Goal:

The goal of this assignment is to acquire some familiarity with the heuristic evaluation process.

Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation:

The following figure illustrates the Windows NT dialog box for setting default screen backgrounds:



(You can operate this interface on the SIMS machines by going to Start/Settings/Control Panel/ and clicking on Display. We are only focusing on the functionality associated with the "Background" tab for this assignment; you can ignore the rest of the Display settings.)

First write a paragraph describing what the intended functionality of this interface is (what it is supposed to allow the user to do).

Then do a heuristic evaluation of this interface. Follow the steps described in class and in Nielsen Chapter 5. In your writeup, describe at least five usability problems. Label each violation with an HE rule number (see below). For each problem, you must discuss which guideline is violated, and why. You should also suggest a solution to solve each of these problems. Use Nielsen's heuristics (reproduced below) to label each violation. Remember to list each violation separately. Turn in a hardcopy in class. It is preferable that you also make an online version in case we want to link to it from the solutions page.

HE Guidelines:

These guidelines are reproduced from Nielsen's list at http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html. They are reproduced here so you can make use of a common numbering system.
1. Visibility of system status
   The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.

   Match between system and the real world

   The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.

   User control and freedom

   Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo.

   Consistency and standards

   Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.

   Error prevention

   Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place.

   Recognition rather than recall

   Make objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.

   Flexibility and efficiency of use

   Accelerators -- unseen by the novice user -- may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.

   Aesthetic and minimalist design

   Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.

   Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

   Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.

   Help and documentation

   Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.