THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST INDIES FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND
Contents
1. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree 1 The words phrases and concepts used are familiar to you XX 2 The information is presented in a simple natural and logical order X 3 There are facilities provided to return to the top level at any stage e g links back to homepage X 4 There is a consistent look and feel to the system interface 5 The relationship between controls e g buttons hyperlinks and their actions are obvious XX 6 The look and feel of the website is simple intuitive easy to learn and pleasing 7 The website is free from irrelevant unnecessary and distracting information XX 8 Help is clear and direct and simply expressed in plain English free from jargon and slogans XX 9 The navigational feedback e g showing your current and initial location where you ve been and what options you have for where to go is provided 10 Related pieces of information are grouped together 11 Each screen is comprised of one 1 document on one 1 topic with the most important information appearing at the top 12 Hypertext has been used appropriately to structure content 13 Pages have been structured to facilitate scanning by the reader 40 User 1 Old Website event Time Behavior commet 0 00 Start 0 00 D initial Tasks 19 21 D Developer2. Managing education through technology Breadcrumbs Trail where applicable Page Title Advertisements Main Content Figure 20 0 Sketch of new homepage design 33 i est testtntschools index htmi A tntschools com Managing Education through Technology Welcome to tntschools com www tntschools com is the brainchild of Daveaux Business Services in conjunction with software developer AkiSoft Consulting Ltd It is the home of the web hosted Aki Student Information System AkiSIS From this site you can 1 access AkiSIS our hosted software application by clicking Log in 2 download AkiSIS user manuals and 3 advertise with us Now registering students for the new Academic year Sept 2010 June 2011 Figure 21 0 Initial design of Home page The figure above shows the design of the homepage during the first iteration It must be acknowledged that this design does not correspond to the information architecture also illustrated in this section However the final design incorporates the architecture shown above 34 5 Usability Testing 5 1 What Methods Will be Used to Collect Usability Data The following are the methods that we will be using to collect usability data e Task time performance We will be measuring how long it takes a user to complete a task and which tasks were were not completed by the users e Number of errors Each error made by the users will be recorded with
3. Factors that will affect the download speed of a webpage include e The manuals available on the website are presented in pdf format e Graphics used in advertisements The manuals may affect the download speed of the website However these user manuals are essential to the website since they are guides for use of the information system AkiSIS Advertisements are part of the service provided by tntschools com and as such they will need to be implemented in the design These two features should not have any great impact on the download speed as the current calculated speed of the webpages are relatively small and any further delays should still maintain a reasonable load time Maximum size of file Max size Internet connection speed Maximum response time For a minimum connection speed of 256 Kbps Max size 256 kbps 10 s 2 560 kb 320 KB The above calculation is based on the lowest internet connection available locally 256 Kbps and the acceptable download speed of 10 s This ensures that our current redesigned webpages meet the requirements 4 5 What Colors will be Used The tntschools com currently does not have a logo and it is not the responsibility of the development team to design one For the purpose of this course we are using a substitute logo 30 instead Since the business also does not have a particular colour the design team is free to use any colours in the design of the site The colours chosen for the red
4. Poor Neutral Neutral Neutral Neutral Good Good do you rate 66 the website www tntscho ols com List some 2 facebook www hot bbc co uk http Aww wikipedia Facebook Facebook or 3 of the com mail gozmodo c w visualm hotmail co Hotmail Gmail websites that SviantArt om athlearnin m Yahoo Hotmail bi com g com facebook you Visit mangastre most often am com http ww w math co m What type of entertainm academic tech Academic websites News Entertain websites are ent news sS like Gaming ment you news Mathemati msn com forums generally tech cs where i Torrent interested reviews can find websites in articles Music and about Entertain almost ment anything websites What do you content availabilit presentatio Ease of their There is so Entertaini like most y ofuseful n finding content much to ng about these informatio helpful do and the websites n informatio content is n in very always little time being updated Table 2 0 Summary of survey responses 67 APPENDIX C Sample of Usability Task Lists and Satisfaction Questionnaire Developer s Copy 68 Task List Developer Tasks and expected responses USABILITY TASKS Please write the responses to the task in the spaces provided 1 Find and write the name of the developer of the software application provided by tntschools com
5. What browser plug ins do use You may select more than one Adobe Acrobat Reader Flash Player l ldo not know Other The last time you visited the website were you able to find what you wanted 5 Yes very easily 7 m Yes after a little while No What do you think the website is missing If any DE Do you visit websites similar to www tntschools com If No skip question 13 l Yes l No What do you like about these websites Only answer if you answered Yes to question 12 Da 61 List some 2 or 3 of the websites that you visit most often What type of websites are you generally interested in ou What do you like most about these websites on Overall how do you rate the website www tntschools com Very Good Good Neutral r Poor Very Poor Submit Powered by Google Docs 62 APPENDIX B Screenshot of survey posted on www tntschools com Summary of survey responses from Google Docs 63 Ei Facebook 1 YG Google Docs Allitems Y Eg WEBSITE SURVEY lt T3 google analytics Googlu www tntschools com TNT NEWS October 2010 We are currently working to improve our website By partaking in this survey you are ensuring that all your needs will be met in the redesign of the website Thank you in advance for your support WEBSITE SURVEY This survey is aimed at improving the usability of this website www tntschools com Please try t
6. e News news highlights about the website and software information e FAQ frequently asked questions about the software e Log In log in for AkiSIS users not included in the redesign Oo000 0 Where Will the Content Come From The content for the redesigned website are primarily already included in the current website but we will be reorganizing the content into the relevant pages At present there are user manuals in pdf format on the website These will be included in the redesign of the website We are also going to include a webpage about the software developers and this information will be taken from company documentation 4 2 How will Navigation be Provided The navigation for the website will be provided through the use of a top menu This will be topical navigation with links to the major sections of the website There is no need for audience splitting given the nature of the website and the target users The use of breadcrumbs will be implemented to ensure users know where they are at all times and can backtrack to any page at any point There will a sitemap to provide the overall layout of the website The tabs on the top menu will be Home Products News Contact Us About Us Log In 28 e FAQ 4 3 What Will the Page Layout Look Like Elements that will appear on each page header information e Title Bar Company name and tag line e Page title that identifies the current page e The top menu with links
7. 8 of Internet Explorer was most popular However it can be seen that there were respondents who were not aware of the browser version This fact should relate to the level of user experience of the respondent 20 What screen resolution do you use 1280 x 720 1024 x 768 800 x 600 640 x 4804 do nol know Other gt N Figure 10 0 Screen resolution statistics Survey Again supporting Analytics of the respondents resolution 1024x728 was most popular As a result this will be used as the design resolution What browser plug ins do you use Adobe Acrobat Reader Flash Player da not know Fons Other 0 1 2 3 4 a on Figure 11 0 Browser plug in statistics Survey User statistics show that the majority of users have flash plug ins The manuals on the website are in PDF format and the statistics show that users have Adobe Acrobat Reader This means they will be able to access the manuals 21 Please select your internet service provider ISP Blink Broadband Ll Greendot Other _ M w B on D 0 Figure 12 1 ISP Survey Please select the associated package from the ISP you selected in the previous question Flow Turbo 20HR Flow Turbo 50 Flow Turbo 100 Blink Basic Blink Premium Sj Blink Premium Plus Blink Super Greendol Personal Other Nw Leo 9 1 Figure 12 2 Internet Connection speed statistics Survey Of the small sample received the
8. Daveaux Business Services Find and write a news event that occurred in October 2010 regarding AkiSIS 6 Find and write the support advice provided on the website for the commonly asked question below Un Why can t I view my transcript 7 Write the note given in the Student User Manual for the AkiSIS system regarding passwords after accessing AkiSIS for the first time 5 4 Where Will the Usability Testing Take Place The usability testing of the website will take place at the University of the West Indies St Augustine campus Faculty of Science and Agriculture Department of Computing and Information Technology Usability Lab This will be conducted under the supervision of course demonstrator Tricia Rambharose 5 5 Usability Testing Participants The usability participants were recruited from the University to be representatives of the student target user group Students were approached and asked to be involved in this exercise Since the information system can be used at both Secondary and Tertiary level educational institutions The participants are representatives of the tertiary student body Due to time constraints and the unavailability of representatives of the teacher and parent bodies only the student target group will be participants in our usability exercise 5 6 Expert Reviews The constraints of the project and the unavailability of personnel actively involved with the use of the website do not permit us t
9. Ltd as support personnel In fact she is responsible for the site as it currently exists She will therefore have direct contact to both business involved in the venture At the end of the project it is guaranteed that the site created will be fully implemented 1 3 Very General Description of the Proposed Project The current website As previously mentioned this project involves the redesign of the website www tntschools com Its target user groups are 1 Prospective customers This group would include school administrators or teachers These are persons interested in purchasing any of the software products offered The website currently provides some details of the features of the products offered as well as contact information 2 Current user groups This includes i Students ii Parents iii Teachers Currently the users of AkiSIS must visit the website to use it They also can download AkiSIS user manuals in pdf format The news page provides insight into the happenings at the business as well as product update information The following were some of the problems with the current website e Navigation Lack of navigational feedback since users are unaware of their current location or where they have been on the site The hyperlinks used in the website did not indicate this e Poor organization of content The homepage for example has too much information presented to the user As a result there was a lot of v
10. Their Content Needs 24 3 61 What was Learned About the Users Relating to any Benchmark 24 Web Sites 3 7 What was Learned About the Users Relating to any Demographic 26 Information 3 8 What was Learned About the Users Relating to Their Domain Knowledge 3 9 Were There any Unexpected Findings from the Requirements Gathering 3 10 Preliminary Design Plan Full Design Plan Interface Prototype 4 1 What Content will be Included on the Web Site 4 2 How will Navigation be Provided 4 3 What Will the Page Layout Look Like 4 4 Download Speed 4 5 What Colors will be Used 4 6 Will there be any Graphics that Need to be Developed 4 7 How did the Requirements Gathering Impact the Design of the Web Site Usability Testing 5 1 What Methods Will be Used to Collect Usability Data 5 2 What are Expected Common Tasks of Users 5 3 What Tasks will be Utilized in the Usability Testing 5 4 Where Will the Usability Testing Take Place 5 5 Usability Testing Participants 5 6 Expert Reviews 5 7 Specific Concerns 5 8 Results of the Usability Testing 5 9 Individual User Experiences 5 10 What was Learned from the Usability Testing Page 26 27 27 28 28 29 29 30 31 31 35 35 35 36 36 36 36 37 38 44 6 Implementation and Marketing 6 1 Who Will Manage the Web Site 6 2 Where Will the Web Site Be Housed 6 3 What Will the URL of the New Web Site Be 6 4 On What Date will the Site Go Live 6 5 Will t
11. There are facilities provided to return to the top level at any stage e g links back to homepage Consistency and standards 4 There is a consistent look and feel to the system interface Recognition rather than recall 5 The relationship between controls e g buttons hyperlinks and their actions are obvious Aesthetic and minimalist design 6 The look and feel of the website is simple intuitive easy to learn and pleasing 7 The website is free from irrelevant unnecessary and distracting information Help and documentation 8 Help is clear and direct and simply expressed in plain English free from jargon and slogans Navigation 9 The navigational feedback e g showing your current and initial location where you ve been and what options you have for where to go is provided Structure of information 10 Related pieces of information are grouped together 11 Each screen is comprised of one 1 document on one 1 topic with the most important information appearing at the top 12 Hypertext has been used appropriately to structure content 13 Pages have been structured to facilitate scanning by the reader 70
12. accompanying comments to explain the error e Think Aloud Protocol Users would also be encouraged to think aloud during the performance of their tasks so as to provide us with feedback Since the voice and video would be recorded we would be able to revisit user comments during their task performance e User satisfaction User satisfaction would be measured by means of a survey to be administered at the end of the task performance 5 2 What are Expected Common Tasks of Users The most frequently performed tasks on the website will be e Downloading a user manual e Finding product information o Features o Requirements o Cost e Finding the contact information of the business Users will also be expected to perform some basic navigation around the website Users may also visit the e About Us page to find information about the business e News page to view the latest happenings e FAQ page to find solutions to some commonly asked questions about using the products 5 3 What Tasks will be Utilized in the Usability Testing The following are the tasks that we will ask the participants of the usability test to perform 1 Find and write the name of the developer of the software application provided by tntschools com 2 Find and write one type of student information accessible through AkiSIS 3 Find and write the cost for Option 2 of the Timetabling system if a school has 900 students 35 4 Find and write the email address of
13. facilitates the integration of various aspects of school activities accessibility of imformation by users in real time and allows customization to suit your school specific needs and can meet the needs of the different levels of educational institutions more details AkiTimetabler AkiSIS Student Management System is equipped with a comprehensive timetabling solution The timetabling module is also offered as a standalone package This is specifically geared toward solving the timetabling woes of schools and other learning institutions more details Now registering students for the new Academic year Sept 2010 June 2011 Last Updated 23 Nov 2010 Webmaster comp6650 mysts uwi edu Figure 27 0 Screenshot of Products webpage 50 Products gt AkiSIS O www2ssta uwi edu anik gt K D s SR i Home file C Users Aneisha Desktop tntschools com akisis html tntschools com Managing Education through Technology Products About Us Contact Us News FAQ Log In AkiSIS AkiSIS is the acronym for Aki Student Information System It facilitates eereee integration of various aspects of school activities accessibility of imformation by users in real time customization to suit your school specific needs has minimal requirements only an internet connection required and can meet the needs of the different levels of educational institutions AkiSIS features AkiSIS has two com
14. from the following list Please select Flow Blink 2 Flow Flow Flow Flow Flow the Turbo 25 GB Turbo 5 Turbo 25 Turbo 5 Turbo 5 Turbo 25 associated package from your internet service provider you selected in the previous question What Google Internet Mozilla Google Internet Internet Google browser do Chrome Explorer Firefox Chrome Explorer Explorer Chrome 65 you use What latest 8 I do not 6 I do not 8 8 version of know know the browser do you use What screen 1280 x 800 x 600 1280 x 1440 x I do not 1024 x 1024 x resolution 1024 720 900 know 768 768 do you use What Adobe I do not Adobe Adobe Adobe Adobe Adobe browser Acrobat know Acrobat Acrobat Acrobat Acrobat Acrobat plug ins do Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader Reader use Flash Flash Flash Flash Flash Player Player Player Player Player The last time Yes after Yes very Yes very Yes after Yes very Yes very Yes very you visited a little easily easily a little easily easily easily the website while while were you able to find what you wanted What do you appeal amp organizati Nothing think the organisato on really It website is n gets the missing If job done for me any Do you visit No No Yes No No No Yes websites similar to www tntscho ols com What do you ability to Informativ like about try the these software websites for a trail period Overall how
15. majority of users have a Flow internet connection with a speed between 5 Mbps and 25 Mbps One user had a Blink connection of 2Mbps The number of respondents was limited so it is difficult to gauge what is the average speed of the users but users seem to have a reasonable internet connection especially when considering the statistics from Google Analytics In this way user speeds allow for fast loading of web pages 22 3 5 What was Learned About the Users Relating to Their Technological Experience STATISTICS GATHERED FROM SURVEY RESPONDENTS How comfortable are you using the computer Computing experience have never used have a little e 0 1 2 3 4 Figure 13 0 Computing experience statistics Survey From the findings all of the users have used a computer The majority of users see themselves as comfortable using a computer The others are either extremely competent users or users with some computing experience How often do you go online Frequency of web browsing Never 1 2 times per week 3 4 times per week Everyday o b Lis Le pu in Figure 14 0 Web browsing statistics Surve The majority of the users browse the web every day The remainder of respondents browses between 1 and 4 times per week These findings suggest that our users have a fair level of computing skills and are so aware of some internet conventions 23 3 6 What was Learned About the Users Relating to Their Content
16. of website Figure 20 0 Sketch of new homepage design Page 16 17 17 18 19 19 20 21 2i 22 19 22 22 24 24 25 27 27 32 33 34 Figure 21 0 Initial design of Home page Figure 22 0 Usability Testing Summary of task completion old website Figure 23 0 Usability Testing Graph of task completion old website Figure 24 0 Usability Testing Summary of task completion new website Figure 25 0 Usability Testing Graph of task completion new website Figure 26 0 Screenshot of Home webpage Figure 27 0 Screenshot of Products webpage Figure 28 0 Screenshot of AkiSIS webpage Figure 29 0 Screenshot of Timetabling webpage Figure 30 0 Screenshot of About Us webpage Figure 31 0 Screenshot of Contact Us webpage Figure 32 0 Screenshot of News webpage Figure 33 0 Screenshot of FAQ webpage Figure 18 0 Survey Posted on Website LIST OF TABLES Table 1 0 Schedule of Planned Activities for Gathering User Requirements Table 2 0 Summary of survey responses Page 35 41 41 43 43 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 64 Page 12 65 1 Project Proposal 1 1 Organization that is the Focus of your Project The partnership www tntschools com is the result of a partnership between two young businesses Daveaux Business Services Ltd and AkiSoft Consulting Ltd The entities joined forces in order to distribute school based software products namely Aki Student Information System AkiSIS and AkiTimeTabler to secon
17. seconds Task 6 29 seconds e Task 7 2 minutes 6 seconds Total Task Completion Time 7 minutes 13 seconds The user navigated to the wrong page during task 2 Instead of going to the Products page they went to the About Us page The user also commented that they did not fully understand what they were supposed to do for task 2 and navigated to the wrong page again This time they went to the Timetabling page instead of the Products page The user managed to successfully complete 6 out of 7 tasks given to perform Task 2 was the only task the user was unable to correctly complete It is important to note that although the answer given in Task 1 was not the expected answer it was found in the same section as the preferred answer 5 10 What was Learned from the Usability Test It was found that Tasks 1 and 4 were completed in almost the same amount of time by both users Task 1 asked for the name of the software developer and in both cases the user found this information on the homepage It was however expected that the users would have visited the About Us page for this information The behavior of the users however may be as a result of the wording of the question The question asked for the name and the development team expected Dr Wayne Goodridge as the answer however both users wrote AkiSoft Consulting It must be noted that on the homepage the software developer was described as AkiSoft Consulting Despite this the team accepts Tas
18. their preferences and their experience need to be gathered e Demographics Since the age range of the website s users is very large the design team needs to know the makeup of these different groups of users Questions related to the age and gender of these users will thus be asked in this section e Content Requirements It is important to understand exactly what the users would like to achieve when they visit the website therefore we have to find out if they are satisfied with what is currently there and if not what they would like to see there in future systems How familiar the users are are not with these systems impacts on their ability to effectively utilize the systems and the website e Computing Experience Since there are usually novices intermediate and expert users the website needs to cater to the need of all user groups A lot of parents are expected to interact with the website as well as adolescent children This means that the website design should be very simple to accommodate this Through our requirements gathering we will be able to find out what user level our users fall into so that we may better tailor the website to accommodate them e Computing Environment The website needs to be designed with certain things in mind The design team therefore needs to find out information related to browser use and internet connection of the users in order to optimize their interaction with the website and to ensure that they can
19. to all the main sections of the web site e Breadcrumb navigation trail At the base of each page the following elements will appear footer information e Web master link e Last updated date The page layout scheme will consists of the website s header information the top menu and the relevant information for each page The layout will be kept simple Advertisements will appear on each of the following pages e Home e News e Products The identifying information for the website will be the header of each webpage The contact information will be provided in the Contact Us tab in the top menu 4 4 Download Speed Based on current files for the redesigned website the below calculations show that we are within the acceptable download speed of 10 seconds Calculating Download Speed Download speed of website Size of html files images network connection speed bits For a minimum connection speed of 256 Kbps Download time of website 7 544 832 b 256 000 bps 29 472 seconds Download time for each webpage 29 472 s 8 webpages 3 684 seconds Download time for manuals 9 060 352 b 256 000 bps 29 35 392 seconds For an average internet connection Flow basic package of 5 Mbps Download time of website 7 544 832 b 5 000 000 bps 1 51 seconds Download time for each webpage 1 51 s 8 webpages 0 19 seconds Download time for manuals 9 060 352 b 5 000 000 bps 1 81 seconds
20. view pages with ease e Benchmarking The design team can try to find out if any of these users access similar websites to gain and idea of what users expect when they visit this one e Information which is available about the current site such as a log of visits can also be useful to the design team since it provide information about how many users currently access the site 2 5 What Information Gathering Techniques Will you Use e Surveys Since surveys are easy to come up with and they are also cheap and easy to distribute we intend to utilize surveys to gather the necessary information for the redesign of the website The electronic surveys will be in two forms email and web based Paper based surveys can also be distributed as well if needed 12 e Google Analytics will also be used to help with task analysis and content of the existing website This tool gives statistics on the number of site visitors the pages they visited how long they stayed on these pages and the links they clicked on while on the website 2 6 How will you Develop your Information Gathering Instruments e The survey will be prepared using Google Docs since this application easily facilitates its distribution and collection of statistics based on results It will be emailed posted on the website or printed and administered to users The questions will be developed to gain insight into the information required as stated in section 2 4 The survey questions w
21. Dr Wayne Goodridge 2 Find and write one type of student information accessible through AkiSIS Can be one of Applicants Admissions Students Health Grade Book 3 Find and write the cost for Option 2 of the Timetabling system if a school has 900 students The price will be 20 x 900 18 000 00 4 Find and write the email address of Daveaux Business Services daveauxbiz gmail com 5 Find and write a news event that occurred in October 2010 regarding AkiSIS AkiSIS goes live at Holy Name Convent 6 Find and write the support advice provided on the website for the commonly asked question below Why can t I view my transcript You need to disable your pop up blocker 7 Write the note given in the Student User Manual for the AkiSIS system regarding passwords after accessing AkiSIS for the first time It is advised that he she change the password that they were given and keep the new password to themselves 69 Satisfaction Survey Developer Dimensions included User Satisfaction Survey Please rate the following questions based on the tasks you completed on the website www tntschools com by placing a tick to indicate your response Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Match between system and real world 1 The words phrases and concepts used are familiar to you 2 The information is presented in a simple natural and logical order User control and freedom 3
22. Find and write the name of the developer of the software application provided by tntschools com User 1 AkiSoft Consulting Ltd User 2 AkiSoft Consulting Ltd Find and write one type of student information accessible through AkiSIS User 1 Applicants User 2 Timetable Find and write the cost for Option 2 of the Timetabling system if a school has 900 students User 1 18 000 User 2 18 000 Find and write the email address of Daveaux Business Services User 1 daveauxbiz gmail com User2 daveauxbiz gmail com Find and write a news event that occurred in October 2010 regarding AkiSIS User 1 partaking in this survey User 2 implementation of system by Holy Name Convent POS Find and write the support advice provided on the website for the commonly asked question below Why can t I view my transcript User 1 NA User 2 You need to disable your pop up blocker Write the note given in the Student User Manual for the AkiSIS system regarding passwords after accessing AkiSIS for the first time User 1 Each user has their own username and password that they will use to log in User 2 Change password keep new password to yourself 39 Usability Testing Satisfaction survey responses from participants User Satisfaction Survey Please rate the following questions based on the tasks you completed on the website www tntschools com by placing a tick to indicate your response Green user 1 X Blue user 2 X
23. Name 47 63 E Developer Name 48 65 D Student Informatio 80 52 E Student Informatio 81 51 D Timetabling Cost 122 57 E Timetabling Cost 124 09 D Email Address 156 21 E Email Address 172 34 D News N e RSS 222 69 D Faa Not applicable sah be wee nn 231 43 D Manual 267 80 E Manual User says that the manual takes long to load 375 50 Stop Figure 22 0 Usability Testing Summary of task completion old website CA Time s ff Elapsed DO 60 00 120 00 160 00 240 00 300 00 360 00 E Ah Events Initial Tasks gt userto E Tasks Website Results News Event log0004 lt Missing FAQ Subject gt Manual i Developer Name C Student Information ea Timetabling Cost i Email Address C Figure 23 0 Usability Testing Graph of task completion old website User 1 Task Completion Times e Task 1 28 seconds Task 2 32 seconds Task 3 41 seconds Task 4 32 seconds Task 5 49 seconds 41 e Task 6 not applicable e Task 7 45 seconds Since task 6 was not applicable to user Task 7 incorporates times from Task 6 and Task 7 in the screenshot Total Task Completion Time 4 minutes 28 seconds The user commented that the manual took some time to load This information was gathered by the user thinking aloud and us being able to hear it on the audio equipment The user managed to successfully complete all 6 tasks given to pe
24. Needs STATISTICS GATHERED FROM SURVEY RESPONDENTS Overall how do you rate the website Very Good co ME Very Poor 0 1 2 3 4 Figure 15 0 Website rating statistics Surve Users seem to have a neutral feeling towards the site It appears that these users have encountered little difficulty when accessing the site and its contents There was one user that found the site to be poor but generally it was seen as acceptable Respondents listed the following requirements they most look for in a site e Content e Availability of useful information e Presentation e Ease of finding helpful information in very little time e Up to date information It is evident from the responses that users are looking for a website that is easy to navigate and meets basic requirements for using the product with the news section frequently updated 3 6 1 What was Learned About the Users Relating to any Benchmark Web Sites STATISTICS GATHERED FROM SURVEY RESPONDENTS List some of the websites that you visit most often User s listed the sites they most visit as e facebook com most users listed this e hotmail com most users listed this 24 e deviantArt com mangastream com bbc co uk gozmodo com http www visualmathlearning com http www math com wikipedia Yahoo Gmail This showed that user s are primarily interested in entertainment and email providers Competitor websites are http focus sis org index php h
25. THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST INDIES FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMP 6650 Web Usability Semester Project Report Project Title User centered redesign of the website www tntschools com Student s Name s Aneisha Le Platte Darrell Bartholomew Enisha Jack Student s ID No 05706299 807000342 806007271 Date 02 12 2010 Advisor Dr Alexander Nikov TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 Project Proposal 1 1 Organization that is the Focus of your Project 6 1 2 Your Relationship to the Organization 7 1 3 Very General Description of the Proposed Project 7 2 Plan for Collecting Requirements 2 1 Who are the Targeted Users for this Web Site 10 2 2 How Will You Have Access To Users 10 2 3 What Is The Overall Plan For Collecting User Requirements 10 2 4 What Type Of Information Do You Need To Gather 12 2 5 What Information Gathering Techniques Will You Use 12 2 6 How Will You Develop Your Information Gathering Instruments 13 2 7 How Will You Pilot Test Your Information Gathering Instruments 13 3 Site Requirements Preliminary Design Plan 3 1 What Methods Were Used to Collect Requirements 14 3 2 Statistics 14 3 3 What was Learned About the Client Organization 14 3 4 What was Learned About the Users Relating to Their Technological 15 Environment 3 5 What was Learned About the Users Relating to Their Technological 23 Experience 3 6 What was Learned About the Users Relating to
26. a the Log In page This requires a username password and school All this should be available once you have been registered 2 Why can t view my transcript e Answer You need to disable your pop up blocker 3 How do locate the User Manuals for AkiSIS Answer The User Manuals for student staff and parents are located on the AkiSIS page This page may be accessed via the Products page 4 Why can t view my account summary Answer When completing some of tasks in AkiSIS a document in pdf format may open This is true for all reports that can be accessed as well as the time table facility In order that these documents can be viewed pop up blocker must be disabled from your browser i e Internet Explorer Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome Last Updated 23 Nov 2010 Webmaster comp 650 mysta uwiedu Figure 33 0 Screenshot of FAQ webpage 56 References Websites Logo http www coolchaser com graphics tag yamaha 20logo Calculating download speed http www isitebuild com calculate htm Colour hex values and html tags http Awww w3schools com Web Usability lectures http www2 sta uwi edu anikov comp6650 lectures htm Web Usability Sample projects http www2 sta uwi edu anikov comp6650 project samples 2009 htm http www sta uwi edu anikov comp6650 project samples 2008 sem2 htm Text books Lazar J 2007 Web Usability A User Centred Design Approach Addison Wesley 57 Survey Quest
27. bled Figure 6 0 Java support statistics 18 The previous figure shows that in most visits to the website the computer used had java enabled This would suggest that a significant number of users could access media presented using Java Service providers ISPs vs No of visits microsoft corp greendot cable amp wireless barbados limited E Visits global crossing telecommunication services of trinidad and tobago O 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 columbus communications trinidad limited Figure 7 0 ISP statistics The results shown in the bar chart above illustrates that most use Flow packages Trinidad and Tobago This is good news since Flow s packages have download speeds from 5Mbps 19 STATISTICS GATHERED FROM SURVEY RESPONDENTS What browser do you use Mozilla Firefox Internet Explorer Google Chrome Other a M w 0 Figure 8 0 Browser statistics Survey Similar to the findings from Google Analytics Internet Explorer and Google chrome were reported as the top browsers by the limited responses from the survey Consequently as stated before we will ensure that the redesign of the website is tailored primarily to run on these two browsers What version of the browser do you use 7 8 9 do not know Other o b M Figure 9 0 Browser version statistics Survey Again the survey statistics are supported by the Google Analytics results Version
28. dary schools and tertiary institutions throughout Trinidad and Tobago The role of AkiSoft Consulting AkiSoft is the creative force behind www tntschools com They are responsible for the development maintenance and support of the software systems As an individual entity AkiSoft Consulting is a provider of software solutions that solve real business problems They transform ideas into solutions that optimize business processes which ultimately lead to higher productivity and profits They are currently involved with providing Custom solutions School management systems Royalty collection software Related rights distribution software Decision support systems Vision statement Our aim is to make a significant impact on the computing environment within the Caribbean and Latin Americas through the provision of quality information systems Mission statements e Providing quality customized software solutions that add value to any institution e Providing product support parallel to none The role of Daveaux Business Services Ltd Daveaux is the marketing machinery that drives www tntschools com They are responsible for attracting new clients and act as the face of the partnership Daveaux also manages ongoing projects ensuring deadlines are met and requirements are upheld Daveaux tagline Management through technology 1 2 Your Relationship to the Organization One of the group members Enisha Jack is employed by AkiSoft Consulting
29. earned About the Client Organization The creators of www tntschools com envision their website as the primary source of support for users of Aki Student Information system The website should also act a marketing tool for the school related software products offered through Daveaux Business Services In addition to these primary objectives the businesses hope that they are able to earn revenue through advertisements featured on the website These ads will be geared towards the various users of the website 14 3 4 What was Learned About the Users Relating to Their Technological Environment GOOGLE ANALYTICS STATISTICAL DATA According to Google Analytics from September 19 to October 19 the following was found in relation to the technological environment of the websites users Total number of site visits during the period 91 Total number of unique visitors 38 Operating systems The following chart shows the findings Operating System used by visitors h not set Macintos 1 2 Figure 2 0 Operating System According to statistics Windows is the most popular operating system used by the current visitors of the website As a result the website will be developed on a Windows platform more specifically Windows Vista 15 Browsers The following chart shows the findings Browser used vs No of Visitors E Visits Figure 3 1 Web browsing statistics Based on the statistics illustrated by the c
30. equirements from the users Surveys were administered via email to a small sample 20 of the website s current users It was also posted on the current website www tntschools com on the News webpage Also at the beginning of the project Google Analytics was enabled on the website This allowed us to track website usage as well as the technical environments of its visitors This information was also used in overall analysis of website users 3 2 Statistics Sample Group Out of the 20 surveys emailed and the survey posted on the website there were 7 respondents Distribution dates Website survey this was posted at www tntschools com news html on October 9 2010 Responses were collected during the period October 9 to October 19 The survey was removed on October 19 Emailed surveys these were sent on October 10 2010 indicating a response by 18 October There were no responses by October 16 and so a reminder email was sent to the same sample with an extended response date October 19 Google Analytics This tracking system was activated on all pages of the website excluding the Log In page on September 19 2010 It has since been able to produce statistics on the number of visitors of the website the pages they visit and well the technical environments under which they operate The statistics generated will be presented in the following sections See Appendix B for Summary of responses 3 3 What was L
31. ertical scroll on the page e Poor structure of information Information did not facilitate scanning by readers e Poor color scheme e Missing information In the contact us page there was no address information or business hours listed for the company The goals of the website are e to market the student information system AkiSIS as well as AkiTimeTabler e to allow access to the web component of AkiSIS e to provide manuals for AkiSIS e to earn revenue through advertisements geared towards students teachers parents i e the current users of the site About Us Timetabling Contact Us Log In AKISIS USER MANUALS WELCOME TO THE HOME OF AKISIS Last updated Jun 22 2010 ADVERTISEMENTS Click ta download www tntschools com is the brainchild of aoc 1 A X 1 AkiSIS teachers e Daveaux Business Services in conjunction with Timetable lt r AKISIS students software developer AkiSoft Consulting Litd It is l itii For and parents a the home of the web hosted Aki Student Cu uton AkisSIS admin v Ve seu 4 biere y va Pen Information System AkiSIS AY ailable ptt From this site you can ere on NEWS HIGHLIGHTS ck Timetabling 1 access AkiSIS our hosted software application by clicking Log in tab and Contact Us 2 download SkiSIS user manuals and for more info June 2010 y y 3 advertise with us AkiTimeTabler now available June 2010 Our software application AkiSIS ls El integrat
32. es various aspects of school activities for our timetabling service now available makes information accessible to users in real time can be customized to suit your special needs has minimal requirements only an internet connection required and can meet the needs of the different levels of eductaional institutions Figure 1 0 Current website for tntschools com Aim of project The main focus will be redesigning the current site to improve usability We are hoping to accomplish a higher degree of functionality through implementing a more user centered interface through improved navigation effective layout relevant and concise information added product support and product updates Scope The redesign will be centered on improving the information architecture and structure of information on the pages within the website The Log In page will however not be part of the redesign since this page links to AkiSIS the web component of the student information system Some measures to employ Improved color scheme Improved navigation More readable font Restructuring of information layout Mission of website To be a marketing tool for all our school based software products while providing up to date information about product updates and high quality product support to all stakeholders of the systems Measurable Goals Increase the number of visits to the site by 60 per day current statistics shows a low user cou
33. esign of the site were blue and white in keeping with the colours used in the logo Text will be white against blue and black against white Hex value of colour used 000099 Figure 18 0 Logo used in the redesign of tntschools com 4 6 Will there be any Graphics that Need to be Developed Presently the graphics that exist on the website are mainly the advertisements and the logo for AkiSoft Consulting Ltd The new version of the website intends to maintain the same advertisements that were there before and eventually new advertisements will be accommodated A logo will be sourced for the website for the purpose of this course Apart from this no other graphics will be developed 4 7 How did the Requirements Gathering Impact the Design of the Web Site The Requirements Gathering process helped us to identify the technical environment that must be taken into consideration when designing Findings include Operating system Windows Vista Screen resolution 1024 x 768 Internet browser Internet Explorer 8 Maximum page size 320 KB The following items show the information architecture a sketch of the new design and a first draft of the redesigned home page 31 Home Products About Us Contact Us News FAQ Log In AkiSIS Timetabling Figure 19 0 Architectural design of website 32 Company Name Tag Line
34. for the website We are currently unable to give a proposed date when the website will be made available to the public given this restriction On completion of this project the website will continue to be the responsibility of our teammate Enisha Jack She is a member of the AkiSoft Consulting staff and intends to see the website redesign through to implementation 6 5 Will the Web Site Manager Need any Training or Documentation As previously stated management of the website will be the continued responsibility of our teammate Enisha Jack In light of this no official training or documentation will be required as she is familiar with all aspects of the website design Furthermore she is quite capable of maintaining the website and will ensure content is kept up to date and can implement any changes if necessary 46 6 6 How Often Will the Content on the Web Site Need to be Updated The webpages of the website will be updated periodically based on the type of content Webpages that will need to be maintained on a regular basis include News This will be updated to reflect current events involving tntschools com and the partnership businesses Frequency of the update will be based on availability of new content FAQ Will be updated to ensure that new and common questions are addressed in a timely manner Products Will be updated as new products are developed by the software development component of the partnership All other co
35. hart above it can be seen that most visitors of the website use Internet Explorer to browse the internet Figure 3 on the next page goes on to show that of these users most use version 8 of the browser Website design must therefore ensure that IE users can access and use the new website Also since together Chrome and Firefox users represent almost one half of the visits to the current sites the new design must also allow the website to be accessed by these users Internet Explorer versions used E Visits Figure 3 2 Internet explorer versions 16 Screen Resolutions Screen resolutons used vs No of visitors E Visits Figure 4 0 Screen resolution statistics From the above graph it can be seen that the most popular screen resolution used is 1024x768 Owing to this the new website design must ensure that the website will be displayed correctly at this resolution 17 Flash versions Flash version used vs No of visits E Visits 10 1 not 10 0 10 0 10 1 10 0 10 1 10 0 10 1 r85 set r32 r45 r53 r22 r82 r12 r51 Figure 5 0 Flash versions statistics Using Google Analytics it was found that in most of the visits to the website most users had a version of flash installed This means that they would be able to view flash media on the website With respect to our design from these findings flash may be used to display advertisements on the website Java Support No of visitors with Java ena
36. he Web Site Manager Need any Training or Documentation 6 6 How Often Will the Content on the Web Site Need to be Updated 6 7 How Will the Web Site Be Marketed 6 8 Site Evaluation 6 9 Future Suggestions References Appendix A Survey Appendix B Screenshot of survey posted on www tntschools com Summary of survey responses from Google Docs Appendix C Sample of Usability Task Lists and Satisfaction Questionnaire Developer s Copy Page 46 46 46 46 46 47 47 48 48 57 59 64 65 69 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1 0 Current website for tntschools com Figure 2 0 Operating System Figure 3 1 Web browsing statistics Figure 3 2 Internet Explorer version statistics Figure 4 0 Screen resolution statistics Figure 5 0 Flash versions statistics Figure 6 0 Java support statistics Figure 7 0 ISP statistics Figure 8 0 Browser statistics Survey Figure 9 0 Browser version statistics Survey Figure 10 0 Screen resolution statistics Survey Figure 11 0 Browser plug in statistics Survey Figure 12 1 ISP Survey Figure 12 2 Internet Connection speed statistics Survey Figure 13 0 Computing experience statistics Survey Figure 14 0 Web browsing statistics Survey Figure 15 0 Website rating statistics Survey Figure 16 0 User Group age statistics Survey Figure 17 0 User gender statistics Survey Figure 18 0 Logo used in the redesign of tntschools com Figure 19 0 Architectural design
37. he world In his work Dr Goodridge took particular care to ensure that this application incorporates the strengths of each system viewed in his research while safeguarding AkiSIS against the shortcomings of each The result is Aki Student Information System a comprehensive integrated and powerful information system for schools colleges and universities to use for their effective administration AkiSIS makes school administration more successful by simplifying key administrative functions storing precise pertinent data and generating timely accurate reports and information on a consistent basis and in a consistent manner This is a modular system that can see phased implementation of the application over a predetermined timeframe This type of flexibility is geared toward meeting the time and budgetary considerations of even the smallest institution Last Updated 23 Nov 2010 Webmaster comp6650 mysts uwi edu Figure 30 0 Screenshot of About Us webpage 53 Contact Us D www2ssta uwi edu anik gt file C Users Aneisha Desktop tntschools com contactus html tntschools com Managing Education through Technology Home Products About Us Contact Us News Contact Us Daveaux Business Services Address 127 Eastern Main Road St Joseph Trinidad WI Business Hours Monday to Friday 8 30 a m to 5 00 p m Phone Number 1 868 663 2472 Managing Director David Bereaux Mobile Number 1 868 799 7930 Email Addres
38. ill include o Open ended questions these will give users the chance to express their opinions in their own words o Close ended questions these types of questions allow statistics to be easily collected Multiple choice Yes No Likert scale 2 7 How will you Pilot Test your Information Gathering Instruments The electronic survey questionnaire will be pilot tested to ensure all the aims of the requirement gathering phase are met We will have trial run of the questionnaire using the development team as the sample population We will aim to ensure There are no grammatical errors The questions are clearly defined with no ambiguity The questions being asked are relevant to the requirements of the website The main focus of the questionnaire is the design of the website to ensure improved usability 5 All users regardless of demographic and computing experience have a clear understanding of the questions posed eee Lo ore Different test environments will be used to ensure all considerations are made for different browsers different monitor sizes and screen resolutions The development team will then come together to analyze the feedback received from the trial run to determine the modifications required See Appendix A for Questionnaire 13 3 Site Requirements Preliminary Design Plan 3 1 What Methods Were Used to Collect Requirements An electronic survey was the primary method employed to gather r
39. ionnaire APPENDIX 58 WEBSITE SURVEY This survey is aimed at improving the usability of this website www tntschools com Please try to answer all questions Tick the appropriate checkboxes or write your responses in the space provided Required What is your age 10 19 20 29 30 39 40 49 50 and over What is your gender l Male l Female How comfortable are you using a computer have never used a computer before in my life l l have alittle experience using computers l Lam comfortable and competent using a computer am an extremely comfortable and highly competent computer user How often do you go online Never 4 2 times per week 3 4 times per week Everyday Please select your internet service provider from the following list Flow l Blink Broadband TSTT Greendot Other Please select the associated package from your internet service provider you selected in the previous question 59 Flow Turbo 20HR Flow Turbo 5 Flow Turbo 25 Flow Turbo 50 Flow Turbo 100 Blink 500 MB Blink 2 GB Blink 4 GB Blink 6 GB Blink 8 GB Greendot Personal Package Other What browser do you use m cr r r Mozilla Firefox Internet Explorer Google Chrome Other What version of the browser do you use r aiai g 7 8 9 do not know Other What screen resolution do you use 1280 x 720 1024 x 768 800 x 600 640 x 480 do not know Other 60
40. k 1 as being completed by both users because of the question should have been wording differently The efficiency of this task was 28 seconds on the old website and 29 seconds on the new website Task 4 asked for the email address of the business In both cases the users navigated to the correct page the Contact Us page Using the old website the efficiency of this task was 32 seconds and on the new website its efficiency was 27seconds While Tasks 1 and 4 had similar efficiencies they were not the most efficient of the usability testing In fact Task 3 on the new website was most efficient taking User 2 only 20 seconds to complete it In the current old website design information was grouped by paragraphs and so did not facilitate the easy scanning and retrieval of information Consequent to this User 1 took 41 seconds to complete the same task However in the new design information on the Timetabling 44 page was presented in list form so to making it easier to scan It must be noted however that User 2 was also already on the Timetabling page when the task was started User 2 had one major problem during his usability test This user had some trouble understanding what was asked in Task 2 As a result the user was unsure where he should have gone to find the relevant information While attempting to find this information this user first navigated to the correct page the Products page From here he was unsure how to move forward a
41. nd eventually get the relevant page the AkiSIS page At the end of the 2 minutes 21 seconds the user was unable to correctly complete the task This may be as a result of the wording of the question in addition to the use of navigational clues in the new design The results of the satisfaction survey show that User 1 was more satisfied with the old website than User 2 and the new design Both users had similar responses concerning the dimensions Match between system and real world domain knowledge Help and documentation Recognition rather than recall and Aesthetic and minimalist design The noteworthy differences between the responses are e User 2 felt the new website design had a more consistent look and feel than User 1 thought of the current old design e Also user 2 felt that the information new design was more structured This was one of our goals of redesign However User 1 felt information was grouped together better in the current design than user 2 felt of the new design e In both designs users felt that navigational feedback was poor This means that the new design must include both breadcrumbs and show active and visited links before the website goes live e User 1 believed that the current design presented information in a logical and easy to learn order However User 2 felt only Neutral that this criterion was met in the new design This clearly suggests that the information on each page must be reorganized in order of im
42. nt Increase in combined sales of AkiSIS and AkiTimeTabler by 30 Revenue growth from advertising 30 2 Plan for Collecting Requirements 2 1 Who are the Targeted Users for this Web Site As identified in section 1 3 the targeted users of the website include e Prospective customers school administrators or senior teachers instructors at secondary or tertiary educational institutions e Current user groups these are the teachers parents and students who must visit the website in order to use AkiSIS software 2 2 How Will You Have Access to Users Enisha our contact to the company has access to the email addresses and even telephone contacts of some of the current AkiSIS customers In this way it will be relatively easy to distribute any surveys that may be employed It is hoped that the fact that users will have a chance to have an input into the redesign of the website will motivate them to participate in the survey Through their involvement in the process it is hoped that respondents will acknowledge that these activities are primarily geared towards meeting their needs as a user of the website 2 3 What is the Overall Plan for Collecting User Requirements Surveys The contact information available to us on current users will enable us to initiate a correspondence with them via an electronic based format These surveys will primarily target teachers as we believe they will be most interested in the redesign of the
43. ntent will be updated when there is a need 6 7 How Will the Web Site Be Marketed The marketing techniques that can be employed for the website includes URL of website This will be included in business emails and documented on company stationery such as letterheads Search Engines The website can be registered with Google The client organization will inform the current users of the website redesign during meetings and or letters 47 6 8 Site Evaluation The site can be evaluated in the future by means of a feedback form which would allow users to send feedback about their experiences using the website It can provide information such as whether or not they are satisfied with the content and functionality of the site and provide suggestions as to what they would like to see on the site in the future Google Analytics is another useful tool for site evaluation Some website statistics that would be useful to be track using this tool are number of site visits and new visits number of page views per visit and average time spent on the site by a user 69 Future Suggestions Some suggestions for the client organization in the future could be to add some more features to the website in the future such as a support section especially if more products are added to the website Another suggestion could be to add a review section specifically aimed at providing a means for the customer to send their feedback about their experiences using
44. o answer all questions Tick the appropriate checkboxes or write your responses in the space provided Required What is your age 10 19 E 20 29 30 39 E 4049 50 and over What is your gender Male E Female How comfortable are you using a computer 1 have never used a computer before in my life E I have a little experience using computers Figure 34 0 Survey Posted on Website 64 Timestamp 10 18 201 10 19 201 10 19 201 10 19 201 10 19 201 10 19 201 10 19 201 0 0 11 26 00 0 11 41 56 0 16 55 50 0 17 23 21 0 21 57 22 0 22 40 22 13 22 59 What is your 20 29 30 39 40 49 30 39 40 49 20 29 20 29 age What is your Male Female Male Female Male Male Female gender How I am I have a I am an I am Iam Iam I am an comfortable comfortab little extremely comfortabl comfortabl comfortabl extremely are you le and experience comfortabl e and e and e and comfortabl A competent using e and competent competent competent e and using a i using a computers highly using a using a using a highly computer computer competent computer computer computer competent computer computer user user How often Everyday 1 2 times Everyday Everyday 3 4times Everyday Everyday do you go per week per week online Please select Flow Blink Flow Flow Flow Flow Flow your Broadband internet TSTT service provider
45. o consider expert reviews in the usability testing Dr Alexander Nikov has served as advisor throughout the course of this project He has consistently provided feedback at each phase however he was not physically present at the usability testing exercise We had a walkthrough of the website design prior to the usability testing 5 7 Specific Concerns Users of the old website listed organization and appeal as one of the major issues of the website We will be looking for feedback on the redesign and restructuring of the website 36 5 8 Results of the Usability Testing Usability Pre Testing Thursday 25 November 2010 4 00 p m Usability Testing Friday 26 November 2010 4 00 p m Location The University of the West Indies St Augustine campus Faculty of Science and Agriculture Department of Computing and Information Technology Usability Lab Participants Two tertiary level students user 1 performed his tasks based on the current old website and user 2 worked with the redesign of the website 37 5 9 Individual User Experiences The usability testing exercise was conducted by testing the current old website design and the new website design The exercise was carried out using only one user for each test environment version of the website so that all our analysis and criticism of the websites are solely based on each of the user s experience A combined analysis of the usability testing task results and satisfac
46. of networking to be effective A simple installation on a desktop computer will be enough to deliver all the benefits of AkiSIS timetabling solution The options available to schools are as follows Option 1 Purchase Aki Timetabler as a standalone system Purchase and host AkiTimetabler on your own computers Requires setup and installation training and support This comes at the cost of 95 000 00 Annual licensing and support will be 10 000 00 pa Note that the purchase will be of the timetabler alone and not any other part of the management information system Option 2 Access the service Daveaux Business services will generate a timetable and make it available online for that institution Requires both Daveaux and you to engage in a number of stages in order to achieve a workable timetable These stages include 1 Dialogue so that we understand the schools rules and constraints 2 Gathering the relevant data for input into the system 3 generating a timetable 4 Obtaining feedback and adjusting the timetable This option comes at the cost of 20 00 per student If Fatima College has 900 students the price will be 20 x 900 18 000 00 This cost will apply whenever at timetable is requested Notes Feedback and adjustment of the timetable may be engaged in multiple times to achieve optimum results This entire process can take up to two 2 months Figure 29 0 Screenshot of Timetabling webpage 52 About U
47. ponents There is the administrative component and a web accessible component The admin tool forms the robust foundation of the system Some major features of this tool are Faculties Timetabling Programs Courses Inventory Rooms Reports Grade Book Registrar Other AkiSIS features include Student Information Web Facilities Financials Applicants Teacher Web Portal _ Billings Admissions Student Web Portal Figure 28 0 Screenshot of AkiSIS webpage 51 Products gt Timetabling C www2 sta uwi edu anik x O file C Users Aneisha Desktop tntschools com timetabling html tntschools com Managing Education through Technology Home Products ut Us Contact Us News FAQ Log In Timetabling AkiSIS Student Management System is equipped with a comprehensive timetabling solution The timetabling module is also offered as a standalone package This is specifically geared toward solving the timetabling woes of schools and other learning institutions This system cleverly maneuvers and coordinates resources such as courses student groups rooms and teachers lecturers to achieve an optimized clash free timetabling solution It removes the headaches associated with timetabling by reducing the time spent in developing a timetable to the click of a button This is done without over scheduling or clashing of any resources This application does not require any kind
48. portance in order to help visitors use the website Based on the results of Usability testing the following additions and or changes will be made to the redesign 1 Some form of navigational feedback should be included 2 The content of pages should be regrouped in a more natural order and 3 Content should also better facilitate scanning 45 6 Implementation and Marketing 6 1 Who Will Manage the Web Site The newly designed website will continue to be managed by our teammate and AkiSoft Consulting staff Enisha Jack She will be responsible for keeping content up to date and relevant 6 2 Where Will the Web Site Be Housed The current website is housed on a server that is rented from Webberz For now at least it is safe to say that the new design will continue to be hosted on this server 6 3 What Will the URL of the New Web Site Be Will the client organization reserve a domain name The URL of the new website will also be www tntschools com 6 4 On What Date will the Site Go Live When will the web site be available to anyone on the web Chapter 10 The official launch of the website cannot yet be determined For the purposes of this project we employed the use of a substitute company logo for the website redesign as it is not the responsibility of the development team to develop graphics for use on the website As such the date of launch is based on the company contracting graphic developers to design an official logo
49. rform It is important to note that although the answers given in Tasks 1 and 7 were not the expected answers they were found in the same section as the preferred answers The feedback about the manual taking long to load is useful feedback as it lets us know that the manual size is a possible issue negatively affecting the user experience 42 User 2 New Website D initial Tasks gt gt Developer Name a Developer Name D Student Informatio wrong navigation User went to the About Us page instead of the Products page negative comment User does not understand question wrong navigation j User went to the Timetabling page a Student Informatio gt Timetabling Cost E Timetabling Cost gt Email Address 307 67 D Manual 443 40 E Manual 450 82 Figure 24 0 Usability Testing Summary of task completion new website Time s ff V Elapsed 0 60 00 120 00 180 00 240 00 300 00 360 00 420 00 E Dh Events negative comment JS initial Tasks gt User 2 New wrong navigation Website Results ik Tasks Event l0g0001 lt Missing News ES Subject gt FAQ Menas me Developer Name eS JS Student Information i Tieng Cost L Email Address Figure 25 0 Usability Testing Graph of task completion new website 43 User 2 Task Completion Times e Task 1 29 seconds Task 2 2 minutes 21 seconds Task 3 20 seconds Task 4 27 seconds Task 5 36
50. s C www2 sta uwi edu anik x file C Users Aneisha Desktop tntschools com aboutus html tntschools com Managing Education through Technology Home Products About Us Contact Us News FAQ Log In About Us tntschools com is the result of a collaborative effort between Daveaux Business Services and AkiSoft Consulting Ltd Daveaux Business Services is an organization seeking to provide schools and other educational institutions with the opportunity to completely integrate the various aspects of their operations Daveaux Business Services in collaboration with AkiSoft Consulting Limited is making available software that effectively enables schools and learning institutions to carry out their business of education in a cohesive and seamless manner Aki Student Information System AkiSIS is a management information system for Schools Colleges and Universities which is both extensive and flexible Aki Student Information System AkiSIS is an integrated information system that links various aspects of the schools activities and makes them available in real time to students teachers lecturers parents and administrators alike The programme is able to meet the needs of various learning institutions including universities secondary and primary schools This software application was developed by Dr Wayne Goodridge of AkiSoft consulting Limited amidst in depth research involving three major student info systems in use throughout t
51. s daveauxbiz gmail com Last Updated 23 Nov 2010 Webmaster comp 650 mysta uwiedu Figure 31 0 Screenshot of Contact Us webpage 54 D www2 sta uwiedu arik gt ESS file C Users Aneisha Desktop tntschools com news html tntschools com Managing Education through Technology Products About Us Contact Us News FAQ Log In News Advertisements October 2010 AkISIS goes live at Holy Name Convent Holy Name Convent POS implemented the use of the AkiSIS information system in October 2010 The students staff and parents can now access grades timetables transcripts school contact informaton electronically The student cali staff and parent body are all excited to begin full use of the system They are all elated that the school is utilising the latest software technology in order to improve the learning experience Corpus Christi Posted by Clars James Secretary Daveaux Business Services Now registering students for the new Academic year Sept 2010 June 2011 Last Updated 23 Nov 2010 Webmaster comp6650 mysts uwi edu Figure 32 0 Screenshot of News webpage 55 D COMP 6650 Web usability e file C Users Aneisha Desktop tntschools com fag html tntschools com Managing Education through Technology Home Products About Us Contact Us News Frequently Asked Questions 1 How do access my AkiSIS account e Answer You can log on to your account vi
52. surfers and have a fair understanding of how to use the internet 3 9 Were There any Unexpected Findings from the Requirements Gathering All findings were along the line of expected results One thing that stood out was the percentage of users with Java support The data showed the majority of visitors have Java support 3 10 Preliminary Design Plan The new website will be redesigned to focus on achieving user satisfaction It will take into consideration e A user group of fairly competent users e Up to date information e Internet Explorer 8 and Google Chrome as the main web browsers e Windows Vista as the development platform e Design will be centered on a resolution of 1024 x 768 e Users with a connection speed that will allow quick loading of web pages Since users listed content organization as one of the downfalls this will also be considered 27 4 Full Design Plan Interface Prototype 4 1 What Content will be Included on the Web Site The content of the new website includes the following pages Home General details about the website Products Provides links to both the AkiSIS and Timetabling pages AkiSIS Information on AkiSIS Timetabling Information on the timetabling component of the website About Us information about the website Contact Us contact information for the company o Contact Name Contact Telephone number Contact email address Business address Business hours Business telephone number
53. the site 48 User centered redesign of the website www tntschools com Screenshots of website Home D www2 sta uwiedu anik gt file C Users Aneisha Desktop tntschools com index htm tntschools com Managing Education through Technology Home Products About Us Contact Us News FAQ Log In The Home of AkiSIS Advertisements www tntschools com is the brainchild of Daveaux Business Services in conjunction with software developer AkiSoft Consulting Ltd It is the home of the web hosted Aki Student Information System AkiSIS From this site you can 1 Access AkiSIS our hosted software application by clicking Log in 2 Download AkiSIS user manuals and 3 Advertise with us The user manuals for AkiSIS can be found at AkiSIS Now regl stude for the new Academic year Sept 2010 June 2011 Last Updated 23 Nov 2010 Webmaster comp 650 mysts uwi edu Figure 26 0 Screenshot of Home webpage 49 Products D www2 sta uwiedu anik gt A r k is file C Users Aneisha Desktop tntschools com products html tntschools com Managing Education through Technology Home Products About Us Contact Us News FAQ Log In Products Advertisements tntschools com provides schools and colleges in Trinidad and Tobago with school based software Currently they provide two products These are AkiSIS AkiSIS is the acronym for Aki Student Information System It
54. tion survey responses is therefore not applicable Usability Testing User Task List and Survey instruments Usability Testing Summary of task responses from participants tntschools com Usability Testing The design team of the tntschools com website thank you sincerely for you participation in this Usability Testing design exercise Your contribution will help to guarantee our client an effective efficient and satisfactory website for their targeted audience as well as the general public Please be reminded that you will be video recorded as well as observed by the design team from an adjacent room throughout the exercise To enable us to capture much needed data we kindly ask the following e Say the number of the task when you begin each task e g Task one Task two e Fill in the tasks sheet with your response to the relevant task e Complete the satisfaction questionnaire after completing the usability testing of the website e Ifyou encounter any difficulty feel free to speak it out For example Cannot find the home page link from the Contact Us page We encourage you to be completely honest If you feel uncomfortable at any point or require assistance please say so and someone will respond immediately Your participation in this exercise is much appreciated and once again we would like to extend our gratitude 38 USABILITY TASKS Please write the responses to the task in the spaces provided l
55. ttp www pearsonschoolsystems com products powerschool We will look at the design of these sites to see how we can improve on the current design of www tntschools com 25 3 7 What was Learned About the Users Relating to any Demographic Information STATISTICS GATHERED FROM SURVEY RESPONDENTS Age 10 19 20 29 30 39 40 49 50 and over 0 1 2 3 Figure 16 0 User Group age statistics Survey Gender Male 0 1 2 3 4 Figure 17 0 User gender statistics Survey It must be noted that the sample size was too small to be representative However the data shows users are within the age group 20 49 years This eliminates the need to primarily accommodate visual impaired users although we will still take all users into consideration The font size can be a generally readable 3 8 What was Learned About the Users Relating to Their Domain Knowledge From Sections 3 4 and 3 5 it is obvious that users are frequent web browsers and have the necessary applications Adobe Acrobat Reader to use the site and access its contents manuals in PDF format Users listed the below as the sites they are most interested in e entertainment e news several users listed this option 26 tech reviews several users listed this option academics websites like msn com where I can find articles about almost anything Gaming forums Torrent websites Music From this we can conclude that the users who took part are confident web
56. website We aim to attract a sample population of 30 users We intend to post the survey on the tntschools com current website Using this approach we intend to target both current as well as prospective users We will also email the survey to a sample of the current users through Google Docs Website analysis Google Analytics will also be used to help with defining user requirements This gives statistics on users profiles It can be used to determine the technical environment of website visitors the navigation and overall usage of the website This has been active since the initiation of the project 10 Date October 2010 gh 10th 11 1 2 13 14 15 1 6 17th 18th 19th Pilot Test Survey Update Survey Post Survey on Website Email Survey to Users Send reminder email to emailed sample Remove survey from website Analyze Responses Responses to survey both website based and emailed will be tracked daily during the period 9 October to 19 October Table 1 0 Schedule of Planned Activities for Gathering User Requirements 11 2 4 What Type of Information do you Need to Gather In the redesign of the website it is important that the design team understands who the website s users are and what they expect to get from interacting with it This means that different types of information about the users
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