This report summarizes the findings of a heuristic evaluation performed on Coursera's Introduction to User Experience Principles and Processes course. Ten key findings were identified that violated usability heuristics such as providing clear instructions, ensuring consistency between system functions and the real world, and giving users control and freedom of actions. Recommendations are provided for each finding, such as simplifying instructions, adding tooltips for unknown icons, and allowing image resizing in discussion posts. The goal of the evaluation is to improve the user experience and interface design of the course based on usability best practices.
This report summarizes the findings of a heuristic evaluation performed on Coursera's Introduction to User Experience Principles and Processes course. Ten key findings were identified that violated usability heuristics such as providing clear instructions, ensuring consistency between system functions and the real world, and giving users control and freedom of actions. Recommendations are provided for each finding, such as simplifying instructions, adding tooltips for unknown icons, and allowing image resizing in discussion posts. The goal of the evaluation is to improve the user experience and interface design of the course based on usability best practices.
This report summarizes the findings of a heuristic evaluation performed on Coursera's Introduction to User Experience Principles and Processes course. Ten key findings were identified that violated usability heuristics such as providing clear instructions, ensuring consistency between system functions and the real world, and giving users control and freedom of actions. Recommendations are provided for each finding, such as simplifying instructions, adding tooltips for unknown icons, and allowing image resizing in discussion posts. The goal of the evaluation is to improve the user experience and interface design of the course based on usability best practices.
This report summarizes the findings of a heuristic evaluation performed on Coursera's Introduction to User Experience Principles and Processes course. Ten key findings were identified that violated usability heuristics such as providing clear instructions, ensuring consistency between system functions and the real world, and giving users control and freedom of actions. Recommendations are provided for each finding, such as simplifying instructions, adding tooltips for unknown icons, and allowing image resizing in discussion posts. The goal of the evaluation is to improve the user experience and interface design of the course based on usability best practices.
Heuristic Evaluation Created by Sana Indap Executive Summary
This report will document my heuristics evaluation of Coursera’s Introduction to User
Experience Principles and Processes course. Heuristics assessment is a quick and easy to use ease of use building strategy planned by Jakob Nielsen in 1994 to discover convenience issues in UI structures. For the most part, the procedure begins with a gathering of all evaluators to concede to the extent of the undertaking. Evaluators at that point perform singular examination of every one of the ten heuristics and track the adherence and infringement of each. These heuristics spread points, for example, criticism, perceivability, client control, client productivity, help, mistake taking care of, blunder avoidance and utilization of illustrations that coordinate this present reality. It has been resolved through the examination that various evaluators find various heuristics, in this manner, every evaluator plays out a total heuristics assessment independently. Each finding is given a seriousness rating from 0 (not a convenience issue) to 4 (ease of use calamity) and doled out a suggestion.
Findings and Recommendations:
Finding 1: The instructions are not clear for an assignment.
Severity: 3/4 Heuristic Violated: #10 Help and Documentation
The instructions for what one is supposed to do in the discussion section are pretty unclear, and tell the user to do many different things that don’t make sense. There is no option for a new thread and one cannot submit a post without putting anything in the box.
Recommendation: The instructions should be made simpler and more clear, for example removing going to the discussion board or making a new thread before submitting the post. Removing those two options alone would help users understand their task more. Finding 2: Unknown icon in the “add a post” screen Severity: 2/4 Heuristic Violated: #2 Match between System and the Real World, # 8 Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
There is an icon next to the chain icon which is unclickable. Users may not be sure when to use it or how. It appears to be an unlink symbol but it is hard to tell when it will be able to use.
Recommendations: Let the user hover over it and the system will tell them what it does and when to use it. This could be done for other icons as well.
If the system has upvotes, they should serve some meaning. Instead, comments are placed in chronological order so there’s no point of upvotes.
Recommendations: If the system were to use upvotes, comments should be placed based on which has the most upvotes. Otherwise they should remove the upvote option entirely as it serves no purpose. Finding 4: Submitting a peer review to coursera Severity: 2/4 Heuristic Violated: #8 Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
Submitting an assignment to Coursera is pretty hard and the first time a user tries to submit it might take them a few tries to do it. The buttons on the bottom keep changing which is hard to keep track of. Users may not know that they have to click on “preview” before they can submit.
Recommendation: Instead of having the preview button change to a submit button, just put three buttons.
Finding 5: Unclear what “almost completed” means
Severity: 1/4 Heuristics Violated: #2 Match between System and the Real World
When hovering over someone’s profile, the words “almost completed” show up and the user will not know what it means. Recommendations: If it means the amount of the course, then maybe show the percentage or delete entirely as the user doesn’t have to know how far along someone else is.
Finding 6: Adding a link
Severity: 3/4 Heuristics Violated: #3 User Control and Freedom
When the user wants to cancel a link, the process doesn’t let them exit out immediately and instead shows a pop up telling them to cancel again. Recommendation: To make the process simpler, let them exit out the first time and don’t show a pop up both times.
Finding 7: Resizing images
Severity:2/4 Heuristics Violated: #3 User Control and Freedom, # 7 Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
The user is not able to resize images after placing them in the discussion box, and they take up a lot of space.
Recommendation: Allow users to resize images so they don’t take up as much space. Finding 8: No visible undo button Severity: 2/4 Heuristics Violated: #3 User Control and Freedom
There is no visible undo button, and although ctrl z can be used, some users would not know to use it on their first try.
Recommendation: add an undo button.
Finding 9: Invalid Links
Severity: 3/4 Heuristics Violated: #5 Error Prevention, # 9 Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors
When entering a link, the user can enter an invalid link and the system will not notify them if the link is invalid. Recommendation: Notify the user if the link is invalid with a pop up box or text.
Finding 10: Confusing pop up tab
Severity: 1/4 Heuristics Violated: #2 Match between System and the Real World, # 8 Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
There is a tab that comes up after the user enters a link to put in a “short and accessible description” which may be confusing to users. The description does not even show up after the link is placed in the discussion box.
