ECT/HCI 441 Homework 1

ECT/HCI 441
Homework 1

(3 points) Problem 2, Chapter 3 (page 67).
(3 points) Problem 4, Chapter 3 (page 68).
(4 points) Problem 7, Chapter 3 (page 68).

(15 points) All of you are familiar with B-to-C E-Commerce sites. During the first class meeting, each team will pick a web site from one of the following categories:


• Clothing	• Music	• Computers
• Travel/Tourism	• Furniture	• Electronics (not computers)
• Books	• Sports/Fitness	• Power Tools
• Kitchen	• Watches/Jewelry	• Infants/Toddlers

List of Web Sites

For the chosen category, each of your team members should answer the following:

In your experience, which site is easiest to use? Give the URL.
List three reasons why you prefer this site to others in its category.
Name one or two other sites in the same category and explain why you find them harder to use.

(10 points) From the last question, make note of any commonalities among the reasons and relate your answers to relevant usability specifications.
(12 points) Refer to the reading resources for the course to find usability specifications that apply to Web sites. Name at least six different measures, and classify each one as a performance or preference measure. For each usability specification you list, give a citation or URL documenting where you found it.
Everyone in your group has worked on Web projects in previous courses. As a group, pick one of these projects, preferably the strongest one. While learning the methodology of user centered design and development, you will revise this Web site.
Once you have agreed upon the Web site, review any information you have regarding the business case you developed for this site. Using the business case as a starting point, develop profiles for the various users for which this Web site was intended. Your lecture notes and the general information available in the additional readings will also provide you with information. One hint: be wary of attempting to use only one profile to characterize all users who visit the site.
You also need to assemble a list of tasks that a user can perform at your Web site. Begin with the users' goals and list the tasks that support achieving that goal.
- (5 points) Submit a brief description of the chosen Web site and include screen dumps of the home page, the pages involved with carrying out the transaction, and other representative pages.
- (10 points) Submit an analysis that characterizes the users of your Web site. This should be no more than 2 pages in length.
- (5 points) List the goals your users have when then come to visit your Web site.
- (10 points) Submit an analysis of the tasks that users perform on your Web site. These tasks should be organized around the users' goals. If you have any information about the relative frequency of each task, include it. If it makes sense to mention that different user groups have different goals, include this as well. This part should be more than 1.5 pages in length and should be in the form of a list. The main headings are the user goals. Under each goal, list the tasks.
- (5 points) Of the usability goals you researched in the previous question, list the ones that you find relevant for your Web site. For each measure, agree on an acceptable value and list it along with the usability measure. For example, if you are going to use the measure "time to buy an item once it has been chosen," also give an actual amount of time.
(15 points)In a 5-minute Powerpoint presentation in which all of the team members participate,
- Show representative screen dumps of the Web site you chose, and in a few words, explain why you chose the site.
- Describe your users.
- Describe the tasks that the users will perform.
(3 points) Record each team member's contribution to this homework.

Deliverables:

a single paper copy with answers to questions 1 -- 5. Be sure to put all team member's names on the cover sheet.
a floppy containing a copy of the Powerpoint presentation.