Decarlo, ThomasHolleran, KyleStapel, HeidiWesterbeck, Mark

Eventur:

Eventur is a social collaboration site developed to spread and share information regarding

events in the city of Pittsburgh. Eventur was developed by Danielle Hyunsook Lee, a Ph.D.

Student at the University of Pittsburgh’ s School of Information Science. This website displays

events posted by system users. A user may create an account on the system. From this account a

user may add events, bookmark events, share events with friends, create and modify groups, and

view event information.

From interacting with the site, it seems that the main user group is students and faculty.

This could be due to the fact that the user base has not really spread beyond the iSchool. It is

possible that in the future the user base will be larger and more diverse. In that instance, the

needs of the interface design might change.

After evaluating the site, we documented about forty heuristics. There is a fairly even

distribution of positive and negative features. Overall, many of the areas of the site contained

very good ideas, but these ideas were not implemented in an ideal manner. For example, there

are two heuristics describing the side navigation bar. One is positive because it is a good feature

to have. The other is negative because the design of the navigation bar takes up too much space

and provides too many options at once.

ID Heuristic Good BadHE1 Good error messages alerts the user and tells them how to fix the problem.

Good Error Message X

HE2 ‘Password is incorrect’ message alerts the user that they entered the wrong password.

Good Error Message X

HE3 Attempting to view Settings->My Watchlist causes an Apache Tomcat error.

Good Error Message X

HE4 When adding a review to a past event, something occurs that is probably an error which is cryptic and the user does not have a clearly marked exit.

Good Error Message X

HE5 Dates not displayed for featured events Be Consistent XHE6 [hint] link for finding friends displays a message that seems to be an error message that displays only displays help information.

Be Consistent X

HE7 User cannot select 2010 as a year for advanced searching.

Be Consistent X

HE8 Exit point is located in a very common area amongst operating systems.

Be Consistent X

HE9 An action that is consistent on other pages is not consistent on the Log In page.

Be Consistent X

HE10 System does not record proper date entered by user.

Be Consistent/Prevent Errors

X

HE11 The clear exit point allows for users to easily exit the map.

Provide Clearly Marked Exits

X

HE12 Free Event Icon Simple and Natural Dialog, Minimize User Memory Load

X

H13 Add Event Requires Administrator Approval Simple and Natural Dialog

X

H14 Narrow Your Results by Column Minimize User Memory Load

X

HE15 When adding a new group venue or organization, the selected data is always refreshed on the screen requiring the user to add the information again.

Minimize User Memory Load

X

HE16 The preservation of the Login ID for the attempted account creation reduces memory load.

Minimize User Memory Load

X

HE17 Editing Profile Option Minimize User Memory Load

X

HE18 When a user is signed in, new options are placed within existing option bar at the top of the page.

Minimize User Memory Load

X

HE19 Bookmarked events cannot be viewed at all under settings.

Minimize User Memory Load

X

HE20 Map Link on Event Description Provide Shortcuts, Minimize user Memory Load

X

HE21 No matter where you are in the system, there are always clearly marked links that will take you either “home” or to default task centered pages.

Provide Shortcuts X

HE22 Selectable Calendar Provide Shortcuts XHE23 Searches can be refined by selecting multiple qualities.

Provide Shortcuts X

HE24 When viewing an event it’s not possible to “un”bookmark the event.

Provide Shortcuts X

HE25 All events for a single month are listed on the same page.

Provide Shortcuts X

HE26 Shortcut allows experienced users to exit current category.

Provide Shortcuts X

HE27 System does not provide feedback when user correctly creates an account.

Provide Feedback X

HE28 Sometimes neither normal search or advanced search returns nothing

Provide Feedback X

HE29 Edit Profile – Save Changes or Cancel Provide Feedback XHE30 Feedback alerts user that their account is in the process of being loaded.

Provide Feedback X

HE31 When a map for an event, or when you invite a friend to an event, the screen shows a moving load circle indicating something is happening in the background.

Provide Feedback X

HE32 When an admin deletes a message in the group event messages, a pop up box appears asking “Do you really want to delete?”

Provide Feedback X

HE33 Without investigation, adding a new organization or venue to the events is confusing at first.

Provide Feedback X

HE34 No Icon Key Speak the User’s Language

X

HE35 Tutorial Speak the User’s Language

X

HE36 System does not speak user’s language for changing password.

Speak the User’s Language

X

HE37 Left panel allows user to show events by type, organization, or venue.

Speak the User’s Language

X

HE38 When adding a group or adding a message to a group, the button to do so is labeled “Submit” which is more indicative of a web page submission as opposed to creating a group.

Speak the User’s Language

X

HE39 A user is able to select a date that does not have any associated events to it.

Prevent Errors X

HE40 Advanced search allows users to search by impossible dates

Prevent Errors X

HE1 -- Good FeatureNameGood error messages alerts the user and tells them how to fix the problem.

EvidenceHeuristic: Good Error MessageThe error alert “To write a review, please log in” provides the user with the cause of the problem as well as the solution to the problem.

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ExplanationWhen an alert pops up informing the user that there is problem, the problem is often a mystery to the user. The explanation of what the problem is and how to resolve it eliminates the mystery for the user.

BenefitTakes the guess work out of what the problem was and the added task of how to fix said problem.

Trade-offsTakes the user away from the page they were on to another page to resolve the problem. User may forget what initial task they were trying to complete.

Relationships

CreatorKyle Holleran

HE2 -- Good FeatureName‘Password is incorrect’ message alerts the user that they entered the wrong password.

EvidenceHeuristic: Good Error MessageThe user is alerted with a pop up that they entered the wrong password when trying to log into the website.

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ExplanationWhen logging into website you need to enter a user name and password. If you enter the right name and but wrong password the system gives you an ambiguous error (in most systems). The current specifically tells the user what the problem is allowing them to resolve it faster.

BenefitTakes the guesswork out of figuring out if you entered the wrong user name or wrong password.

Trade-offsAlerts hackers that the user name is correct so that they can start guessing passwords.

Relationships

CreatorKyle Holleran

HE3 – ProblemNameAttempting to view Settings->My Watchlist causes an Apache Tomcat error.

EvidenceHeuristic: Good Error MessagingThe error is not very informative to the real cause of the problem. 500 Internal Error is a very common error for Tomcat.

ExplanationSimply clicking My Watchlist from the settings menu causes the error.

SeverityMinimal-Moderate. The My Watchlist feature of the website is completely unavailable to the user and the user can do little to avoid the error.

Possible SolutionThis problem can only be fixed by the website administrator. It is not clear what is causing this problem.

Relationships

CreatorMark Westerbeck

HE4 -- ProblemNameWhen adding a review to a past event, something occurs that is probably an error which is cryptic and the user does not have a clearly marked exit.

EvidenceHeuristic: Good Error Messages

Result displayed:

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ExplanationWhen a user adds a review to the system, a cryptic response is given and it is unknown whether the save was successful or not.

SeverityMedium. Posting a review for an event is pretty common task in the system.

Possible SolutionDisplay a pop up box or informational display on the screen explaining whether the review was successfully posted or not.

CreatorThomas DeCarlo

HE5 -- ProblemNameDates not displayed for featured events

EvidenceHeuristic: Be ConsistentThere is a box displaying featured events. Event name and location are displayed, however date and time are not.

Other events:

ExplanationEvery other area that posts events shows the event time. This provides consistency with the rest of the site. In order to see the date and time of an event, the user must click on the event and move to a completely new page to view the event type. This takes more time.

SeverityMedium

Possible SolutionThis could be fixed by including a date and time. A condensed date format (mm/dd/yy:00:00pm) could be used to save space.

CreatorHeidi Stapel

HE6 -- ProblemName[hint] link for finding friends displays a message that seems to be an error message that displays only displays help information.

EvidenceHeuristic: Be ConsistentAn informational [hint] pop up box appears as if it is an error or the user did something wrong.

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ExplanationWhen a user hits the [hint] url next to “Find My Friends” and “Add friends Emals”, a pop up box appears showing the hint with a ! which is more of a common error popup box rather than an informational pop up box.

SeveritySmall. Finding friends in the system may not be a common feature all users need.

Possible SolutionEither remove the “!” from the popup box or display the information on the screen when the hint link is selected.

CreatorThomas DeCarlo

HE7 – ProblemNameUser cannot select 2010 as a year for advanced searching.

EvidenceHeuristic: Be Consistent Since the years is 2010 it is important to make that option available to all users.

ExplanationNeither year selection contains the year 2010.

SeverityHigh. Without the ability to search for the year 2010 the user cannot find anything recent. This is a very large problem for a website that lists events that have occurred after the year 2009.

Possible SolutionSomeone must update the search page to include the year 2010.

Relationships

CreatorMark Westerbeck

HE8 -- Good FeatureNameExit point is located in a very common area amongst operating systems.

EvidenceHeuristic: Be ConsistentThe exit point is located in the upper right hand corner with a universal exit ‘X’ and the word ‘Close’.

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ExplanationSince not all users are familiar and comfortable with lightbox displays they may not know how to exit the map. By exploiting a consistent exit point (across operating systems and programs) the user does not have to guess how to exit.

BenefitTakes the guesswork out of exiting the map.

Trade-offsNone

RelationshipsHE11 The clear exit point allows for users to easily exit the map.CreatorKyle Holleran

HE9 – ProblemNameAn action that is consistent on other pages is not consistent on the Log In page.

EvidenceHeuristic: Be ConsistentClicking the Eventur logo does not bring the user back to the site’s homepage, an action which is consistent across all other site pages.

ExplanationFor many websites, clicking the site’s logo will return you to their homepage or start page. Throughout Eventur’s site this action occurs. However, on the login page clicking the logo has no action leaving the user at the login page.

SeverityMinimal. If the user is used to click the logo to return to the homepage they may click the logo a few times before giving up and proceeding to leave the page, manually enter the homepage address or clicking the back button until they get back to the homepage.

Possible SolutionAttach a link to the logo on the login page so send the user back to the homepage.

Relationships

CreatorKyle Holleran

HE10 – ProblemNameSystem does not record proper date entered by user.

EvidenceHeuristic: Prevent Errors/Be ConsistentThe date entered by the user is not the date saved by the system.

ExplanationThe system allows users to add events for other users to see (to promote an event). In most systems, the information entered by the user is not altered. However, when the user enters an event date and completes the entry the date of the event is altered.

SeverityModerate to High. If the system views an upcoming event to have a different date then other users will be misled and ultimately miss the event.

Possible SolutionSave the date entered by the user.

Relationships

CreatorKyle Holleran

HE11 -- Good FeatureNameThe clear exit point allows for users to easily exit the map.

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide Clearly Marked ExitsThe user is given a clear exit point from the map popup that locks up the entire screen.

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ExplanationWhen a user clicks on a map option, a map popup is displayed and the rest of the screen is darkened. The exit however is clearly marked, saying both ‘Close’ and providing the standard ‘X’. This eliminates the user having to guess how to exit the map.

BenefitEliminates the user from guesswork when trying to exit the map.

Trade-offsNone.

RelationshipsHE8 Exit point is located in a very common area amongst operating systems.CreatorKyle Holleran

HE12 – Good FeatureNameFree Event Icon

EvidenceHeuristic: Simple and Natural Dialog, Minimize User Memory LoadFor free events, a yellow icon is displayed with the text ‘free’ inside.

ExplanationThe main user group currently is students. Because of financial situations, many students are especially interested in free events. This provides a clear, quick and easy way to show students which events are free.

BenefitAllows users to clearly identify free events.

Trade OffThere is more clutter on the screen. Also, if a user is not a student, they may not be particularly interested in free events, making the icon irrelevant and distracting.

CreatorHeidi Stapel

HE13 -- ProblemNameAdd Event Requires Administrator Approval

EvidenceHeuristic: Simple and Natural DialogIn order to add an event, the user must submit a form to the administrator and wait several days for it to be displayed.

ExplanationThe user has no idea if the event will be posted. It also decreases freedom of posting.

SeverityMedium

Possible SolutionA possible solution would be to set up a search algorithm that finds key words within a the event information that could indicate an inappropriate post and send a flag to the administrator when this occurs.

CreatorHeidi Stapel

HE14 -- ProblemNameNarrow Your Results by Column

EvidenceHeuristic: Minimize User Memory LoadThere is a column on the side of the page that gives a list of event types by certain categories. This allows users to narrow events showed by category.

ExplanationToo much information is displayed at once making it difficult to select what is wanted. Also, the user must scroll up and down to view all options and sometimes click an icon to view all options within a category.

SeverityMedium

Possible SolutionA possible solution would be to collapse all categories and allow a user to show all options by clicking on a link. This would give the user the opportunity to easily view options within a category.

CreatorHeidi Stapel

HE15 -- ProblemNameWhen adding a new group venue or organization, the selected data is always refreshed on the screen requiring the user to add the information again.

EvidenceHeuristic: Minimize User Memory Load

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ExplanationWhen selecting and adding a new organization, the “Event Type” drop down is refreshed requiring the user to reselect everything, the same for venue.

SeveritySmall, Adding a new venue or organization is probably not a common task in the system

Possible SolutionKeep any existing loaded selections on the screen even after a new venue or organization is selected.

CreatorThomas DeCarlo

HE16 -- Good FeatureNameThe preservation of the Login ID for the attempted account creation reduces memory load.

EvidenceHeuristic: Minimize User Memory LoadThe attempted Login ID is retained in the Login ID field of the Sign Up form.

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ExplanationIt is possible for someone to try creating an account with a particular Login ID, be given an error messaging alerting them the ID is already in use, and then forgetting what Login ID they attempted to use (and then trying the same name again). The retention of the Login ID prevents this reoccurrence.

BenefitEliminates the user from having to remember what name they typed in.

Trade-offsAlerts a possible hacker that the user name is in use by another person, making it easier for them to hack an account.

Relationships

CreatorKyle Holleran

HE17 -- ProblemNameEditing Profile Option

EvidenceHeuristic: Minimize User Memory LoadSelecting ‘Edit Profile’ directs users to a blank form if the profile is being edited for the first time instead of preserving the information.

ExplanationThis makes it difficult to remember which information already exists in the profile and what needs to be added or changed.

SeverityMedium

Possible SolutionA possible solution would be to automatically put existing information in text input areas so that the user can remember what is already there and edit what they wish.

CreatorHeidi Stapel

HE18 – ProblemNameWhen a user is signed in, new options are placed within existing option bar at the top of the page.

EvidenceHeuristic: Minimize user memory loadThe previous options are not specific to the user. At a glance, the user may not be able to distinguish which option modifies his or her profile information.

ExplanationThe new option: My Events, Watchlist and Settings are added in between the older options and can edit and reference the user’s profile information. The labels are not clear enough to show which options will and will not affect the user’s settings.

SeverityMinimal. It is relatively easy for the user to learn which option does what. However, they will need to remember each time they sign in and out of the system.

Possible SolutionDisplay the added option at the top-right of the page, right after the user’s welcome message. This way the all options are visible but remain distinct to the user.

Relationships

CreatorMark Westerbeck

HE19 – ProblemNameBookmarked events cannot be viewed at all under settings.

EvidenceHeuristic: Minimize user memory load If the user cannot see their bookmarks they are forced to remember them or look them up some other way.

ExplanationThe user’s bookmarks do not show up on the My Events page. This causes a number of problems for the user aside from just remembering what was bookmarked.

SeverityModerate. If the user cannot bookmark events, it greatly reduces the reason why a user would make an account for the website.

Possible SolutionFix the bug that is preventing the bookmarks from showing up.

Relationships

CreatorMark Westerbeck

HE20 – Good FeatureNameMap Link on Event Description

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide Shortcuts, Minimize User Memory LoadNext to the venue portion of most event descriptions is a link to Google maps showing the venue location.

ExplanationThis feature simplifies the user’s task of selecting an event to attend by linking a useful routing utility. This allows a user to see travel time.

BenefitUser can quickly find event location.

Trade OffThere is more clutter on the screen and more upkeep in the website.

CreatorHeidi Stapel

HE21 -- Good FeatureNameNo matter where you are in the system, there are always clearly marked links that will take you either “home” or to default task centered pages.

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide Shortcuts

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ExplanationAt any point in system navigation and on any page, there is a clearly marked menu that can quickly help you navigate to various task pages and ultimately the home page.

BenefitAn advanced user of the system can accomplish many tasks quickly 1 after the other without going to the home screen every time.

Trade-offsRelationships

CreatorThomas DeCarlo

HE22 – Good FeatureNameSelectable Calendar

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide ShortcutsCalendar displayed on main page allows the user to select dates and view events for that date.

ExplanationThis offers an intuitive, quick and simple way for the user to view events by date.

BenefitThis give ease and speed to event selection.

Trade OffThis takes extra space on the page.

CreatorHeidi Stapel

HE23 -- Good FeatureNameSearches can be refined by selecting multiple qualities.

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide ShortcutsBy clicking several choices on left panel, users can narrow there selection of relevant events.

ExplanationEach choice made on the left panel will show only events that contain all the choices

BenefitBy using this feature the speed at which a user can narrow a search is vastly increased.

Trade-offsThe user must click the red circles with X’s in them to remove a choice they previously made. It becomes harder to “start over” when searching.

RelationshipsThis benefit is done by using the left panel on the website, which is related to HE2.

CreatorMark Westerbeck

HE24 – ProblemNameWhen viewing an event it’s not possible to “un”bookmark the event.

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide ShortcutsWithout the ability to remove the bookmark on the event page, the user must navigate to the Setting page to remove the bookmark.

ExplanationBy having to leave the page to remove a bookmark, the user may end up forgetting what he or she wanted to unbookmark. It takes much longer to remove bookmarks in this manner.

SeverityMinimal. It is minor if this problem could not be corrected so long as it is possible to remove the bookmark in some other manner.

Possible SolutionIf the user has the event bookmarked, change the bookmark GUI to allow the user to press a button to remove the bookmark.

Relationships

CreatorMark Westerbeck

HE25 – ProblemNameAll events for a single month are listed on the same page.

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide ShortcutsWithout any addition information about an event, the user must scroll through a large amount events without any spacing or numbering to indentify there location in the list.

ExplanationMost sites and search engines space out large lists of documents by separating the results into separate pages. If this is not done the user must slowly make his or her way through a large listing of events.

SeverityMinimal-Moderate. For small searches this isn’t much of a problem. For large searches the task becomes very time consuming for the user.

Possible SolutionSeparate results into pages of 10 and allow users to modify the amount of pages shown at a time.

Relationships

CreatorMark Westerbeck

HE26 -- Good FeatureNameShortcut allows experienced users to exit current category.

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide ShortcutsThere is a red ‘X’ next to open categories to allow individuals to exit the category and return back to where they were.

ExplanationWhen you click on a category title you are brought to another page with category title at the top of the page and every even that is part of that category is listed beneath it. Individuals who are familiar with the red ‘X’ are given have the opportunity to make use of the shortcut and return back to where they came from.

BenefitReduces time needed to move the mouse cursor to the browsers back button (an added bonus for those using touch pads).

Trade-offsNot clearly marked, so those unfamiliar with the red ‘X’ will not be able to take advantage of the shortcut

Relationships

CreatorKyle Holleran

HE27 – ProblemNameSystem does not provide feedback when user correctly creates an account.

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide FeedbackThere is no direct feedback provided by the system when the user correctly creates an account. Upon creation, the user is redirected back to the homepage.

ExplanationGenerally, when a user creates an account for a site they are alerted when they fail to make an account properly or when they successfully create an account. Not providing feedback to the user when they create an account leaves them wondering what happened and if their account was made.

SeverityMinimal. If the user tries to create another account the option is removed from the navigation bar, so long as they did not close the browser right away.

Possible SolutionInstead of redirecting the user to homepage immediately, display an alert indicating the account was created successfully.

Relationships

CreatorKyle Holleran

HE28 – ProblemNameSometimes neither normal search or advanced search returns nothing

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide FeedbackThere is no direct feedback provided by the system when the user searches certain terms (we are unable to determine if the word is not in the system or an error is occurring)[Search festival, festivals, Festival].

ExplanationOften times when searching for a search term (even the full name an event) the searches will simply not return any results.

SeverityHigh. If the search functions do not work reliably most users will have to search by hand to locate certain events. Often times this might be impossible to accomplish.

Possible SolutionAn administrator must determine and fix the errors that are causing this problem.

Relationships

CreatorMark Westerbeck

HE29 -- ProblemNameEdit Profile – Save Changes or Cancel

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide FeedbackWhen you select save changes or cancel for edit profile there is no feedback or page redirection indicating that the changes have been saved.

ExplanationWith no feedback or redirect, the user does not know if the editing has been saved.

SeverityMedium

Possible SolutionA possible solution would be to redirect to the main profile page and display a message indicating that the changes were saved.

CreatorHeidi Stapel

HE30 -- Good FeatureNameFeedback alerts user that their account is in the process of being loaded.

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide FeedbackThe ‘Loading…’ statement alerts users that the system is working on loading their account.

ExplanationFor slow connections and long load times it is important to make the user aware that their action is being processed. By providing the simple phrase ‘Loading…’ the user becomes aware that the system did register the log in request and is currently working on it.

BenefitUser is not left wondering if their action of clicking the ‘Log In’ button worked.

Trade-offsNone.

Relationships

CreatorKyle Holleran

HE31 -- Good FeatureNameWhen a map for an event, or when you invite a friend to an event, the screen shows a moving load circle indicating something is happening in the background.

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide Feedback

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ExplanationLetting the user know that things are happening in the background when you invite a friend to an event and when the map is loading.

BenefitThe user is always assured that something is working and they should continue to wait.

Trade-offsThis feature will not help a person with a very fast network connection where the map or processing is very fast and the loading screen is not needed.

Relationships

CreatorHeidi Stapel, Tom DeCarlo

HE32 -- Good FeatureNameWhen an admin deletes a message in the group event messages, a pop up box appears asking “Do you really want to delete?”

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide Feedback

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ExplanationWhen deleting a posted message, the user is question as to whether they really want to delete the message.

BenefitThe can be sure they truly want to delete the message prior to executing removing it permanently. This prevents accidental deletions.

Trade-offsThis does not speed up the amount of time a user takes to accomplish a task.

Relationships

CreatorThomas DeCarlo

HE33 -- ProblemNameWithout investigation, adding a new organization or venue to the events is confusing at first.

EvidenceHeuristic: Provide Feedback

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ExplanationWhen a user adds a new venue or organization to the group, all boxes are refreshed and it is unknown as to what happened.

SeverityMedium. Adding an event to the system is a common task, however adding a new Organization or venue may not be that common.

Possible SolutionIt would be better to somehow let the user know that the clicking the “add New” button did something. Best would be to display the newly entered organization as the selected item in the drop down box.

CreatorThomas DeCarlo

HE34 -- ProblemNameNo Icon Key

EvidenceHeuristic: Speak the User’s LanguageThere are icons listed with events that are supposed to have certain meanings. However, these meanings are never explained and are not intuitive.

ExplanationUsers will have difficulty understanding the icon meanings without an explanation or seeing the icons associated with certain actions or meanings.

SeverityMedium

Possible SolutionA possible solution would be to provide a small icon key on the page.

CreatorHeidi Stapel

HE35 – Good FeatureNameTutorial

EvidenceHeuristic: Speak the User’s LanguageThis provides an explanation and directions for system operations that the user may control.

ExplanationThis allows the user to take advantage of system functionality by showing how different operations may be accomplished.

BenefitUsers learn effective use of the system.

Trade OffUsers may not see it or want to take the time to read the tutorial.

CreatorHeidi Stapel

HE36 – ProblemNameSystem does not speak user’s language for changing password.

EvidenceHeuristic: Speak the User’s LanguageWhen the user attempts to change their password, it is not clear if the ‘Password’ field is the new password and what is meant by ‘Re-Password’.

ExplanationWhen the user wants to change their password they are presented with two fields: ‘Password’ and ‘Re-password’. First off, many systems ask the user to type in their old password, new password, and to retype the new password. Stating ‘Password’ gives no indication if it should be the old or new password. Also, the term ‘Re-password’ is not clear.

SeverityMinimal. Through trial and error the user should be able to figure this out, but shouldn’t have to put that much effort into a simple.

Possible SolutionSpeak clearly to the user. Indicate that ‘Password’ is the new password and that ‘Re-password’ means to retype the password.

Relationships

CreatorKyle Holleran

HE37 -- Good FeatureNameLeft panel allows user to show events by type, organization, or venue.

EvidenceHeuristic: Speak the user’s languageThe user can quickly specify important details of an event he or she is looking for.

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ExplanationThe left panel shows a number of different topics to narrow a user’s search.

BenefitBy providing users with immediate access to ways to reduce the amount of events shown, users can find what interests them faster.

Trade-offsThis feature isn’t useful if the user isn’t familiar the types of events or organizations that sponsor the events.

RelationshipsThe left panel is used by HE7.

CreatorMark Westerbeck

HE38 -- ProblemNameWhen adding a group or adding a message to a group, the button to do so is labeled “Submit” which is more indicative of a web page submission as opposed to creating a group.

EvidenceHeuristic: Speak the User’s Language

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ExplanationThe submit button isn’t necessarily indicative of what needs to be accomplished by the user, but rather of what is being done by the back end web server.

SeveritySmall. Most users will understand what the submit will do and will learn after the first attempt, but “Add Group” or “Post Message” would eliminate any and all uncertainty.

Possible SolutionChange the working on the button to “Add Group”.

CreatorThomas DeCarlo

HE39 -- ProblemNameA user is able to select a date that does not have any associated events to it.

EvidenceHeuristic: Prevent Errors

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ExplanationWhen selecting a date on the event calendar, a user can select a date that may or may not have any events associated to that event and no feedback is displayed to say whether an event occurs on that day.

SeveritySmall. It is possible to add a user to the system in the event of an emergency

Possible SolutionOnly allow those dates with events on them to be used in the date calendar icon, others could be grayed out. Also, provide immediate feedback on whether events were found for a date selected without selected a cryptic red “x” icon.

CreatorThomas DeCarlo

HE40 – ProblemNameAdvanced search allows users to search by impossible dates

EvidenceHeuristic: Prevent ErrorsThe user can set any option in the advanced search menu to anything without causing any errors. Specifically, the search by date option.

ExplanationThe user can set the date of the second searching date to a time before the first searching date which will prevent results from returning. In addition, the user can also set the set dates to that cannot occur such as February 31.

SeverityModerate. Users can correct the error themselves by being observant. However, this problem is very serious as it will completely invalid a search.

Possible SolutionBy using scripting, a programmer can prevent the second search date from being less that the first search date and prevent impossible dates as well.

Relationships

CreatorMark Westerbeck