1. The user interface is a very important component of your system. In this assignment you are first asked to read and understand a popular set of usability heuristics.
Readings (Jakob Nielsen is a very renowned usability expert):
a. 10 usability heuristics by Nielsen (and Molich)
b. Examples of web apps with heuristics (better examples and description)
c. Top 10 web design mistakes
2. Then, here is mobile application (Instagram). Briefly describe the purpose or goal of the application. What does it help users do or achieve? < 1 point>
3. Then analyze it using the 10 heuristics - does your app perform well along each criterion or not? You may use a table format to do this. Where you find that your application satisfies a certain usability heuristic, provide specific examples (you may include pictures/screenshots to illustrate your point if you like). If the application is lacking in a usability heuristic, describe the problem and suggest a fix. <15 points>
4. These heuristics were written in the mid-1990s, and are mostly geared towards desktop and web applications. The most popular interface worldwide today is mobile - and there is a need to adapt these heuristics to better address the needs of users of mobile devices (phones, tablets etc.). Add two heuristics that are not captured by the 10 in Nielsen's heuristics, and explain why we need them and what value would they provide to users. <2 + 2 points>
The goal is to get you thinking about UI principles and best practices. I am looking for insight, subtlety and depth (thus saying "the system doesn't have good color choices because it doesn't use color" is pretty trivial and won't count for much). This should take 2 pages max (single spaced) not including pictures (optional).