Web Design for Design Majors

# Project 2: UX Audit

# User Experience Study

# Points: 50

Our lives are full of mediated digital experiences, many of which we never consciously think about. We have each chosen a number of services to meet certain needs—how well are they doing their job from a user experience standpoint?

# On Usability: from Steve Krug from Don’t Make Me Think: Revisited

In the last few years, making things more usable has become almost everybody’s responsibility. Visual designers and developers now often find themselves doing things like interaction design (deciding what happens next when the user clicks, taps, or swipes) and information architecture (figuring out how everything should be organized).

You’ll find a lot of different definitions of usability, often breaking it down into attributes like:

  • Useful: Does it do something people need done?
  • Learnable: Can people figure out how to use it?
  • Memorable: Do they have to relearn it each time they use it?
  • Effective: Does it get the job done?
  • Efficient: Does it do it with a reasonable amount of time and effort?
  • Desirable: Do people want it?
    and recently even
  • Delightful: Is using it enjoyable, or even fun?

...the important part of the definition is pretty simple. If something is usable—whether it’s a Web site, a remote control, or a revolving door—it means that...

A person of average (or even below average) ability and experience can figure out how to use the thing to accomplish something without it being more trouble than it’s worth.

Usability is often just common sense, but, you have to take the time and make an effort to look at things from the user’s point of view.

# Objectives

  • Introduction to User Experience concepts.
  • Further practice studying existing websites for effective methods and patterns of layout, design and user interface.
  • Practice approaching interactive design problems from the point of view of the user.

# Required Readings

NN Group: Interaction Cost

NN Group: Information Scent

# Case Studies

Pay attention to the case study at the bottom of the Interaction Cost article (using the Dictionary.com mobile app to find the origin of a word).

The case study is summarized in an outline that begins:

Let’s summarize the different components of the interaction cost to find the origin of the word “ceremony”:

  • wait for the splash page
  • search
  • find the search box and tap to move the input focus to it

Your task is to create an outlined UX case study of your own from the below options

# Case Study Options

# Task Option 1: Check your banking account balance

  1. Go to your bank's website on a phone, tablet or computer (regardless of what you use, I want you to go to their website in a browser, not their mobile app).
  2. Outline the process of finding your checking/primary account balance. Take a few screenshots of key things that illustrate what you are describing (buttons, clutter, etc.). Consider using a screenshot tool like Skitch, Awesome Screenshot (chrome extension) or Monosnap. These apps let you blur out sensitive information (like your account number and balance). Alternatively, you can use Photoshop to blur or pixelate sensitive information using native osX screenshots or in-browser screenshot tools.
  3. After you've found your account balance, then outline the process of finding when and where you can physically go to deposit cash on a weekend. So you're looking for the address of a place that is open on Saturday or Sunday, and what the hours are.
  4. Write out some suggestions for how this process could be made better. You might address the major interaction cost elements from the reading—did they minimize:
    • reading
    • scrolling
    • looking around in order to find relevant information
      [the complexity of the information presented]
    • clicking or touching
    • typing
    • page loads and waiting times
    • attention switches
    • memory load—the information that users must remember in order to complete their task.

You should also check goodui.org for ideas as to what could've been done better. If you assert something measurable (like a UX study), please reference the citation appropriately. Feel free to use research and examples or even redesign items yourself.

# Task Option 2: Find a breakdown of your cell phone bill

  1. Go to your mobile phone service provider's website on a phone, tablet or computer (regardless of what you use, I want you to go to their website in a browser, not their mobile app).
  2. Outline the process of finding your upcoming bill (if they haven't posted it yet, outline the process of finding how much your last bill was). Take a few screenshots to illustrate key points.
  3. Then, outline the process of finding out what charges made up that bill.
    For example, if your amount due is $90, you need to find out where it says:
    • Universal Service Fee: $5
    • Unlimited Data: $30
    • Taxes: $10
    • etc.
  4. Write out some suggestions for how this process could be made better. You might address the major interaction cost elements from the reading, listed above. Cite references appropriately and use examples or research if necessary.

# Notes on Objectives

The general goal of this assignment is to familiarize yourself with concepts of usability and user experience and to take the time to analyze the usability of the websites you use on a regular basis. Try jotting down notes or making an audio recording of yourself going through the tasks above. Consider how well the designers who made that site you’re using considered your experience.

Take the lessons learned from this assignment and apply them to your own designs. Learn how to be critical of your own work. When we design something, especially something as complex as web-based software tools, we have a tendency to be too close to it and therefore unable to see its flaws. Or we simply take shortcuts to meet a deadline. The client may be happy, you may be happy but unhappy users will ultimately mean an unsuccessful project. The exercises in this assignment will help you step back and think about your work from the end user’s point of view.

# Presentation

  1. Create a PDF presentation of your case study. You can do this in any application you choose (InDesign, Illustrator, Keynote, Powerpoint, etc.).
    • Parameters:
      • Aspect ratio: 4:3 (i.e. 8" × 6")
      • Include Screenshots and references to illustrate your arguments and outlines.
      • You will present your case studies to the class.
  2. Add a section to your InVision board called Project 2, Case Study
  3. Drag in your final PDF presentation for grading.
Last Updated: 11/25/2019, 2:20:51 AM

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