SolidWorks UX

Test Findings

University of Idaho | November 20, 2016

Table of Contents
Introduction
2
Methodology
2
Testing Environment 2
Tasks
2
Metrics 2
Likert Scale
3
Results
4
Task 1: Sketching Tools
4
Task 2: Navigating Part
4
Task 3: Reference Geometry
5
Task 4: Extrudes
5
Task 5: Sweeps 6
Task 6: Hole Wizard 6
Task 7: Mirroring
7
Task 8: Patterns7
Task 9: Dimensioning 8
Task 10: Section View8
Task 11: Lofts 9
Task 12: Material Properties9
Task 13: Appearances
10
Task 14: Section Properties 10
Task 15: Renders
11
Task 16: Adding Parts to Assemblies
11
Task 17: Mates 12
Task 18: Exploded View
12
Task 19: Engineering Drawings 13
Task 20: Animations 13
Recommendations and Conclusions 14
Appendix: Raw Data 15

Introduction
This document is a usability analysis of, 2014 Solidworks, a computer aided
design program. As with any other program there is a learning curve that
must be overcome. It will cover basic features of sketching, assemblies, and
extra steps. The tests are chosen to be part of the basic tools a person fairly
new to the software would need to learn. This way a recommendation can be
formed for future students who are planning to learn Solidworks.

Methodology
Testing Environment
The testing was of Solidworks 2014 since it is the latest version available.
The tests should be accurate as there have not been many changes in the
past years. The main improvements were to the appearance of Solidworks. It
was done on a Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook 2012 with Intel Core i5, 512 SSD
and 4GB Memory. The tests metrics will take not take into account the
processing power of the laptop. A whole new set of parts was made in
Solidworks and then assembled to test the assembly part.

Tasks
1 Sketching Tools
2 Navigating Part (Rotating, zoom in/out)
3 Reference Geometry
4 Extrudes
5 Sweeps
6 Holes Wizard
7 Mirroring
8 Patterns
9 Dimensioning
10 Section View
11 Lofts
12 Material Properties
13 Appearances
14 Section Properties
15 Renders
16 Adding Parts to Assemblies
17 Mates
18 Exploded Views
19 Engineering Drawings
20 Animations

Metrics
The criteria I used to evaluate these tasks are:
Effective: I was able to complete this task.
Efficient: I was able to perform this task in a timely manner with as few
strokes as possible.
Engaging: The software was appealing and satisfying.
Error Tolerant: The software pointed out any errors and offered resolution
techniques.
Easy to Learn: Software tools were intuitive and easy to learn.

Likert Scale
The five metrics will be evaluated using a Likert scale as shown below in
Table 1. Each metric will be rated out of 6 points as shown. There is a
maximum of 30 points for each task and a total of 600 points for the possible
points.
Table 1: Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree
Strongl
y Agree

Agree

Slightly
Agree

Slightly Disagre Strongl

Disagre
e
y Agree
e
3
2
1

Results
Task 1: Sketching Tools
For the first part which was, using
sketching tools in Solidworks, the program
did what was needed. I was looking to
draw up a model of a USB drive. Before
anything to sketch you need to choose a
plane to sketch on. There are many
Figure 1: The sketch pallet with all the
sketches tools to
choose from and they tools in one place.
all use dots to
teach you where to click. It has all the tools in the top corner for easy
switching, as well as shortcuts on the right click button. There are many
ways to make the same part so it keeps you entertained in that way.
Solidworks guides your drawing making it hard to make mistakes. It snaps
lines to where you might need them. This makes drawing easy and intuitive.

Task 2: Navigating Part

I was able to rotate and zoom
into the part with no problems.
All the methods are quick to do.
The one that takes the longest
is the right click one shown in
Figure 2. The others are easier.
It is Ctrl+1 to 9 for a different
view and there are also buttons
on the top of the working area.
The easiest way to zoom in is
Figure 2: The list view of the zoom, pan, and rotate
with the scrolling button on the tools using the right mouse click.
mouse. There are many
different ways to rotate the part so it stays interesting. It is easy to lose your
place when you rotate using the scrolling button though. It also takes time to
get good at rotating the part with the mouse. There will be times where you
end up looking into empty space.

Task 3: Reference Geometry

It is easy to make a plane parallel to another but
making one at an angle where you want is where it gets
difficult. A parallel plane is simple, just Ctrl+click+drag,
others need specific references. This can be frustrating
at times. Solidworks does not allow for much error
when creating planes. Adding angles planes take more
practice than most things in Solidworks.

Figure 3: Creating a
new plane at a certain
distance from the old
one.

Task 4: Extrudes
Extrudes are easy to create
and you can choose parts to
extrude in the selected
contours box. It has the
distance you want to
extrude and in what
directions. Tools require
only one click for the tool
and one click to select the
sketch to extrude. It is easy
and interesting to use. If an
extrusion doesnt work it
will tell you and leads you
to where to fix it. The
Figure 4: This extrusion is done using a mid-plane and
features are easy to find,
only one contour is selected.
and there are a few other
options for creating extrusions.

Task 5: Sweeps

The sweep got the pattern done but it didnt do well with sharp corners. It
was originally squares not semicircles. It does it by making two simple
5
Figure 5: A view of the path the profile will travel in the cut
sweep.

drawings on two
perpendicular
planes.
It is just as engaging
as any other part of
Solidworks.
The sweep wont go
through if there is an
error and usually it
is just the sharp
corners that cause
them with this
feature. There is
nothing very difficult about a sweep, some errors happen but they are not
difficult to solve.

Task 6: Hole
Wizard
The hole wizard
tool makes the
type of hole
called out, and
when drawings
are made it is
automatically
called out. It is
very quick to
make holes of
the same kind
with only one
click. It is
engaging mostly
for the vast
amount of types Figure 6: The holes in my example are off center for that specific
of holes you can reason.
make with it. It is error tolerant but it is difficult to put the hole in the exact
spot you want. The easiest way to do this is by adding a sketch of
construction lines to pinpoint the spot. The hole wizard is easy to learn but it
takes time to get exactly what you might want.

Task 7: Mirroring
Mirroring worked to
copy my sketch by
flipping it about an
axis. It works by
selecting the sketch
then selecting an
axis to flip about. It
is also possible to
mirror only some
parts of a sketch. It
is engaging because
it is rewarding to
shorten the task of
drawing multiple
Figure 7: The square sketch was mirrored about the center line
copies. If there are
missing components of a previous sketch.
it is not much of a problem, mirroring will still work. Mirroring is easy to learn
and there is not many places to mess up.

Task 8: Patterns
The linear pattern was created easily and effectively. Only a pattern and a
direction are needed to create a pattern. Another possibility is making a
circular pattern. Patterns are one of the more engaging tools in Solidworks. It
is difficult to create a pattern from the center outwards which is often the

Figure 8: Linear pattern in the x axis.

goal. All the parts needed to create a pattern are stated in the boxes.
7

Task 9: Dimensioning
It gets all the dimensions you want to mark
up. It only took one click to use the tool. It is
engaging to try and make all the blue
undefined lines black. Easy to fix your
mistakes by clicking on the dimension and
using the delete button. There is not much
to learn when it comes to dimensioning,
Figure 9: The smart dimension tool is
simply click.
the easiest to dimension all the
parts.

Task 10: Section View

Section views are effective in showing the inside view of a part in various
directions. It is done with a tool in the top of the working screen area and
plane selections are made with one click. You can enter and exit the view
with the same button. Seeing and inside section of a part is engaging. It is
good at showing what parts will disappear once the feature is chosen and it
is easily fixable. The tools are in plain sight and options are clearly written.

Figure 10: The section view about the front plane of the example part.

Task 11: Lofts

These are useful when making a part that needs to expand and I used it just
for that. There are some shapes that dont work properly if the lofts are not
used correctly. Lofts are one of the more interesting tools of Solidworks. It
shows a preview of the finished product but fixing the error is usually not
easy. Simple lofts are easy but making them curve takes guiding curves and

practice.

Figure 11: The loft created using two sketches on different parallel planes.

Task 12: Material

Properties
It changes the properties
of the part like it supposed
to but it applies to all the
parts. It does so with by
showing a list of different
materials to choose from.
It is engaging to see how
properties will change with
different materials. Errors
are difficult to commit.
Buttons are simple with a
click to choose the feature
and one to apply it.

9
Figure 12: The part with the chosen material 1023 Carbon
Steel Sheet. Properties are shown to the right.

Task 13:
Appearances
It changes all the parts
with a simple drag and
drop. Appearances are
simple but some parts
get changed when they
you dont want to. The
numerous appearance
choices make it one of
the most engaging
features of Solidworks.
Sometimes the wrong
parts get colored but for Figure 13: Appearance choices on the right in folders. The
examples of the appearances are shown below the folders.
the most part it works
fine. There is not much to learn until you get to the renders where the
appearance choices matter.

Task 14:
Section
Properties
The section
properties are
effective for
finding area,
moments of
inertia, and
centroid
without any
calculations.
It does so
effectively but
it is kind of
hard to find if
you dont
Figure 14: The section properties of all the highlighted sections.
know where
you are looking it for. There is not that much to the tool that could make it
appealing. You only have to click on the area that is being evaluated so there
is not much room for error. There are some things to learn but the tool is
intuitive to use.

10

Task 15: Renders

Renders effectively make a
Solidworks part look more
realistic. It is harder to
make a part look good since
it has many parts that go
into it, like lighting and
camera angle. Many of the
ways to edit this are in
buttons on the editing pallet
but they are not very easy
to find. It is appealing to a certain
Figure 15: The rendered part with a background. It did
not end up as expected.
degree because it makes some nice
pictures. It is difficult to get the lighting and camera angle you want even
when using the preview. It takes some time to get used to renders, but once
you get practice it becomes easier. The tools are not as intuitive to use as
some other features.

Task 16: Adding Parts to Assemblies

Adding parts can be done one at a time or multiple at a time. It is quick to
add all the parts needed in an assembly. It is engaging to add parts and even
copy them. It is much like opening documents in any other program. It is
very intuitive since for most people it is already programed into their thought
process.

Figure 16: The documents can be dragged and dropped into the workspace, or opened from
the open documents.

11

Task 17: Mates

Mates do what theyre supposed to and fix different
parts together. They for the most part choose their
relationship automatically when you choose two
surfaces. Mates are one of the more engaging aspects
of Solidworks because it brings the whole assembly
together. It lets you flip parts if you meant to do the
opposite, but sometimes things have to be done in a
certain order or parts get stuck and cant be mated
easily. The tool is intuitive with simple choices for
mates.

Task 18: Exploded View

An exploded view shows how all the components of an
assembly go together. It has tools that can
automatically explode sections at once and predefined
distances. Exploded views can be engaging because of
their difficulty. Even when exploding something
automatically errors occur. It takes a while to learn to
explode the more difficult assemblies, and it is difficult
to find and explode an assembly once one is created.

Figure 17: The mating

tools and box to select
which faces go
together.

Figure 18: The assembly

exploded view. You can

edit or view you exploded
views.

12

Task 19:

Figure 19: Engineering drawing with University of Idaho template and three
views.

Engineering Drawings
Engineering Drawings are to show the dimensions of a part and in Solidworks
its easy to show this. It is possible to import some information from the part
before the drawing is created as well. Different views are added by dragging
and the smart dimensioning button is on the tool bar. Drawings are engaging
for the views of the part offered. It sometimes tries to do some actions
automatically that you dont want but simply deleting the views it creates is
enough to fix it. The tools are all at the top and easy to use. Some practice is
required to make an engineering drawing that meets all the requirements
though. Certain tricks to make dimensioning work.

Task 20: Animations

Animations work well but it takes time and patience to learn it. There are
many bugs with Solidworks animations but it is possible to do all you want. It
is not as engaging because it requires a lot of patience. Sometimes some
movements are created by accident and deleting them may delete other
parts by accident. This is probably the toughest part about Solidworks, it
requires much trial and error.

13
Figure 20: Motion Study toolbar where each part is on the left and the actions that will occur
are on the right.

14

Conclusions
Solidworks does a great job in completing the task that was asked from it.
Most of the bad scores are from the error tolerant and easy to use portion of
the score. Where their features need some work would be in the animations
and making renders quicker. There is always some lag even in the previews.
The overall score of Solidworks was a 491 out of 600. In percentage form
that is an 81.33%. Overall that is a great score and it is highly recommended
you use it and get used to it to get better at it. They do of course have the
help button and tutorials so you can learn faster, but if you decide not to use
it then some features take a lot of practice to master.

Overall Score
35
30

27

25

27
23

20
Task Score

25 24

29 29

27
24

28 27
22

27
24
21

27

25
22

17

16

15
10
5
0

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Tasks 1-20

15

Appendix: Raw Data

Task 1

Sketching Tools
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:
Efficient:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 27
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X

Engaging:

X
X
X

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
It completes the task as I wanted it to
It only took a click and a swipe to get the tools
Sketching parts has many possibilities and different ways to make the same
part
It guides you and snaps lines where you might want them
Tools are intuitive to use
Task 2

Navigating Part (Rotating,

Zoom in/out)
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:
Efficient:
Engaging:

Total: 23
Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X
X

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
There are many ways to rotate part
All ways rotate in few key strokes or clicks, Zooming in is done with
scrolling button on a mouse or tools on the top of the working area
There are many different ways to rotate the part so it stays interesting
It is easy to lose your place when you rotate using the scrolling button
It takes time to get good at rotating with the mouse

16

Task 3

Reference Geometry
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 16
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X
X

Efficient:
Engaging:

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
It is easy to make a plane parallel to another but making one at an angle
where you want is difficult
A parallel plane is simple, just control+click+drag, others need specific
references
This can be frustrating at times
It does not allow for much error in when creating planes
Adding angles planes take more practice than most things in Solidworks

X
X

Task 4
Strongly
Agree
6
Effective:
Efficient:
Engaging:

Extrudes
Agree

Slightly
Agree

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 27
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X
X
X
X

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
Extrudes are easy to create and you can choose parts to extrude
Tools require only one click for the tool and one click to select the sketch to
extrude
Easy and interesting to use
If an intrusion doesnt work it will tell you and leads you to where to fix it
The features are easy to find, and there are a few other options for creating
extrusions

17

Task 5
Strongly
Agree
6
Effective:

Sweeps
Agree

Slightly
Agree

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 25
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X
X
X
X

Efficient:
Engaging:

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
It got the pattern done but it doesnt do well with sharp corners
It does it by drawing two simple drawings on two different planes
It is just as engaging as any other part of Solidworks
The sweep wont go through if there is an error
There is nothing very difficult about a sweep, but some errors occur and
dont let you do the feature
Task 6
Strongly
Agree
6
Effective:
Efficient:
Engaging:

Hole Wizard
Agree
Slightly
Agree
5

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 24
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X
X

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
It does the type of hole called out, and when drawings are made it is
automatically called out
It is very quick to make holes of the same kind with only one click
It is engaging mostly for the vast amount of types of holes you can make
with it
It is error tolerant but it is difficult to put the hole in the exact spot you
want
The hole wizard is easy to learn but it takes time to get exactly what you
might want

X
X

18

19

Task 7

Mirroring
Strongly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:
Efficient:

Slightly
Agree

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 27
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X

Engaging:

X
X
X

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
Mirroring worked to copy my sketch by flipping it about an axis
It works by selecting the sketch then an axis to flip about
It is engaging too
If there are missing components it is not much of a problem, mirroring will
still work
Mirroring is easy to learn and there is not many places to mess up
Task 8
Strongly
Agree
6
Effective:
Efficient:
Engaging:

Patterns
Agree

Slightly
Agree

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 24
Disagre
e
2

Strongly
Agree
1

X
X
X

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
The pattern was created easily and effectively
Only a pattern and a direction are needed to create a pattern
Patterns are one of the more engaging tools in Solidworks
It is difficult to create a pattern from the center outwards which is often the
goal
All the parts needed to create a pattern are stated in the boxes

20

Task 9

Dimensioning
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:
Efficient:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 29
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X

Engaging:

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
It gets all the dimensions you want to mark up
It only took one click to use the tool
It is engaging to try and make all the blue undefined lines black
Easy to fix your mistakes by clicking on the dimension and using the delete
button
Not much to learn, simply click

X
X

Task 10

Section View
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:
Efficient:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 29
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X

Engaging:

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
It is effective in showing the inside view of a part in various directions
It is done with a tool in the top of the working screen area and plane
selections are made with one click
Seeing and inside section of a part is engaging
It is good at showing what parts will disappear once the feature is chosen
and it is easily fixable
The tools are in plain sight and options are clearly written

X
X

21

Task 11
Strongly
Agree
6
Effective:

Lofts
Agree

Slightly
Agree

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 22
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

Efficient:

Engaging:

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
These are useful when making a part that needs to expand and I used it
just for that
There are some shapes that become messed up if lofts are not used
correctly
Lofts are one of the more interesting tools of Solidworks
It shows a preview of the finished product but fixing the error is usually not
easy
Simple lofts are easy but making them curve takes guiding curves and
practice

X
X

Task 12

Material Properties
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:
Efficient:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 28
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X

Engaging:

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
It changes the properties of the part like it supposed to but it applies to all
the parts
It does so with by showing a list of different materials to choose from
It is engaging to see how properties will change with different materials
Errors are difficult to commit
Buttons are simple with a click to choose the feature and one to apply it

X
X

22

23

Task 13

Appearances
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:

Strongly
Agree

X
X

Efficient:
Engaging:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 27
Disagre
e

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
It changes all the parts with a simple drag and drop
Appearances are simple but some parts get changed when they you dont
want to
The numerous appearance choices make it one of the most engaging
features of Solidworks
Sometimes the wrong parts get colored but for the most part it works fine
There is not much to learn until you get to the renders where the
appearance choices matter

Task 14

Section Properties
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:
Efficient:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 24
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X

Engaging:

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
The section properties are effective for finding area, moments of inertia,
and centroid without any calculations
It does so effectively but it is kind of hard to find if you dont know where
you are looking it for
There is not that much to the tool that could make it appealing
You only have to click on the area that is being evaluated so there is not
much room for error
There are some things to learn but the tool is intuitive to use

X
X

24

25

Task 15
Strongly
Agree
6
Effective:

Renders
Agree

Slightly
Agree

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 21
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

Efficient:

X
X
X
X

Engaging:

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
Renders effectively make a part look more realistic
It is harder to make a part look good since it has many parts that go into it,
like lighting and camera angle
It is appealing to a certain degree because it makes some nice pictures
It is difficult to get the lighting and camera angle you want even when
using the preview
It takes some time to get used to renders, but once you get practice it
becomes easier
Task 16

Adding Parts to Assemblies

Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:
Efficient:
Engaging:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 27
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X
X
X
X

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
Adding parts can be done one at a time or multiple at a time
It is quick to add all the parts needed in an assembly
It is engaging to add parts and even copy them
It is much like opening documents in any other program
It is very intuitive since for most people it is already programed into their
thought process

26

Task 17
Strongly
Agree
6
Effective:
Efficient:
Engaging:

Mates
Agree

Slightly
Agree

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 25
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X
X

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
Mates do what theyre supposed to and fix different parts together
They for the most part choose their relationship automatically when you
choose two surfaces
Mates are one of the more engaging aspects of Solidworks because it
brings the whole assembly together
It lets you flip parts if you meant to do the opposite, but sometimes things
have to be done in a certain order or parts get stuck and cant be mated
easily
The tool is intuitive with simple choices for mates

X
X

Task 18

Exploded View
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:
Efficient:
Engaging:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 22
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X
X

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
An exploded view shows how all the components of an assembly go
together
It has tools that can automatically explode sections at once and predefined
distances
Exploded views can be engaging because of their difficulty
Even when exploding something automatically errors occur
It takes a while to learn to explode the more difficult assemblies, and it is
difficult to find and explode an assembly once it is created

27

28

Task 19

Engineering Drawings
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:
Efficient:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 27
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X

Engaging:

X
X
X

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
Engineering Drawings are to show the dimensions of a part and in
Solidworks its easy to show this
Different views are added by dragging and the smart dimensioning button
is on the tool bar
Drawings are engaging for the views of the part offered
It sometimes tries to do some actions automatically that you dont want but
simply deleting the views it creates is enough to fix it
The tools are all at the top and easy to use
Task 20

Animations
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Agree
6

Effective:

Slightly
Disagre
e
3

Total: 17
Disagre
e

Strongly
Agree

X
X
X

Efficient:
Engaging:

Error
Tolerant:
Easy to
Learn:
Notes:
Animations work well but it takes time and patience to learn it
There are many bugs with Solidworks animations but it is possible to do all
you want
It is not as engaging because it requires a lot of patience
Sometimes some movements are created by accident and deleting them
may delete other parts by accident
This is probably the toughest part about Solidworks, it requires much trial
and error

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