Evaluate organizational concepts of the graphical user interface.
Unit 5 Assignment: Web Presence and Related Analyses
Outcomes addressed in this activity:
Unit Outcomes:
- Evaluate organizational concepts of the graphical user interface.
- Analyze web presence using an industry-standard heuristic.
- Develop a basic knowledge of XML.
- Discuss data gathering and classifications.
Course Outcome:
IT510-3: Evaluate physical attributes of networks and web presence for a system.
Purpose
This assignment focuses on the analysis of a competitor’s website, including design and usability issues. Design issues are presented in this unit’s reading, and light research will net Jakob Nielsen’s usability heuristics. This is to be prepared as a PowerPoint presentation.
Assignment Instructions and Requirements
Scenario: Orwell’s Opus is a medium-sized local bookstore in Global Springfield. The store sells books, stationery, greeting cards, and literature-themed T-shirts, and sales are good in the store. CEO Quincy Orwell intends to expand the business to additional locations and to have the store’s website updated for better online sales as well. Orwell’s website is not close to what he will need, so you have decided to show him an evaluation of a competitor’s site so that he can better understand good web principles.
Read: Make sure you complete this unit’s reading, which will teach you some major design principles, introduce you to accessibility, and provide other information you will need to know.
Research:
- Locate a bookseller’s website. It must be one where the primary product is clearly books, which means that Amazon®, eBay™, Walmart®, or other such sites do not qualify. If you are not sure your choice is appropriate, ask your professor well before the assignment deadline.
- For the Nielsen slides, use the source below for the primary source for heuristics. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/
Prepare: Use Microsoft PowerPoint for this assignment. The content of each slide is explained below. Make sure you focus solely on the competitor’s site (do not mention Orwell or invent information).
| Slide | Title | Content |
| 1 | Website Evaluation: XX (where XX is the name of the bookseller) | Include the site’s home page URL, your first and last names, and the date that you evaluated the site. |
| 2 | Coding errors | Identify the number of HTML coding errors on the home page as identified by W3C validation. Explain why errors should be fixed (or if it is error-free, why errors in general are important to fix). |
| 3 | Use of color | Explain how the site uses color, focusing on branding and other concepts as explained in the reading. |
| 4 | Use of text | Explain how the site uses text, including size, family, readability, and other properties as explained in the reading. Use appropriate terminology. |
| 5 | Accessibility | Explain accessibility features (or the lack thereof) found at the website, such as alt text, video captions, no color coding, etc. |
| 6 | Navigation | Describe navigation at this website and explain its effectiveness (or issues with effectiveness). |
| 7 | Title each slide with the name of the chosen Nielsen heuristic. | Usability analysis: Choose any three of Nielsen’s heuristics and evaluate the site for these. |
| 8 | ||
| 9 | ||
| 10 | Opportunities | Provide a suitable conclusion, focusing on opportunities for change of this website. |
| 11 | Reference | Provide a complete APA style reference entry for the Nielsen source. |
Additional requirements:
- Titles, Content, and Length:
- While the titles of slides are given to you or taken from Nielsen, the content of slides 2–10 must be in your own words.
- Write at least 35 words per slide (not including the title slide and reference slide). Lists or short paragraphs are acceptable.
- To identify the number of HTML errors, use the method explained in the reading, and visit the W3C validation site.
- Do not add slides or change the order.
- Do not insert notes or comments. All content must be present on the slides themselves.
- Sourcing:
- Do not use source material other than Nielsen. The analysis must be written from your understanding of the unit’s reading. Obviously, this also means that there can be no quoting from sources.
- Since this is designed to be a work document, do not include citations on the Nielsen slides.
- Make sure the reference entry on Slide 11 is in APA format. (Even though this is a work document, some academic rules are still applicable.)
- Design:
- Use a design theme.
- See the Reading PDF to find out how to apply a theme so that the slides are not just simple black text on white background.
- Every slide after the title slide should have the same design; consistency counts.
- Practice good design principles: neatness and readability count. Consider the chosen font(s) and amount of text on the slide; keep to standard fonts, and avoid all-capital letters. Consider also the color scheme; avoid overly bright colors and make sure there is adequate light-dark contrast with the text.
- Do not add images of any sort on slides 2–11. You can use an image on the title slide if you like, but it is not required.
- Your professor reserves the right to award zero points for design if any of the above rules are not followed.
- Use a design theme.
Directions for Submitting Your Assignment
- Name your PowerPoint presentation with the following convention: IT510-Unit5-LastName-FirstName (using your own name).
- Make sure you read all instructions carefully and review the grading rubric before submitting to the Dropbox for Unit 5.
