Assignment 10: Written Assignment

Write a usability review of a web site.

You will begin by being assigned a task - for example, buying an airline ticket to a particular destination, in a specific time frame, at lowest cost. Or signing up for an online marketplace to sell your jewelry. Or any other similar, specific, online task. I will send you a task and a participant - another member of the class who will complete the task while you observe.

You will be assigned a participant and topic to work with.

• Make sure to review the main functions of the site from the perspective of a user.
• Think about what happens when things go wrong.
• What's good?
• What can be improved?
• Find someone to act as a test subject and observe them. Give them a specific task.
• Minimum length: 500 words.

Assignment resources

• Nielsen Norman Group on Web Usability
• http://www.usefulusability.com/how-to-conduct-a-usability-review/
• Don't make me think is a good book on usability, as are Jacob Nielson's books, like Designing Web Usability.

Usability test overview

You will will play two roles in this assignment - facilitator and participant.

You will facilitate a usability review of your the web site I provided to you. A participant (another student) will be assigned to you. The participant will be the one who actually performs the task. The facilitator will monitor, prompt, make notes and record observations, and then use that information to write the usability report.

In a real usability study you would have many test users, but in this assignment there will only be one.

The study will be performed remotely. As a facilitator, you want to make sure that you can see the participant's screen, and ideally, their face. You can use Zoom (the free version is fine), or any other screen-sharing tool.

To prepare:

• Contact your participant. Arrange a date and time, and test out the technology you will use. Do not disclose the topic (web site) at this point.
• If you are going to record the participant's screen or face, ask for permission beforehand. Do not share any recordings, and delete all recorded data after the assignment is done.
• Write a clear (a few sentences) describing the objective of the test. This is basically what you sent me with your topic. Do not share this with the participant yet.

During the test: As a facilitator

• Make sure screen sharing is working.
• Share the URL of the web site and the objective. Make any clarifications. If the test must end at a certain point (for example, before paying for a service) make that clear.
• Encourage the participant to verbalize - say what they are thinking as they go through the site.
• Don't give the participant clues or help unless they are completely stuck.
• Remember, it's the web site that is being tested, not the participant.

During the test: As a participant

• Talk as you go. Say what you are thinking.
• Remember, it's the web site that is being tested, not you.
• If you get stuck, try to sort things out on your own. If you can't figure out what to do after trying, ask for help.

After the test

Complete this form: https://forms.gle/VpaqB4tWE3ZMQm186

Problems:

• If you cannot contact your participant, or for any other reason cannot complete the usability test on time, it is your responsibility as a facilitator to make efforts to solve the situation
• Contact me if you cannot solve it yourself

Resources

Here is a good article about the basics of remote user testing: Remote user testing basics

 Do this by Mon, Mar 04 in order to have time to complete the rough draft.

Open 60 assignment

Imagine that NSCAD is the primary sponsor of a boat in an around-the-world race. Your job is to come up with graphics for the boat to reflect NSCAD's sponsorship of it. The role of the sponsorship is to promote NSCAD. Examine how other sponsors use graphics to promote themselves before you begin.

A basic outline of the boat is provided. You will submit a side and top view, using the provided file as guide. Your design must:

• Research how other boats have been designed.
• Emphasize the NSCAD colours. You can use any colour you want, but the colours of the NCSAD logo must be present. You can refer to the NSCAD identity guide PDF to get the correct colours. Note: Adobe has made it difficult to use Pantone Spot Colours in current versions of Illustrator, so for this assignment you can use the RGB or CMYK equivalents.
• The IMOCA Open 60 logo must be present at the top of the sail. You will need to re-create it. Use this one: IMOCA Open 60 logo for reference. The version that you create should look exactly like this.
• Only vector images may be present.
• You will want to use the NSCAD logo. You can access a version of the NSCAD logo online. Use this version; don't create your own.
• Include lots of detail. Think about how the design would look from close up and from far away. Some elements may be very small in your file - that's OK.
• The outline, size and shape of the boat cannot be changed. Graphics can go on the mast, hull, boom, mainsail or other parts. The lines you see at the front of the boat (from the mast to the hull and bowsprit) are not sails and no graphics can go there. Check out images for reference.
• The number 5163 must appear on the hull in large numbers.
• Optional: Draw a rear view of the boat and create graphics for the stern. Use photos for a reference.

Make sure to save your file for review, if needed.

Name the file YOURLASTNAME_Assignment5.ai

Upload the file to the Brightspace Mon, Mar 04