Project 4

Learning Objectives

Through the application of reading materials and completion of this project in light of its corresponding rubric:

  • Students will be introduced to methods for testing the usability of websites and perform tests on real-world websites.
    • Define different methods for evaluating a website’s usability and choose the appropriate test given example sites at different stages of development.
    • Given a site with a predefined set of usability issues, propose methods for resolving those issues.

Tasks

  1. Research
    1. Complete all materials under “Consumables” in this module.
    2. Watch this video on heuristics.
    3. Read Usability.gov documents:
      1. Planning a Usability Test
      2. Recruting Usability Test Participants
      3. Scenarios
      4. Running a Usability Test
    4. Read 25-Point Website Usability Checklist by Dr. Pete/User Effect, Inc.
  2. Use this modified version of Dr. Pete’s Usability Checklist. Rate each item on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being catastrophic failure and 5 being perfectly passable. If an item doesn’t seem to apply, simply write N/A. In the Comments area for each, write a one-sentence description of why you assigned the rating you did. Every row should have a comment. Remember, this is content that would, in theory, be given to someone else who would then take action based on it. Make it meaningful!
  3. You will be testing three of the sites found in the Cyberapolis student portal: Social Park, chirpyhub, and one other site of your choice. Each of these sites should receive its own dedicated copy of the modified testing checklist linked above. That means you’re submitting three copies of the checklist: one for Social Park, one for chirpyhub, and one for one of the other four sites available to you. Instructions on how to log into the Cyberapolis site can be found here.
  4. After completing the tests, you should write a one-page evaluation and comparative narrative that describes and contrasts the three sites. Some ideas to consider when writing might include: Which was most usable? Which was least? Were there any stand-out design choices that you noticed? If you chose the bank, does their security seem up-to-snuff for a financial institution? How about the hospital? How did the social media sites compare to the third site you chose? Be creative here and provide some critical and helpful suggestions for improving the user experience and/or security of each of the sites.

Evaluation targets

Gateway requirements: all three evaluations are complete, the PDF submission includes everything listed in Task 2-2 above, and the grading declaration is complete.

Thoroughness: All tests completed in their entirety. No checklist items blank or incomplete.
Evaluation: Written narrative is thorough and demonstrates a close inspection of each of the sites.
Comparison: Comparison and contrasting observations presented clearly and with a critical eye.
Mechanics/Grammar: Text is easy to read, free from mechanical and grammatical errors.