Heuristic Evaluation of a Cell Phone - Coursework Example

Heuristic evaluation of a cell phone Introduction 2 Significance of the Evaluation. 2 Nielsen’s Ten Heuristics 3 [Heuristic Visibility of system status 3 [Heuristic 2] Match between system and the real world 4 [Heuristic 3] User control and freedom 5 [Heuristic 4] Consistency and standards 6 [Heuristic 5] . Error prevention 7 [Heuristic 6] Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors 7 [Heuristic 7] Recognition rather than recall 7 [Heuristic 8] Flexibility and efficiency of use 8 [Heuristic 9] Aesthetic and minimalist design 10 [Heuristic 10] Help and documentation 10 Part-II 11 New heuristics 11 New heuristic I [H9] Provide progressive levels of detail. 13 New heuristic II [H5] Satisfy a wide range of users. 14 Violations found from the heuristic evaluation 15 Suggestions for improvement of the design. 16 Conclusion 17 References: 18 Part I Introduction New technologies have revolutionized the communications in everyday life. Mobile phones are gaining more and more importance in our day-to-day life. Nowadays Mobile phones have become an essential tool in social and business aspects. With enhancement in mobile technology, cell phones have expanded their functionality. On the other hand, the uses of cell phones are becoming more complex. In the current telecommunication market, it is common to find cell phones that provide such functions as short messaging service, Internet connectivity, mobile camera, and even video recording. However, as more functions are integrated into the small size of the cell phone, the use of the cell phone becomes complex. As a consequence, various usability problems have arisen. This document is designed is designed to address the problems user interface design of mobile phones. Part –I of the document covers a heuristic evaluation of usability mobile phones based on the Nielsen’s Heuristics. Part –II covers a discussion of the effectiveness of the Nielsen’s heuristics over mobile phone interface. Based on that two of the heuristics are discarded and two new heuristics are included. This document is prepared by solely considering the basic, mostly used features of a mobile phone. Significance of the Evaluation. As technology advances, the mobile phone applications are getting more complex. Understanding of how to best present these new technology in a straightforward user interface is very much important. To develop an easy-to-use cell phone User Interface, an effective evaluation method is essential. Here we have used the heuristic evaluation (HE)method which focuses on experimenting and testing to design/improve products for the ease-of-use of the end consumer. An effective HE Not only identify design problems to be corrected, but also provides guidance for the next phase of the development process and design requirements for future products, which shortens new development cycles. Therefore, when a cell phone UI is evaluated, investigations of which component causes the usability problems must be conducted to improve the UI design. Nielsen’s Ten Heuristics [Heuristic 1] Visibility of system status “The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.” Visibility of system status No screen displays a short heading indicating the task/operation that the user is currently performing. This study suggests that whenever feasible this information is provided. Also the use of numbers to indicate the step currently visited within the whole sequence (like step 3 of 8, or the provision of a progress bar) will give more information about the system status. It will be more convenient to have more navigation aids like home button, etc. It will be good to have this feature incorporated in the mobile phones, which provides contextual navigational aids that tell where the user is within the process and how to move forward/backward or directly to another relevant location. The generation of navigation aids must take into account the screen space limit and provide minimal information. Information about received messages Once the screen is activated, there is some indication of unread messages as a post icon (if there any), but the user will not get to know how many unread messages are there unless he search in the message box. [Heuristic 2] 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. does the system speak the user’s language (and follow real world conventions?) “ The small battery icon on the screen is self explanatory that by this a user will quickly understand that it tells him how much battery power they have left. This icon is shaped like an actual battery, with four black bars inside. As power drains, the bars disappear until the battery icon is empty. This kind of icon is good for showing users system status, using a familiar metaphor. The keypad on a cellular telephone is currently the primary method of inputting information into the device. The small lock icon the top right corner of the screen tells the user that the key guard is ON or the keypad is locked, and a message is provided to tell the user how to unlock it. I feel this indication quiet good. Also the user can set the auto key guard option OFF by choosing the auto key guard option from the settings menu. A simple message indicating how to unlock is also provided. This feature is quite useful, as it will prevent the unwanted access to the keys. In the “Message” menu of the hand set there is one option “Delivery Conf”, which actually means setting the message delivery status by enabling / disabling the buttons. But the term “Delivery Conf” does not convey this meaning clearly causing confusion to the user. It is advisable to have more Icons on the primary screen, that are being used to alert user to important messages like ‘Saving’ and verifying deletes and hotkeys which allow user to easily access the more frequently used features. [Heuristic 3] User control and freedom “Provide ways of allowing the users to easily escape from places they unexpectedly find by using clearly marked “emergency exits”- the user shouldnt be forced down on fixed paths – Check whether the user have‘exits’ for mistaken choices?.” Users may choose the system functions by mistake which they are not supposed to and will need a clearly marked “emergency exit” to leave the unwanted state. Cancel and Finish buttons which provides some level of user freedom .For example, some times the user may choose to change the system settings by mistake. In such situations it will be good to have a confirmation message to be displayed like “Do you want to change the present settings “Also it will be better supporting undo and redo, options which will enable the user to perform backtracking while any unwanted step is made or to redo any repeated actions. The present option available is to choose the Cancel button, which only takes the user one step back. In the context of Messaging, the Cancel button is used to erase all the text previously filled in by the user, whereas in other contexts it takes the user to one step back. This seems quiet misleading and I suggest a separate clear button in the device to erase the matter key in by the user. Noise Cancellation – There is no feature to avoid the back ground noise . It will be nice if this feature is incorporated. Especially for those having hearing problems this will be of great help. Templates for short messages and voice mail templates: The system provides many templates for SMS, but they are all predefined .the user cant set messages of his own. Although the system is better in terms of customizability, it is advisable to include an option for user defined message templates. Also there is no templates for voice messages. [Heuristic 4] Consistency and standards “ Avoid making users wonder if different words situations or actions mean the same thing .” The name "Address Book" is inappropriate. The items stored are phone numbers, not addresses. It would make more sense to call it "Phone Book." In the Address Edit Screen, here the users enter a "Mobile" number. Once this number is saved, it appears as the "Cell" number in Address View. These two names are inconsistent, which may cause confusion for the user. Also, the "Mobile" number may or may not be a cell phone number. Therefore, both screens should use the word "Mobile." [Heuristic 5] . Error prevention “Where possible prevent errors occurring in the first place.” The mobile phone considered for this study seems to seem to be more or less error free. As it is designed to face, increased consumer market. Normally manufactures concentrate to produce error free models as in mobiles market competition is tough. [Heuristic 6] 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.”Check whether the error messages are presented in plain language?and Do they precisely indicate the problem, and importantly, constructively suggest a solution? One of the error messages that the hand set usually displays is the “Message Not Sent”. While sending a short message. Clearly, the message does not indicate why the message failed to send or what the user have to do .it is not giving any indication about the recipients’ status. Another error message error message that the system usually makes is while when browsing the web. It displays “System Not Configured”. This mean bit of information informed me of nothing. This serves a simple a notification, without any constructive help. [Heuristic 7] Recognition rather than recall “ Make objects, actions, and options visible…” minimize memory load Recognition of interface elements presented to the user is far more effective that requiring the user to recall how to use a system Therefore, where possible put the knowledge about how a system should be used into the user interface. Graphical user interfaces typically require far less mental effort than text-based ones as they put more knowledge and information in the user interface. This allows the user to recognise what is in the interface, rather than having to recall facts from their memory. The use of meaningful and easy to understand icons, text labels, and menu items is a way to do this and therefore reduces the burden on the user’s memory. User interfaces in which commands work in a consistent way reduce memory demands on the user. The buttons on the device under study are not labeled very well. The user must remember which function goes with which button. For example the * button on the keypad is used to change the letters to capitals while keying in a message. A novice user may find it difficult to keep many things in mind like the one mentioned here. Moreover, the Current methods of finding phone numbers all have disadvantages. And they are all time consuming and troublesome to novice users. It is advised to include some mobile phone yellow pages in the menu. [Heuristic 8] Flexibility and efficiency of use “Provide accelerators invisible for novice users but for more experienced users to carry out tasks more quickly”-Check whether the system support shortcuts for experts and whether it providing support to automate frequent tasks. In addition the system should be handled easier by novice users. When any one hand over his phone to someone that is unfamiliar with using cell phones, they usually take a quick look and know what to do. As the operation is much simpler a novice users may learn the operation within 10 to 15 seconds. The experienced users can enjoy the features like speed dialing etc. One of the great strengths of this phone is customization. We can dial 1 of over many different numbers from the phone book by pressing only 3 keys. The device of consideration for this study seems to be excellent at providing accelerators, as well as providing familiar metaphors for novice users. Emergency number saver: Althogh the system provides options to save personal and business numbers separately, presently there is no option to save the emergency numbers like that fire engine etc. It is advised to include a categorized list of numbers which user can set according to his convenience and ease of use. External volume/ringer control – It will be nice to have a external volume control buttons like those appear in some speaker set or in radios , so that the user can control the volume externally , not by navigating through the levels of the menu . Cost Calculators: There is no way for a user to view the cost incurred with each call, so that they can adjust their expenditure. It will be good, if the user is able to see how much each call cost him in relation to their specific service plan. Rapid charger/built-in charger :In order to keep the system in action, you have to recharge the battery occasionally. For this you have to carry a charger along with the device. It will be nice to have a built –in charger along with the device. [Heuristic 9] Aesthetic and minimalist design “Avoid using information that is irrelevant or rarely needed.”-The system should hide information from the user when it is not relevant, first dialogue may show the minimal information needed, but can be expanded to the second interface if the details need to be viewed and edited. The device is ideal in this aspect. The interface is so limited that all dialogue is stripped down to the bare minimum requirement. However, it can be suggested to improve the aesthetic of the interface layout, in terms of a repositioning of text, images, and command buttons, to accomplish a better use of the screen space available. Currently, more cell phone manufacturers attempt to utilize icons instead of text labels, which is good for a minimal design but it seems to be more usability problem prone. [Heuristic 10] Help and documentation “Provide information that can be easily searched and provide help in a set of concrete steps that can easily be followed.” The system should provide a a list of concrete steps which relate to the task at hand and are not too long. Also Check whether the information provided easy to search, focused on the user’s task, and not too large. A well described straightforward and effective user manual has been provided at the time of purchase of the device , but we are sure no one will be interested to carry a user manual sort of document along with the hand set So it will be nice to have user manual saved in the device itself . There is no help function provided by the interface. There should be a place where the user can find out how to operate the device, such as how to send SMS, how to send a voice mail etc, that people will not prefer to carry a manual for their phone around with them, and so they will need to be able to understand what to do, or to be reminded by the interface itself. Part-II In part I we have had a thorough analysis of use of a mobile phone interface . A heuristic evaluation was performed to collect diverse but useful data to measure necessary usability attributes of a mobile phone also identify determinants of usability problems, and integrating all usability data generated proper solutions for the problems. So far we’ve considered what the Nielson’s heuristics are, and given some examples of interfaces meeting or violating them..the ten heuristics by Nielson have been discussed aginst the UI features. Some of the heuristics do not apply well to the usability of cellular devices. And certain violations from the heuristics have been found as a conclusion In Part II of this study we will consider two new heuristics that apply well to the mobile phones. And reasonably two heuristics are discarded. New heuristics As the purpose of this study is to improve the performance of user inter faces, concentrating on the limitations of the current interface will bring out new suggestions regarding the performance of the system. So we found two of the heuristics inappropriate for cell phones namely, 1. [H9] Aesthetic and minimalist design 2. [H5] Error prevention In [H5] the study finds the design is less error prone. There is no standard user interface (UI) for the cell phone handset, The cell phone manufacturers are competing for new designs an d features . The current trend is In every six months each release a new version of their last release. The cell phone manufacturers often release their new product without extensive evaluation and they are less cared on error prevention, because the fast release of new product is a key factor for their success in the current competitive market. . As a result, use of some cell phone becomes more difficult to increasing number of consumers, and an UI that is easy to use is considered as a core competency in the cell phone market. But this cannot be considered as a design problem but is always related with the fluctuations in the current market. In [H9] the study finds the design as minimal possible. Miniaturization is one of the main feature user s are interested in .However, two major technological trends, miniaturization of the phone body and expansion of functions present challenges to the UI designers. Due to the small screen, functions and options cannot be displayed simultaneously on a single screen. But while considering for the functionality the miniaturization may have to suffer. These are two contradicting things. We discard this heuristic as one can only achieved by suffering for the other .Its only possible to achieve a balance in both miniaturization and increased functionality. Instead of [H5] and [H9] of the Nielsen’s heuristics we present two new heuristics namely 1. [H5] Satisfy a wide range of users. 2. [H9] Provide progressive levels of detail New heuristic I [H9] Provide progressive levels of detail. “ Information should be organized in a hierarchical manner in order to make their access easier .” This heuristic means to check whether the organization of information is convenient for users. Limited screen space is always making usability problems .Due to the limited size of the display fewer functions are displayed at top level, therefore users have to drill down in order to access these, which may lead to difficulties with navigation if designed poorly. To assure flexibility of use of the information we would suggest to keep the sequence as short as possible. Users might prefer to browse/scroll down information on a same screen (when no interaction is required) and to prefer forward/backward change of screen when dealing with more interactive procedures. However, this should be presented in a hierarchical manner. screen change should always be meaningful. Information should be organized hierarchically, with more general information appearing before more specific detail. Encourage the user to go as deeply as needed, but to stop whenever sufficient information has been received. This heuristic should be applied both to data (like addresses or phone numbers) and instructions (like how to use each facility) and the user should be able to understand what each action will result in, (ie activating the text/graphic) before they activate it. Most current cell phones feature a hierarchical menu system to increase usability because it shows users possible options to choose. However, navigation in the menu hierarchy of cell phones is still usability ‘bottleneck’ as more functions are embedded into cell phones, and more diverse users are adopting cell phones. Functions and options, therefore, must be accessed through the hierarchical menu system in which a number of discrete selection actions are required to execute a function. The small screen of the cell phone does not allow users to see the previously selected menu items as they navigate into the deeper menu structure. Therefore, users of cell phones are required to hold the sequence of actions in their working memory while using the cell phones. This contradicts with the {H9} of Nielsen’s heuristics. When selecting a menu option with cell phones, the menu system is manipulated by unfamiliar input methods. It will be good to present a hierarchical ordering of each functionality as the user can be aware of the result of each action. It is suggested to display the ordered steps for accomplishing a particular task either in the top or bottom of the screen which user can traverse to have an idea , by the use of some tab buttons or previous next keys.Also instantaneous access to the help or documentation is suggested as an alternative. New heuristic II [H5] Satisfy a wide range of users. “While thinking of a new design or an updating an existing one consider a wide range of users, such that the device is not for a common category, rather it should be for all- Concentrate on user needs” The system under study was not fit for certain category of users like physically impaired people. Let us consider the case of blind people.Mobile telephones increasingly require the user to read a small liquid crystal screen to operate many of the functions in the phone. Although the phones incorporate increasingly powerful microprocessors, manufacturers have not seen a commercial opportunity in providing models, which incorporate speech output of the messages normally displayed on the screen. This feature will be of great benefit for blind people .Also this feature can target another category of users namely drivers of any vehicles. It is suggested to have a voice input/ output of the messages, so that the blind people can use a phone effortlessly. Also drivers will also enjoy this feature. Therefore, consideration of design in this direction will increase the market value of the model. This feature Problems with mobile phone displays are not limited to blind people. The ageing process has significant impact on vision. For instance with an average person of middle age increasingly have a chance of any of the eye deficiency than a youngster. Also this is inevitable with age. Unfortunately, designers of new systems and services often appear unaware of these aspects of ageing and they do not target on older people or physically impaired people for their product. This study suggests the use of voice input or output as better design for the User Interface. Also it will be good to have built in voice recorders, so that users record data from their surroundings. This feature will be of much benefit for students, that they can take record lectures of their teachers and can rewind it, to make their study easier. Violations found from the heuristic evaluation Lack of short cuts. Poor feedback, which does not guide the user what to do next. Inconsistencies with the interface design: This can cause confusion amongst users particularly when changing to a different model of mobile phone (e.g. with some mobile phone models the user is expected to press the right hand button to answer a call, whilst for others the left). Poor personalization of menus. Many navigation levels in the menu. Obscure symbols on many buttons, which do not easily convey information for newcomers. Lack of good documentation and help. Focus should be given to more wide range of users. Suggestions for improvement of the design. Provide choice over the input and output method. ie. Both voice and text formats for input and output. Provide Easy to use navigation methods. Promote flexibility by providing more features like external volume control knob. Provide intuitive prompts and informative feedback Promote easy to use hotkeys Promote Easy Connectivity and Compatibility with other devices and/or software. Allow flexible access to the services like WAP. Optimizing color and contrast. Using text effectively to improve readability. Consistent page layout. Allow personalization of the alerts. Provide informative feedback and prompts Aid error recovery and prevention of errors. Provide easy to understand menus. Allow personalization of the input. Allow personalization of the output. Conclusion Generally speaking, the device under consideration is a good hand held device for the price. It has extensive customization features for expert users, and can be readily used by the novice. The problems encountered, though, all seem to cost the user more money. The messaging system in particular is poor at letting the user know the state of their particular mailbox. This could be improved by having the current feature of message number actually work, And add a feature for letting users know both how many new and stored messages they have. Another excellent feature would be a mechanism for users to know how many and what kind of minutes they have used during a given billing period in relation to their specific service plan. But there is a sense that this functionality is consciously absent, in order to used to make the company more money. Another feature that should be taken in to account is The miniaturization trend, which has made it difficult for many people to be able to access and use mobile phones.  As well as this, people with disabilities are being excluded altogether from using a mobile phone, as their needs are not being taken into account. People with disabilities are more likely to find problems with the accessibility of the system. The following is a summary of the violations found from the Heuristic evaluation. References: [1] Nielsen, J. Usability Engineering. Morgan Kaufmman, 2003. [2] www. ScienceDirect - Interacting with Computers Systematic evalu.html [3] http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html Read More