A heuristic evaluation is a “usability engineering” method developed by Jakob Nielsen to determine usability issues with a website. This type of evaluation requires the testers to use a set of...

A heuristic evaluation is a “usability engineering” method developed by Jakob Nielsen to determine usability issues with a website. This type of evaluation requires the testers to use a set of evaluators to examine the website and assess if it meets guidelines which coincide with the usability principles defined by Nielsen.

Here are links to his articles. YOU NEED TO READ THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

• 
  How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation(Links to an external site.)
  


• 
  Ten Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design(Links to an external site.)(you should pick three of these to test your website)


• Extra assistance for understanding the Heuristic EvaluationsHERE(Links to an external site.).

Before you begin:

Before you begin this assignment, you will need to research the various tools to conductusability testing. While Jakob Nielsen’s “10 Usability Heuristics for Interface Design” is a good start, there are other resources online that can help you determine which evaluators to choose;http://usability.gov(Links to an external site.)is good place to start.

When you begin:

Keep in mind that your research may result in problems that the company is not aware of. For example:

1. The company may not be targeting the intended audience.


2. The set-up of the website may not be functional (This issue is most evident in user experience testing.)


3. The website may be lacking information.


4. The layout and colors of the website may not be engaging


5. The company may benefit from using different layouts, etc…


6. The company may benefit from using different methods of advertising.


7. The company may ______________ (you fill in the blank).

Your evaluation of the website will help you identify what is or is not working. After you have conducted the Heuristic Evaluation and analyzed the results,you will research other companies that offer similar servicesto help you to identify what your chosen company needs to address; therefore, in your report, you can use other websites as examples of how this company should design the website. You can also include positives! This isn’t just a negative report.

Beginning the assignment:

Thecompany/ownerof your website will serve as yourclientfor this assignment, not me. Your job will be to:

1. Evaluate the company’s website,


2. Analyze AND write down your findings


3. Research similar websites


4. And make recommendations (in the form of an heuristic evaluation report) based on the needs of your chosen company.

PARAMETERS OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Your report will have all the necessary sections outlined in the course materials for a basic, professional report. The report(from intro to conclusion) should demonstrate your thorough evaluation, analysis and research.

PART III (all students):

Here is a link to a
classically designed report.

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Your report should use this report as a model for the cover, the Table of Contents, the Executive Summary, the use of APA or MLA citation format in the body, and the Works Cited. For those of you NOT doing the heuristic evaluation, the body should mirror the body of this report, in the very least.

Here is a link to a
decently designed Heuristic Evaluation

Actions

.For those of you conducting the HE, your body of the report COULD mirror this design style for communicating clearly.

Further Criteria:

1. Your report should be an expert analysis of the issues and how the company/group could best use what you propose.


2. This report shouldNOTbe an informative summary of the issues; rather, explain specifically what you identified and how, when, and why your project will work as a solution to the problem.


3. The body of the report should be a MINIMUM of 5-6 single-spaced pagesNOTincluding title page, table of contents, executive summary, works cited (references), optional appendices, and visuals. Don’t freak out. With visuals: screenshots, charts and graphs, most of these student reports have gone well over 20 pages.Your report will also inform/persuade the company how and why they will benefit from what you are proposing. See the rubric for the points for each section.


4. The report should be visually appealing withheadings and subsectionsclearly labeled. The material should be delivered in a combination of short paragraphs and (some) bulleted lists for easy skimming.The report should NOTbe entirely made up of long paragraphs or solid text.


5. You should use a minimum of four (4) visuals, charts or other visualdata,in your project, including screenshots of possible redesigns. You may also add this data as appendices and reference them in the body of your project. Please keep in mind that animage/picturedoes not count as a visual.


6. You must providein-text citationsand a works cited (references) for all the sources used in the report in MLA or APA format.


7. You must have aminimum of 5 credible sources(if conducting the HE, three of these may be the Nielsen website articles.) Do not include direct quotes unless they add great value. Paraphrase and or summarize material and provide the proper citation. These sources are used as your support of what professionals report good website construction should have. For example, “According to web researcher Spongebob Squarepants, websites should limit their aquatic images so that viewers do not get seasick (21). Quarterdeck’s website almost appears to be underwater, making use and viewing of the website very difficult and causing seasickness with two out of four testers.”

GRADING

The report grade will be based on the following:

Content:

• Do you show thorough analysis of the company’s website/problem?


• Do you explain your findings clearly with tables, explanations and visuals?


• Do you support your evaluation/analysis/recommendation with facts, data, andresearch?


• Do you effectively inform/persuade/recommend key information relevant to the company?
  

Format:

• Does the report have logical flow?


• Does the report have a professional appearance and design: appropriate fonts, bolds, spacing, etc?


• Does the report use headings, bullets, and other formatting for easy skimming?


• Does the report use correct MLA or APA internal citations and works cited (references)?

Grammar and Mechanics:

• Is the report free of errors?


• Is the report written in standard, edited, American English?


• Does the report use direct language?

Linked you will find an EXAMPLE of what needs to be done.
The website that I need to do this Heuristic Evaluation is CRAIGSLIST.So DO A HEURISTIC EVALUATION OF CRAIGSLIST WEBSITE WITH A MINIMUN OF 6 PAGES.