Self-Reflection

Self-Reflection

 At the beginning of this course, the book Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug was examined. Krug offered a close examination of websites and offered advice on the best ways a website can be built. Krug explained that when people browse on a website, they do not spend a lot of time reading the text and prefers to quickly scan the text. The short amount of time spent scanning the website makes it imperative to have information easy to access. Krug emphasized that to help the user find the

information that they are seeking, it is important for web designers to make the layout clean, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. This taught me a lot about how people view websites and how important it is to have a clean website. I learned that I am not the only one who scans a website quickly, looking for information. I need to utilize this when I help evaluate websites like JRS Books.

Designing with the Mind in Mind by Jeff Johnson explained that the brain works in certain ways, emphasizing its predispositions, such as heightened sensitivity to specific colors and the nuances of peripheral vision. Johnson then explained how to create a website that builds on the strengths of the brain. Johnson also explained that users with visual disabilities needs extra help in accessing websites. This gave me a lot of insight on how to design websites that works best with the way a brain naturally works. The colors, layout, and navigation need to be easy to learn even if a person has never been on that website before. I learned that even though an easy website sounds like an easy thing to do, it is much harder to implement because the desire to add in a lot of information is strong and it takes a skilled person to select only what is necessary.

Nielson's Heuristic Evaluations was the next assignment the course focused on. The 10 topics covered in this section ranged from basic functions, recovering from errors, and navigation usage. Each topic is then given a rating on how severe the error is. This helped me develop a critical eye in evaluating websites. The ratings also can help a web designer prioritize each error and fix issues in a timely manner. As I evaluate websites, I can use this rating system as a way to analyze and prioritize each issue, making the most of my time and energy.

Usability Testing Essentials by Carol M. Barnum explained in great detail how to do usability testing. Barnum begins with the basic concept of why usability testing is important. Barnum then breaks down how to find volunteers, how to set up the testing site, as well as how to conduct the test itself. Before starting this course, I did not know this even existed. I thought web designers made a website and then published it. 

Pulling all of this information together to conduct the usability test for JRS Books proved to be an enlightening project, offering valuable insights into diverse perspectives on the website. I was able to evaluate the JRS Books website with Nielson's Heuristic Evaluations and the principals I learned from Steve Krug and Carol M. Branum. I was also able to put together a usability test using the examples and guidance in Usability Testing Essentials, as well as putting together questions that drew out the opinions and thoughts of my volunteers. I learned so much on how other people thought on the JRS Books website, found similar problems, as well as similar likes about the website. The experience was enjoyable and educational.

References:

Krug, S. (2000). Don’t make me think. https://content-select.com/de/portal/media/view/5c85864c-d230-42c8-b0a5-6037b0dd2d03 

Johnson, J. (2010). Designing with the Mind in Mind: Simple Guide to Understanding User Interface Design Rules. http://opac.library.uib.ac.id/index.php?p=show_detail&id=5768&keywords=

Barnum, C. M. (2010). Usability testing essentials: Ready, Set. . .Test! https://www.amazon.com/Usability-Testing-Essentials-Ready-Test-ebook/dp/B004FV4RT0