Despite widespread use of web-based e-learning applications, insufficient attention is paid to their usability. There is a need to conduct evaluation using one or more of the various usability evaluation methods. Given that heuristic evaluation is known to be easy to use and cost effective, this study investigates the extent to which it can identify usability problems in a web-based e-learning application at a tertiary institution. In a comparative case study, heuristic evaluation by experts and survey evaluation among end users (learners) are conducted and the results of the two compared. Following literature studies in e-learning - particularly web-based learning - and usability, the researcher generates an extensive set of criteria/heuristics and uses it in the two evaluations. The object of evaluation is a website for a 3rd year Information Systems course. The findings indicate a high correspondence between the results of the two evaluations, demonstrating that heuristic evaluation is an appropriate, effective and sufficient usability evaluation method, as well as relatively easy to conduct. It identified a high percentage of usability problems. / Computing / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

A globalização das economias, aliada ao avanço das comunicações e à chegada da Internet, está tornando a integração virtual cada vez mais viável. O comércio eletrônico com as empresas, a web social e a inclusão das pessoas deverão se beneficiar dos serviços que estão sendo disponibilizados na web reforça a necessidade de uso das páginas. Com isto, surge a necessidade de tornar as páginas da Internet cada vez mais agradáveis, fáceis de serem utilizadas e eficientes em seus objetivos e, desta maneira, facilitando a todos. Nesse novo cenário, portanto, é primordial torná-las cada vez mais práticas de serem utilizadas, ou seja, o estudo da usabilidade se tornou uma necessidade para os projetistas das páginas de Internet para que a qualidade da Interação Humano-Computador(IHC) seja cada vez melhor. Deve-se pensar também em como verificar/avaliar se essas páginas foram construídas de forma satisfatória a atender aos interesses dos usuários. Neste contexto, foi interessante desenvolver algo que fizesse uma coleta automatizada dos elementos de interação dos websites para servir de suporte e apoio no processo de avaliação de usabilidade, tornando-os, desta maneira, mais claros e com maior possibilidade de a interação com o usuário ser realizada de forma mais eficaz e eficiente. No desenvolvimento das atividades relacionadas a esta proposta de trabalho foi criado um protótipo de uma ferramenta que informasse quais elementos de interação estavam contidos em cada uma das páginas dos websites avaliados. Tal coleta visava auxiliar o desenvolvimento de ferramentas que apoiassem a avaliação da usabilidade, tanto de forma automatizada como, por exemplo, por meio da apresentação de questionários confeccionados por essas ferramentas de forma prática, pois apresentariam apenas perguntas específicas aos elementos de interação que realmente estivessem contidos nos websites. Este protótipo também torna a avaliação da usabilidade mais eficiente e rápida, pois apresenta um levantamento prévio dos elementos de interação da página web uma vez que identifica os elementos da página com as suas características e disponibiliza para o avaliador todas essas informações em formulários web. / The globalization of economies, coupled with the advancement of communications and the arrival of the Internet, is becoming increasingly feasible virtual integration. Electronic commerce with businesses, web and social inclusion of people will benefit from the services that are available on the web reinforces the need to use the pages. With this, comes the need to make Web pages more and more enjoyable, easy to use and efficient in their goals and in this way facilitating all. In this new scenario, therefore, it is essential to make them ever more practical to be used, ie, the study of usability has become a necessity for designers of web pages so that the quality of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is better. One should also think about how to verify/evaluate whether these pages were designed to satisfactorily serve the interests of users. In this context, it was interesting to develop something that would make an automated collection of interaction elements of the websites to provide support and assistance in the usability evaluation process, making them, in this way, clearer and with greater possibility of interaction with the user be performed more effectively and efficiently. In developing this proposal related to work activities a prototype of a tool to inform interaction elements which were contained in each of pages of reviews websites was created. This collection was intended to assist the development of tools that would support the assessment of usability , both automated way, eg, through the presentation of questionnaires made by these tools in a practical way, it would show only specific questions to the elements of interaction that were actually contained in websites. This prototype also makes the assessment more efficient and faster usability, it presents a preliminary survey of interaction elements of the web page as it identifies the elements of the page with its features and available to the assessor all this information into web forms.

A globalização das economias, aliada ao avanço das comunicações e à chegada da Internet, está tornando a integração virtual cada vez mais viável. O comércio eletrônico com as empresas, a web social e a inclusão das pessoas deverão se beneficiar dos serviços que estão sendo disponibilizados na web reforça a necessidade de uso das páginas. Com isto, surge a necessidade de tornar as páginas da Internet cada vez mais agradáveis, fáceis de serem utilizadas e eficientes em seus objetivos e, desta maneira, facilitando a todos. Nesse novo cenário, portanto, é primordial torná-las cada vez mais práticas de serem utilizadas, ou seja, o estudo da usabilidade se tornou uma necessidade para os projetistas das páginas de Internet para que a qualidade da Interação Humano-Computador(IHC) seja cada vez melhor. Deve-se pensar também em como verificar/avaliar se essas páginas foram construídas de forma satisfatória a atender aos interesses dos usuários. Neste contexto, foi interessante desenvolver algo que fizesse uma coleta automatizada dos elementos de interação dos websites para servir de suporte e apoio no processo de avaliação de usabilidade, tornando-os, desta maneira, mais claros e com maior possibilidade de a interação com o usuário ser realizada de forma mais eficaz e eficiente. No desenvolvimento das atividades relacionadas a esta proposta de trabalho foi criado um protótipo de uma ferramenta que informasse quais elementos de interação estavam contidos em cada uma das páginas dos websites avaliados. Tal coleta visava auxiliar o desenvolvimento de ferramentas que apoiassem a avaliação da usabilidade, tanto de forma automatizada como, por exemplo, por meio da apresentação de questionários confeccionados por essas ferramentas de forma prática, pois apresentariam apenas perguntas específicas aos elementos de interação que realmente estivessem contidos nos websites. Este protótipo também torna a avaliação da usabilidade mais eficiente e rápida, pois apresenta um levantamento prévio dos elementos de interação da página web uma vez que identifica os elementos da página com as suas características e disponibiliza para o avaliador todas essas informações em formulários web. / The globalization of economies, coupled with the advancement of communications and the arrival of the Internet, is becoming increasingly feasible virtual integration. Electronic commerce with businesses, web and social inclusion of people will benefit from the services that are available on the web reinforces the need to use the pages. With this, comes the need to make Web pages more and more enjoyable, easy to use and efficient in their goals and in this way facilitating all. In this new scenario, therefore, it is essential to make them ever more practical to be used, ie, the study of usability has become a necessity for designers of web pages so that the quality of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is better. One should also think about how to verify/evaluate whether these pages were designed to satisfactorily serve the interests of users. In this context, it was interesting to develop something that would make an automated collection of interaction elements of the websites to provide support and assistance in the usability evaluation process, making them, in this way, clearer and with greater possibility of interaction with the user be performed more effectively and efficiently. In developing this proposal related to work activities a prototype of a tool to inform interaction elements which were contained in each of pages of reviews websites was created. This collection was intended to assist the development of tools that would support the assessment of usability , both automated way, eg, through the presentation of questionnaires made by these tools in a practical way, it would show only specific questions to the elements of interaction that were actually contained in websites. This prototype also makes the assessment more efficient and faster usability, it presents a preliminary survey of interaction elements of the web page as it identifies the elements of the page with its features and available to the assessor all this information into web forms.

The proliferation of the internet and associated online activities exposes users to numerous information security (InfoSec) threats. Such online activities attract a variety of online users who include novice computer users with no basic InfoSec awareness knowledge. Information systems that collect and use sensitive and confidential personal information of users need to provide reliable protection mechanisms to safeguard this information. Given the constant user involvement in these systems and the notion of users being the weakest link in the InfoSec chain, technical solutions alone are insufficient. The usability of online InfoSec systems can play an integral role in making sure that users use the applications effectively, thereby improving the overall security of the applications. The development of online InfoSec systems calls for addressing the InfoSec problem as a social problem, and such development must seek to find a balance between technical and social aspects. The research addressed the problem of usable security in online InfoSec applications by using an approach that enabled the consideration of both InfoSec and usability in viewing the system as a socio-technical system with technical and social sub-systems. Therefore, the research proposed a socio-technical framework that promotes the development of usable security for online information systems using online banking as a case study. Using a convergent mixed methods research (MMR) design, the research collected data from online banking users through a survey and obtained the views of online banking developers through unstructured interviews. The findings from the two research methods contributed to the selection of 12 usable security design principles proposed in the sociotechnical information security (STInfoSec) framework. The research contributed to online InfoSec systems theory by developing a validated STInfoSec framework that went through an evaluation process by seven field experts. Although intended for online banking, the framework can be applied to other similar online InfoSec applications, with minimum adaptation. The STInfoSec framework provides checklist items that allow for easy application during the development process. The checklist items can also be used to evaluate existing online banking websites to identify possible usable security problems. / Computer Science / D. Phil. (Computer Science)

Despite widespread use of web-based e-learning applications, insufficient attention is paid to their usability. There is a need to conduct evaluation using one or more of the various usability evaluation methods. Given that heuristic evaluation is known to be easy to use and cost effective, this study investigates the extent to which it can identify usability problems in a web-based e-learning application at a tertiary institution. In a comparative case study, heuristic evaluation by experts and survey evaluation among end users (learners) are conducted and the results of the two compared. Following literature studies in e-learning - particularly web-based learning - and usability, the researcher generates an extensive set of criteria/heuristics and uses it in the two evaluations. The object of evaluation is a website for a 3rd year Information Systems course. The findings indicate a high correspondence between the results of the two evaluations, demonstrating that heuristic evaluation is an appropriate, effective and sufficient usability evaluation method, as well as relatively easy to conduct. It identified a high percentage of usability problems. / Computing / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

This thesis aims to improve a scheduling application’s usability and accessibility by redesigning its interface and implementing it using the Contentful App framework. The application is being used by employees at the company Aktiebolaget Trav Galopp. The existing application is described as difficult and time consuming to use. The Contentful App Framework enables developers to build custom applications and integrations on top of the Contentful content platform. It empowers them to extend content workflows, automate tasks, and enhance collaboration with features like UI extensions and Application Programming Interfaces (API). A heuristic evaluation identifies key areas for improvement, focusing on memorization of dates and times. Three design proposals are developed. Design 1 aims to create a centralized view of dates and times, but implementation limitations prevent its realization. Design 2 introduces a custom component within the Hero Container, providing a practical solution for viewing and editing dates and times. Design 3 represents recreating the existing application in the app framework. Evaluation of the implemented application reveals positive aspects, such as clear presentation of relevant information. Limitations are identified, including the inability to restrict referenced component types and inflexibility in rearranging item order. An automatic unlinking mechanism is implemented to mitigate errors in component linking. Significant improvements are achieved in usability and accessibility. Valuable insights are gained through the heuristic evaluation, emphasizing the benefits of the Contentful App framework. The importance of designing with flexibility in mind and addressing limitations during design and implementation is highlighted. Future work recommendations include exploring alternative designs within Contentful SDK limitations, addressing restrictions on referenced component types, and introducing flexibility in rearranging item order. User testing and feedback collection will further refine usability and address remaining issues. This thesis contributes to improving scheduling application usability, providing insights for future research and development efforts. / Syftet med denna avhandling var att förbättra en schemaläggningsapplikations användbarhet och tillgänglighet genom att förbättra dess gränssnitt och implementera det med Contentfuls App-ramverket. Tre designförslag utvecklades med fokus på att minska mängden datum och tider som en användare behöver memorera. Den implementerade applikationen visade många positiva aspekter, såsom tydlig presentation av information. Begränsningar identifierades även, såsom oförmågan att ändra ordning schemat. Rekommendationer för framtida arbete inkluderar att utforska alternativa designlösningar, hantera begränsningar och genomföra användartester för ytterligare förbättringar. Denna avhandling bidrar till att förbättra användbarheten hos schemaläggningsapplikationer och ger insikter för framtida forskning och utveckling.

This master’s thesis investigates the usability challenges in current booking systems and proposes a new design framework to address these challenges. The research encompasses an in-depth analysis of the usability issues associated with booking systems used to create the design guidelines for the framework. The framework is evaluated using a heuristic evaluation approach for evaluation. 25 individual booking systems were individually assessed by a single evaluator, with a focus on finding usability issues using the framework. The heuristic evaluation process took approximately 30 minutes to an hour per system evaluation, following the heuristic evaluation methodology. Identified issues and corresponding recommendations were compiled in a diagram, while the comprehensive testing document is included in the appendix of this paper. The heuristic evaluation revealed a total of 438 identified issues across the 25 booking systems, with the identified issues per system ranging from 3 to 9. The average number of issues identified using the new framework stood at 6.08.  The research answers the first research question: ”What are the key usability challenges in current booking systems?” by conducting an extensive literature review and creating a comprehensive list of 13 distinct usability challenges in booking systems. The amount of identified challenges demonstrates the necessity for a dedicated framework. The challenges encompass a wide spectrum, spanning from user adoption of the interface to practical aspects like booking cancellation and customer service.  Addressing the second research question, which describes the utilization of the new design framework to tackle usability challenges, the study employs the heuristic evaluation results to determine the efficacy of the framework. An average of 6.08 identified usability issues per system validates the framework’s usefulness for evaluators of booking systems. The discussion also underscores the potential for increased effectiveness with the recommended three to five evaluators.  Despite certain limitations, including the lack of detailed evaluation results due to confidentiality agreements, and the inability to complete booking procedures due to resource constraints, the framework’s effectiveness is established. The framework proves to be a valuable addition to existing design guidelines, serving as a comprehensive tool for evaluating booking systems. In conclusion, this master’s thesis completely addresses the research questions, underscoring the need for dedicated design guidelines for booking systems and demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed framework in enhancing usability. The study also identifies areas for future work and recommends enhancements for a more holistic evaluation of booking systems. / Denna masteruppsats undersöker användbarhetsutmaningarna i nuvarande bokningssystem och föreslår ett nytt designramverk för att bemöta dessa utmaningar. Forskningen omfattar en djupgående analys av nuvarande användbarhetsutmaningar hos bokningssystem vilka sedan används för att skapa designriktlinjer för ett nytt designramverk. Det nya designramverket för bokningssystem utvärderas sedan med hjälp av en heuristisk utvärderingsmetod. 25 individuella bokningssystem utvärderades individuellt av en utvärderare, med fokus på att hitta användbarhetsproblem med hjälp av ramverket. Den heuristiska utvärderingsprocessen tog cirka 30 minuter till en timme per systemutvärdering, utförda enligt den heuristiska utvärderingsmetoden. Identifierade problem och motsvarande rekommendationer sammanställdes i ett diagram, medan det omfattande testdokumentet finns med i bilagan till detta dokument. Den heuristiska utvärderingen resulterade i totalt 438 identifierade problem hos de 25 bokningssystemen, där identifierade problem per system varierade från 3 till 9. Det genomsnittliga antalet identifierade problem med hjäp av det nya ramverket var 6,08.  Den första forskningsfrågan: ”Vilka är de viktigaste användbarhetsutmaningarna i nuvarande bokningssystem?” besvarades genom en omfattande litteraturundersökning som resulterade i en lista innehållande 13 distinkta användarvänlighetsutmaningar hos bokningssystem. Mängden identifierade utmaningar visade på noödvändigheten av ett dedikerat ramverk för bokningssystem. Utmaningarna täcker ett brett spektrum, från att användaren använder gränssnittet till praktiska aspekter som avbokning och kundservice.  För att besvara den andra forskningsfrågan, som handlar om det nya designramverkets möjlighet att tackla användbarhetsutmaningar, användes en heuristisk utvärdering vars resultat fastställde ramverkets effektivitet. Det resulterade i genomsnitt av 6,08 identifierade användbarhetsproblem per system, vilket validerar ramverkets användbarhet för utvärderare av bokningssystem. Diskussionen understryker också potentialen för ökad effektivitet med de rekommenderade tre till fem utvärderarna istället för en.  Trots vissa begränsningar, såsom bristen på detaljerade utvärderingsresultat på grund av sekretessavtal och oförmågan att slutföra bokningsprocedurer på grund av resursbegränsningar, har ramverkets effektivitet fastställts. Ramverket visade sig vara en värdefull ersättning till befintliga designriktlinjer och fungerar som ett omfattande verktyg för att utvärdera bokningssystem. Sammanfattningsvis adresserar denna masteruppsats forskningsfrågorna och understryker behovet av dedikerade designriktlinjer för bokningssystem samt visar effektiviteten hos det föreslagna ramverket för att förbättra användbarheten. Studien identifierar också områden för framtida arbete och rekommenderar förbättringar för en mer holistisk utvärdering av bokningssystem.

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)

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)