IS U570 Human-Computer Interaction
                  Spring 2004 - Prof. Hafner                   
                Assignment 4 Due Date: March 8

	          Heuristic Evaluation Exercise

The purpose of this assignment is to practice applying the heuristic
evaluation methodology of Nielsen.

1. Examine some University Web sites, and choose one to evaluate.  

The site:
   http://www.clas.ufl.edu/CLAS/american-universities.html
has links to hundreds of American university web sites.  

2. Perform a heuristic evaluation of the site you chose, following
the methodology we learned.  This methodology consists of:

  i.   identify significant ELEMENTS or FEATURES of the interface.
       These can relate to the information organization and 
       task flow ("information level design"); the design or use
       of particular widgets or interaction idioms ("mechanism design")
       or visual characteristics ("media design")
  ii.  for each of the above, perform a usability inspection using the 
       10 usability principles as your guide. Make a list of usability problems.
  iii. for each usability problem, identify which usability principle(s) 
       have been violated.
  iv.  for each usability problem, give it a severity rating as described
       in your readings and in class.

Note: You should examine the home page, several first-level links to
get a feel for the site as a whole, and then go deeper into one or two
areas of the Web site.

3. Write up a report containing the results of your heuristic evaluation.
This will be a list of usability problems you found, organized according
to the component or feature of the Web site, and rated according to
severity.

Be sure to include a printed copy of the Web pages you discuss, so that your 
report can be read and understood in hard copy.  You can do this using
the "print screen" key which copies the current screen image to the
Windows clipboard.  (CTL-Print-Screen copies the currently selected window.)

WARNINGS: 

The printed screen shots from your Web site must be numbered
(Figure 1, Figure 2 . . ) and referenced by these Figure numbers in
the text of your report.  This is not optional.

DO NOT GIVE YOUR WEB SITE A "GRADE" on each of the 10 usability 
heuristics!!!!  That is not what the methodology requires.

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Note: Please turn in this homework as hard copy.