Software developed Free Essay Example

Heuristic evaluation is the mechanism used to test or analyze the usefulness of software developed. Any properly developed software should have the ability to meet the desired user’s needs. It must be user friendly and have an easy to master interface. The paper basically evaluates the usability of the website: http://www. thelookingglass. co. za/about. html, critically accessing it and evaluating its usefulness and further determine how efficient it is to the visitors/traffic. Heuristic Evaluation We use the following in heuristic evaluation:

• Loading time • Conflict of Interest • The Sound • The Writing Loading time Even before we get into the details of the website, the loading speed is taking forever to upload the website content.

The home page has no slightest information about what the website is all about. Pictures are posted everywhere at the homepage, making it the key failures in the website development and usability. To make sure that the website will be reliable and more appealing to the visitors accessing the site, this should be looked into.

Conflict of interests

The website is talking of serious issues or staff calling for serious website intervention; it is a business oriented website, however, ideas are relayed in a manner that may make a visitor at first glance think that it is an entertainment website or anything of the kind. The pictures that meet the user in the first point are not the business type. The target customers must be determined at any time before any advertisements are done.

The customer life style should be well understood and the website developed according to their lifestyle and needs.

The website targeting the business class should thus look more of executive and not jangled up with picture everywhere on the homepage. The colors used are not the corporate, very dull and non-communicative. The lady that is on the webpage is seen looking behind with shaggy hair and a short dress. This cannot be appearing to the business world. This shows lack of seriousness and a lot of recklessness. The web developer should understand that the first contact of the web and the intended user is the key factor to be considered.

If the website belongs to a company, then the concept of “moment of truth” may be used, because it is this that will dictate to the user (if he is going to browse more or not). The Sound Again the web is developed to be used by the business corporate. They are serious people who have limited time and need their peace. The sound from the website is not comfortable with this audience. The noise does not provide any professionalism and gives the website the entertainment characters. The noise is not ending but continues all over the stay in the website. The writing

They are upside down and the user have to use the cursor to read, the target customer spends the least time possible surfing the website and have no extra time trying to learn on “how to use www. thelookingglass. co. za”. The website should be more direct in provision of the information specifically “about our company” using clear small tabs that are properly arranged. Conclusion and Recommendations A website is a strong entertainment, advertising and interaction technology that is inevitable in the current hi-tech world. There is therefore need that the web developers understand the expected users (Heim and Krug, 123).

They should be developed in such a way that the end user is comfortable with it. It should give the correct impression at the first instant of contact. If the website is to target the corporate world, the seriousness that is in the business world must be portrayed from the first stage. If the website is an entertainment website, then it should portray itself from the first step as an entertainment site.

References

Krug, Steve. (2000). Don’t make me think, Indianapolis, IN: Que. Extractions from http://www. sensible. com/ chapter five and six