HCI - Heuristic evaluation plan for a university learning management system

Purpose of the assessment (with ULO Mapping) Students will be able to:
c. Demonstrate skills in designing and evaluating interactive systems and web- based applications
d. Apply knowledge of theoretical foundations of HCI to practical situations

Assignment - Specification

The purpose of the report is to provide a heuristic evaluation plan for university learning management system. In this group assignment (maximum 5 students) you are required to produce a non-functioning prototype, usability analysis and heuristic evaluation plan for an organisation, in the format of a report (2000-2500 words) documenting your design rationale.

All members must contribute equally to the assignment and the walkthrough. Non-attendance at the walkthrough will mean a mark of ZERO is awarded to the group member.

Many Universities in Australia and the world are using learning management systems (LMS) such as Blackboard and Moodel. As an HCI specialist team you have been requested to propose the user interface design modifications for the LMS Blackboard of our university HOLMES institute.

1. Perform a user analysis. You must have a clear view of the users of this system. Consider that not everyone is comfortable with the technology. For example, you need to deal with user variation such as age or language skills.

2. Perform a task analysis to identify the tasks the potential users will perform, and in what order.

3. Consolidate your findings from your user and task analysis and propose a design and specify system requirements to realise the recommended interface. For example, the number of items to display, the screen size, what colours, how many different screens to display, the devices to you, the physical design.

4. Develop a low-fidelity (paper) prototype (a minimum of 4 screens). Based on the above requirements, develop a preliminary design of the user interface. At this stage, the prototype is basically a medium to support your initial concept and ideas. For example, the prototype should show where the relevant button locations, how much information would be presented on each screen etc. Low- fidelity prototyping is mainly to allow designers to produce alternative designs expediently without having to go into depth or functionality. Think of low-fidelity prototyping as the 5D tool for: design, draft, decide, discard and do-over.

5. Perform an interim evaluation of your design by creating a method of feedback and asking 3-4 potential users (e.g. friends, family members, classmates, etc.) to complete the feedback for your low-fidelity paper prototype. Carry out the evaluation according to prescribed methods found in the textbook (Shneiderman & Plaisant, 2014) or from other scholarly sources. Use appropriate survey techniques. Analyse the data you have collected from the user evaluation and note down any recommendations as to how you could refine and improve on your initial design.

6. Based on the user test feedback and recommendations develop a high-fidelity prototype. The high- fidelity prototype should be an online mock-up of your proposal and should demonstrate some navigation, although it does not need to work as a complete interface. A minimum of 4 screens should be produced in correspondence to your storyboard. The high-fidelity prototype must be computer based and any software is acceptable including PowerPoint, storyboarding, etc.

7. Create an evaluation plan with recommendations on the tools and methods you intend to use to evaluate the usability of your interface.

Upon the completion of the task, you are to required provide a formal report to document the tasks and the outcome of your efforts undertaken for the project. Remember, this report is intended for your employers and as such be professionally formatted and presented. Your report will support the viability of your interface and as such needs to convince your employer that your interface design is satisfactory and that it meets user acceptance test.

REPORT STRUCTURE:
In your report please follow the below structure:

1. Introduction - State the purpose and objectives of the report.
2. Discussion - Build your arguments into a cohesive thread, presenting your observations and findings that you have collated.
3. Recommendation - This is the section where you present your recommendations.
4. Conclusion - Summarise your findings, consolidating and drawing attention to the main points of the report.
5. References. (a minimum of 10 references)

Attachment:- Group Assignment.rar