Heuristic Evaluation Deadball Specialist HD

About me I am a Thomas Davies; a 20 year old Creative Computing undergraduate studying at

Coventry University, with an interest in UX and IxD.

IntroductionI will be conducting a short heuristic analysis on

Deadball Specialist HD for the iPad. This game

was developed by Full Fat Games.

The AppDeadball Specialist HD is a football-based game

that challenges users to hit targets past a wall of

defenders. There are two game modes; Quickfire

and Challenges. In Quickfire mode, the user has

to score as many points within 60 seconds. In

Challenges mode, the user has as long as they

want, but the targets are harder to hit. The iPad-

only (non-universal) game has support for the

OpenFient network, allowing users to compete

against their friends and users around the world

as well as share their scores to Twitter and

Facebook.

The MethodThis usability inspection method allows for a quick and cheap evaluation of an interface.

Originally crafted by Jakob Nielsen, it has grown to become a popular inspection method

due to its versatility in terms of being able to evaluate interfaces throughout the entire

design phase, from lo-fi prototypes to published apps.

Nielsen recommends a two pass method of analysis, with the first pass ‘intended to get a

feel for the flow of the interaction and the general scope of the system’ while the second

pass ‘allows the evaluator to focus on specific interface elements’. Each issue in the

application will be given a severity rating based on the heuristic it contravenes.

The EquipmentDevice: iPad 16GB - Wi-Fi

iOS Version: 3.2

Usage: For completing all the tests

Severity RatingWhile conducting a heuristic evaluation, a severity rating system is vital for the overall

success of the project. During the analysis stage, these ratings will be judged on the three

factors suggested by Nielsen; the frequency of the issue, the overall impact of the

problem, and the persistence of the usability flaw.

Rating

Low

Moderate

High

Description

Cosmetic or minor usability issue that can easily

be resolved by the user.

A significant usability issue that should be fixed

before release as it could affect a large proportion

of users.

Usability issue makes the system unusable or will

affect the majority of users and must be fixed

immediately.

The HeuristicsFor this heuristic evaluation, I will be using Jakob Nielsen’s ‘10 Usability Heuristics’. Even

though they were designed in the 1990s for desktop computing, these principles are still

relevant to modern, touchscreen-based applications.

Heuristic

Visibility of system status

Match between system and the real

world

Description

The system should always keep users informed

about what is going on, through appropriate

feedback within reasonable time.

The system should speak the users' language,

with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the

user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow

real-world conventions, making information

appear in a natural and logical order.

The Heuristics continuedHeuristic

User control and freedom

Consistency and standards

Error prevention

Description

Users often choose system functions by mistake

and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit"

to leave the unwanted state without having to go

through an extended dialogue. Support undo and

redo.

Users should not have to wonder whether

different words, situations, or actions mean the

same thing. Follow platform conventions.

Even better than good error messages is a careful

design which prevents a problem from occurring

in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone

conditions or check for them and present users

with a confirmation option before they commit to

the action.

The Heuristics continuedHeuristic

Recognition rather than recall

Flexibility and efficiency of use

Description

Minimise the user's memory load by making

objects, actions, and options visible. The user

should not have to remember information from

one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions

for use of the system should be visible or easily

retrievable whenever appropriate.

Accelerators -- unseen by the novice user -- may

often speed up the interaction for the expert user

such that the system can cater to both

inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users

to tailor frequent actions.

The Heuristics continuedHeuristic

Aesthetic and minimalist design

Flexibility and efficiency of use

Help and documentation

Description

Dialogues should not contain information which is

irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of

information in a dialogue competes with the

relevant units of information and diminishes their

relative visibility.

Error messages should be expressed in plain

language (no codes), precisely indicate the

problem, and constructively suggest a solution.

Even though it is better if the system can be used

without documentation, it may be necessary to

provide help and documentation. Any such

information should be easy to search, focused on

the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried

out, and not be too large.

Tap to PlayViolation: Aesthetic and minimalist design

Severity Rating: Low

Description

The 'Tap to Play' introduction screen adds

unnecessary complexity to the app loading

process. The user has already had to wait 5

seconds for the app to load, and this additional

screen merely slows their progress. If they

decided to open your app, then they clearly

wanted to play the game, making this screen

irrelevant.

Recommendation

Remove this screen from the app. After the app

has loaded, elegantly transition the user from the

splash screen to the menu.

Disable Ti lt and Invert Swerve Violation: Consistency & standards

Severity Rating: Moderate

Description

The ‘Disable Tilt’ and ‘Invert Swerve’

buttons do not conform to iOS

s tandards . The two bu t tons

effectively act as an On/Off switch,

and the red border after selection

does not indicate whether the option

is activated or not. Moreover, these

two options look exactly the same

as the ‘Credits’ button but act

completely differently.

Disable Ti lt and Invert SwerveRecommendation

Remove the buttons and replace with the Switch UI element.

ON

OFF

Disable Tilt

Invert Swerve1

1 Standard iOS switch element. Users already know how to interact with this element.

2

2 Credits button is now visually different to the above options. It is clearer to users that this will produce a different result.

Audio SettingsViolation: Match between system

and the real world

Severity Rating: Moderate

Description

There are no labels on these sound

sliders so therefore it is difficult to

know what they change. While you

get audio feedback from the one on

the right - suggesting this is for the

background music? - the left-hand

side slider provides no audio

feedback. I can only presume the

one on the left changes the sound

effects, but it is still unclear.

1 3

21 1 What does th is symbol mean? It has nothing to do with sound effects.

2 Is this for music?

3 This symbol means high volume but it is placed at the bottom of the slider.

Audio SettingsRecommendation

Make the audio sliders horizontal so more information can be displayed, and place them

underneath the ‘Player Name’ box.

Background Music

In-Game Sound Effects

1

2 3

1 Titles make it clearer to users what the slider changes.

2 Clearly indicates that moving the slider to that icon will reduce audio.

3 Clearly indicates that moving the slider to that icon will increase audio.

End of GameViolation: Consistency and

standards, Error prevention

Severity Rating: Moderate

Description

The ‘Next Level’ and ‘Exit to Menu’

buttons are visibly similar, yet

provide differing actions. One allows

the user to progress through the

game, while the other exits that

game, sending the user to the main

menu screen. Also, the ‘Exit to

Menu’ button is very close to the

other two options, possibly allowing

for accidental taps.

1

2

1 The button used to progress to the next level is coloured red; the same colour as the destructive 'Exit to Menu' button.

2 Small gap between the 'Retry' and 'Exit to Menu' buttons. Users could easily select the wrong option and end the game.

End of GameRecommendation

Alter the ‘Next Level’ button so that it has a green background and distance the ‘Exit to

Menu’ button from the ‘Next Level’ and ‘Retry’ buttons.

Retry

Next Level

Exit to Menu

1

2

1 The button colour correctly reflects the action. Easily distinguishable from the 'Exit to Menu' button.

2 Button is now a fair distance away from the other two. Will limit the amount of accidentally taps on the 'Exit to Menu' button.

Reset DataViolation: Consistency & standards

Severity Rating: High

Description

The Reset Data screen can allow for

very destructive actions, yet it

p r o v i d e s l i t t l e i n f o r m a t i o n

concerning what data will be

removed. Moreover, the buttons

chosen are incorrectly coloured, as

red shou ld be used fo r the

destructive action; not green.

1

1 The colour green should not be used when the command is destructive. Using green and the tick suggests this action is positive.

Examples of Destructive Buttons - Twitterrific & Notes

Reset DataRecommendation

Provide more information concerning what data will be removed, change the colour of the

buttons and have the buttons state what action they will do upon selection.

1 Use the word 'Delete' instead of 'Reset' to emphasise what will happen when they confirm the option.

2 Provides some context on what information will be lost.

3 The destructive button is now coloured red to heighten its importance. The button text actually states what the user will doing.

No Delete Data3

Are you sure you want to delete the data?

You will lose all your top scores2

1

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