10 Principles of Heuristic Jakob Nielsen - Assignment Example

Hotel website (http://hopsteliwa.eu.pn/#)

INTRODUCTION

As part of this project, a website was designed for a site specializing in sales of trendy fashion. The realization of a website was chosen as part of an endeavor to realize more brand visibility and also tap into the ever expanding online market. The idea is to create a web page for letting clients know more about our brand and merchandise. The ultimate goal is to learn to manage a professional website’s development until its completion in accordance with the customer requirements. As a matter of fact, the project involves application of skills acquired during study particularly regarding the PHP, HTML and MYSQL. The project was undertaken in 2 phases;

• The definition of the project with respect to functional specifications
• The design and implementation of the project: we discuss in this part of the selection of tools and languages ​​used to develop the site, the database created to store different information, the actual development, website design. We will also discuss the results, problems encountered in the design and finally we propose some ideas for improving the site.

Evaluation according to the 10 principles of heuristic Jakob Nielsen

1. Visibility of system status.

The system should always keep informed the user of this happens by providing a "return" (feedback) appropriate, within a reasonable time [3]. In the website, multiple channels have been included to keep in touch with the clients ranging from a contact phone number, a contact us feedback through which a response is delivered via provided emails and a link to the hotel’s social sites where clients can chat with customer reps.

2. Correspondence of the system with the real world.

The system should "speak" the language of the user, with words, phrases and concepts that are familiar, rather than use its own language to the system. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical sequence [4]. In this regard, the website largely uses texts and graphics to communicate with clients. Recognizing the diversity of our clients, English is used considering it’s the most spoken language globally with possibility of translations in future.

3. Freedom, user control.

Users often choose wrongly system functions and need an "emergency exit" clearly worded to leave unwanted function, without need to go through multiple dialogs to do. The system must allow undo / redo (undo / redo) a share [4]. Considering that the main menu is included in all web pages, users can easily leave one page for another or head back to the homepage whenever they desire.

4. Consistency and standards.

Users should not have to ask questions about whether different words, situations and actions mean the same thing [3,4]. Follow the conventions related to the platform. The wording used in the website is clear and most importantly, items are classified such that clients can easily find and understand what they encounter within the web page.

5. Prevention.

Beyond the design of clear error messages, it will first be aware that the design allows to prevent problems that might encounter the user. Although the website has been tested and no errors found, users will be automatically taken back to homepage in case of any error.

6. Recognize rather than remember.

Make visible objects, actions and options. The user should not have to remember information, a dialog sequence to another. Instructions for using the system should be immediately visible or easily accessible, whenever the user needs it [3]. The menu is and icons are included in the web pages such that each section is easy to recognize. For instance, if a user wants the menu, he will not need to navigate through multiple channels, just click menu and there you are.

7. Flexibility in use.

Shortcuts - ignored by novice users - often used to speed up interactions for experienced users. Thus the system can suit both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to customize recurring actions. Navigation keys make it easy to access any location irrespective of the level of experience.

8. Aesthetic and minimalist design.

Dialogues should not provide information that is not relevant or are only rarely needed. Each piece of information in a dialogue competes with other information - especially those that are relevant - and diminishes their relative visibility. Aesthetics are aided by images of offered products and explanations to the same.

9. Facilitate the identification, diagnosis and "recovery" errors by the user.

Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem and suggest a solution to solve it [5]. In case of errors, a user is redirected to the home page, following a dialogue box detailing the same.

10. Help and Documentation.

Although it is preferable that the system can be used without the use of documentation, however, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. The information of this type should be easy to find, focus on the task of the user, indicate the concrete steps to follow and not be too long. Although no user documentation is included, the website has been made so simple that one is not necessary.

Thanks to the Internet, new development perspectives appear in the widening of the economic market. Creating a website is designed to enhance the image of the company and save money. Using the Internet as mass segment also lowers marketing costs and other expenses. With the transmission of broadband and the increased security of secure payment methods, user trust regarding the e-commerce is growing. Most adult people use today Internet to make purchases [5]. Consumers and companies are moving increasingly to online shops which allow comparability, availability of products and verification of price or considerable saving of time. Design a hotel website often involves more than just erecting a web page with information about the hotel. As a matter of fact, hotel website’s must not only take into consideration information of the hotel but also consider multiple aspects of the hotel operations such as its targeted user, web page’s usability, advertising features and ease of navigation, among others [3, 5]. A typical case of a hotel’s (eatery) website is Aladdin’s Eatery. This is chosen due to the eatery’s close semblance to the hotel for the designed website discussed in this report.

Achieved functionality

The website has been designed such that it achieves multiple functions. Firstly, it advertises the hotel. The home and the about us pages detail the hotel and what it stands for. Further, the menu and a myriad images include serve to not only inform the client what the hotel offers but also create an appeal for clients to visit the hotel and enjoy the meals being offered.

Bugs present in the website

Fortunately, up to the time of preparing this report, no bugs had been reported in the designed website. The webpage is found at http://hopsteliwa.eu.pn/#

Strengths and weaknesses of the website

Strengths

The website is designed such that users can easily understand its contents and also navigate from one page to another. Further, the available buttons act as links to classified sections. Users can as a result look for items in the relevant sections without difficulty. Additionally, there is the use of graphics in that lots of images/photos are used. The images/photos are used such that it is easy to recognize that the website is a hotel website, in addition to allowing the users to view some of the delicacies that they can enjoy by vising the website [2]. The included contact form as well as a telephone number and of course, links to social media pages gives authority to the website, in addition to providing clients with a way through which they can contact the hotel. The menu is also designed such meals are categorized to make it easy for clients to browse through. By clicking a menu category, clients can view what is being offered and as such save time and also make it easy for clients to navigate through the website. Also included is a schedule, in that the restaurant informs visitors the time periods within whih the hotel remains open.

Weaknesses

Typically included in the modern organizational websites, the website does not have a user sign up feature and hence it’s difficult to keep track of users of maintain a customer database.

Website screenshots

• User menu

The menu is divided such that user can simply look at their section of interest rather than having to look for individual meals [2].

• About us page

This page details what the hotel is all about and as such allow the web visitors to understand whether it is an appropriate place for them to visit.

• Contact Us page

Through this page, users can leave a message to the management and receive feedback in case where they provide an email address.

General info page

This page provides extensive information for persons that are ready to read more about the eatery

Reference

• Nielsen, J. (1994). Heuristic evaluation. In Nielsen, J., and Mack, R.L. (Eds.), Usability Inspection Methods, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY
• Nielsen, Jakob (1994). Usability Engineering. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 115–148. ISBN 0-12-518406-9.
• Ross, P.H.; Ellipse, M.W.; Freeman, H.E. (2004). Evaluation: A systematic approach (7th Ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage