USABILITY TEST OF COVENTRY AIRPORT WEBSITE
1 INTRODUCTION
Interface analysis is a process of assessing the man and machine interface or relationship more particularly a system, product or device (2005). There are many interface analysis methods that are used in assessing numbers of various features and characteristics that are related to a given interface that include its usability, user satisfaction, layout, error, labeling and other controls and displays that have been used. The results of any interface analysis are useful in improving the interface problems or flaws through its redesigning process. The process of interface analysis together with its different method are used in enhancing and improving the performance of the design, features and function by developing its usability, user satisfaction rate and even in helping to reduce or prevent errors and interaction time (2005).
Usability of the software is required by the ISO9241-11 and it is considering that the usability of any software or system is based on the three dimensions: effectiveness deals with how well the product or the system’s performance meet the tasks that it was designed for; efficiency deals with the resources like time, effort and money that are required for the user to use the product or the system; and the last is the attitude or the respond of the users to the product or the system (2005).
There are many methods that are used in interface analysis like the usability assessment, error analysis, interface layout analysis and general interface assessment methods ( 2005).
2 USABILITY ASSESSMENTS
Usability engineering is the practice that is used in accounting for the usability traits throughout product development. On the other hand, usability assessment is the approach that can be used in order to ensure that a product or a system is useful. The said assessment had been widely used because of the output of the development of the software user interfaces during the 1980s (2004). But it was 1985 when it had reach its popularity when and described the four needs of software or system to ensure usability that are: to create an early and constant focus on users; to incorporate and put together the different deliberation of all aspects of usability; to test the early and continuous version of the product to the user; and to redesign (2004).
The main purpose of usability assessment is to determine if there are difficulties about the usefulness of the system to the user and eventually to help uncover opportunities for enhancement and change (2004).
(1994), explained that there are eleven approaches or method that can be used in assessing the usability of a certain product, system or software namely: the participatory design, the expert evaluations; the walk-throughs; the paper and pencil; the focus group; the survey; the alpha and beta tests; the follow-up studies; the usability audit; the usability test; and the research study ( 2004). All of the said methods or approaches are used in evaluating and assessing different products, software and systems.
3 HEURISTIC ANALYSIS
Heuristic is considered as one of the simplest way as well as the most popular way of doing the interface analysis because it involves obtaining the subjective opinions of analyst/s based on their observation upon their interaction with a given product, system or software (2005, .). and defined heuristic evaluation as a usability engineering method that is use in finding the usability problems in a user interface design to produce a report or analysis that will help to include in the iterative design process (.).
In performing heuristic analysis, an analyst or end user will perform a trial session of the system, software, device or product under analysis and create an observation with regards to the usability, quality and potential error of the design (2005,). More often than not, this method is done by more than one speculator or evaluator to get the desired outcome of the method. Most often, this method is done by individual inspector alone, all of their reactions and ideas about the user interface will be aggregated in order to prevent bias and promote efficient and professional analysis of the system (.). The output or the result of the problems of the system with regards to its usability problem or those characteristics and features that will affect the user-friendliness of the system as a whole. The result must show the usability principle that has been violated by the design in each and every case with regards to the opinion of the evaluator. It is not enough to say that the design of a particular system or software did not meet their expectation but to explain it based on the heuristics or other usability results ().
3.1 The Usability Heuristics
stated that there are ten common or overall principles that are applied in the user interface design. The said ten principles are also called the heuristics due to the fact that they are in the nature of thumb rules rather than the specific usability guidelines (.). The said principles serve as a standard or guidelines in conducting the heuristics analysis. The following are the then usability heuristics:
4 THE COVENTRY AIRPORT WEBSITE
Conventry.com is the official website of the Coventry airport that is located in the south of the Coventry City in the vicinity of the village of Baginton, Warwickshire, England. Like any other businesses in the same field the said company has already used the advantage of the e-business as their marketing strategy in order to target more customers in more easy and cost-effective way which is to establish a website that will cater to the booking and reservation needs of their customers.
The website is also offering different services such as flight information, travel to the airport, car parking, passenger’s facilities, car hire, hotel reservation and airport news. They also included the job opportunity information of the company.
5 USABILITY ISSUES AND PROBLEMS
The following are the flaws and problems that have encountered in the Coventry airport website using the heuristic analysis:
5.1 Aesthetic and minimalist design ()
Figure 1 Coventry Airport Website (HOME)
One of the most important factors that must be considered before designing applications, software and website is the color combination. As you can see in figure 1, the website is using the color combination of shades of blue, red and shades of green as well as gray. The color combination of the said website is not bad, for those users who are suffering from any visual impairment.
The color combinations that have been used by the said website are not appropriate for those people who are suffering from color blindness or color vision deficiencies. The said visual impairment deals with the inability to recognize and distinguish the difference between a numbers of colors that other people can. According to Rigden, there are more or less 8% of the male populations in the world who are suffering from the said visual problem (2005). The said visual impairment is rare among the woman. Color blindness has its variety; according to (2000), the most common form of the said visual impairment, and occurs in 5% of the male population, is the weakness or sensitivity over the color green. Therefore, the website, as shown in figure 1, shows that it will not cater to the needs of those 5% population (2005).
Another important factor that covers the design and aesthetic issue of the website is its use of its font size and type. Some of the font type and size that the website is using are hard enough to visualize. Also, the font color is also hard to see and can be categorize that the website is somewhat straining to the eyes.
Another thing is the size of the image of the map that shows the different destination from the Coventry, again the font size and font type is small. The size of the image is also small and didn’t fit the space that is somewhat allocated for that said image. That is why there are lots of white space that are available in the home page of the website.
5.2 Flexibility and efficiency of use
Figure 2 The Search for Flight Option
Figure 2 shows the search option of the website that will help the user to easily search for specific flight that is based on their personal preferences. But one thing that is not good in this feature of the website is the possibility to confuse the users that are beginner in using computer its application. It is not very friendly for those first time users of the said features. It is not clear to the user the reason of those two combo boxes. The said feature has a poor labeling.
5.3 Error Trapping and Prevention and System status Information
Figure 3 The from and to feature
One of the possible error that I have encountered in this website is from it’s “from – to” feature. The logic of the said feature is that, when the user select from the “from combo box”, which contains the different places of flight that the company can handle, the system will process the “to combo box” to show or return the different places that there company also handles. In simple words, there can be different destinations from a certain point or place that the company provides their services. For example, from the figure 3, it shows that the Coventry place has its 14 destination such as Alicante etc and the place Faro, on the other hand, has its only one destination which is the Coventry.
The problem is that the system is not producing or showing signs or hints to the user that it had completely populate the list of the destination places that the users have entered to the “from combo box”, and because of that, it has a big possibility that the user will enter the wrong destination place.
6. RECOMMENDATION
Based on the method that have been used in analyzing the current usability of the Coventry website, I have found out that there are three major flaws that have violated the usability heuristics or the principles that shows the different advantages or the characteristics of different software and system in order to meet the needs and demands of its users.
6.1 Aesthetic and minimalist design ()
The first and the major problem of the website is its presentation design and colors that have been used. The homepage of the website shows four different shades of colors that ranges from green, blue, red and gray. There are also other part of the website that uses the color red and color yellow as the main background color of the website. Just like what stated in the previous part of this paper, most of the colors that have been used in the website will not help those future users who has visual impairment, more particularly, the color blindness.
When selecting colors to be used in a Web site, it is significant and vital to consider that there are also segments or fractions of males and even females that may not be able to see the site in the way that the designer intended to ( 2005). In order to solve or prevent this dilemma, it is necessary to plan the color combination that the website will be using, like preventing to mix color red, green and blue. the site can also provide a feature that will give an option for those visually impaired people to change the color of the website or by allocating a color theme especially design for those cases.
As of the size and the type of the font, the website must use more visible and uniform font type, size and color. It must also use different size of font for heading, for the menu and for the content.
6.2 Flexibility and efficiency of use
As of the issue of the flexibility and efficiency of use, the website must practice the use of label or tag that will help the user to understand the system more easily and effectively. Like for example, the part of the “from - to” search. It must be clear to the user the use of any particular command or field in the system. It will be easy to understand if a label “From:” and label “To:” will be placed before the combo boxes. Figure 4 shows the sample of technique that can be used.
Figure 4 Sample Labeling
6.3 Error Trapping and Prevention and System Status Information
Another problem about the website is about it’s the “from and to” feature that has the feature that have been discussed earlier. To prevent or solve this dilemma, the website can avail or use the disabled feature of the combo box. For example, after clicking or entering the value from the “from combo box”, eventually, the system will fetch or query the destined places or points that are available from that of the entered value to the “from combo box”, and because, it takes a while, before the system could return the value to the user, it will be helpful to set disabled the “to combo box”. By doing this, it will be understandable or clear to the user that the system is still working with the result of his or her desired request. This will help to prevent wrong input of the destined country.
7 THE USABILITY ANALYSIS AND THE HEURISTIC ANALYSIS
The main advantage of the heuristic analysis is that it enables to analyze the usability features and characteristics of a system, software or products with the use of different perspective. In a user test situation, with the use of the said method, the observer or also known as the experimenter has their full responsibilities of the user’s interpretation based on their actions in order to conclude on how those actions are related and connected to the issues of the usability of the design of the user interface (.).
Another important aspect of this method is that it follows the 10 principles of usability heuristics, in analyzing the usability and the problems and flaws with regards to the design of the system. The said principles which are stated in the previous part of the study, serves as a guide or hint for the evaluator or experimenter to connect the characteristics of a given system, software and device to the standard and acceptable distinctiveness of the system as a whole.
Using the website of the Coventry airport, the result of the usability test which I have conducted was mainly focus on the physical design of the system. The problem that I have specified in the said website or system is based on the principles that the website have violated. I have also related my own perception to the studies and perceptions of other authors who has much knowledge with regards to the interaction of the system and the user. Another thing is that I have based the findings to the PACT or People, Activities, Context and Technology analysis of the website, but more particularly to the people, that focuses on their perception, knowledge and sight.
One of the difficulties of this method is that, it is a systematic method; therefore, you have to look at every side or every aspect of the website to ensure that what you have produces or observed as dependable and reliable.
0 comments:
Post a Comment