Assessment
item 3 - Usability Study
Value: 50%
Due Date: 26-May-2022
Return
Date: 21-Jun-2022
Length: 2750
words (+/- 10%)
Group
Assessment: No
Submission
method options: EASTS (online)
TASK
Overview
This assessment requires you to produce a
report detailing a usability study you have conducted. The
study consists of two parts: a competitive analysis of a similar site, and
the design and pilot undertaking of a usability test. The report
will cover both of these parts, and include some provisional recommendations on
how the usability of your chosen site could be improved.
Detailed instructions
For this assessment you will need to evaluate the usability of one of the following websites:
· Australian Government (https://www.australia.gov.au/)
·Trove (https://trove.nla.gov.au/)
· Amazon (https://www.amazon.com.au/)
· University of New South Wales (https://www.unsw.edu.au/)
The evaluation is in two parts: a
competitive analysis, and a usability test.
Part 1: Competitive analysis For the competitive analysis you need to identify one website that will serve as a useful comparison site to the one you are evaluating. You should think here about the purpose and scope of the comparison site. Once you have identified the site, you should conduct a competitive analysis using Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics as a framework. Note that your analysis here should be limited to the comparison site.
Part 2: Usability test You should design a usability test that could be undertaken to evaluate the usability of the site you have selected from the above list. Here you should consider the type of data you want to collect, the location of the test (remote or on site), potential equipment and number of participants required, the tasks you will ask participants to complete, and how the test results will be analysed. You should draw on the learning modules, readings and the wider usability literature to support your decisions. Once you have designed the test, you should undertake the test with 2-3 users of your choice.
NOTE: CSU ethics requires
that you must not disclose the test results anywhere except in the
assessment. Respect for participants must be maintained by informing
project details and obtaining consent before the testing sessions.
Finally, based on your competitive analysis and usability tests, you
should make some provisional recommendations for how the usability of the site
could be improved. Learning module material and reading and the wider
usability literature should be used to support your
recommendations.
RATIONALE
This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s:
·be able to research and apply good design techniques to improve readability, user friendliness, and general usability of online content.
· be able to evaluate different aspects of web interface design to ensure effective information retrieval and effective information delivery.
·be able to apply web design standards to create a website for specialist and non-specialist audiences.
· The final report will include the following sections:
oCover/Title page
o Introduction (c. 200 words) § Introduce the site you have chosen to evaluate § Outline the contents of the report o Competitive analysis (c. 1000 words) § Why you are conducting a competitive analysis § An introduction to the comparison site, and why it is appropriate for the competitive analysis § How yo
Introduction (c. 200 words)
§ Introduce the site you have chosen to evaluate
§ Outline the contents of the report
o Competitive analysis (c. 1000 words)
§ Why you are conducting a competitive analysis
§ An introduction to the comparison site, and why it is appropriate for the competitive analysis
§ How you conducted the competitive analysis
§ The results of the analysis, structured around Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics.
§ A summary of the key findings from the competitive analysis
o Usability testing (c. 1,250 words)
§ Why you are planning to conduct usability testing
§ A proposed test design, covering the following elements:
§ Are you exploring or validating?
§ Are you testing formally or informally?
§ The location of the test, and potential equipment required
§ Possible number of participants for the full test
§ 3 tasks to be completed by participants during the test
§ Results from undertaking of the test
o Provisional recommendations (c. 300 words)
§ Summary of the key findings from the competitive analysis and usability tests
§ At least three recommendations on how the usability of the site could be improved
o Appendix (if any)
§ Attach any material you may wish to demonstrate from the user tests
Online
shopping is among one of the most practiced things in the existence of
humanity. It has faced significant growth, mainly due to the growth and
development of technology. Initially, it was not a big deal since most people
had not yet adapted to the use of technology. With time, we have witnessed a
lot of change in the growth trajectory of online shopping. Amazon is one of the
sites that has grown tremendously from the development of online shopping. It
is an online retailer, manufacturer of web services, and electronic book
readers. The headquarters of this company is located in Seattle, Washington.