Age-related physical and cognitive changes hinder the ability of older adults to operate smartphones. While many user interface (UI) heuristics exist today, there is a need for an updated set designed specifically to assess the usability of mobile devices for an older audience. Smartphone evaluation heuristics for older adults based on age-related changes in vision, hearing, attention, memory and motor control were developed in this thesis by analyzing literature on age-related physical and cognitive changes impacting smartphone usability. Support for heuristics was found by gathering information on how older adults use cell phones through interviews and an online survey. It was demonstrated that strength of support for some heuristics increases with age. The evaluated heuristics provide usability practitioners and designers with a framework for evaluating the usability of smartphones for older adults.

Detta projekt har haft som syfte att producera och grafiskt formge det kommande numret av tidskriftsapplikationen Scandinavian Architectural Review för förlaget It Is Media Svenska AB i Stockholm. Skapandet har utgått från applikationens tidigare grafiska profil och har ämnat att följa tidigare utseende och funktioner utan nya tillägg. Hela produktionen har skapats genom Adobe InDesigns tilläggstjänst Adobe Digital Publishing Suite. Efter att produktionen färdigställts har en analys gjorts av den färdiga applikationen enligt en heuristisk utvärdering ur ett människa-datorinteraktionsperspektiv, till vilken David Benyons tolv designprinciper har  tillämpats. Till stöd i analysarbetet har ett aktivitetsdiagram skapats för att ge en god överblick över hela tidskriftens disposition. Analysen har slutligen resulterat i en åtgärdslista med förslag på förbättringar av applikationen för att öka dess användarvänlighet, vilket framför allt har lyft fram behovet av tydligare grafisk design av interaktiva element, ett förbättrat system för att ge användaren återkoppling samt ökad konsekvens och flexibilitet. / This project has aimed to produce and design the upcoming edition of the magazine application Scandinavian Architectural Review for the publisher It Is Media Svenska AB in Stockholm. The production has been based on the application’s prior graphic profile and has intended to follow previous appearance and functions without new additions. The entire production has been created using the Adobe InDesign plugin Adobe Digital Publishing Suite. After the production was finished an analysis of the completed application was performed according to a heuristic evaluation, which was based on the twelve design principles of David Benyon in a perspective of human-computer interaction. To support the analytical work an activity diagram was created to get a comprehensive view of the entire disposition of the application. The analysis has resulted in a list of actions and suggestions to improve the application and its usability, which particularly emphasize the need of a clearer design of the interactive elements, an improved system to give the user feedback as well as an increased consistency and flexibility.

E-commerce has increased substantially, as e-retailers engage with consumers online. Users require more than products and quality service; they also expect a good user experience. User experience is affected by branding, functionality, navigation, content, aesthetics and usability. This study investigates the attainment of better user experience on e-commerce websites. A dual-method usability evaluation approach – usability testing with end-users and heuristic evaluation by experts – was employed to obtain a holistic picture of how usability aspects support or hinder the user experience. Usability testing provided insights into detailed interface issues and the type of content and journey that users prefer when making a purchasing decision, while heuristic evaluation was mainly directed at overall user interface and interaction factors. In a complementary way, each method identified a high number of usability problems. Key findings are summarized, and design guidelines are identified that can facilitate the development of e-commerce websites to promote user experience. / E-handel het aansienlik toegeneem, soos e-kleinhandelaars by verbruikers aanlyn betrokke raak. Gebruikers verlang meer as produkte en kwaliteit diens; hulle verwag ook 'n goeie gebruikerservaring. Gebruikerservaring word deur ‘branding’, funksies, navigasie, inhoud, estetika en bruikbaarheid beinvloed. Hierdie studie ondersoek die bereiking van beter gebruikerservaring op e-handel webwerwe. 'n Dubbelemetode bruikbaarheidsevaluering benadering – bruikbaarheidstoetsing met eindgebruikers en heuristiese evaluering deur kundiges – is gebruik om ‘n holistiese beeld te verkry van hoe bruikbaarheidsaspekte gebruikerservaring ondersteun of verhinder. Bruikbaarheidstoetsing lewer insigte in gedetailleerde koppelvlak kwessies en die tipe inhoud en roete wat gebruikers verkies wanneer hulle 'n aankoop maak, terwyl heuristiese evaluering hoofsaaklik gerig is op algehele gebruikerskoppelvlak en interaksie faktore. Op 'n komplementêre manier, het elke metode' n groot aantal bruikbaarheidsprobleme geïdentifiseer. Belangrike bevindings word saamgevat, en ontwerp riglyne is voorgestel wat die ontwikkeling van e-handel webwerwe fasiliteer wat gebruikerservaring bevorder. / Computing / M. Tech. (Information Technology)

Usability refers to the study and measurement of the quality of human-computer interaction. Internet-based banking is a task-oriented, goal-directed, Web-based, E-commerce application where users access and manipulate bank accounts remotely through a Web browser interface. The examination of the usability of this interaction through the distributed medium of the Internet formed the research basis. The aims of the research are to review the application of general usability principles and properties to Internet-based banking, examine existing usability guidelines for hypermedia and Web design, and apply these during a structured evaluation of local and international online banking facilities. The research instrument is a combination of a checklist-based and heuristic evaluation, and is preceded by a task analysis. Three research questions are addressed and solutions suggested. These are related to improving Internet banking usability, finding the best approach for measuring this, and creating an awareness that Web usability is important. / Science / M.Sc. (Informatyion Systems)

The mining industry in South Africa contributes significantly to the national economy. Despite stringent safety legislation, mining accidents cause numerous fatalities and injuries. Inadequate or insufficient training is often cited as a root cause of accidents. Conventional class-based safety training has not reduced the incidence of accidents significantly. By contrast, virtual reality training tools can provide simulated exposure to real-world working conditions without the associated risks. This study describes the application of design-based research (DBR) in the design and development of two desktop virtual reality (VR) systems for safety training in the South African mining industry. The results of a usability context analysis were applied in the design of a VR prototype on generic hazards recognition and rectification, which was used and evaluated at South Africa‘s largest platinum mine site. A case study was conducted to investigate the causes and occurrences of falls of ground, which resulted in the design and development of a second VR prototype focusing on identifying and addressing underground geological conditions. DBR was also used in the generation of an evaluation framework for evaluating VR training systems, namely the Desktop VR Evaluation Framework (DEVREF), which is the major deliverable of the research. DEVREF can make a major contribution to the domain of e-training in mines and is transferable and customisable beyond its initial application. The process flow of the research thus moved beyond merely providing a solution to a complex real-world problem and became a classic DBR study with dual outcomes, namely a practical real-world solution in the form of two VR training systems and a theoretical contribution in the form of the DEVREF evaluation framework. DEVREF evaluates the design of desktop VR training systems in the categories of instructional design, usability, VR systems design, and context-specific criteria for mining. The use of DEVREF is demonstrated by reporting the application of its criteria in evaluating the two VR training systems. Heuristic evaluation, end-user surveys, and interviews were used as evaluation methods. A third contribution is methodological, in that this work proposes a new DBR process model and an interaction design lifecycle model suitable for VR training systems. / Computing / D. Phil. (Information Systems)

Denna studie syftar till att utveckla tumregler för heuristisk utvärdering av typografi i responsiva gränssnitt. Genom att kombinera traditionella typografiska designprinciper med principer för responsiv webbdesign har tolv tumregler tagits fram. Dessa tumregler har i två heuristiska utvärderingar använts av grafiska designers och gränssnittsutvecklare. De båda grupperna har dessutom fått ge sin syn på upplevelsen av att använda tumreglerna. Tumreglernas förmåga att vägleda till hittade typografiska problem i två responsiva gränssnitt har analyserats och framförallt gränssnittsutvecklarnas resultat har varit i fokus, då målet varit att tumreglerna ska kunna fungera som ett verktyg för att skapa bättre design för gränssnittsutvecklare utan utbildning i ämnet. Resultatet har visat att trots att gränssnittsutvecklare inte hittade lika många problem som grafiska designers så hjälper tumreglerna ändå till att hitta problem. Detta indikerar att fler deltagare utan typografisk utbildning kan behövas för att komma upp i samma mängd hittade problem som en grupp med typografiskt utbildade deltagare. Resultatet visar också att utvärderingar av responsiva gränssnitt görs bäst genom att granska gränssnittet på flera enheter med varierande skärmstorlek. / This study aims to develop a set of heuristics for evaluating typography in responsive user interfaces. By combining traditional design principles for typography with principles for responsive web design, twelve heuristics has been created. This list of heuristics has been used by graphic designers and user interface developers in two heuristic evaluations. The heuristics ability to lead to finding typographic problems in two different responsive interfaces has been analyzed, and the results from the user interface developers has been in main focus, since the goal was to create a tool for developers with a lack of knowledge in typography to create interfaces with better design. The results has shown that even though developers struggle to find the samt amount of typography problems as graphic designers, the heuristics does help to find problem. Even so, this indicate that a heuristic evaluation with non-typographic experts may need a few more participants than an evaluation with only typographic experts. The results also shows that an evaluation of a responsive user interface is best made through evaluation of the same interface on different devices with different screen sizes.

Business Intelligence (BI) applications are consulted by their users on a daily basis. BI information obtained assist users to make business decisions and allow for a deeper understanding of the business and its driving forces. In a mining environment companies need to derive maximum benefit from BI applications, therefore these applications need to be used optimally. Optimal use depends on various factors including the usability of the product. The documented lack of usability evaluation guidelines provides the rationale for this study. The purpose is to investigate the usability evaluation of BI applications in the context of a coal mining organization. The research is guided by the question: What guidelines should be used to evaluate the usability of BI applications. The research design included the identification of BI usability issues based on the observation of BI users at the coal mining organization. The usability criteria extracted from the usability issues were compared and then merged with general usability criteria from literature to form an initial set of BI usability evaluation criteria. These criteria were used as the basis for a heuristic evaluation of the BI application used at the coal mining organization. The same application was also evaluated using the Software Usability Measurement Inventory (SUMI) standardised questionnaire. The results from the two evaluations were triangulated to provide a refined set of criteria. The main contribution of the study is the heuristic evaluation guidelines for BI applications (based on these criteria). These guidelines are grouped in the following functional areas: visibility, flexibility, cognition, application behaviour, error control and help, affect and BI elements. / Information Science / M.Sc. (Information Systems)