Question

In designing a university-wide student information system for Cambridge, it is necessary to meet the usability requirements of various groups, including (among to others

(i)   Staff working in college tutorial offices, and

(ii) People applying online for admission as graduate students.

1. In what respects would the usability requirements of these two groups be likely to differ?                                                                                                [2 marks]

2. Discuss THREE (3) usability properties concerning both groups and explain how it can be achieved.                                                          [6 marks]

3. Create a form and write EIGHT (8) questions based on heuristic evaluation to evaluate the interactive design.                              [8 marks]

4. Suggest TWO (2) specific interaction features that might address the needs of these different users.                                                                     [4 marks]

Answer 1

1. In what respects would the usability requirements of these two groups be likely to differ?

Learnability: Staff working in college tutorial offices can easily learn the software design and understand the interfaces better than people who are applying for onilne admission as a graduate students.  

Efficiency: The attributes of efficiency how well a user can interact with a design once it is learned. The opportunity for learning the design and interaction is higher for staffs compare than people who are using the design for first time.

2.Discuss THREE (3) usability properties concerning both groups and explain how it can be achieved.

The interface and design : The interface and design of the university-wide student information system need to be attractive as well as how much control the user has over them. All of the other attributes fall within what the design of the system really is.

Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they re establish proficiency?.user learns the website and is able to use it with maximum productivity, the next attribute a website designer needs to consider is memorability and retainability. What these attributes measure is the ability of a user to come back to the website after an extended period of time and not need to relearn how to use it.

Error and Error Tolerance : How many errors do users make and how easily can they recover from the errors.To satisfy these attributes, a website needs to be as free of potential errors as possible. what this means is that there needs to be a minimal number of scenarios where a user must backtrack and start their process all over again. When errors are unavoidable, there needs to be a system in place that makes it easy to recover from.There are various ways to succeed with these attributes. For one, the flow of the website needs to ensure that the possibility of error is as low as possible by providing clear instructions and direction for where a user needs to go next.

3. Create a form and write EIGHT (8) questions based on heuristic evaluation to evaluate the interactive design.        

a. Do students use the university-wide student information system?

b. Are they Include warnings and autocorrect features to minimize errors?

c. Beware of in-app browsers and restrictions (e.g., scrolling) in mobile design?

d.Can you able to understand all the questions in the admission form?

e.Is forms easy to complete?

f. Is errors easy to diagnose.

g. Is Offer easy-to-understand help documentation?

h. Is they Provide a back button to undo actions.

4. Suggest TWO (2) specific interaction features that might address the needs of these different users.   

Feedback:Critique of your design is not personal. Your client may see things from a very different perspective than you, and that perspective is valuable. The feedback process is the most important way for you to improve as a designer, so take everything constructively and try to learn and grow from it. If feedback gets too prescriptive or subjective, focus back to goals and metrics for project success, and frame your clarifying questions in those term to force the ensuing discussion down the right path. Don’t end that discussion until you’re satisfied you fully understand the motivation behind that piece of feedback

Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design?.satisfaction with which specified users achieve specified goals in particular environments.whilst user experience is concerned with “all aspects of the user’s experience when interacting with the product, service, environment or facility.