An expert evaluation of the newschool.edu website conducted in conjunction with Ryan Hines based on Jakob Nielsen's 10 Heuristics for User Interface Design.

1. newschool.edu Heuristic Evaluation
Designing for Usability
Fall 2010
Prepared by Obinna Izeogu and Ryan Hines

2. Heuristic evaluation / introduction
We evaluated the New School’s website from the point of view of three types of users
– current students, prospective students and staff – and based our analysis on the
following usability categories:
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design Navigation
Help and Documentation Control
Consistency and standards Use Simple and natural language
Provide Feedback Error Prevention
Minimize User’s Memory Load
After reviewing the site independently, we found that many of the issues identified
were the same for both evaluators. These issues are:
1. Link behavior not well-defined
2. Inconsistent navigation across sites
3. Name and breadcrumb information inconsistent
4. “Back” often fails to work as expected
5. Inconsistent header, h1 and link naming
6. Search function is not dependable
7. No clear exit points on many deep links
8. Too much presented on screen, discouraging getting the specific information the
user needs
9. System oriented words used. Words not based on task user is trying to accomplish
10. Unnecessary use of Flash
We then assigned each set of issues a “rating” number based on criticality and ease of
correction.
Violates a heuristic but doesn’t seem to be a usability
0 problem.
Superficial usability problem: may be easily overcome by
1 user or occurs extremely infrequently.
Minor usability problem: may occur more frequently or be
2 more difficult to overcome. Fixing this should be given low
priority for next release.
Major usability problem: occurs frequently and persistently
3 or users may be unable or unaware of how to fix the
problem. Important to fix, so should be given high priority.
Usability catastrophe: Seriously impairs use of product and
4 cannot be overcome by users. Imperative to fix this before
product can be released.
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3. 1. Link behavior not well-defined
Faculty profiles on Parsons main site has no submit button, forcing a reload Principles:
every time a checkbox is selected. Consistency and standards
Provide Feedback
PDF files are used throughout all New School sites. Standard internet Navigation
protocol is to indicate PDF links, but the New School sites don’t always Control
follow the convention. Sometimes a long list of PDF links with PDF icons Error Prevention
sits directly beside a main menu item that leads to a PDF but doesn’t
indicate as much.
No submit button;
page reloads with every
item checked.
2
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4. 2. Inconsistent navigation across sites
The “quick menu” (“Information for:”) is useful as a quick reference for Principles:
many types of users, but doesn’t appear consistently across all New School Consistency and standards
sites. Language, the three to four categories mentioned (e.g., Current Minimize User’s Memory Load
Students, Prospective Students, and the depth of information available Navigation
when clicked differs substantially from school to school. Control
Use Simple and natural language
General Studies: no quick menu
Social Research:
Prospective Students, Current Students, Alumni and Friends
Milano:
Prospective Students, Current Students, Alumni & Friends
“Quick menu”
Parsons:
Prospective Students, Current Students, Faculty and Staff, Alumni and
Friends
Eugene Lang:
Prospective Students, Current Students, Faculty & Staff, Alumni and
Friends
Mannes:
Prospective Students, Current Students, Faculty & Staff, Alumni & Friends
Drama:
Prospective Students, Current Students, Alumni & Friends, Summer
Information
Jazz:
Prospective Students, Current Students, Faculty & Staff, Alumni & Friends
4
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5. 2. Inconsistent navigation across sites
Varying compliance with identity standards; many sites feel only
tangentially related to each other.
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6. 3. Name and breadcrumb information inconsistent
Progression of links inconsistent, sometimes “jumps” from a long string Principles:
to only the first in the list, even though user has moved further into the Consistency and standards
hierarchy. Minimize User’s Memory Load
Navigation
Name display conventions change in a seemingly arbitrary manner
Last, First;
short breadcrumb
Last, First;
long breadcrumb
Last, First;
no breadcrumb
Short breadcrumb
4
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7. 4. “Back” often fails to work as expected
When clicking on what is ostensibly a “normal” link, users are Principles:
unknowingly submitting a form (which they’ll find out about only after Consistency and standards
they hit back and are asked if they’d like to submit the form again). Provide Feedback
Control
Error Prevention
When did I submit a form?
3
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8. 5. Inconsistent header, h1 and link naming
Header/menu text, h1/page title text and link text rarely share the same Principles:
names, usually only two or three are identical. Consistency and standards
Minimize User’s Memory Load
Navigation
Use Simple and natural language
1
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9. 6. Search function is not dependable
Search does not find part-time faculty within full-time faculty search, Principles:
and sometimes doesn’t find them in part-time faculty search either; Consistency and standards
unnecessary division of information. Control
Error Prevention
Search is repeated in what appears to be a secondary location.
2
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10. 7. No clear exit points on many deep links.
Near-dead ends exist on, e.g., credit requirement/pricing pages; only way Principles:
“out” is a health fee page. Consistency and standards
Navigation
Control
Error Prevention
No navigation,
no escape
2
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11. 8. Too much information presented on screen
Too much presented on screen, discouraging getting the specific Principles:
information the user needs Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
Navigation
Unnecessarily lengthy list of options on Parsons site; clicking “unfolds” Use Simple and natural language
menus, making the list more (instead of less) complex as the user navigates Error Prevention
further into the hierarchy.
Parsons “apply” page shows more references to Adobe Reader than to the
task of applying
Too many options = no options
Adobe, Adobe, Adobe, Adobe...
3
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12. 9. System-oriented words used
Default CMS words not based on task user is trying to accomplish. Principles:
Provide Feedback
Control
Use Simple and natural language
Error Prevention
2
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13. 10. Unnecessary use of Flash
Slideshows use Flash when a cross-platform alternative exists (JavaScript). Principles:
Consistency and standards
Flash slideshow
where JavaScript
would be more
accessible
2
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