A heuristic evaluation is a usability inspection method for computer software that helps to identify usability problems in the user interface (UI) design. Describe a an example of an interaction you had (good or bad) and provide designers reading and responding to this blog with useful information for great UI.
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An example of an interaction I have had with a user interface would be the Pinterest application on my phone. The user interface on this application is easy to follow. I say this because it speaks the users language by using symbols that are commonly used and recognizable to users. The application also includes a simplified version of the actual Pinterest website. It creates a much easier interface to use on mobile devices on the go, but still maneuvers much like the website does. In the application, clicking on the picture takes you to the link just like it does on the actual site. It is easy to tell which things are buttons by the boxes around them that are uniformly used throughout the application. Having learned the tricks to Pinterest.com already, the application was a breeze to learn, and I enjoy spending time using it, not only for the content, but also for the ease of use.
Amanda Wilson
January 19, 2013 at 11:32 pm
The thing I love the most about video games is the fact that they are an interactive piece of art, and with this high degree of interactivity comes the expectation that the interaction will be a pleasant one. Interface design, as such, is one of the most important aspects of a game. Because I am pickier rather than not with the games I choose to play at this moment, I haven’t played a game with a bad user interface in a long time. That doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about the times I have experienced bad user interfaces, and in my personal opinion great user interface design all comes down to one simple detail: the effectiveness of communication. One thing you cannot take for granted is the fact that there is a certain expectation of what will occur when a specific action is taken. The worst thing you can do as an interface designer is expect people to try to figure out what your exceptions to the rule are without telling them. While it’s considered an interface design faux-pas to force a user to use a tutorial, if you’re not particularly clever at teaching people how to use your interface then it’s better than throwing them in an environment with absolutely no communication on your or the design’s part. But if you can teach them everything they need to know about using your interface without saying a single word, then that’s when you know you’ve created an interface that is truly incredible.
Taylor Matthews
January 23, 2013 at 7:53 pm
Most weekends when I am looking for something to do I’ll get online and see what’s playing at the local movie theatre. The problem I used to have with this was the visibility of the systems status and the consistency of standards. Since the movie theater was part of a chain of movie theaters, I couldn’t tell whether the movie chart I was looking for was for the theater nearest me or for one in Texas. Some good user interface would have been to ‘get more organized.’ The designer should have had a spot for their town to be located or the zip code. Instead I would have to search around for a while to see if I could possibly find specifics. Then if I did find the town, the title of it would have been too small to see. Since then the site has been remodeled and a drop tab with the state and then the town has been added making it so much easier for people to navigate.
Ciara Stallbaumer
January 24, 2013 at 4:30 pm
There have been many instances where user interface has become an issue. So many times, a site has been unclear causing me to waste an unnecessary amount of time and become frustrated for what seems like a silly reason. In most cases, this happens with online applications. Not the most recent, but some of the most frustrating would be applications applying for different colleges. I remember one in particular for Northwest Nazarene University. To begin, on their homepage, there was no clear indication as to where I could find an application. I spent an extra fifteen minutes looking for the application when I could have been spending that time filling it out. To improve this, it would be nice if they created a direct path to the application, rather than having multiple tabs the user has to go through in order to find it. It almost felt like a guessing game that I was playing with the site. This is a downfall because the user could become impatient and give up on trying to find the application, just like I almost did. A good example of an easy to find application for colleges would be North Idaho College. I was able to find their application within two minutes of getting onto their site because of how well their usability was mapped out. It saved me a lot of time and stress. Not only that, but when I finally started the process of filling out the application, I noticed there were multiple parts to it and there was one part I actually had to request them to send me in the mail. This made things very difficult because I was not able to simply complete the entire thing online. Instead, I had to complete multiple forms online, as well as wait for papers to come in the mail to do by hand. This was incredibly inconvenient because it creates the opportunity for ‘missing documents’ — I may forget there is another part, or simply misplace the papers. The different aspects of the application online were among the most frustrating. According to the site, there were some papers that were not required to fill out, yet there were others that were required. However, it was not clear as to which papers I did need to complete. So, for all I knew, I could have wasted thirty minutes filling out a part of the application that I did not even need. Although, one thing I did appreciate was the fact that the application let me know how many more pages were left for me to complete during he process. These are simply a few issues I have run into with usability. In order to create a functional and successful site,there are many things that must occur. One important thing would be to make sure the user knows that what they are doing is relevant and important. There is nothing more frustrating than filling something out or giving information that we feel like is a waste of time and energy. Also, it would be wise to keep the user informed on how much time they may be spending completing something. Sometimes, users may be on a time crunch and choose not to complete it for the mere fact they feel they do not have enough time or think it would be a waste of their time. Error prevention is another important aspect. Have you even submitted something, but it does not go through because of an error stated? Sometimes it will not even tell you where you made the error which causes the need to dissect every aspect of the form and find where you went wrong. Most of the time, we may not even be able to find a mistake. So, letting the user know exactly where they messed up and how to fix it is incredibly beneficial. Design is also an important aspect. If the site is bland and minimal it could cause confusion. On the other hand, if it is too complex, it could also cause confusion. All in all, usability is a very complex thing. There is a lot of thought and careful planning that must go into it in order for it to be successful.
Ashley Moon
January 28, 2013 at 5:52 pm
When Facebook introduced timeline as the evolution of the page a lot of people, including myself, were in uproar. To change something that we have been used to for as long as Facebook had existed seemed barbaric and too complicated. The designers were out of their minds. But were these feelings only fear of the unknown? Did the designers really know what they were doing? My answer is yes. With this change, the users now had a more organized page and other users could find the information they wanted a lot easier. This was a good user interface design decision. The way people communicate and access information is crucial to interface design and the creators and developers of Facebook, in my opinion, nailed this one spot on! The visual aids such as About, Photos, Likes and others helped users find what they wanted with a nice visual layout. Giving the control to the user by allowing them to view News feeds either in ‘Top Stories’ or ‘More Recent’ helped the user to access specific information. The timeline feature allows users to access information from years ago whereas the earlier version only allowed you to view information from the last few months. You could scroll down until you found information from 2006 but it probably would take years to get there! Overall the move to help Facebook users access information by creating the timeline feature helps guide Facebook users so they can enjoy their online social networking experience.
Sarah Roether
January 29, 2013 at 12:22 am
While a user is visiting various websites, they subconsciously if not consciously remember sites that are easiest to navigate through. There are plenty of confusing and uninteresting websites out there and none of them, to me, have been very memorable. A website that comes to my mind that has a perfect combination of user friendliness and great design is apple.com. Apple is known to be user friendly across the board in their products and website. I have never seen their website down due to technical difficulties, and users are attracted to their reliability and consistency. Their website uses simple wording when it comes to navigation, and product descriptions are short and sweet. Apple is also known to stick to grey and white in their designs, which contrasts great with the colors in their product photos. Users are attracted to these usability heuristics because of the minimalist design, reliable products and consistent system support. This slideshow helped me see how throughout the years digital and interactive media have competed back and forth and are dependent on each other. Apple still profits from print ads despite the fact that most of the money they make is from digital media. This slideshow also made me realize that users do expect what they see in their head and you have to do your best as a designer to achieve what they want, following what is possible.
Kendra Forshee
January 30, 2013 at 4:36 pm
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