Introduction
Usability refers to the ease with which a system or a device can be used, to ensure effectiveness and consumer satisfaction while achieving its objectives. User interfaces simplify the usability of devices and systems by providing the user with easy-to-use interactive displays and information. Companies develop products that fit their intended market. Consumers, therefore, are a vital component in the development of systems as system developers take into account the user-friendliness of their product. Usability heuristics seeks to provide a platform for product developers to create a product that serves the purpose in a targeted demographic, with ease of technological adoption for future use while guaranteeing fulfillment of consumers’ needs that made them choose the system in the first place (Nielsen, 2005).
Jakob Nielsen developed a usability inspection and evaluation method to help product developers improve product relatability and general aesthetics. These methods provide a step-by-step approach to system development that covers most aspects of system functionality and quick evaluation based on a product’s characteristics (Nielsen, 2005). Though not a complete system diagnostics tool, this approach covers the most notable usability issues before consideration of more in-depth and costly evaluation methods.
The handheld device in question is a flagship 2016 Samsung Galaxy S6.
Visibility of a System Status.
The device should offer a consumer real-time information feed with discernible cues. Appropriate response times is also vital for consumer satisfaction. The screen is the most used visibility component, offering users information on an easily viewable platform (Moggridge, 2007). Systems are however not limited to visual cues, but employ such features as vibration feedback to aid in alerting the user. The vibration draws the attention of the user to the device.
A Samsung Galaxy S6 has a touch and type style screen, with a resolution of 2560x1440. This offers the user a distinctive view of icons and applications that are easily identifiable. The S6’s screen also has a super AMOLED display that provides wider viewing angles, accurate color reproduction and deeper contrast for accurate display. The device also displays real-time information such as time, battery percentage and weather using widgets on the lock screen and home page. In the case of missed calls, new notifications or low battery, the device has a notification light that blinks to alert the user to open the notifications. The S6 has a launcher, Touchwiz UI, which organizes and simplifies the arrangement of applications and widgets.
The match between the System and the Real World.
Using the consumer’s daily life to portray information simplifies usability. Consumers are known to take refuge in the familiar, and offering this in the form of a system goes a long way in ensuring consumer satisfaction (Moggridge, 2007). The system should offer a relatable link between what is being offered and what users are accustomed to. Systems are also developed with terms that are well known to us. Using terms such as Restart, Shutdown, Reply and End Call in a system allows for a user to interact with it without feeling foreign to the system.
A Samsung Galaxy S6’s interface has icons that familiarize the user with their environment. Icons of applications such as Alarm and Phone bear their conventional symbols. For a user without prior knowledge of how to use this device, the relatable icons in the user interface creates a welcoming atmosphere. Applications are also named in accordance with objects familiar to us. Examples include Calculator and Calendar. The S6’s Media Player organizes music, videos, and movies in a library for familiarity. The S6’s Email app uses words like Reply, Delete, and Subject since they are terms that users interact with on a daily basis.
User Control and Freedom.
Users generally have different preferences. A system that enables users to adopt their own style is a marginally better system than one does not. (Stone, Jarrett, Woodroffe & Minocha, 2005)
A user rates a system in terms of how well it responds to him/her changing its feel to suit his/her needs. Developers should, therefore, come up with a system that offers more choices, with the same functionality to cater for varied user tastes. Often, users do make mistakes in selections on a system. Offering the user the ability to undo and redo their steps is a vital characteristic of a good system. The information should be clear without the user having to repeat the steps that he/she had already taken. Simplicity in this category ensures users get the most out of their device without much hassle.
It is with this point in mind that developers of the Samsung Galaxy S6’s interface added the ability to customize the user experience on the device. Applications such as Themes in the Samsung Store are available to download for free. After opening the application, it prompts the user to download themes created by the design team at Samsung or fellow users. Wallpapers and ringtones are added to the device to give the user the option of changing and adding their own ringtones and pictures to their own liking. Samsung also added the ability to undo an action by pressing the Back button located on the device’s touchscreen. The button is dedicated to that function and is clearly marked with a backwards-facing arrow.
Consistency and Standards
Platforms have been established to simplify user understanding of a system. Conforming to conventional procedures and guidelines during development helps a developer create a system that blends well with a consumer’s prior experience (Stone et al., 2005). Actions, words, and labels should be predictable enough for a user to understand.
A Samsung Galaxy S6’s operating system gives a user a similar look and feel to other typical operating systems. Designated buttons such as Home, Menu and Back perform the same tasks as it would on any other device. Their design also conforms to typical standards, with a button such as Home having an icon of a house. The S6 has a drop-down menu that allows quick access to notifications and settings, similar to almost all devices in the same category. Interacting with the menu doesn’t feel any different from another device, given the S6’s menu offers the same functionality over a slightly modified interface.
Error Prevention
Errors are bound to happen. No is system is immune from the occasional bugs and errors. A system developer needs to know how to work around this problem to ensure quick and easy resolution of the problem. Providing a way to deal with errors is a part of product development (Moggridge, 2007). Features such as error reporting and frequently diagnosed errors are often incorporated into systems to enable the user to solve the problem on their own by performing tasks such as a rebooting the device. Some developers go a step further by automated evaluation and resolution of error to ease the burden to the consumer. In the case of a system only being debugged by the user, the message should be easy to interpret and offer possible fixes for the error.
Incorporated in the Samsung Galaxy S6’s operating system is a designated menu for error reporting and solutions. Under the Settings menu, there exists a submenu that enables users to communicate device failure via a dedicated email. In the case of application failure, a pop-up window with instructions on how to deal with the problem is displayed and further actions to be taken, if necessary. Developers at Samsung also provide system updates on a regular basis to make the system less prone to errors. These updates come in from of application updates, system updates, and system upgrades. Application updates seek to add features, improve on already existing ones as per consumer ratings and fix bugs. System updates enhance hardware and software compatibility and improve on hardware capabilities with the same hardware. System upgrades improve on user’s safety from malicious attacks, better features, and improved user interface.
Conclusion
Breaking down development of a system into smaller components has proved to be a vital step in ensuring most, if not all, sections are covered. System developers adopting Jakob Nielsen’s evaluation-based heuristics have the upper hand to those who don’t by ensuring their consumers get the most out of their systems without compromising both performance and aesthetics.
References
Moggridge, B. (2007). In Designing interactions (chap. 3, 4). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Nielsen, J. (2005). How to conduct a heuristic evaluation. In Useit.com. Retrieved May 14, 2016, from http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_evaluation.html
Stone, D., Jarrett, C., Woodroffe, M., & Minocha, S. (2005). Inspections of the user interface. In User interface design and evaluation (pp. 525-537). San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann.
