Comparative Analysis

In order to gain knowledge and a better understanding of best practices and potential issues in the development of a student application, we carried out analyses of comparable applications. The analyses involved interviewing sponsors of comparable applications from both Cal and Princeton. In the case of Cal, we also performed a heuristic evaluation of the website.


Contents

Princeton University Athletics Website

Princeton University was one of the first schools to implement the electronic signature system for their student athletes and port their entire registration system online. We talked to Michael Cross, an Associate Director of Athletics, and gathered some key concepts. Unfortunately, Princeton was unable to give us access to their system, but they still provided us with some valuable information to consider.


Princeton's current student-athlete registration process entails the following:


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Cal Graduate Admissions Website

The Cal Graduate Admissions website is one of the most important resources for prospective Cal graduate students. It publishes admissions information and guides users through the application process. It also provides links to other relevant information, such as financial aid, graduate programs, health services, and housing.


A comparative analysis of the Cal Graduate Admissions website was undertaken because it closely parallels the CalStARS website in functionality. The primary users for both websites are Cal students and both websites publish online forms for students to fill out. Other important similarities include the implementation of an electronic signature to certify student identity and the ability to browse through saved or already submitted forms.


As part of this analysis, we talked to Betsy Livak, Director of Special Projects and Training. A Heuristic Evaluation was also performed on the website to determine its strengths and identify areas for improvement. These findings heavily influenced the design and content of the proposed website. Jakob Nielsen's Heuristic Evaluation guidelines (Source: Nielsen, J. (1993). Usability Engineering. Morgan Kaufmann, San Francisco, California. 115-163.) were used to perform the analysis.


Legend

H1-1 Simple & Natural Dialog H1-6 Clearly Marked Exits
H1-2 Speak the Users' Language H1-7 Shortcuts
H1-3 Minimize Users' Memory Load H1-8 Precise and Constructive Error Messages
H1-4 Consistency H1-9 Prevent Errors
H1-5 Feedback H1-10 Help and Documentation


Strengths

HE Rule Description
H1-1 Simple & Natural Dialog Uses numbered steps to guide user through process of filling out form and collects general information first (name, address) before collecting more specific details (school, major)
H1-1 Simple & Natural Dialog Groups related data elements into more manageable chunks
H1-1 Simple & Natural Dialog Each form clearly labeled with a title to give user an indication of types of data collected on the page
H1-2 Speak the Users' Language Format to fill in test scores is similar to format of paper-based form. Metaphor takes advantage of user familiarity with paper-based form.
H1-3 Minimize Users' Memory Load Although "School Lookup" instructions are available on the main form, instructions are repeated in the "School Lookup" window so that users don't have to remember what they read in the main form
H1-3 Minimize Users' Memory Load Provides convenient links to related web pages such as "deadlines"
H1-3 Minimize Users' Memory Load Pre-populates values for first name and last name
H1-4 Consistency Look and feel is the same throughout all pages
H1-4 Consistency Use of button for the school code in "School Lookup" takes advantage of user familiarity with "clicking" buttons. Button makes it intuitive for user to click the code to populate the other form.
H1-5 Feedback Use of the color red to draw attention to errors and important information like submission status
H1-8 Precise & Constructive Error Messages When flagging error such as an invalid e-mail, tells the user to check for "@" and "." characters
H1-8 Precise & Constructive Error Messages All error messages are displayed in proximity to the "submit" button so that users are aware of what will prevent a successful submission. Provides links to pages where errors occurred.
H1-9 Prevent Errors Required fields flagged with a red asterisk
H1-9 Prevent Errors Dropdowns used for state/countries
H1-10 Help and Documentation Provides a instructions, hints, tips to guide users through process


Areas for Improvement

HE Rule Violation Suggested Solution
H1-1 Simple & Natural Dialog In the form to create an application, the very last question asks whether user is a "previous Berkeley student" and if the user clicks yes, user is told to fill out a different set of forms. User has just wasted time filling out the wrong form Question of whether user is a "previous Berkeley student" should come before form is filled out.
H1-2 Speak the Users' Language If errors exist, user is told that errors are "highlighted." Highlight can mean many different things Revise hint to state that errors are "highlighted in red" to be more clear
H1-3 Minimize Users' Memory Load Radio buttons have no default values. Use common responses as defaults to keep the user from having to do more work than necessary.
H1-4 Consistency Read only fields such as name are highlighted in light blue. This is inconsistent with normal web practice to "gray out" fields that can't be updated Use the gray-out technique.
H1-4 Consistency "Main Form Menu" button is a misuse of a button because unlike a "save" button, it does not cause any action to be performed. The is inconsistent with how users view buttons Use hyperlinks for navigating to different pages. Also, might want to re-label it as "Back to Main Form Menu" to clearly indicate to the user what the link will do.
H1-5 Feedback When selecting a major, user is instructed to click the "save" button in order for the major to be recognized. Users who disregard the instruction may not realize what the problem is. Draw attention to the button after a major is selected by changing its color. Also, instead of using the button, selecting from a dropdown should be enough to recognize the major
H1-5 Feedback H1-6 Clearly Marked Exits In the form to create an application, user is prompted whether to continue but there is no option to cancel out Provide a cancel button
H1-9 Prevent Errors Submit application button is enabled even if there are errors Disable the submit application button if there are errors.
H1-9 Prevent Errors There are long instructions that encourage users to "save" before moving to the next page because not doing so results in loss of data. Users may not always read instructions and given that some forms require a lot of data entry, this is a huge risk. Forms should automatically save before the user goes to the next page.
H1-9 Prevent Errors If user selects a major that no longer accepts applications, an error message displays Populate the dropdown with only the majors that accept applications to prevent the user from selecting invalid ones
H1-9 Prevent Errors Date format is free-form text. Although hints are provided, most users may not notice them. Use calendaring tools or dropdowns that limit values that user can input. Provide separate dropdowns for month, day, year
H1-10 Help and Documentation Tip for selecting a password is not adjacent to the password field so users may not see it Move tip closer to its corresponding field


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