INTRODUCTION
In this year of Term 2 Year 2, students
of BSC202B are required to write a report based on subject Designing For
Usability 2 in task of Lab Task 2. In this Lab Task 2, students need to write a
report based on an Apple iPod Nano or the MP3 Player to evaluate the usability.
However, with two options, students need to choose by any one option only. By
choosing an Apple iPod Nano or MP3 Player, the task is about toplay a single
track by an artist from a certain album. The task actually is to evaluate the
usability of the gadget and use the Ben Schneiderman’s 8 Golden Rules of
Interface Design as the guidelines.
Students are required to evaluate the
real user and they must be clearly informed of instructions before proceed to
the evaluation. The task should have the three options which are print screen
of the processes, step by step instruction to the target user and findings of
the evaluation with regard to the Ben Schneiderman’s 8 Golden Rules of
Interface Design as the guidelines.
PROCESSES OF MP3 PLAYER
The MP3 player come
from the MP3 files that user store on it. Just as DOC is
a type of computer file used by the Microsoft Word word-processing program and
PDF is another type of file for storing printable documents, so MP3 is a
particular file type used for storing music. Think of MP3 as computer files and
an MP3 player as a special type of computer, dedicated to playing back sounds stored in coded format
inside those files, and user halfway to understanding how it all works.
The music
have been stored inside an MP3 file by as long strings of binary numbers (zeros
and ones) in a series of chunks called frames. Each
frame starts with a short header (a kind of table of contents),
followed by the music data itself. At the start of an MP3 file there is a kind
of "index card" that stores details of the track name, artist, genre,
and so on. This information is called metadata and each part of it (artist, track,
and so on) is stored in what is called an ID3 tag. Many
MP3 programs have an option that lets user "edit the ID3 tags." It
sounds technical and complex, but it's simply a way to change the "index
card" at the front of the MP3 file.
All computers,
which are machines that process information (data), have four basic components.
Developer have input device (for getting the data in), a memory (for storing
data), a processor (for working on the data) and an output device (for getting
the data back out again). Think of an iPod or MP3 player and user see that it
has all these things. It has an input (probably a USB docking
lead that hooks it up to user computer), a memory (either a small hard drive or a flash memory that can store MP3
files), a processor (something that can read the MP3 files and turn them back
into music) and an output (a socket where user plug in user headphones). Most
MP3 Players have another output also a little LCD display
that tells user what is playing.
The
way to play the MP3 are switch on MP3 to play the favorite track and it works
just like a computer. The processor chip loads an MP3 file, reads the ID3 index
cards, and displays the artist and track name on the display. Next, it works
its way through the MP3 file reading each frame in turn. It reads the header,
followed by the data and turns the digital information (the binary ones and
zeros) back into sound frequencies that an ears and brain decode as music. That
is pretty much all there is to it. But remember this, the real secret of a digital
music player is not the plastic gadget in the hand but the clever technology
behind the MP3 files it is playing.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTION
This is the MP3
Player that user take to make the research.
First
Step:
Click
the button option to turn on the MP3 Player.
Second
Step:
Go to “home” to search the music library
by click the select button.
Third
Step:
Go to the “Music Library” to search the
songs by press the select button.
Fourth
Step:
Select “All Songs” to choose the song by
press the up and bottom of the select button.
Fifth
Step:
Select the Music to listen the song,
Sixth
Step:
Press the volume button beside the
screen to change the high or low volume.
FINDINGS OF THE EVALUATION
Ben Schneiderman’s 8 Golden Rules of
interface design guidelines.
1. Strive
for Consistency
The
MP3 Player have the similar situations where identical terminology have been
used in prompts and menus. The consistent color, layout, capitalization and so
on should be employed throughout. If menus, prompts and help screens are
consistent, the user can quickly make out what is to be done in the next step.
2. Cater
to Universal Usability
A
good interface should cater to universal usability. Recognize the needs of MP3 and design for plasticity,
facilitating transformation of content. Novice to expert differences, age
ranges, disabilities, and technological diversity each enrich the spectrum of
requirements that guides design. Adding features of MP3 for novices, such as
explanations, and features for experts, such as shortcuts and faster pacing,
can enrich the interface design and improve perceived system quality.
3. Offer
Informative Feedback
For every user action of MP3 Player, there should be system
feedback. For frequent and minor actions, the response can be modest, whereas
for infrequent and major actions. The response should be more substantial.
Visual presentation of the MP3 Player interest provides a convenient
environment for showing changes explicitly. Offering informative feedback to
the users for the actions they do gives the users confidence that they are
proceeding in the right direction.
4. Design Dialogs to Yield Closure
Sequences of actions on MP3 Player should be
organized into groups with a beginning, middle, and end. Informative feedback
at the completion of a group of actions gives developer the satisfaction of
accomplishment, a sense of relief, a signal to drop contingency plans from
their minds and an indicator to prepare for the next group of actions.
5. Prevent Errors
As much as possible, design the MP3 Player such
that users cannot make serious errors. For example, gray out menu items that
are not appropriate and do not allow alphabetic characters in numeric entry
fields. If a user makes an error, the interface should detect the error and
offer simple, constructive and specific instructions for recovery.
6. Permit Easy Reversal of Actions
As much as possible, actions should be reversible
on MP3 Player. This feature relieves anxiety, since the user knows that errors
can be undone, and encourages exploration of unfamiliar options. The units of
reversibility may be a single action, a data-entry task or a complete group of
actions, such as entry of a song.
7. Support Internal Locus of Control
User satisfaction is high when they feel that
they are in control of the MP3 Player. It will avoid surprising interface
actions, tedious data entries and so on. User should feel that they are
controlling the MP3 Player. Experienced users strongly desire the sense that
they are in charge of the interface and that the interface responds to their
actions.
8.
Reduce Short-Term Memory Load
Human
processing of MP3 Player is limited in short term memory. Therefore, it will
keep display simple. MP3 Player also consolidate multiple-page displays and
reduce windows-motion frequency. MP3 Player should not require re-entry of songs,
multiple-page displays should be consolidated, and sufficient training time
should be allotted for complex sequences of actions.
CONCLUSION
The MP3 Project began in 1977 at Germany
and the patent for its use was finally granted in 1989. The first MP3 Player
was produces in Korea in 1998. Apple produced the iPod in 2001. It has since
become the most popular MP3 Player in the world, although it actually converts
MP3 Player files into its own file format. The purpose of Ben Schneiderman’s 8
Golden Rules of interface design guidelines are the principles is providing
simplified data-entry procedures, comprehensible displays and rapid informative
feedback to increase of competence, mastery and control over the system.
REFERENCES
3.
http://softwarequality-cognitivepsyc.blogspot.com/2010/10/8-golden-rules-of-interface-design.html
REFLECTION
WRITTEN
From
the Lab Task 1 that already done, I have got many knowledge about the MP3
Player based on the usability evaluation. Most of users who are used the MP3
Player had experienced which is they had knew the way to use it. I have got the
details information when I have already made research with the research and
observation. Besides that, I think this report also made me study many
techniques to conclude it. So, after finish the report I can give the
good explanation related with this topic to others because I have
understand with it.
EXPERIENCES AND FINDINGS
The experience that I have already got from this lab task is
I can learn the way to use the MP3 Player. Before this, I never know the step
by step to use the MP3 Player. This lab task give the outcome to learning it. I
have call my friend to help me for give the step to use the MP3 Player. I have
done make this lab task only one day.
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