Topic 1 - Two Applications which meets Usability and User Experience goals and Two of which does not meet

Usability and User Experience

Application that meets Usability and User Experience Goals:

1. FlipKart Application: http://www.flipkart.com/

FlipKart – A web application that satisfies usability and user experience goals. Flipkart is an e-commerce website that provides users the platform to purchase a wide variety of goods ranging from shoes to mobile phones. The justification for satisfying both usability and user experience goals are given below.

Usability goals:

• Effectiveness: The application’s main objective is enable users to buy their products without visiting the brick-and-mortar store by providing the same experience. It completely satisfies that objective and hence effectively helps the user to buy his product from selection to check-out without confusion.

• Efficiency: Users who use the application for the first will find it easy to navigate around and find their required product without much hassles. The application provides enough assistance to the users to help them navigate around and find their required product easily.

To demonstrate these two goals, the following set of screenshots are provided which is an attempt to buy a shoe rack.

Fig 1: User selects the required category

Fig 2: User gets the list of shoe racks with options to filter the racks based on price, material etc.

Fig 3: User after selection can easily check out using the buy now option

These screenshots reiterate the efficiency and effectiveness since it focuses on the primary goal of the application and the user can efficiently navigate and get his product.

• Safety: The chances of the users to wrongly click a button is minimal since all the labels and buttons are very clear and understandable to the user. Even when the application closes unexpectedly when the user logs in the next time the orders can be found in the cart thus providing effective recovery.

• Utility: The application has several functionalities that might aid the user in buying his product easily. Search, filtering by price, brand, categories, preferences and suggestions are some of the functionalities that helps the user perform the task

Fig 4: An example for filtering functionality available on flipkart

• Learnability: The application is easy to learn for the users since it is basically modelled on the users’ approach to buying products at a brick-and-mortar store. There are no complex functionalities that requires training for the users’. The user can easily familiarize with the application by exploring the interface of the system.

• Memorability: The application has breadcrumbs implemented to help users remember their navigation and since it is very simple approach the users will not find it difficult to carry out their tasks on the application. Since this is an ecommerce site and can be used frequently by users’ memorability aspect may not play a big role.

• User Experience Goals: Flipkart, apart from having satisfied all the usability goals also provides the user with excellent user experience. The application provides users a  cognitively stimulating experience. For Example, the user will be able to take closer look at their interested products. It also enhances sociability since most of the products have reviews and the users can reply to those reviews thus helping the users. Since most of the products have offers, photos and recommendation the entire application is engaging for the users. Since the entire interface of an application is simple and enjoyable. Users will have a satisfying experience.

Fig 5: The users can easily have different views of their products

2. Freecharge Application: http://www.freecharge.in/

Freecharge – This is one web application that satisfies usability and user experience goals. This web application is used to recharge our Mobile, DTH, Datacard, Bill Payments and Metro Train Pass recharge. The justification for satisfying both usability and user experience goals are listed below.

Usability goals:

• Effectiveness: Main objective of this application is to recharge any mobile number within India. There are many websites which are providing same feature to recharge. But other websites are loaded with many steps to do this and more advertisements and promotions loaded in a page which is annoying the user visiting that page. Thus this site stand apart from other application by providing only the intended purpose for the user

• Efficiency: Any user on entering the application can easily understand what the system is all about. The Home screen is providing intended purpose of recharging option. At the top it provides a menu for selecting what to recharge either mobile or DTN or DataCard or any Bill payments or Metro Train pass recharge. Series of five steps will finish the recharging task.

Fig 1: Home Screen of Freecharge

• Safety: There is very minimal ways of user going wrong on proceeding while recharge. Everything is so transparent and very easy steps. If any user constantly performing similar recharge rate from their profile, then on next time this application suggest option to choose the similar option so that user can proceed faster to recharge.

Fig 2: Providing option to choose from earlier recharges

• Utility: This application prrovides multiple recharging options for Mobile, DTH, Datacard, Bill includes Electricity Bill, Land Bill, Gas Bill and Metro Train Recharge.

Fig 3: Multiple bill payment option

• Learnability: This application is very compatible for any basic users. Anyone can easily understand the end to end functionality of this application. Also by using all payment feature will make the user familiar in using all options.

• Memorability: This application has payment page which can be done either by Debit / Credit card, Net Banking. But user dont need to remember their card number always instead they can save their card so that on next payment they can easily pay in short steps.

Fig 5: Payment Option where card details saved

• User Experience Goals: Thus Freecharge satisfied all the usability goals and provides good user experience. This also has some promotion coupon to attract users. which will make user as their advertiser, which provides free recharge coupons on referring their friends to sign in this application. Thus the interface of an application is simple and efficient which satisfy user in providing intended purpose.

Application that Doesn't meet Usability and User Experience Goals:

1. Sketch Application: https://sketch.london

Sketch – A very highly rated restaurant with 5 AA rosettes and 2 Michelin stars in London has a website (sketch.london) that allows the users to view events, menus and more importantly, make online reservations. We visit the site with the goal of booking a table making use of the online reservation web application.

Fig 1: sketch.london homepage

Usability goals:

• Effectiveness: sketch.london fails in defining its purpose. As soon as the website finished loading the user gets greeted by an animation that makes no sense. At first glance sketch is more of an art gallery than a restaurant. As seen in the picture above, there are no labels to the logos or icons. The sidebar has confusing labels; the labels are overlapping and not clearly defined. Lunch with Monet? Who is David Shrigley? On the other hand, the reservation application is effective as it can achieve goals as intended.

Fig 2: sketch.london sidebar

• Efficiency: Next, we look at the reservation application itself.

Fig 3 & 4: Reservation System 

• From the above images lack of consistency of the reservation system can be seen. The drop down does not provide the user the “Dinner” option as it should have. Once the user clicks the wrong option there is no way to amend it without going back. We also feel that there should be images or indicators of what “Parlour”, “Gallery” or “Lecture Room” are.

• Safety: While exploring sketch.london, we had no idea if we were at where we wanted to be. As mentioned before, the sidebar is not very useful thus leading to wrong destinations. The user can go back to the previous page clicking a tiny logo (without labels, again) at the top right corner which provides the same function as the browser back button.

• Utility: The shop and reservation system works. However, there are limited options when booking as seen in the image below.

Fig 5: Booking times

• Learnability: The learnability aspect in sketch.london is low. There are no help for users to explore the site, or use the booking application. The user cannot choose a specific time to dine.

• Memorability: As mentioned before, there are inconsistencies in the application. Options are not consistent in drop down lists and icons are not labelled, thus reducing memorability.

• User Experience: The application can be confusing due to inconsistency. The user may feel annoyed by the background animation which is constantly there throughout. The website homepage, however, constantly plays an unpleasant music in repeat.

2. Orbitz Application: http://www.orbitz.com/

Orbitz - A web application that allows you to book flights, hotels and pick up cars. It also offers package deals, cruises and activities. Overall it is a one stop application for users to plan a vacation at best price deals. However, this website has few usability constraints which impacts the user experience and satisfaction. Some of them are identified below.

Usability goals:

• Effectiveness: The goal of the website is to book flights, hotels, cars at individual and package deals. However, the impression of the website at first look does not effectively highlight its purpose. Too much of white area and the top/ popular destination places are stacked at the lower part of the website. There is no option to change the language of the website as well as no flexible currency option. Here there is possible scenario that users may find it difficult to read and use the website hence they may prefer a website which allows them to change the language and currency options.

Fig 1. User finds it difficult to identify the goal of the website with homepage

• Efficiency: Users have to experience easy navigation and content information according to their flexibility. However, in our first case, to book a hotel, there is an option for Hotel name to search for the hotel of interest during the stay but the search does not offer any suggestion when hotel is searched. For the first time users, they experience difficulty to type in the hotel name directly without any prompt. Also, the search is for exact match and people who type in wrong spelling of the hotel find no close results.

Fig 2. User does not find suggestions in the search feature

• In our second case there is confusion on the time for booking a flight as there is no proper organisation of time details.

Fig 3. User finds it difficult with unorganised non standard timing options

• In our third case, while booking a room the user had to change the date of stay but the update button remained grey. The user has to go to the start to update the change of date.

Fig 4. The update option is not available to the user after he had made changes to the date

• Safety: The chances of the users to navigate to and fro through the webpages of a travel website is very common. In this case the user filled in the options and searched for a package deal of flight + hotel. However, he later changed his mind and navigated back to search for flights only. However, he found his search details not been saved. The webpage had navigated to the home page of the website and so the user had to restart his search.

Fig 5. User finds himself being navigated to the homepage

• Utility: During the search for hotels the lists populates under the recommended section rather than the price deals and in most cases users tend to decide on the prices and the ratings/reviews. The refreshing on the filters takes long time. Unnecessary waiting time is directed to Orbitz rewards page which frustrates users.

Fig 6. The website gets directed to advertisement and offer deals

• Learnability: Compared to other online travel website Orbitz is difficult to navigate and explore. The look and construction of the website is too rigid. The users have to spend more time to explore this travel website compared to Agoda.com or Expedia.com. On a general note, the users were confused by the terminology of a ‘deal’ and a ‘package.

Fig 7. User finds it difficult to distinguish between deals and package

• Memorability: Due to the difficult navigability, the too much of refreshing, it is tough to remember the steps involved in the booking session.

• User Experience Goals:Though Orbitz is a application with a sole purpose to book travel packages, it fails to satisfy customer's expectation. To prove this SURL (Software Usability Research Laboratory ) has evaluated and done a comparative study with two other travel websites. (http://usabilitynews.org/planning-your-next-vacation-orbitz-expedia-or-travelocity/)

• The results are as follows:

Fig 8: Reported Satisfaction of Travel Sites

• This blog entry focuses on the other constraints which have been missed out from the SURL evaluation. The screenshots above provide justification for the usability goals (Effectiveness, Efficiency, Safety, Utility, Learnability and Memorability).