Spectrumblog Works

Developed by Google in 2011, Google+ was an attempt from Google to make a social media platform akin to Facebook or Twitter.  I will explain the issues with Google+ using five of the Ten Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design.   Google+ was an example of poor Consistency and standards. An example below is the messy layout as there's no clear indication of what a user should place their eyes on first. Violation Score: 4 Google+'s User control and freedom were flawed. The data breach that occurred in 2018 effectivity caused the platform to lose many users since that year. Violation Score: 4     Google+'s  Flexibility and efficiency of use were poor. A big example of this was the Circles feature. On paper, this sounds like a great way to group things, but the problem arises when the user realizes that the info on the circle itself is vague.  Violation Score: 4 The Recognition rather than recall of Google+ was problematic. An ex...

 This website was launched in 2010 and is a website that houses numerous pictures and videos.  I will explain the issues with Pinterest using five of the Ten Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design.  Pinterest's Flexibility and Efficiency of Use could be better. Just from the front page alone, there's a bonanza of images without context about the ideas, such as "How to make this?" Violation Score: 4 The Consistency and Standards of Pinterest could be more consistent. If a user wants to scroll toward something they're looking for, some images appear in the result and have no relation to the topic type. For example, I typed in Pumpkin and was expecting this - 🎃 rather than the image below. Violation Score: 4 In the case of a Match between the system and the real world, Pinterest needs improvement in this area. A major problem I have with Pinterest is the lack of curation and its habit of reposting content without mentioning its original source. Here's an...

Twitter, a social media platform acting as a microblog, was created in 2006. In 2023, it was rebranded as X, with a stylized letter X replacing the bird as its logo. For this post, I'll call it Twitter.  Using 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design, I'll explain what's wrong with this social media app. Twitter has inconsistent icons for actions, which will confuse users. An example is the share icon on both the web and mobile versions of Twitter. Violation Score: 3 Twitter is poor with User control and freedom due to its habit of constantly changing its layout every few years. Violation Score: 4 2006 2014 2023 Twitter's Flexibility and efficiency of use are poor. For example, there is no way a user can sync drafts or threads between web and mobile. Violation Score: 4 The mobile Twitter App Aesthetic and minimalist design is flawed due to the overall layout. An example would be the spaces feature, which takes a large portion of the viewing screen, causing clut...

Wikipedia is a popular encyclopedia that appeared on the internet in 2001. It is a popular online source of information on everything that exists or has existed. A problem with this encyclopedia is that while it has positives, such as fast-loading pages and good consistency with colors, the way everything else is on the site is cluttered. The standards and consistency of Wikipedia are lacking. For instance, this page lists only a few TV show episodes, while others have no lists at all. Violation Score: 3 Wikipedia's User control and freedom are poor.  Wikipedia's open editing policy allows for potential misinformation and inaccuracies, as anyone can edit an article without an account. Violation Score: 3 In terms of flexibility and efficiency of use, Wikipedia has room for improvement. The front page for instance has too many links and articles highlighted. This makes things cluttered and overwhelming for a user. Violation Score: 4 Wikipedia's Error Prevention is non-existe...

Wayfair, an e-commerce company founded in 2002, launched its online store in 2008, offering everyday products such as pillows, rugs, and blankets. Despite its wide product range, the website's design is cluttered and disorganized. Here's why that is the case with these five usability problem cases!  The Violation Severity Rating is located under each image. The user interface of Wayfair has a limitation in terms of User Control and Freedom. This is because the website relies on a list instead of a dedicated page, which can be confusing for users. Wayfair only provides a link and an image, which makes it difficult for users to understand where to navigate. To get complete information about a product, users need to click on multiple links. For instance, an example is provided below. Violation Severity Rating: 3. The Consistency and Standards of Wayfair are low. Despite using a color palette that's easy on the eyes, how it's structured is problematic. For starters, on the...

1. Describe a task to accomplish clearly at what website/or physical places. Yahoo! is a popular website that started in 1994 and has become a huge web service provider in various media. However, its website illustrates why bigger isn't always better.  2.  Describe the frustration or unsatisfiable your experience. This afternoon, I was looking for gardening tools on Yahoo, and while the search results were fast, the information offered from the search felt vague compared to what you'd find on Google or Bing. On paper, providing similar search results sounds convenient, but it can be problematic if you're looking for something as simple to search as an egg sandwich. 3. Use the Hurestic Evaluation(HE) principle terminology to articulate the problem or describe the problem identified as beyond a usability problem. (5 points) Refer to the HE design principle from here when you write the report:  https://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-heuristics-complex-applications/ The f...

During this week, the class discussed UX (User Experience) and various other usability issues that could interrupt the functionality of a UX. In my case, it's the UX design of eBay and how messy the whole site is. Here's why: 1. Describe a task to accomplish clearly at what website/or physical places. (5 points) As an e-commerce website, it acts as a digital store for customers and consumers to sell and purchase products. The user can also make wishlists to get what products they need. 2. Describe the frustration or unsatisfiable your experience (5 points) Back in 2013, I had a problematic experience selling a PC Bluetooth adapter on eBay due to its low latency and poor connection. It took me three days to resolve the issue because of eBay's poor customer service. The website's messy menus only made things more frustrating in the long run. 3. Use the Hurestic Evaluation(HE) principle terminology to articulate the problem or describe the problem, identified as beyond a u...