

Third User Review:

My third expert user is Roqya , undergraduate IT-student. She listed the following points about me app:

·        You need to include a notifications part at the top of your app next to the user name, such as: following requests sent to me, the comments I received…and so on.

·         You need to allow communication with other users through messages by providing a new link for sending messages.

·        You need to provide help regarding logging in, such as " forgot password?" so user can recover his/her account when forgetting password.

·        You provided a tutorial for dealing with the app which is a great point for novices,  as well as the help icon. Also, You followed the standard design for apps which is great.

·        You need to make users register by their emails, this will help receiving emails from the app designers.

List of changes I need to do to my application's interface:

1.     Changing some colors in order to make the app more attractive for users.

2.     Add " interests" lists to nearby users details page, this will make it easier for  a user to choose who match his/her interest.

3.     provide an option at the beginning of the app to allow the choice of showing pop-up messages that explain each section in the home page.

4.     Making the chosen icon shown explicitly that they are active by providing different color design, this will help prevent errors.

5.     Adding symbols near to the links, this will help the user know that this link can be activated. E.g. adding a small message symbol near this link " send a following request".

6.     Allowing communication between users through messages, this option will be added to nearby users details page.

7.     Adding a notification part on the top of the app interface near the name, including : following requests sent to user, received messages and comments.

8.     Provide a new link in the login page to help the user recover the account in case password was lost.

9.     Registration should be done using an email rather than just a name, this will make the account related to an email so users can receive notifications or in case password was lost, also it will make the account more secure.