The Freecycle Network (Expert Evaluation: Heuristic Evaluations and Cognitive Walkthroughs)

THE FREECYCLETM
NETWORK
EVALUATORS:
JOE GOEBEL - goebejoe@gmail.com
INDIA GREEN - icgreen84@gmail.com
JERI HERRERA - JeriHerrera@gmail.com
JOSEPH HOWERTON - joseph@unit64.com
Pro ject 1 • HCI 460 •Usability Evaluation Methods • April 13, 2011

Table of Contents
Executive Summary! 1
Application & Users! 2
Application Description! 2
Target Users! 2
Heuristic Evaluation Summary! 2
Objectives! 2
Findings! 2
Discussion of Our Cognitive Walkthrough! 3
Sign Up / Become a Member! 3
Search Posts! 3
Recommendations! 4
1. Combine the two navigation schemas into one global navigation bar.! 4
2. Redesign the sign in/sign up forms and process.! 4
3. Provide instructions for how to use the site to new users! 4
Appendix A: Heuristic Evaluations Raw Data! 5
Appendix B: Cognitive Walkthrough Raw Data! 17
Individual Cognitive Questions! 17
Appendix C: Detail Discussion of Cognitive Walkthrough! 27
Appendix D: Detail Recommendations! 28
Appendix E: Reference! 30
Appendix F: Member Contribution! 31
Team Member Contributions! 31
The Freecycle TM Network Evaluation! HCI 460 Proje c t 1

Executive Summary
The Freecycle™ Network is an online web application that allows users to browse, search, and
post classified ads for free local items that might otherwise end up in landfills. The site allows
users to browse local groups and become members, connecting them to free items available in
their area. The following report summarizes our findings of conducing a heuristic analysis of
the site, cognitive walkthroughs of two common tasks performed when using the application,
and our high-level recommendations for how the site could be improved.
The heuristic analysis revealed several problem areas in the user experience and architecture of
the site as well as areas in which the application performed efficiently. The cognitive walk-
throughs focused on what we believe were the two most common tasks performed when using
the site: signing up for a membership and performing a search to filter through posts.
Results of the heuristic analysis and cognitive walkthroughs led us to three high-priority rec-
ommendations for improving the interface. The first recommendation is to redesign the two
navigation frameworks into one global navigation that is visible on every page of the site and a
more streamlined user experience aimed to reduce user memory load and promote consistency.
The second recommendation is to redesign the sign in/sign up experience so the two are sepa-
rate functions and users can easily differentiate one from the other. The revised sign up experi-
ence also involves providing users with better feedback upon completion of the task and an op-
tion for selecting a home group. The third recommendation is to provide users with simple in-
structions for how to use the site. These could either go on the homepage or in the form of a
post-transactional email after users sign up for membership.
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Application & Users
Application Description
The Freecycle™ Network was established in 2003 as an email group in Tucson, Arizona [1]. The
Freecycle™ Network has since grown into a global concept spanning 85 countries [1]. The goals
of the organization are to keep gently used items out of landfills and instill a sense of generosity
within their members, while limiting the items that end up in landfills all over the world. The
organization estimates it is keeping over 500 tons a day out of landfills [1].
Target Users
The Freecycle™ market consists of environmentally conscious people who value the idea of re-
using items rather than throwing them away and polluting global landfills. The no-strings con-
cept also acts as a valuable way for people to obtain items they may need, but may not have
purchased otherwise. The technical expertise of the users varies from someone with minimal
experience using web applications to the more advanced web user.
Heuristic Evaluation Summary
Objectives
The objective of the heuristic evaluation was to assess the Freecycle™ website and identify any
significant usability issues. During the heuristic evaluation the following list of usability heuris-
tics was used as a structure in documenting any issues found in the application. A complete re-
pository of each group member’s individual heuristic evaluation can be found in the appendix.
Findings
Each team member composed an individual heuristic evaluation for performing various tasks
on the site and each individual evaluation was comprised into a summary of the group’s
2
Simple and natural dialog
Speak the user's language
Minimize user memory load
Be consistent
Provide feedback
Provide clearly marked exits
Provide shortcuts
Good error messages
Prevent errors
[2]

findings. Collectively, the heuristic evaluations uncovered that the website suffers from signifi-
cant navigation issues. The inconsistent navigation on each page and the labeling of the naviga-
tion tabs is confusing and doesn’t always speak the user’s language. The navigation also directs
users into dead ends with no clear exit and often relies on the browser’s back button. Employ-
ing a global navigation that’s visible on every page within the application would significantly
reduce confusion and user error.
The heuristic evaluations also revealed that the sign in/sign up process and getting started with
the application are problematic. There are no clear instructions provided to users for how to
start using the website by viewing offers and wanteds posts or adding a group and users are left
to piece these tasks together accidentally. These issues can be attributed to poor process creation
and lack of appropriate documentation.
Discussion of Our Cognitive Walkthrough
Our team conducted cognitive walkthroughs of two of the primary tasks user will perform on
the Freecycle™ website. The two tasks we reviewed were signing up to create a membership for
the site and performing a search function to filter through the posts. Two team members fo-
cused on the first task and the other two focused on the second task, whereupon we formed a
summary of the combined findings by each individual team member for each separate task. Be-
low is a summary of the findings for each task.
Sign Up / Become a Member
There were two major problems found with this task. The first is the language that is used in
referencing the function. The terms used are not common to an average user and could poten-
tially cause confusion. The second problem with this task is there is no easy way for users to re-
turn to the homepage after registering.
Search Posts
When reviewing the search posts functionality of the application, our walkthroughs revealed
that the location of the Search Posts button is not ideal, as it is not called out in any way and is
easily lost within the page. Additionally, the visual design of the button is identical to the Make
New Post button located directly beside it. It might be beneficial to the application to accommo-
date this button in the global navigation redesign.
3

Recommendations
1. Combine the two navigation schemas into one global navigation bar.
Problem: There are currently two navigation bars that are visibly inconsistent. There are ar-
eas on the site where both, one, or neither of the navigation schemas are visible, which is
inconsistent and confusing.
Solution: Consolidate both navigations into a single global navigation that is visible and
consistent on every page, sub-page, and area of the application.
Severity Rating: High
2. Redesign the sign in/sign up forms and process.
Problem: The current site has one link for new users to sign up and returning users to sign
in. However when a user clicks this link the only option is to sign in by entering a username
and password. In order for users to view all the content on the site and utilize the applica-
tion to its fullest, they need to sign up to create a new account. The current state of the ap-
plication does not provide an easy way for users to do this.
Solution: Instead of combining the sign in/sign up form as one link, there should be a sign
in form on the homepage so returning users can login quickly. There should be a separate
link located next to the sign in form for new users to sign up, which would direct new users
to a separate registration path.
3. Provide instructions for how to use the site to new users
Problem: The current site makes a lot of assumptions about users’ understanding of terms
such as “Home Group,” “Offers,” and “Wanteds” and it is not clear to new users that they
need to add a Home Group to begin using the site. In addition, there is a lack of communica-
tion between Freecycle™ and users who have completed the registration task. This can be
confusing and intimidating to new users.
Solution: Provide a quick step-by-step on how to start using the site both on the homepage,
after users complete the registration form, and possibly in a post-transactional email upon
registration completion.
4

Appendix A: Heuristic Evaluations Raw Data
Simple and natural dialog - Simple means no irrelevant or rarely used information. Natural
means an order that matches the task.
India - Location: my Freecycle beta Page – Sign-up Form
Problem: The instructions on the sign up page states that they recommend the
User to use their Yahoo email address if they have one or add the new address
to your Yahoo proﬁles. This information makes it seem that the User needs to
have a Yahoo account in order to join Freecycle.
Solution: The instructions should be a clearer to ensure the User understands
that they don’t need a Yahoo account unless the group they are trying to join is
running on Yahoo Groups.
Severity Rating: Medium
Jeri - Location: The site navigation tabs
Problem: The site navigation tabs are highlighted to provide the user with their current
location. Within each page there is no title telling the user where they are. All of the con-
tent is displayed in a uniform manner. Each page appears to be the same, which can be
confusing. There is no indication at the top of the page stating the user’s location. Upon
clicking on a listing, there are also no bread crumbs available to the user and the high-
light of the navigation tab disappears.
Solution: The navigation highlight feature should remain intact when a user has navi-
gated to a second level of the navigation category. There should also be bread crumbs
indicating the level of navigation accomplished within the category.
Joe - Location: sign in/sign up link
Problem: The sign in/sign up link only allows you to sign in. I had to enter a username
and password I knew would be incorrect to be redirected to the sign up form. There is
also no real explanation on the homepage of how the site is used. This is particularly
problematic since the site relies heavily on Yahoo! Groups.
Solution: It seems like the signup form could be a link in the sign in/sign up drop-down
menu. It might be helpful to show upfront that the site works in tandem with Yahoo!
5

Groups. Another area where I found irrelevant information was on the FAQ homepage
where the site’s mission statement was the most prominent information displayed.
Joseph - Location: http://groups.freecycle.org/chicagofreecycle/posts/all
Problem: I think the ADMIN! Posts at the top of the page are kind of distracting. The
term ADMIN! I believe is misleading.
Solution: I think it should be called something different as well, like NEW or NEWS or
UPDATES. I believe we could add a navigation icon for it, so it’s not at the top of the
posts.
Severity Rating: LOW
Speak the user's language - Use words and concepts from the user's world. Don't use system-
speciﬁc engineering terms.
India - Location: My Groups Tab
Problem: If the User is not familiar with using a forum they might not understand
that the button stating Contact the ModTeam is what they need to click in order
to contact the groups admins or moderators.
Solution: Changing “ModTeam” to Admin or Group Admin can help clarify new
users that this where the go to contact the group leaders.
Jeri - Location: Chicago Home Page
Problem: The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and con-
cepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conven-
tions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
Throughout the site there is an icon , which is not something typically
found on other websites. This is a very salient icon provided for the user as an alert to
something.
Solution: Perhaps there could be an updates section of the website. If the site adopted
more user friendly terms there may be an understanding as to what the website admin is
trying to convey. The use of the !ADMIN icon is not enough to tell the user what it
means.
6

Joe - Location: “Home Group” and “Group Membership List”, “Offers” and “Wanteds”
Problem: For the most part, the site does a fine job at speaking the user’s language, but
some assumptions are made that are problematic such as the site’s dependence on Ya-
hoo! Groups. Another assumption is that the user understands the terms “Home Group”
and “Group Membership List” both of which the user is required to be familiar with in
order to use the site. The terms “Offers” and “Wanteds” aren’t necessarily common to
the new user, but tend to make more sense to the repeat user.
Solution: As a first time visitor, I think it would be useful to have a quick overview of
how the site is used with Yahoo! Groups and a simple step-by-step of how to get started.
The use of terms such as “My Groups” and “My Info” are good – I think most users are
familiar with those terms.
Severity Rating: Low
Joseph - Location: http://groups.freecycle.org/chicagofreecycle/posts/all
At the top of the posts page you will find this e-mail link,
ModTeam: chicagofreecycle@mods.freecycle.org, which sends an e-mail to the
moderator of the group.
Problem: I think it’s totally vague and ambiguous, and hard to pick up on.
Solution: This should be called something relatable like e-mail Group Moderator.
Minimize user memory load - Don't make the user remember things from one action to the
next. Leave information on the screen until it's not needed.
India - Location: my Freecycle beta Page - Signup Form
Problem: If the User navigates to their “my Freecycle” beta page while viewing agroup
that is not their home group, when they click back on the any of the Orange Tabs they
will see their home group information not the group they was viewing before.
Solution: Allow the User to be able to return to the previous group they were viewing
and add another tab or selection to the menu that allows the user to view their home
group anytime
Jeri – Location: Chicago Home Page
Problem: If the user is not logged into the website and clicks My Posts, My Groups or
My Info, the user it entered to a beta site of Freecycle and all of the typical navigation
disappears. There is no emergency exit provided.
7

Solution: The site should maintain a consistent global navigation bar to the user, allow-
ing them to navigate out of an erroneous click before logging in. It is typical that web-
sites providing user login capabilities provide these features in the upper-right hand
corner of the page. Freecycle lists the login links in the middle of the page, under the
!ADMIN alerts. This is not a typical location for login consistency. The website forces the
user to scroll down past the bloated !ADMIN section to login.
Joe – Location:
Problem: The site could do a much better job at keeping things visible throughout the
experience. After I completed the sign up form I was directed to the “My Groups” tab,
which instructed me to search the name of a group and the example provided was “Tuc-
son, Arizona”. Since I entered the site through the Chicago Freecycle group, I found it
disorienting to have to search for the Chicago group again after I completed the sign up
process. Another major violation of this heuristic is the main navigation at the top of the
page. When I’m viewing any of the pages within the green tabs (My Posts, My Groups,
My Info) the main navigation vanishes and a smaller, less noticeable navigation appears
on the upper right corner of the screen. When on the homepage for the Chicago Group
one of the first links I noticed was the ADMIN post: “Chicago Freecycle FAQ and How
To Guide,” which took me to a page with the most common FAQs. I also noticed a link
in the main navigation for FAQ, which took me to a completely different page with the
site’s mission statement, the main navigation has vanished, and a new navigation ap-
pears on the left. This is also disorienting and confusing.
Solution: Why not keep the same navigation throughout the entire experience?
Joseph - Location: http://groups.freecycle.org/chicagofreecycle/description
Problem: This is a description or About Us page of the Chicago Freecycle Network.
Solution: I think the page should come earlier in the navigation schema. Further, the
files navigation element should be removed because it’s not clear how these fit together,
and it is currently adding no value to the user.
8

Be consistent - Users should be able to learn an action sequence in one part of the system and
apply it again to get similar results in other places.
India - Location: Top Navigation
Problem: The top navigation menu is only available when User is in any of the
Orange Tabs (All items, Offers, Wanteds, Group Info). Clicking on any of the
Green Tabs ( My Posts, My Groups, My Info) will redirect the User to the “my
Freecycle” beta page and the top navigation will disappear. The User cannot
access any of the items listed in the top navigation menu from the Green Tabs
( My Posts, My Groups, My Info)
Solution: Make the top navigation available in all pages and tabs.
Severity Rating: Serious
Problem: At ﬁrst glance the site appears to be rather simplistic. However there are many
twists and turns. There are two levels of global navigation provided for the user. Each
set does not belong to the same site. The site appears to be raw and minimal, similar to a
Craig’s list format. The levels of navigation and organic structure of the site do not corre-
late with the minimalist design.
Solution: The site layout should be developed and designed to prevent user error. The
features of the site should not require a mini-manual for the user to read before use or
seeing a particular button. The visual representation of the site’s features should be sim-
plistic enough that the user is not required to memorize multiple pages of feature and
processes to use the site.
Joe – Location: the site’s navigation
Problem: The main concern I have with consistency is the site’s navigation – sometimes
it vanishes and is replaced by a simpler navigation that looks completely different. On
other pages the navigation vanishes entirely and the only way for the user to return to
the previous page is by clicking the browser’s back button. The orange tabs behave dif-
ferently depending on what page you’re viewing, which is inconsistent and most of the
links under the About Freecycle drop-down menu do not work, whereas the links in the
other drop-down menus do work. Finally, when selecting the Newswire link from the
9

About Freecycle drop-down menu, the user is directed to a page that looks like a com-
pletely different site.
Solution: Stick to a consistent global navigation that is visible on every page of the site.
Also, remove any links that aren’t active (e.g., most of the links in the About Freecycle
drop-down menu) and move the content from the Newswire site to a page within the
Freecycle site that has the same global navigation.
Joseph - Location: Navigation menu at the very top of the page.
Problem: The navigation menu bar at the very top of the page is out of sight for many
users. It is not in keeping with design patterns, and the result is competing navigation
schemas.
Solution: I would like to incorporate the menu and task options into the primary navi-
gation schema. Or at least do something creative with the menu so it “calls out” more
readily to the user.
Severity Rating: HIGH
Provide feedback - Let users know what effect their actions have on the system.
India - Location: Viewing Groups
Problem: New Users are immediately told that they need to select a home group before
they are able to view any groups offers, wanteds, and group info. The
User does not receive any notified until they click the any of the Orange Tabs or the My
Groups tab.
Solution: Explain to the user via email or in the my info page that they need to join a
group and set it as their home group before they can see anything under the Orange
Tabs.
Jeri – Location: Offers / Wanted tab
Problem: Once the user has attempted to join a group there is an email sent to the user.
However, during the process of establishing a group, there are neither instructions nor
notifications that an email will be sent to the user requiring them to respond.
The use must stumble upon the email sent by the group moderator. Once the user re-
plies, the group moderator will manually enable the group association. There is also no
notification to the user when this step is complete.
10

Solution: The group association should be added to the sign up process and automati-
cally approved once the system validates the new user’s account.
Joe – Location:
Problem: When viewing any of the pages under the green tabs the text on the orange
tabs does not have a hover action like the green tabs do. Including this hover action pro-
vides feedback to the user so they know the tabs are links. When the user views an item
that is posted and there’s a photo, the text near the photo says “click the thumbnail to
view full size image,” but when the user hovers over the image the cursor doesn’t
change to indicate this is a clickable item on the page. When the user joins a new group
there could be better feedback that the action was successful. Perhaps a message saying
“Your membership is awaiting approval” would be helpful because when a user tries to
add a new post to the group, they are redirected to a page telling them they don’t belong
to any groups yet. The user must either navigate to the My Groups tab to see that the
group membership is awaiting approval, or read the post-transactional email, stating
membership is awaiting approval.
Solution: When a user takes action to make a group their home group there could be
better feedback letting the user know this transaction was successful. The current site
simply removes the option.
Joseph - Location: http://groups.freecycle.org/chicagofreecycle/files
Problem: Under the Group Info tab dropdown you will find a selection called files, but
when you click on it there are no files or anything. I feel the user is kind of stuck won-
dering what is supposed to be here. Further, there is no feedback saying that there no
files to be found here.
Solution: Let the user know where they are at in this files section, and why it is of value
to them with a brief description. Also, add a line of dialogue that says basically, you are
here, and there are no files.
Severity Rating: MEDIUM
Provide clearly marked exits - If users get into part of the system that doesn't interest them,
they should always be able to get out quickly without damaging anything.
India - Location: Log Out
11

Problem: When logging out, the user is redirected to the “my Freecycle” beta
sign in page. There is no navigation menus on this page. The only two ways the
User can return to the Chicago Freecycle Group was to change the url from
my.feedback.org to www.feedback.org or pressing the back button on the
browser until I found the Chicago Freecycle Group page again.
Solution: When the User logs out return them to their previous page. Provide
navigation on all pages.
Severity Rating: Critical
Jeri – Location: My Posts, My Groups or My Info tabs
Problem: If the user is not logged into the site the My Posts, My Groups or My Info tabs
should not appear in the navigation bar. This provides signiﬁcant room for error. Once
the user has clicked on these tabs they are taken to a beta site asking them to log in. The
beta site has no global navigation and the user is forced to use the browser’s back button
to exit the screen.
Solution: The site should be more dynamic. The visitor who is not yet a user should not
be able to see these tabs. If they click on the tabs erroneously then the user should be
able to get back to the location they were in previously.
Joe – Location:
Problem: The pages on the site where the main navigation is present provide adequate
exits to the user. However, there are pages such as the FAQ page and the Newswire page
that lose the navigation altogether or direct the user to what appears to be a completely
separate site that fails to provide these exits and rely on the browser’s back button.
Solution: Use the same global navigation on each page so the user becomes familiar
with it and learns to use it to navigate back to familiar pages if s/he is in the site too
deep.
Joseph - Location: http://www.freecycle.org/?warp=no
Problem: This is the Freecycle Home page. If the user lands here, there is really nothing
that reminds them they are in the Chicago group. They have to click the back button, or
the groups tab.
12

Solution: Provide clearly marked navigation options on this page that are to be found
on each of the other pages.
Severity Rating: MEDIUM
Provide shortcuts - Shortcuts can help experienced users avoid lengthy dialogs and informa-
tional messages that they don't need.
Problem: If the new User is directed to a My Info page with no further information on
what they need to do next. The User has to click around for further instructions.
Solution: Send the User a welcome email containing username and information on how
to get started with using Freecycle
Problem: If the user selects the ﬁrst set of navigation they are taken out of their local site
and taken to the Freecycle, global site. If the user would like to navigate back to the local
site they are forced to pogostick back up to the global home page and search for their
local city again.
Solution: The shortcuts provided within the global navigation are more confusing than
helpful. There should be a consistent sitemap for the site. Additionally, the user should
be kept in their local group area unless they specify to leave.
Joe – Location:
Problem: The pages on the site where the main navigation is present provide pretty
good shortcuts to pages that are probably most commonly used such as My Groups, My
Info, etc., However My Info is labeled “My Freecycle” in the navigation where it could
possibly be labeled “My Home” and My Groups appears under the My Freecycle drop-
down in the navigation as well as in a stand alone link next to My Freecyle in the navi-
gation, which is redundant.
Solution: Remove redundancies and use the same global navigation on each page.
Joseph - Location: http://www.freecycle.org/about/background
13

Problem: The global navigation tabs bar is not found here.
Solution: Include the tabs across these pages to create a seamless navigating experience.
Good error messages - Good error messages let the user know what the problem is and how to
correct it.
Problem: On “my Freecycle” beta page there is no way to access the FAQ page or any
other help documents. User has to visited a group page before finding any help docu-
mentation about the Freecycle website
Solution: Provide Users with a Help section on every page.
Jeri – Location: !ADMIN alerts on Chicago Home Page
Problem: There are little error messages thrown within the site. There are many ways
the user can get lost or make mistakes. In the event that the site goes offline or the serv-
ers fail, there is a “502 Bad Server” error displayed, with no other recovery information
or site identity.
Solution: The error message is very technical and not user friendly. The message should
contain some identifying information about Freecycle.
Severity Rating: low
Joe – Location:
Problem: The only error messages I noticed where when I tried to post to a group in
which I am not a member of, but I didn’t really perceive it as an error message because it
was the first time seeing that this was not something I could do, so I perceived it as an
instruction for how to use the site.
Solution: I think having the instructions up front would make more sense and showing
a clear error message when a user attempts to post to a group they don’t belong to
would make more sense. Also when I enter my username and password incorrectly I am
directed to the sign up form. I think it makes more sense to use an error message here.
Joseph - Location: Upon completion of sign-up
14

Problem: There is no communication between Freecycle and their users when they first
sign-up, thus it is unclear that you have to wait for approval before you can post.
Solution: Have dialogue in the sign-up process that states you will have to wait for ap-
proval. And also contact users via upon completion of sign-up saying that they’ll have to
wait to be approved as a user.
Prevent errors - Whenever you write an error message you should also ask, can this error be
avoided?
India - Location: My Groups
Problem: An unsubscribe group can still be selected as the User home group if it was
before they unsubscribed. The User will still be able to clicked on all the
Orange Tabs (All Items, Offers, Wanteds, Group Info) and see the groups information.
The only way to change this is to join another group and set it as the new home group.
Solution: When a user leaves a group (unsubscribe) then a message should show and
give the User the option to delete or keep the unsubscribe group as their home group
Jeri – Location: Chicago Admin Section
Problem: The website has a significant amount of instructions for each new user. There
are 15 steps to use the site, which span about two pages worth of reading. There are also
warnings listed for the users to read due to the poor design and usability of the site. The
warnings provide users with information that the “inappropriate” button is located near
the “reply” button. There are five paragraphs warning about this new feature and warn-
ing the users not to click the button erroneously.
Solution: Any time there is a necessity to write multiple page warnings or instructions
for use of a simple website, there should be some analysis done to figure out if there are
complex steps that can be taken to eliminate the issue. The site should be designed in a
more simplistic fashion, making good design choices.
Severity Rating: high
Joe – Location:
15

Problem: The site doesn’t really use errors so it’s hard to say where some could be re-
moved.
Solution: The sign in/sign up form could beneﬁt from error and success messages. If a
user enters the wrong username or password when signing in, they are directed to the
sign up form. There should be an error message explaining to the user that s/he has en-
tered the wrong login credentials and offer options for retrieving forgotten usernames
and passwords. The sign up form could also utilize error and success message so the
user knows the username they select is available and the password they choose is strong
enough.
Joseph - Location: http://www.freecycle.org/?warp=no
Problem: This is the Freecycle Home page. If the user lands here, there is really nothing
that reminds them they are in the Chicago group. They have to click the back button, or
the groups tab.
Solution: If the user is logged in, they should see the page with all of the tabs, and lan-
guage that says you’re logged in to your Chicago group.
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Appendix B: Cognitive Walkthrough Raw Data
Individual Cognitive Questions
Our team conducted cognitive walkthroughs of what we thought were the two primary
tasks users will perform on the Freecycle™ website. The two tasks we reviewed were
signing up to create a membership for the site and performing a search function to filter
through the posts. Two team members focused on the first task and the other two
focused on the second task, whereupon we formed a summary of the combined findings
by each individual team member for each separate task. Each team member also answered the
following four questions [3] of a cognitive walkthrough for each action with the task.
1. Will users be trying to produce whatever effect the action has?
2. Will users see the control (button, menu, switch, etc.) for the action?
3. Once users find the control, will they recognize that it produces the effect they want?
4. After the action is taken, will users understand the feedback they get, so they can go on
to the next action with confidence?
India Green
Task: Signing up to become a member and return back to the Chicago Freecycle page without
joining the group
Action 1: Click the Signup/Login button that is located below the admin information on the
page.
1. The Signup/Login button performs the way the user will expect it to. No complication
or confusion
2. The button is located right below the Admin section on the page. Even without knowing
where the Admin section is located, most new user will be able to identify the buttons
without any problems
3. Yes, the button is clearly marked with Signup/Login.
4. Once the user clicks the button they will be redirected to the my Freecycle beta page. On
this page they will see where to go to sign up.
Action 2: Click the signup form link under the I’m not a My Freecycle user section heading.
1. Once the user click on the link they will be redirected to a form where they will enter a
username, email, and password. However, there is a missed opportunity to quicken the
17

! sign up process for the user with the Facebook login. Facebook login are becoming used !
! often on many site as the primary login and sign up. My Freecycle could better advan!
! tage of this it was properly impalement it.
2. Yes, the link is located in the I’m not a My Freecycle user section and the plain language
heading will help direct the user to the link.
3. In the “I’m not a My Freecycle user” section, there is a sentence that states “Go to the
signup form and create your account for free” . Signup form is highlighted and pre-
sented as a link indicating that when the user clicks it they will be redirected to the sign
up form
4. The next page the user is taken to a form where they will see a the heading “ Sign up for
My Freecycle”. On this page the user will also see where they would choose their user-
name, email address and password
Action 3 is to fill out the sign up form and press the Signup button.
1. The user will have little trouble understanding most of the action that is required on this
page
2. After filling out the form the user might encounter an error message about not clicking
the terms of service check box. The terms of service check box is located on the right side
of the page. This is non-conventional because the typical user eyes would start scanning
the page from left to right and they might not see the check box if they are doing a quick
scan.
3. This page is very straight forward. After the user is finish they will understand that
clicking the sign up button will make them a member of the site.
4. The user is taken to a page their my Freecycle (beta) page. Here they can see their user-
name email and some basic settings for there account. From this page the user can gather
that they are now a member. However presenting a limited time welcome page or email
that contains information on how to get started can help better the user experience and
maybe answer beginner questions they might have.
Action 4: Click the All Post Tab. A dialog box stating “Please select a “home” Group” pops
up.
1. No, they pop up box will catch the user off guard and the term home group might con-
fuse them since they have never encounter this jargon before.
2. The pop up box will inform them that they will have to pick a home group before from
18

! their group membership list. In the box they will see that “your group membership list” !
! is a link.
3. The user might not understand at all what action to take next. Since the pop up box was
unexpected and the terms in the pop up box are new to them, they might be in a lost
moment.
4. The user will click the your group membership link in hopes that it will get them closer
to there goal but at this point the user is unsure if it will.
Action 5: Click the “your Group Member list” link.
1. The user is unsure where the link will take them. So the action of clicking the link is un-
clear
2. Yes because this is the only other control available to the user while the popup box is ac-
tive.
3. The use is unaware of what action this link will take. As state in action 4 question 4 by
this point the user is confuse and is hoping that clicking the link will lead them back to
the Chicago Freecycle page
4. Maybe, because clicking the link take the user to the My Groups Tab. In this tab they will
see a search bar, which might lead the user to think they can just search for the page
Action 6: type in Chicago into the search box and press the Find Group button.
1. Yes, but again the user is presented with uncertainty because the pages heading says
Find other groups. The reason the user might be unsure is because they are looking of
Chicago and might not be aware the states and cities are called groups.
2. The search box is located at the top of the tab section.
3. The user is still unaware that the groups represent cities. The information presented on
the page centers around Yahoo groups. This can lead to further confusion because new
user is not aware that groups represent cites and that some cities groups are using Yahoo
Groups instead of the Freecycle page. The user by this point is hoping that by search in
Chicago it will take them to their desired page.
4. By this point the user gains some conﬁdence back because they are presented with a list-
ing that shows them the Chicago in the list
Final Action: Click the “Go to Group Page” button.
1. The Go to Group page button is clear and understandable.
2. The Go to Group Page button is located right next to the desired city( Chicago).
19

3. The clear natural language of the labeling also helps the user know what it will be use
for.
4. Yes the user finally returns to the page they were on before joining Freecycle. However
the user is still presented with a few unanswered questions. Such as what a home group
is. This will cause further issues later on.
Jeri Herrera
Task: Starting at the Chicago Freecycle Group page, the user will sign up for a new account and
return to the Chicago Freecycle Group page. The user doesn’t want to become a member of the
group right now.
Action 1: Click the SIGN UP/LOG IN button that is located below the admin information on
the page.
1. The user should understand that there is a necessity to establish an account in order to
post an offering. This seems to be a fairly simple process.
2. The user should be able to find the sign up button located in the middle of the page.
There is also a link at the top right-hand corner of the page.
3. The user should be taken to a page where they are able to establish an account. Instead,
they are taken to a page where they must click another sign up link. This step could be
eliminated by taking the user directly to the sign up form.
4. The user will understand that they are required to click on the signup link once again in
order to establish an account. The fact that this process requires the user to select sign
up twice does not leave the user with any confidence that the user is proceeding to the
next step properly.
Action 2: Click the signup form under the I’m not a My Freecycle user section heading.
1. It is believed that the user will try to accomplish this action and produce a username to
log into the site. However, there may be some confusion of the user thinks they must be
a Freecycle user in order to use their Facebook credentials.
2. The “agree to terms” box may be the only non-conventional aspect of the signup proc-
ess, as it is located at the right-hand side of the signup form with padding that has the
check box located far to the right.
3. The user should be taken to a page where they are able to establish an account. The user
will find the effect they want.
20

4. The user will understand that they have accomplished the task of clicking on the sign up
link and they are about to establish an account. The form displayed to the user as result
will be familiar to the user and they can proceed with the account setup with confidence.
Action 3: Fill out the sign up form and press the SIGN UP button.
1. This user will understand that they have successfully established a user account. They
will easily understand that they have a new username and password, allowing the user
to log into the website.
2. The form is very standard and easy to complete. The user will be able to easily find most
of the fields required to complete the form. The “Agree to the Terms” check box is lo-
cated on the right hand side of the message. This is a non-conventional placement. In
addition to the check-box’s non-conventional placement, there is a significant amount of
padding around it, pushing it out of the boundary of the message. The user is likely to
miss the box and select the SIGN UP button beforehand. The form will not submit until
the check box has been checked.
3. Once the user has completed the form and found the “Agree to the Terms” check box,
selecting the SIGN UP button the website will stand for 30 seconds to a minute before
taking the user to a screen displaying that the user has successfully established an ac-
count. The screen displays the new user’s information greeting them to the site. This is
fairly clear to the user.
4. The success screen provides the user with global navigation and the ability to change
their settings on their account. The next step for the user is to establish their account
with a “group”. There is no direction provided to the user to direct them to this next
step. The user will erroneously proceed to the item listings or try to post an offering and
neither of which will work without establishing a group. The process of establishing a
group should be added to the sign up form in order to eliminate this step.
Action 4: Click the ALL POST Tab. A dialog box stating “Please select a “Home” Group”
pops up.
1. The user will not be trying to make this effect occur. The pop up box will be unexpected
and may add confusion to the user’s action. This action can be eliminated by adding the
group association selection to the signup form.
2. The user will see the ALL POST tab easily, which is located within the global navigation.
However, the pop up window is not anticipated by the user.
3. The user will be surprised by the effect the pop up window will produce. The user will
21

not be able to see any posts until they are associated with a group. This is certainly not !
what is anticipated by the user.
4. Though the user will not be able to view any posts because they are not associated with
a group, they will understand that they are required to join a group before they can see
any posts. This is likely to cause confusion and require the user to complete another task
before being able to see posts.
Action 5: Click the link “your Group Member list”.
1. The user is forced to perform this task because it is a requirement of the site. The instruc-
tions are clear and the user is aware to proceed to this action.
2. The link is clearly marked as a hyperlink. There should be no confusion finding this link.
3. The user is taken to a screen that can be confusing. The user can either type in a group
(city) to join or they can use their Yahoo email address and join the group via Yahoo.
The instructions are a bit confusing and provide too much text for a simple instruction.
4. The user may be confused by the instructions regarding the Yahoo group settings. There
is a field located at the top of the My groups page that asks the user to “Find a group
near you” This is a clearly marked text box where the user can type in a group (city).
The instructions are poorly written and it is not completely clear as to what will happen
next. Therefore, the user’s confidence level will be low.
Action 6: Type in Chicago into the search box.
1. The user will know that they are to type in a city (Chicago) in the free form text box lo-
cated at the top of the page.
2. Yes. There is a free form text box located at the top of the page. There are also directions
provided to the user.
3. The user will understand that providing the city in the text box will take them to the
next step on joining a group.
4. The user will be taken to a page of six Chicagoland locations. It is clearly marked that
the user must select Chicago as their location, based on the buttons located in the Chi-
cago table row.
Action 7: Click the button that says “Go to Group Page”
1. Since the user is not inclined to join the group but see the group’s listings, the user will
make the attempt to see the group’s data.
2. The button, “Go to Group Page” is clearly marked and easy to find for the user.
22

3. Based on the information on the button its self the user will feel confident that they are
about to enter the Chicago group’s postings.
4. Once the user has selected the “Go to Group Page” the user is brought to ea page listing
all offers and wanted. The user can manage the view of offers and wanted by selecting
these tabs in the global navigation.
The fact that the user is on the Chicago group page could be marked a little better, as
there is a small title “Chicago” at the top of the page.
Joe Goebel
Task: Starting at the Chicago Freecycle Group page, the user will be evaluating the Search Posts
function.
Action 1: Click on the Search Posts button
1. Yes, the users will be trying to produce options for searching for posts, which is the re-
sult of clicking on the Search Posts button.
2. The user may or may not see the control (search button) on the page because it is not
called out in any way and it looks identical to the Make a New Post button, which is po-
sitioned directly beside it.
3. The user may or may not recognize that the Search Posts button is, in fact, going to allow
them to filter through the posts. Most users probably will, but some might be looking for
a Browse Posts button or a search form. Some users may not expect that they will have
the option to enter keywords and filter through posts by clicking this button. But most
probably will.
4. Yes, once users click on the Search Posts button a dialog box opens allowing them to en-
ter keywords, which will promote confidence that they can perform the next action of
the task.
Action 2: Enter Keywords in the Search Form
1. Yes, the users will be trying to enter relevant search terms that will be applied to their
search criteria, which is the result of entering the keywords in the search form.
2. Users will see the form field labeled “Words to Look For” in the dialog box, but it may
not be labeled effectively and users may not realize they can enter multiple keywords in
the field.
3. Once users find the field, they may not recognize that this is where they can enter rele-
vant keywords to narrow their search because the field is not labeled “keywords” and
does not provide instructions for entering multiple keywords.
4. Yes, once users enter the keywords in the field they see them appear instantly and
23

! should feel confident that those words will be applied to their search criteria.
Action 3: Click the Search for Posts Button
1. Yes, users will be trying to view search results based on the criteria they entered when
they click the Search for Posts button, which is the result of performing the action.
2. Yes, users will see the Search for Posts button in the dialog box because it is the only but-
ton there, which suggests they should click it to reveal their search results.
3. Once users find the Search for Posts button they should recognize that it is going to di-
rect them to new search results based on the criteria they entered in the dialog box.
However at this point they have already clicked a different button with the same label,
which could be confusing.
4. Once users click the Search for Posts button they will see the search results and recog-
nize that they can click on a post to view more details. However there is no feedback to
make the user feel confident the search criteria has been applied to the search results
they are now looking at.
Action 4: View More Details of a Post
1. By clicking on a post in the search results users will be trying to view more details of the
post, which is the result of clicking on the title or the See Details link.
2. Users will see and recognize that they can click on the post title or the See Details link to
see more details of the post because both links are bold and underlined.
3. Once users find the post title or the See Details link and hover over it, they will be able to
recognize that they can click on either link to reveal more details of the post.
4. Once users click on the post title or the See Details link they will understand that they
are now looking at the post in more detail because they are directed to a new page that
only has information on the post they just clicked on. However if there is no way for the
user to navigate back to the search results without clicking the browser’s back button, so
they will not feel confident they know how to perform the next action.
Action 5: Return to the Search Results
1. The users will be trying to navigate back to the search results, but since there is no link
for this action they will be forced to use the browser’s back button, which essentially
boots them out of the application. This is not the effect the user was expecting.
2. Users will not recognize how to navigate back to the search results because there is no
link on the individual post page to do so.
3. There is no control on the page that allows the user to return to the search results so they
will have to figure out that clicking the browser’s back button is the only way to perform
the action.
4. Upon clicking the browser’s back button, users are presented with an error asking if
24

! they would like to resubmit the form. A dialog box appears where they are required to !
! take further action to reload the page and eventually will see the search results again. !
! However since the search results do not identify any of the search terms the user en!
! tered, s/he may not feel confident their search criteria has still been applied.
Joseph Howerton
Task: Starting at the Chicago Freecycle Group page, the user will be evaluating the Search Posts
function.
Action 1: Click on the Search Posts button
1. Yes, the user will be trying to produce the effect of the action, click here to perform a
search for stuff they want or need.
2. Yes and No, the navigation element, a button, for the search function, is found in the
center of the pages. But this is still not an ideal position for it. We will touch on this in
our recommendations.
3. Yes, if the user understands the purpose of this sight, then they will be able to relate to
the design element, the Search Posts button.
4. Yes, the Search Posts dialogue box appears for the user to tailor their search, so the user
should be clear on how to proceed to the next action, tailor search, with confidence.
Action 2: Tailor a search using the search posts dialogue box
1. Yes, the user will see that they can add specifics to tailor their search
2. Yes, the dialogue box appears and is evident that the user can customize their search us-
ing the given options. Though the user may be unclear on using the date boxes to tailor
the search.
3. Yes, they can specify what they want to search for, and the Search for posts button is
evident and clear.
4. Yes, the user will be able to see that they can tailor their search, and the next user action,
click on Search for posts, is evident and clear.
Action 3: Click on Search for posts
1. Yes, the user should understand that they will receive a list of items according to their
search. Or they will receive a prompt/feedback that the search produced no results.
2. Yes, the Search for posts is in a location on the search dialogue box that is in keeping
with best practice design patterns.
25

3. Yes, the user should understand that they need to simply click on the Search for posts
button, and their expectation should be to see a list of results according to their search
4. Yes, the user will see the results and understand their next action will be to review the
results and click on the specific item or the see details link.
Action 4: Review display results and click on a specific item to view the details
1. Yes, the user should be clear that if they click on a specific item, they will receive the de-
tails of that item.
2. Yes, if the user has conducted searches like this in the past, the will see the results of
their search, and they will understand that they need to select an item by clicking on it.
3. Yes, the user should perceive that the control is supposed to click on a specific item to
find out more information on it.
4. Yes, the feedback will be the search results that they have tailored. The next user action,
select an item by clicking on it, or the see details link, will take them to a page with the
specifics on that item.
Action 5: Review the details of the item and reply to the items owner
1. Yes, the details page will present the user with information that they expect to see about
the selected item. Also, they can place their reply to the owner of the item. Though there
is no exit presented to the user to get back to the original search results.
2. Yes and No, the details page the user will see should meet their expectations, but (as
stated) there is no clearly marked exit from this page to go back to the search results
page.
3. Yes, the details page is clear and evident that the user can simply review the details and
reply to the owner.
4. Yes and No, the feedback will be from the user clicking on the arrows to shuffle through
the entries, but I think it may be confusing to them. Also, the user can click on reply to
this post, which is clear and evident. But there is still no way to get back to the list of
search results, so that may be confusing, until the user decides to just use the back but-
ton.
26

Appendix C: Detail Discussion of Cognitive Walkthrough
We conducted cognitive walkthroughs of two of the primary functions/tasks of the Freecycle
Chicago website. The functions/tasks included:
• Sign up/become a member
• Search Posts
We had two team members conduct cognitive walkthroughs for each of the two tasks, to reveal
any issues with the current state of the website. We were able to identify several deﬁciencies in
the website by conducting these evaluations.
Sign up/become a member
This task reveals two major problems. One is the labeling and the other is the number of steps it
takes just to return to the previous page the user was on before signing up. This labeling of us-
ing site related jargon without providing some type of information explaining it can cause con-
fusion with new user. Actions 4 - 7 could have been eliminated by redirecting the user back to
their Chicago Freecycle page. Some of the confusion also could have been avoided with an
email explaining some of the basic rules, terms, and giving instruction of basic function of the
website.
Search Posts
Based on two evaluator’s assertions, this task reveals a few issues that should be addressed in
our opinion.
The location of the Search Posts button is not in keeping with best practice design patterns. We
believe we can re-order the screen real estate in order to place the button in a more intuitive po-
sition. The current location works, but if we have our way, we will include this new placement
as part of a bigger re-design of the entire navigation schema.
We would like to engage Freecycle in a complete re-design of the existing navigation structures.
We believe that we can re-order the Search for posts dialogue box to be a global element to be
found on each of the pages. In general, this dialogue box is in keeping with best practice design
patterns, but since this is one of the most primary functions, we believe that structuring the dia-
logue box elements into each page, would be of high value to our user community.
Finally, when the user clicks on search for posts and selects a speciﬁc item from the results list, it
takes the user to a page for the post. There is no clear exit from this page, e.g. a link that says
back to search results, and the user has to use the back button to return to the results.
27

Appendix D: Detail Recommendations
1. The two global navigation schemas should be combined into one global navigation bar.
Problem: Currently, there are two global navigation bars. The bars are visibly inconsistent.
There are multiple states where both or only one navigation bar is visible. These states are in-
consistent with the login states or page locations. The navigation menu bar at the very top of the
page is out of sight for many users. It is not in keeping with design patterns, and the result is
competing navigation schemas. The current site does not have a global navigation that is visible
on every page. There is a navigation, but it only appears on some pages and those where it is
not visible rely on the browser’s back button. This is inconsistent and confusing to the user.
Solution: Navigation needs to be consolidated into one seamless global navigation schema and
should be visible and available on every page no matter which tab is selected. We can add a
global navigation schema that’s visible on every page and remove any redundant links that are
in the current navigation. It would also be helpful to include links to all or most of the common
tasks offered by the application. A global search ﬁeld could also be implemented in the revised
global navigation.
2. Redesign the sign in/sign up forms and process
Problem: The current site has one link for new users to sign up and for returning users to sign
in. However when a user clicks this link the only option is to sign in by entering a username
and password. In order for a user to access everything the site has to offer they need to sign up
to create a new account and the current state of the application does not provide an easy way to
do this. The user should be able to select their city from a drop down menu during the sign up
process. This would eliminate erroneously discovering the necessity of joining a group pursuant
to becoming a new user. Further, there is no communication between Freecycle and their users
when they ﬁrst sign-up, thus it is unclear that you have to wait for approval before you can
post.
Solution: Instead of combining the sign in/sign up forms as one link, there should be a sign in
form on the homepage so returning users can login quickly. There should be a separate link lo-
cated next to the sign in form to sign up, which would direct the user to a new page with a sim-
ple sign up form. Also, they should have dialogue in the sign-up process that states you will
have to wait for approval. And the system should contact users via e-mail upon completion of
sign-up saying that they’ll have to wait to be approved as a user. And the sign up process
should automate the selection of the user group a new user would like to be associated with.
28

3. Present or email new members How to Get Started Information
Problem: A new user might ﬁnd it confusing when they encounter a few of the websites naming
conventions such as “Home Group” or referring to cities as groups. Another issue a new user
will come across is that it is not clear that they need to set a home group before they can click
through any of the Orange Tabs and see a city's information. Further, there is no communication
between Freecycle and their users when they ﬁrst sign-up, thus it is unclear that you have to
wait for approval before you can post. Also new users are not aware that some cities groups are
using Yahoo Groups instead of the Freecycle page.
Solution: Email or present new members with How to Get Started with using the Freecycle
website. The information can go over basic rules, instructions and conventions of the website.
29

Appendix E: Reference
1. Freecycle Network. (n.d.). Retrieved from Freecycle Network:
http://www.freecycle.org/about/background
2. Nielsen, J. a. (1990). Heuristic Evaluation of User Interfaces. Retrieved from
http://hci.cs.ait.ac.th/course/archives/nielsen-heuristic-chi90.pdf
3. Clayton, L. R. (1993). Task-Centered User Interface Design.
http://hcibib.org/tcuid/chap-4.html#4-1-3.
30

Appendix F: Member Contribution
Team Member Contributions
Team Member Contribution
Goebel, Joe Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive Walkthrough, Questions to Cognitive
Walkthrough, Recommendations, Executive Summary, Application De-
scription, Final review.
Green, India Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive Walkthrough, Questions to Cognitive
Walkthrough, Recommendations, Master Reviewer, Document Format-
ting & Design, Final review.
Herrera, Jeri Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive Walkthrough, Questions to Cognitive
Walkthrough, Recommendations, Team Member’s Contributions,
Summary Heuristic Evaluations, Compilation of Team Recommenda-
tions for Appendix, Final review.
Howerton, Joseph Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive Walkthrough , Questions to Cognitive
Walkthrough, Recommendations, Summary Cognitive Walkthrough,
Master Summary of Heuristic Evaluation, Conclusion of Prioritized
List, Discussion of Cognitive Walkthrough, Final review.
31

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