#evaluation1

Final score: 21/40 = 52.5% (19 Green, 4 Orange)

Orange Marks

Visibility of system status

Current status of icon clearly indicated: I had the idea of giving an indication for the icons however in the paper prototype it isn’t consistent. This is because it felt repetitive, and I thought that not doing it would be indicative. However this is something I would need to keep consistent in the next round of designing.

User control

Accidental activation (lack of back button): I had the idea of using back buttons on the top left, however it isn’t consistent in the paper prototype.

Can users set their own system?: Users can change the theme, and in some cases the formatting of their note, but that’s it – not much else with personalisation.

Flexibility and efficiency of use

Is there any advanced search option?: Users can filter results, but use the advanced search options because I have not thought of it.

Red Marks

Visibility of system status

If pop-up windows show up – does it show users their errors?: I did not design for this or think of this because I thought these would be indicative enough.

Is the logo meaningful?: I have not designed the logo nor any of the visual design for the app yet.

Is there a link to detailed information about the creator?: No – Have not thought of this – but will add to the settings page

Match between the system and the real world

Are the icons concrete and familiar: Have not designed this yet.

Do selected colours match the real world: Have not designed this yet

Is there a consistent icon style: Have not designed this yet

for question and answer interfaces, are questions stated in clear, simple language?: No – have not chosen the body copy yet

is the language used the same target users speak?: No – have not chosen the body copy yet

User control

are users prompted to confirm commands that have drastic, destructive consequences?: Have not designed this yet

can users easily reverse their actions?: Have not designed this yet

Consistency

is there a consistent icon design scheme and stylistic treatment across the system?: Have not designed this yet

Aesthetic and minimalist design

Has excessive design been used in icons?: Have not designed this yet

are all icons in a set visually and conceptually distinct?: Have not designed this yet

Help users recognise, diagnose and recover from errors

To signal an input error in a form, mark the textbox that needs to be changed: Have not designed this yet

Help and documentation

is it easy to access and return from the help system?: Have not designed a help system

Pleasurable and respectful interaction

protect users’ work, also as “For data entry screens with many fields or in which source documents may be incomplete, can users save a partially filled screen?”: Have not designed  or thought about a draft section.

Privacy

are protected areas completely inaccessible?: Have not designed this yet

can protected or confidential areas be accessed with certain passwords: Have not designed yet

In summary:

I found that documentation took a bulk of the time, especially optimising the information I found for my blog.

Research:

I jumped right in to looking at existing applications to see where I could situate my own app, before surveying participants. I think this hurt me more than helped me, because I already raised some ideas in my head of what features I want in the app, without thinking of the needs and requirements of users. However, doing the surveys allowed to ground my research on real data. From then on, creating the personas, stories, maps, journeys flowed on.

To do for next time: Further visualise how users will use the product to give more ideas about requirements in terms of the environment they would use the app in. Also look at the history of note taking, diary and planners to give more weight and dimension to the research.

Design:

From the user journey apps, I quickly drafted the wireframes. Afterwards, I drafted the Information Architecture (twice). And this was all hand done, to get my mind away from the screen. I did a mini test on the IA using the 8 principles of Information Architecture, so I could iterate and improve my designs. I proceeded to use paper for the prototypes as it is a low fidelity, low cost way of testing for later on. However I found that it became quite tiring and repetitive which may have been my undoing for the Heuristic Test.

To do for next time: Move on to the computer for a (little) high fidelity prototype, to give a bit more care and weight to the design. Also, decide on visual designs to get tested by participants.

Testing:

I had no goals with the testing, I just wanted to go through the paper prototype using the tasks from the user journey maps. I also had the Heuristic List next to me to tick off what I had or hadn’t done. Having done the heuristic test, it overlooked the tasks, requirements and the usability in terms of users, but it did look at the more minute details which all add up to a more pleasant experience for the users.

To do for next time: Test with participants! and have goals in mind. Formalise the test by having a formal document about the goals of the study, the format, the metrics, etc.

Evaluation:

Going through the list, I did notice that there were a lot of minute things I had to take care of before going to the participants to test my app.

I thoroughly enjoyed creating this portfolio. I enjoyed learning new techniques and getting to know what I like in photography. Within this I realised that not everything goes as planned and there are quite a lot of down falls when it comes to shooting. Besides this the important aspect that I got from this is how much planning one or two weeks ahead is essential.

I am a very organised person and love planning but my fault lied where I was unable to keep following my plans. Even when I had all of my ideas and detailed plans I felt I was still falling behind as something would get in my way. Either my plan isn't going how I would like, the weather has changed although I checked it etc.

I want to take this into the next portfolio and I hope I can stick to my plans or if I fall behind I need to be more dedicated to coming in on my days off to complete tasks. Aside from this negativity it is a lesson to learn from and most of the briefs I thought were useful.