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Evaluate known interface issues in the RadioFlag application and provide usability suggestions to enhance user experience. Focus on drill-down navigation and search functionality.
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Informatics 132Project 6: RadioFlag Thomas Chen, Derek Vo, William Yeh, Shawn Ridgeway
Project Overview • Our project is the evaluation of specific known interface issues that exist with the RadioFlag application. • RadioFlag is a Twitter-like mobile social network application focused on the radio listening experience. • Users listen to radio stations broadcasting over the internet and comment via a flagcasts. • The application is live; launched here at UCI two weeks ago.
Initial Impressions • The first impression many of us had was of the UI aesthetics. The application has a very modern look and feel. • However, while navigating around the application it is easy to become lost and have to backtrack, drill-down. • The search function for the app has a conflict with user experience adaptation. Most users for mobile devices are used to typing in keywords and hitting return for search results (or just getting results like in Google Instant Search). Intuitively, the return button is often associated with an action, however, for RadioFlag's search function the return button does not function in this manner and instead closes the keyboard.
See if our initial impressions are true Find any other HCI issues that arise while users navigate the app Make design suggestions to remedy these issues and improve the overall usability of the app Project Purpose
Usability Problems We were asked to make usability suggestions that would solve two identified issues with the current interface: 1. View Drill-down The user interface has a complicated 'drill-down' navigation: users can drill into a flagcast, to a flag detail page, to a user detail page, to another flagcast, and so on. Is there a better way to organize the interface to help make it more presentable? 2. Search Page Many users often type something, and do not intuit that they need to select a type of object to complete the search. Is there a clearer way to provide the search functionality?
Usability Problems We were asked to make usability suggestions that would solve two identified issues with the current interface: 1. View Drill-down The user interface has a complicated 'drill-down' navigation: users can drill into a flagcast, to a flag detail page, to a user detail page, to another flagcast, and so on. Is there a better way to organize the interface to help make it more presentable? 2. Search Page Many users often type something, and do not intuit that they need to select a type of object to complete the search. Is there a clearer way to provide the search functionality?
Methods of Testing 1. Heuristic Evaluation We decided to use heuristic evaluation as we already know our main two main focuses will be about the current 1.0 user interface. We will be using the HCI guideline to analyze the interface. The fact that Apple has its own guidelines also means that we will have to make sure our suggestions are within the acceptable application interface requirement set by Apple. For the drill-down issue we will measure the interface using Fitt's Law to determine its efficiency once the interface level goes down.
Methods of Testing 2. Usability Testing RadioFlag is designed to have many users, and with the diversity of users that is has indeed attracted we cannot be sure of the interface's universal usability. Thus we will also include a Usability Test of the system's identified issues. We aim to have 10 to 15 users test the system, though this may be ambitious.
Usability Testing For Search 1) Users • Test 10-15 people • Non ICS or Engineering majors • Friends and Students on Campus 2) Start of Test • Welcome the user and make them feel comfortable • Read instructions to the user • Ask user post-test questions • What phone do you use? Are you a frequent radio listener 3) Test • Search for ___ in general or Search for ____ using the search icon 4) Post-Test Questions
Usability Testing For Drill Down 1) Users • Test 10-15 people • Non ICS or Engineering majors • Friends and Students on Campus 2) Start of Test • Welcome the user and make them feel comfortable • Read instructions to the user • Ask user post-test questions 3) Test • 1st Iteration: Give specific tasks and measure drill use and depth. Is it useful, hindering, complex, intuitive? • 2nd Iteration: Test paper prototypes for proposed designs. 4) Post-Test Questions • Difficulty, Awareness of Drill-down, Impressions.
Measure Usability • How long did it take for the user to complete the test/task • How many errors did the user encounter while performing the test/task • Did the user complete the task
Timeline Week 01: Project Assigned Week 02: Project Introduced Week 03: Project Issues Identified Week 04: Initial Presentation, Prepare HE(William,Thomas) and UT(Derek, Shaun) Week 05: Begin HE (William) and UT Drill Down (Shaun) Begin HE (Thomas) and UT Search (Derek) Week 06: Finish HE (William, Thomas) and UT (Derek, Shaun), Analyze findings (ALL) Week 07: Interim Presentation, Create Mockup (ALL), Begin HE (William, Thomas) and UT (Derek, Shaun) Week 08: Finish HE and UT, Begin Analyzing Results (ALL) Week 09: Finish Analyzing Results, Begin Final Report (ALL) Week 10: Final Presentation, Finish Final Report (ALL) Week 11: Final Report Due (ALL)
