evaluation/criticism of software interfaces
Budget: $10 – $30 CAD
The software to be evaluated is Open Office (https://www.openoffice.org/fr/). Download the latest version of Apache OpenOffice (for Windows, Mac or Linux). The main interface to be evaluated is that of the word processor.
IMPORTANT: Please write the version used in the preamble of your work.
To complete the assessment, you must follow the structure below and answer the questions:
User goals (25%):
What are the objectives of the users with this software? (Justify with the user-centered approach and the mental model)
How can the user perform a text writing action in OpenOffice? (Justify with Norman's theory)
What features are offered in the interface? (Justify with the user-centric approach)
Previous experiences (15%):
Is the software interface intended for expert users and for beginners? (Justify your answer with the user-centered approach and mental model)
Course on the interface (25%):
Is there a lot of information in the interface? (Justify with center of attention)
Are there any errors the user might encounter? (Justify with center of attention)
Is the interface easy to use? (Justify with the mental model)
Information formatting (25%):
Graphically, is the user aware of menus and icons? (Justify with conscience and affordance)
Explain how Gestalt laws are used (justify from screenshots)
Using the expert evaluation method, provide an evaluation from several OpenOffice software interfaces. Argue this assessment based on the concepts presented in the previous weeks of the course.
This evaluation report must have a minimum of 1400 words and a maximum of 1700 words (spaces not included), which corresponds to approximately 3 pages. The text is written in Arial font, in 11 pts with 1 line spacing. The text is written respecting top/bottom margins of 2.54 cm, left/right margins of 3.18 cm. The document must be paginated.
A table of contents may be included and will not count towards the word count requested.
Annotated screenshots are highly recommended to support your argument. They must be identifiable (example: Figure 1 – Screenshot of the main page) and must be added to your document or as an appendix to your document.
IMPORTANT: Please write the version used in the preamble of your work.
To complete the assessment, you must follow the structure below and answer the questions:
User goals (25%):
What are the objectives of the users with this software? (Justify with the user-centered approach and the mental model)
How can the user perform a text writing action in OpenOffice? (Justify with Norman's theory)
What features are offered in the interface? (Justify with the user-centric approach)
Previous experiences (15%):
Is the software interface intended for expert users and for beginners? (Justify your answer with the user-centered approach and mental model)
Course on the interface (25%):
Is there a lot of information in the interface? (Justify with center of attention)
Are there any errors the user might encounter? (Justify with center of attention)
Is the interface easy to use? (Justify with the mental model)
Information formatting (25%):
Graphically, is the user aware of menus and icons? (Justify with conscience and affordance)
Explain how Gestalt laws are used (justify from screenshots)
Using the expert evaluation method, provide an evaluation from several OpenOffice software interfaces. Argue this assessment based on the concepts presented in the previous weeks of the course.
This evaluation report must have a minimum of 1400 words and a maximum of 1700 words (spaces not included), which corresponds to approximately 3 pages. The text is written in Arial font, in 11 pts with 1 line spacing. The text is written respecting top/bottom margins of 2.54 cm, left/right margins of 3.18 cm. The document must be paginated.
A table of contents may be included and will not count towards the word count requested.
Annotated screenshots are highly recommended to support your argument. They must be identifiable (example: Figure 1 – Screenshot of the main page) and must be added to your document or as an appendix to your document.