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Telstra | ITEE | azarted | Results

COMP1501 Assignment 3

Evaluation Form for Website

Web Site URL: Telstra Web Site: http://telstra.com/index.jsp

Based on your experiences on using the web site assess the site on the following criteria.

Visual Clarity [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Is each screen clearly identified with and informative title or description?				X
Is important information highlighted on the screen?				X
When the user enters information on the screen, it is clear:
Where the information should be entered?				X
In what format it should be entered?				X
Are different types of information clearly separated from each other on the screen?				X
Are bright or light colours displayed on a dark background, and vice versa?				X
Is the information on the screen easy to see and read?			X
Do the screens appear uncluttered?		X
Overall Evaluation				X

Support your assessment with comments:

Visual Clarity: The Telstra site, which used to be rather cluttered and hard to use, has recently undergone a transformation. The new site that has emerged is still slightly cluttered, but owing to the huge amount of information available on the site, I think they have done a very good job presenting it in as uncluttered as possible manner. Each page has a clear and consistent menu at the top, down the side, and at the bottom, as well as a series of titles, which clearly indicate what part of the large site you are viewing and how to get elsewhere. Colour is used to good effect, highlighting relevant information and enabling a user to quickly scan a page and find the important information. When entering information it is made clear where to enter it and in what format. Additional help is available from a help link on all the pages that require input. Good use has been made of a side bar, top menu and various boxes to carve the page into distinct sections and separate the various types of content. Overall, this site provides a very efficient and visually clarified user experience, the only downside being that the immense amount of information available and the sheer size of the site cause some inevitable clutter at times.

Compatibility [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Are colours assigned according to conventional associations where these are important?				X
Where abbreviations, acronyms , codes and other alphanumeric information are displayed:
are they easy to recognize and understand?				X
do they follow conventions where these exist				X
Where icons, symbols, graphical representations and other pictorial information are displayed:
are they easy to recognize and understand?			X
do they follow conventions where these exist?			X
Where jargon and terminology is used within the system, is it familiar to the user?			X
Are established conventions followed for the format in which particular types of information are displayed?				X
Is information presented in a way which fits the users view of the task?			X
Does the sequence of activities required to complete a task follow that the user would expect?				X
Does the system work in the way the user thinks it should work?			X
Overall Evaluation			X

Support your assessment with comments:

Compatibility: Due to the nature of this site, various sections contain large amounts of jargon that may be unfamiliar to many users. Care has been taken to ensure that either the jargon is explained on the page, or sometimes a link is provided to another page that will explain the jargon. The majority of icons are self-explanatory or simply for visual effect. Icons have not been heavily used to display information. Some sections contain various graphics to display information, in which case they are adequately explained, but the majority of graphics are for visual effect only. Information is displayed as most users would expect and colour has been used to good effect in a consistent and compatible manner. Overall, this site is highly compatible in most areas, but is let down slightly by its large usage of various forms of jargon and terminology, including images, and due once again to the sheer amount of information that some pages are attempting to provide, certain parts of the site tend not to be as compatible as they probably should be. It appears that the site is still undergoing its conversion to its new format in various sections.

Explicitness [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Is it clear what stage the system has reached in a task?				X
Is it clear what the user need to do in order to complete a task?				X
Where the user is presented with a menu is it clear what each option means?				X
Is it clear what part of the system the user is in?				X
Overall Evaluation				X

Support your assessment with comments:

Explicitness: This site could not be any more explicit. Extensive feedback is provided in all sections when entering information or simply viewing sections of the site. Comprehensive instructions are given, often by following a help link, on how to complete all tasks relevant to the site, menus are clearly marked and well explained and usually duplicated in two different manners, once in the body of the page and again in the menu system. The menu system makes it instantly obvious what section of the site a user is viewing, and how to navigate to other sections of the site.

Consistency [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Are different colours used consistently throughout the system?				X
Are abbreviations, acronyms, codes and other alphanumeric information used consistently throughout the system?				X
Are icons, symbols, graphical representations and other pictorial information used consistently throughout the system?				X
Is the same type of information (e.g. instruction, menus, messages, titles) displayed:
in the same location on the screen?				X
in the same layout?				X
Is the method of entering information consistent throughout the system?				X
Is the method of selecting options consistent throughout the system?				X
Are there standard procedures for carrying out similar, related operations?				X
Is the way the system responds to a particular user action consistent at all times?				X
Overall Evaluation				X

Support your assessment with comments:

Consistency: Telstra has done a good job of getting their site consistent. What were once different, inconsistent sections have now been run through a template, and all appear very similar. The same header and menu system is present on every page giving a strong sense of consistency, the same colour scheme is used throughout the site, the same style of icons and graphics are used and information is displayed consistently from section to section and page to page. All user input is clearly marked and is consistent throughout the site. Once a user has been through one information entering process, any other input anywhere on the site will most likely be very similar. Overall, highly consistent – one page appears very much like the next, with all parts of the site using the same layout and menu system.

Appropriate Functionality and Information Feedback [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Is the way the information is presented appropriate for the tasks?				X
Does each screen contain all the information which the user feels is relevant to the task?				X
Are users provided with all the options which they feel is necessary at any particular stage in a task?				X
Is the system feedback appropriate for the task?				X
Is the system feedback appropriate for the task?				X
Are the instructions and messages displayed on the screen concise and positive?				X
Are the messages displayed relevant?				X
Do instructions and prompts clearly indicate what to do?				X
Is it clear what the user needs to do in order to take a particular action?				X
Is it clear what shortcuts, if any, are possible?		X
Does the system clearly inform the user of any delay, making it clear that the users input or request is being processed?				X
Is it clear to a user what should be done to correct an error?			X
Overall Evaluation				X

Support your assessment with comments:

Appropriate Functionality and Information Feedback: Information feedback is well handled and appropriate to the task being undertaken. Each page contains all the information needed to complete a task, with extra help available via a help link, and all conceivable options are usually covered. Prompts and additional information are displayed concisely and appropriately when required. It is usually clear what action is needed, and when it isn’t clear, there is a help link waiting to clear up any doubt a user may have. Estimated times required to complete most tasks are provided when appropriate, and often a step based menu system allowing a user to return to previous steps and showing how many steps or stages are still required to complete a process is used. Errors are usually explained, but like most systems, doing something unexpected can result in an unexpected effect. The one downside is that, once again because of the largeness of this site, certain processes are often longer than they need to be for all users, and no clear indication is given of a faster way to do them. This is slowly being improved, with something as simple as checking email now available from the front page where it was previously nested behind a login page.

40529927 - Ned Martin - COMP1501 - Assignment 3

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COMP1501 Assignment 3

Evaluation Form for Website

Web Site URL: The School of ITEE, UQ Web Site: http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/

Based on your experiences on using the web site assess the site on the following criteria.

Visual Clarity [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Is each screen clearly identified with and informative title or description?			X
Is important information highlighted on the screen?			X
When the user enters information on the screen, it is clear:
Where the information should be entered?			X
In what format it should be entered?			X
Are different types of information clearly separated from each other on the screen?			X
Are bright or light colours displayed on a dark background, and vice versa?				X
Is the information on the screen easy to see and read?				X
Do the screens appear uncluttered?			X
Overall Evaluation			X

Support your assessment with comments:

Visual Clarity: The majority of pages appear uncluttered, using contrast between text and the background successfully. Important information is usually highlighted, but not consistently. Entering information is normally a simple task, but in a few places can be confusing. Information is clear and easy to read, being mostly black on white, although it does become cluttered in places.

Compatibility [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Are colours assigned according to conventional associations where these are important?				X
Where abbreviations, acronyms , codes and other alphanumeric information are displayed:
are they easy to recognize and understand?		X
do they follow conventions where these exist		X
Where icons, symbols, graphical representations and other pictorial information are displayed:
are they easy to recognize and understand?		X
do they follow conventions where these exist?		X
Where jargon and terminology is used within the system, is it familiar to the user?		X
Are established conventions followed for the format in which particular types of information are displayed?			X
Is information presented in a way which fits the users view of the task?			X
Does the sequence of activities required to complete a task follow that the user would expect?		X
Does the system work in the way the user thinks it should work?			X
Overall Evaluation		X

Support your assessment with comments:

Compatibility: When colours have been used, they’re used conventionally. Abbreviations and such are sometimes explained, but usually the user is assumed to know what they mean. Icons and graphics are used rarely. The user is assumed to understand the jargon used. Very little effort has been made to explain jargon as it is apparently assumed that users to the site will be familiar with the matter under discussion. Information is not displayed according to conventions, but this is not that much of an issue as the majority of the site contains information that wouldn’t have an applicable convention. Information is usually displayed as would be expected, but unfortunately often not in a way that makes it easy to complete any particular task. Overall, the site appears to be aimed at people who know and understand what they are looking for, and it doesn’t appear that too great an effort has been expended on ensuring compatibility.

Explicitness [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Is it clear what stage the system has reached in a task?			X
Is it clear what the user need to do in order to complete a task?			X
Where the user is presented with a menu is it clear what each option means?		X
Is it clear what part of the system the user is in?			X
Overall Evaluation			X

Support your assessment with comments:

Explicitness: Most of this site is fairly explicit, with most tasks being self-explanatory. One letdown is the menu system, which can be confusing and contradictory, and even non-existent, in various sections of the site.

Consistency [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Are different colours used consistently throughout the system?			X
Are abbreviations, acronyms, codes and other alphanumeric information used consistently throughout the system?			X
Are icons, symbols, graphical representations and other pictorial information used consistently throughout the system?			X
Is the same type of information (e.g. instruction, menus, messages, titles) displayed:
in the same location on the screen?			X
in the same layout?			X
Is the method of entering information consistent throughout the system?			X
Is the method of selecting options consistent throughout the system?			X
Are there standard procedures for carrying out similar, related operations?		X
Is the way the system responds to a particular user action consistent at all times?		X
Overall Evaluation		X

Support your assessment with comments:

Consistency: Colours, acronyms, symbols and the like have been used consistently. Symbols and graphics haven’t been heavily used at all, but where applicable they are consistent with other sections of the site. Most pages have the standard menu across the top and to the left of the page, but a few pages had variations of this, or none at all. Unfortunately, there didn’t appear to be any standard way to perform the same or similar task in various sections of the site, and this is a serious penalty in this section. Similarly, the way the system responds to the same actions in various sections differs greatly from part to part, making it more difficult to perform familiar actions in another section of the site.

Appropriate Functionality and Information Feedback [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Is the way the information is presented appropriate for the tasks?			X
Does each screen contain all the information which the user feels is relevant to the task?		X
Are users provided with all the options which they feel is necessary at any particular stage in a task?		X
Is the system feedback appropriate for the task?			X
Is the system feedback appropriate for the task?			X
Are the instructions and messages displayed on the screen concise and positive?		X
Are the messages displayed relevant?			X
Do instructions and prompts clearly indicate what to do?		X
Is it clear what the user needs to do in order to take a particular action?		X
Is it clear what shortcuts, if any, are possible?	X
Does the system clearly inform the user of any delay, making it clear that the users input or request is being processed?	X
Is it clear to a user what should be done to correct an error?		X
Overall Evaluation		X

Support your assessment with comments:

Appropriate Functionality and Information Feedback: Feedback isn’t this site’s strong point. Sometimes it is provided, sometimes it isn’t, and sometimes it simply doesn’t seem to make sense, although the performance of the actions isn’t usually degraded by the lack of feedback. Options that I felt many users would want often weren’t present, or were difficult to find. When feedback is provided, it tended to be relevant but not always concise or easy to understand. Many simple tasks were made more difficult by a lack of clear instructions detailing how to proceed, and it was not at all clear whether the system had accepted my input in various tasks, often requiring that I go back and check whether I had successfully completed a task or not. Errors, when encountered, are hard to understand and little effort seems to have been taken to attempt to guide a user through an error. Overall, while feedback information tended to be appropriate and relevant, it was, more often than not, not present or inadequate and confusing.

40529927 - Ned Martin - COMP1501 - Assignment 3

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COMP1501 Assignment 3

Evaluation Form for Website

Web Site URL: Arizona Art Education Association: http://www.azarted.org/

Based on your experiences on using the web site assess the site on the following criteria.

Visual Clarity [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Is each screen clearly identified with and informative title or description?		X
Is important information highlighted on the screen?		X
When the user enters information on the screen, it is clear:
Where the information should be entered?	X
In what format it should be entered?	X
Are different types of information clearly separated from each other on the screen?	X
Are bright or light colours displayed on a dark background, and vice versa?		X
Is the information on the screen easy to see and read?		X
Do the screens appear uncluttered?		X
Overall Evaluation	X

Support your assessment with comments:

Visual Clarity: This site lacks almost all forms of visual clarity. A few of the pages are identified with a title, but a lot aren’t. Important information is often highlighted, but usually in an extremely excessive manner, which is required due to the rest of the information being in varied levels of highlighting itself. Nothing is very clear about this site. In fact, there are few redeeming features. Pages are cluttered, using lots of colour and seemingly randomly places elements, they are hard to read and often bright with poor contrast.

Compatibility [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Are colours assigned according to conventional associations where these are important?	X
Where abbreviations, acronyms , codes and other alphanumeric information are displayed:
are they easy to recognize and understand?	X
do they follow conventions where these exist	X
Where icons, symbols, graphical representations and other pictorial information are displayed:
are they easy to recognize and understand?	X
do they follow conventions where these exist?	X
Where jargon and terminology is used within the system, is it familiar to the user?			X
Are established conventions followed for the format in which particular types of information are displayed?		X
Is information presented in a way which fits the users view of the task?		X
Does the sequence of activities required to complete a task follow that the user would expect?		X
Does the system work in the way the user thinks it should work?		X
Overall Evaluation	X

Support your assessment with comments:

Compatibility: To put it simply, there’s nothing compatible about this site. The only thing that stands out from the total lack of compatibility is that the small amount of jargon used is explained, probably accidentally, or is self-explanatory. Nothing works as expected, there seems to be no coherent order to the site, icons and graphics are interspersed randomly without pattern causing confusion and information is displayed in a variety of usually unconventional ways.

Explicitness [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Is it clear what stage the system has reached in a task?	X
Is it clear what the user need to do in order to complete a task?	X
Where the user is presented with a menu is it clear what each option means?		X
Is it clear what part of the system the user is in?	X
Overall Evaluation	X

Support your assessment with comments:

Explicitness: Once again, this site fails to impress with its explicitness. Some menus make sense, while others don’t. The main menu assumes a colour very similar, if not identical, to its background after a link has been visited, making the link essentially invisible. This is just one example of the absolute lack of explicitness and confusion inherent in this site. It is never clear what stage a user is at in the site, or how to proceed.

Consistency [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Are different colours used consistently throughout the system?	X
Are abbreviations, acronyms, codes and other alphanumeric information used consistently throughout the system?	X
Are icons, symbols, graphical representations and other pictorial information used consistently throughout the system?	X
Is the same type of information (e.g. instruction, menus, messages, titles) displayed:
in the same location on the screen?		X
in the same layout?		X
Is the method of entering information consistent throughout the system?	X
Is the method of selecting options consistent throughout the system?	X
Are there standard procedures for carrying out similar, related operations?	X
Is the way the system responds to a particular user action consistent at all times?	X
Overall Evaluation	X

Support your assessment with comments:

Consistency: The main menus up the top are usually, but not always, somewhere near the top of the screen and rather large and bluish. Unfortunately, that’s where consistency ends. Different colours are used randomly throughout, abbreviations, acronyms and various codes, when used, are used randomly. Icons and graphics appear to have no order and often no purpose, adding confusion to the site. There are no standard procedures to perform any task, as this varies from page to page. Something as simple as attempting to navigate to another section of the site using the main top menu is fraught with difficulty. From the front page, the links do not work – and to make it more interesting, after attempting to use one of the un-working links, they appear to disappear as they turn the same colour as their background. Halfway down the front page is a link, which confusingly states “Go right to the Home page”. A user could be forgiven for ignoring this, as it would appear they were already at the home page, but if they should follow that, another very similar page would be presented, except this time the links to the top of the page (which would appear almost identical to the links on the front page) do work. However, a user could be expected not to try them, as it would be assumed they are the same as the non-working links on the front page. The further into the site one navigates, the worse it becomes.

Appropriate Functionality and Information Feedback [10 point]	Never	Some of the time	Most of the time	Always
Is the way the information is presented appropriate for the tasks?	X
Does each screen contain all the information which the user feels is relevant to the task?	X
Are users provided with all the options which they feel is necessary at any particular stage in a task?	X
Is the system feedback appropriate for the task?	X
Is the system feedback appropriate for the task?	X
Are the instructions and messages displayed on the screen concise and positive?		X
Are the messages displayed relevant?		X
Do instructions and prompts clearly indicate what to do?		X
Is it clear what the user needs to do in order to take a particular action?		X
Is it clear what shortcuts, if any, are possible?	X
Does the system clearly inform the user of any delay, making it clear that the users input or request is being processed?	X
Is it clear to a user what should be done to correct an error?	X
Overall Evaluation	X

Support your assessment with comments:

Appropriate Functionality and Information Feedback: No feedback is provided anywhere on this site, but I didn’t see anywhere that I would expect to find feedback either, so this is not necessarily a bad thing. Messages and instructions aren’t usually required or provided, but there are a few, which are occasionally almost relevant and would perhaps indicate the course of action an enquiring user could take. God forbid an error occur, as the site cannot even connect its links to various pages. Simply clicking a link is enough to give an error with no description of why or what to do about it. Overall, very unsatisfactory.

40529927 - Ned Martin - COMP1501 - Assignment 3

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Results

Argh! Here they are :-)

StudentID	40529927
FamilyName	Martin
GivenNames	Ned
Azart: Visual Clarity	7
Comments	Good evaluation but some criteria not addressed with detail.
Azart: Compatibility	6
Comments	Many relevant criteria not addressed with detail.
Azart: Explicitness	7
Comments	Good evaluation but some criteria not addressed with detail.
Azart: Consistancy	8
Comments	Reasonable evaluation but some comments are inconsistent with the selections.
Azart: Funct/Fback	8
Comments	Reasonable evaluation but some comments are inconsistent with the selections.
ITEE: Visual Clarity	6
Comments	Many relevant criteria not addressed with detail.
ITEE: Compatibility	8
Comments	Reasonable evaluation but some comments are inconsistent with the selections.
ITEE: Explicitness	6
Comments	Many relevant criteria not addressed with detail.
ITEE: Consistancy	7
Comments	Good evaluation but some criteria not addressed with detail.
ITEE: Funct/Fback	8
Comments	Reasonable evaluation but some comments are inconsistent with the selections.
Telstra: Visual Clarity	8
Comments	Reasonable evaluation but some comments are inconsistent with the selections.
Telstra: Compatibility	8
Comments	Reasonable evaluation but some comments are inconsistent with the selections.
Telstra: Explicitness	8
Comments	Reasonable evaluation but some comments are inconsistent with the selections.
Telstra: Consistancy	8
Comments	Reasonable evaluation but some comments are inconsistent with the selections.
Telstra: Funct/Fback	8
Comments	Reasonable evaluation but some comments are inconsistent with the selections.
Total (Out of 15 marks)	11.1

This information is current as of Fri Jun 20 16:26:11 EST 2003.