CS3216 Case Study 1 ---UI&UX analysis of Get Help!

 

Usability vs. Aesthetics

The two concepts do not contradict each other, although generally developers think that preserving one means compromising the other. In fact, people would consider a product a work of art if grabs attention and is user-friendly. Simple examples include the industrial design of Apple products and the Google search main page. They are all as simple as they look like, but people get mad about them and no one doubt they would become classical designs in human history. Aesthetic appeal does not come from colors and graphics, instead it can be integrated with usability in a proper manner.

Based on this idea, the interface of the initial version of Get Help! is not well designed in terms of aesthetic appeal. The elements are scattered around which distract users’ attention and make them confused. Too many icons or graphics are used for various functions without a consistent manner. User guidance is a bit wordy and not to-the-point. Even though different functions and user actions are distributed to different pages, there is no focus on each page. Too much information cause the users to feel overloaded and bored on every page. It takes around 1~2 minutes to read the page and understand what it is doing. Users’ patience will run out very soon. A good interface design should tell the user what it is at first glance and grab his/her attention in the following second, naturally followed by user interactions.

It’s difficult to tell how the functionality is with the static screenshots. But due to poor styling, I suppose users will get confused first before using the app. A quick glance at the app main page leads me to two sections from which I can’t decide where to start. The ‘call for help!’ and ‘need quick help!’ sections are not so distinct from each other and users can’t foresee what is going to happen after their entry. Yet there’s another ‘New Project’ button at the top which complicates the picture more.

Usability and aesthetics do complement each other. The old mindset to separate them is not going to work. However, to solve the problem from a developer’s view, functionality should come first. The team should rethink what is the main thing they want to show the users to grab their attention on each page. Only after decisions on feature implementation are clearly made can they start styling that makes pages more enjoyable. On the contrary, a page with clear tasks also makes styling an easy job to do.

User freedom when posting a need

Quite a number of options are presented to the user when posting a need, like deadline, estimated time, location, people to whom the message will be directed and channels to get the message across etc. These options are not arranged in a logic manner and may bore the user even before clicking the submit button. For example, deadline, estimated time and location are not the key issues for a need and they largely depend on the agreement between the poster and the helper. It’s good to give uses more freedom to maintain their post by giving out lots of options, but it’s important to start from the core, which is the need. It’s more reasonable to direct the users to document their needs well such that more appropriate aids can be found. Instead of asking the user to fill up the information in one page, the posting can be done step by step (as few as possible, as succinct as possible) using Ajax calls. In personal opinion, the options provided to the user should be much less. Details can be left to users to resolve on their own, which is also another aspect of freedom.

Cycle of interaction and incentives

The app idea is very engaging, to uncover the talent pool on Facebook and source for more appropriate help. However, the execution is not that exciting. A poster only posts a need and waits for reply, while a helper offers help or leaves comments, and gets badges from the system. There is no much difference from the old-style forum entries. Facebook is a social networking platform where most of people have their real identity, hence it’s much better to exploit its social aspect and utilize the power of real networking.

More detailed profiles can be built up for frequent helpers so the posters can search them directly rather than just wait. @ function can be added so that if a viewer of the need happens to know another person who is capable to offer help, he/she can just @ that person in the comment as referral, with notifications sent out. Besides, awards should not come from the system, but from the users, based on their assessment of the help offered, like what people often do to the online shops. The statistics page is quite redundant as ‘number of helps offered’ can just be attached under the profile picture of the helper to impress viewers. More important information like ‘good solutions and tips’ can be loaded onto that page so the whole app becomes more informative with a database of talented answers and solutions.

Other aspects…

The app is not well worded. Most of the page elements have a name then followed with a lengthy description. More work is needed on diction.