User interface evaluation by novices

  • Authors:

  • Dennis Bouvier;Tzu-Yi Chen;Gary Lewandowski;Robert McCartney;Kate Sanders;Tammy VanDeGrift

  • Affiliations:

  • Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, USA;Pomona College, Claremont, CA, USA;Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, USA;University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA;Rhode Island College, Providence, RI, USA;University of Portland, Portland, OR, USA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 17th ACM annual conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

This study examines the extent to which novice computing students with minimal computer science coursework and no training in user interface (UI) evaluation consider UI concepts such as usability, user experience, and the context in which software will be used when evaluating an interface. In analyzing the responses of 149 novice computer science students who were asked to evaluate two interfaces for converting temperatures between Fahrenheit and Celsius, we observed that students generally considered usability and user experience factors, but were less likely to consider context. For educators, this exact task could be given to a class in order to initiate discussion of user-centered design; the study also provides a framework for structuring the discussion. More generally, the results of this study provide insight into some opportunities and challenges in teaching good interface design and evaluation skills.