Project Four Final Draft

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Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Methodology 3
Tasks 3
Test Environment 3
Evaluative Criteria 3
Results 4
Task One 4
Task Two 6
Task Three 78
Task Four 910
Task Five 102
Conclusion 124
Bibliography 135
Appendix 146
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Introduction:
- Microsoft Word and Google Docs are word processing programs designed for
use at home or in the workplace by people with little or no word processing
experience. This white paper shows the results of a cognitive walkthrough
usability test where five different tasks will be evaluated for each program. These
are tasks an average user would likely complete while using the program.
Microsoft Word and Google Docs will both be evaluated for the five components
that define usability using a Likert scale.
Methodology:
- Tasks
1. Insert a photograph.
2. Change the margins.
3. Create a header.
4. Insert a table.
5. Change orientation portrait to landscape.
- Test environment:
This test was completed on a 2016 HP ENVY laptop with Windows 10
installed. An average user would likely use their word processing
programs in an environment with very few distractions. I conducted this
test at home on a table with soft music playing and as few interruptions as
possible. Microsoft Word was run on Windows 10 and Google Docs was
run on the most current Google Chrome web browser.
- Evaluative Criteria:
This test was evaluated using a five-point Likert scale for each of the five
components of usability:
1) Effective: I was able to complete the task.
2) Efficient: I was able to complete this task within three clicks.
3) Engaging: This products design added to its understanding of use.
4) Error Tolerant: The task was completed with few attempts and errors
were easy to correct.
5) Easy to Learn: This system’s required tools were intuitive and easy to
access.
Likert scale:
3
Strongl Somewh Neutr Somewh Strong
y at al at ly
Disagr Disagree Agree Agree
ee
1 2 3 4 5
A five-point scale with a neutral point was chosen in case a criteria did not
apply.
Results:
Task one: Insert a photo
- Microsoft Word:
o To insert a photo, first click the Insert tab in the menu bar at the top of the
page(1). Next, select the Pictures button in the Insert tab (Figure 2). After
the Pictures button is selected, the user will be prompted to make a
selection from the files available on the computer (Figure 3). After
selecting insert, the photo will be inserted into the document.
o
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(Figure 3) Photo of the pop- up photo selection box
o
- Google Docs
o To insert a photo, first click the Insert tab in the menu bar at the top of the
page (Figure 4). After selecting the insert button, a drop-down menu will
appear. Click Image, which is the first option listed (Figure 5). The next
drop down menu will allow the user to select a location to upload the photo
from (Figure 6). After the photo has been selected from the desired
location on the computer, click ‘Open’ to finish inserting the photo (Figure
7).
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(4) Photo of the home page of a
document, with the insert button visible.
(5) Photo of the drop-down menu with

the image button available
(6) Photo of the second drop down menu where the photo location is selected, with the
upload options highlighted.
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(7) Photo of the pop-up box where a photo may be selected.
- Comparing the Insert a photo task between the two programs, I preferred
Microsoft Word. The font was bigger to make the options more visible, and color
on the options made it easier to select the action I wanted to complete. The one
benefit of using Google Docs was that it provided multiple options to upload
photos from. In Microsoft Word, pictures could only be uploaded from your
computer. Microsoft Word earned a 25/25 and Google Docs earned a 24/25 for
this task using the Likert scale.
Task Two: Change the margins
- Microsoft Word:
o The first step to change the margins of a document is to click the Layout
button, located in the menu bar on the home page. (Figure 8) The second
step is to select the Margins button, found on the left with an illustration
that represents margins. (Figure 9) The final step is to select a margin
setting from the list of options or to create a custom one. ( Figure 10)
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(8) Photo of the home
page, with the layout
button highlighted.
(9) Photo of the layout tab, with

the margins button highlighted.
(10) Photo of the open margins tab, with

the options highlighted.
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- Google Docs
o To change the margins, locate the bar with inch markers on the top and
side of the page, which indicates the current margins. As you click and
drag the bar, a line will appear across the page to show the new margin.
When the bar is let go the margin will be set (Figure 11).
o
o
(11) Photo of the margins
being changed
- To change the margins, I preferred Google Docs over Microsoft Word. The
margin tool in Google Docs was less intuitive to find, but once found it was much
easier to use and customize the margins. Microsoft Word earned a 25/25 and
Google Docs earned a 19/25.
Task Three: Insert a table
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- Microsoft Word
o To insert a table,
the first step is to
click on the Insert
tab on the menu
bar ( Figure 1).
The next step is to
click on the Table
button, which has
a data table
illustration next to
it (Figure 12). The third step is to select the size of table you want from a
grid system or using custom settings. The table will be automatically
inserted onto the page (Figure 13).
o
(12) Photo of the insert tab with the table button highlighted.
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(13) Photo of table tool
selecting a 5 X 3 grid.
- Google Docs
o To insert a table, the first step is to click the Insert tab (Figure 4). The
second step is to hover the mouse over the Table tab in the drop-down
menu, which will automatically open a grid to select the desired table size
(Figure 14). After clicking on the desired table size, the table will be
inserted onto the page.
o
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(14) photo of the selected table feature
with the grid open
o
- To insert a table, I preferred Microsoft Word over Google Docs. The automatic
inserting of the table as you changed the grid size made it easier to see what you
were actually inserting before clicking to finalize it. The illustration also helped to
easily see and identify the table button. Microsoft Word earned a 25/25 and
Google Docs also earned a 25/25.
Task Four: Create a header.
- Microsoft Word
o The first step to create a header is to click the Insert tab (Figure 1). After
this tab is opened, a Header button will be visible on the right side of the
toolbar with an illustration of a yellow bar at the top of a page (Figure 15).
Click the Header button. Note: if the mouse is hovered over the Header
button, a description of what a header is and when to use it will appear.
The third step is to select the style of header to be inserted. There are a
number of pre-set options that will provide a preview of the document. A
user may also create a custom header (Figure 16). Selecting a style will
insert the header at the top of the document page.
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(15) Photo of mouse hovering over highlighted header button with header explanation
visible.
(16) Photo of selected header button

with options visible
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- Google Docs
o The first step to
create a header is to
click the Insert tab
(Figure 4). This
opens a drop-down
menu with several
options, including
the Headers &
Footers button.
When the mouse is hovered
over this button it will open
the option to select a Header
or a Footer (Figure 17).
Selecting Header will insert
the header at the top of the
document page (Figure 18).
(17) photo of Headers & Footers option highlighted on insert tab.
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(18) Photo of inserted header
- To insert a header, I preferred Microsoft Word over Google Docs. The preview of
different styles in Microsoft Word helped show what types of headers are
available and what each would look like when inserted. The Google Docs
program only provided one style with no preview, but both Microsoft Word and
Google Docs earned a 25/25 for this task.
Task Five: Change to landscape orientation.
- Microsoft Word
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o The first step to
change a document
from portrait to
landscape orientation
is to click on the
Layout tab (Figure 8).
Next, select the Orientation button located on the left, which shows an
illustration of a page being changed from portrait to landscape orientation
(Figure 19). The final step is to select the Landscape option, which will
switch the paper to landscape orientation (Figure 20).
o
(19) Photo of the orientation button
(20) Photo of paper in landscape

orientation
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- Google Docs
o To change a document from portrait to landscape, the first step is to select
the File button, located on the left. This will open a drop-down menu
(Figure 21). The next step is to select the Page Setup button, found near
the bottom of the drop-down menu (Figure 21). After the Page Setup
button is selected, a pop-up box with several options will appear. Portrait
and Landscape options is at the top of the list. Select the landscape button
and then click OK at the bottom of the pop-up box (Figure 22).
(21) Photo of the file drop-down menu, with

the page setup button highlighted on the
bottom of the menu.
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(22) Photo of the pop-up box with landscape
option and OK button visible.
- To change from portrait to landscape orientation, I strongly preferred Microsoft

Word over Google Docs. Microsoft Word had a straightforward process and the
location of buttons was intuitive. On Google Docs it was very difficult to figure out
how to change the layout, and I finally had to look in the help tab to accomplish
this task. Microsoft Word earned a 25/25, and Google Docs earned a 13/25.
Conclusion
- Both programs are fairly user friendly. I could accomplish all of the tasks in a
reasonable amount of time and number of clicks. Microsoft Word earned a total
score of 125/125 while Google Docs earned a total score of 106/125. Overall, I
found Microsoft Word to be a more usable program. It has a larger font and the
illustrations on the buttons helped me find what I was looking for. I also found the
Microsoft Word organization of different tabs more visually appealing and easier
to navigate than the drop-down menus Google Docs employs. Microsoft Word’s
design provided the option to stay open if you need to use a tab multiple times in
a row. However, if you want to perform something multiple times in Google Docs
you would have to repeat the whole process each time. Microsoft Word also
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provided pre-set options for several functions where Google Docs did not. The
pre-set options makes the program easier for first-time users. My suggestions to
improve Google Docs is to have larger fonts and to have the drop-down menus
stay open until you close them, instead of closing when something else is
clicked. These improvements would make them easier to use when preforming
multiple topics and would enhance readability.
Bibliography
Google LLCMyerson, T. (200615, March July 29).
Myerson, T. (2015, July 29).
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Tasks Word Google Docs
Task 1 Insert a photo Insert a photo
Efficient I was able to complete this task within three clicks. I was able to complete the task within three clicks.
Strongly Somewhat Neutral Somewhat Strongly Strongly Somewhat Neutral Somewhat Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Effective I was able to complete the task. I was able to complete the task.
Appendix Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Neutral Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Neutral Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
Agree
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Engaging This products design added to its understanding of This products design added to its understanding of
use. use.
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Error The task was completed with few attempts and The task was completed with few attempts and
Tolerant errors were easy to correct. errors were easy to correct.
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Easy to This system’s required tools were intuitive and easy This system’s required tools were intuitive and easy
Learn to access. to access.
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Additional In this program, the insert button was clicked, then the In this program, the insert button was on the front page,
Notes photo button was clicked and a photo was chosen to be and once clicked a drop down menu appeared with the
inserted. The program was very intuitive as the buttons photo button as the first option. When clicked, another
were labelled the same as the action I wanted to complete. drop down menu opened with options to pick where to
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The options were easy to see with a bold font and color on upload the photo from. This program was intuitive as the
the photo option. options were in plain sight and in an order that made it
easy to use.
Task 2 Change the margins Change the margins.
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
use. use.
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Task 3 Insert a table
Disagree Disagree Agree Agree Insert a tableDisagree
Disagree Agree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Additional Strongly
Ti begin completing Somewhat Neutral
this task, I first had toSomewhat Strongly
click the layout WhileStrongly
there wasSomewhat Neutral
only one step Somewhat
in completing Strongly it
this process,
Notes tab, then click
1 the margins
2 button.3The final step
4 was to 5 was not1intuitive and
2 took me a3while to learn
4 how to 5 use it,
decide on a margin size, either preset or custom. I think looking around the program multiple times and having to
Effective that this products design aided in the understanding by
I was able to complete the task.
use the help button. Once finding it, it was very easy to use.
I was able to complete the task.
having the task button placed under a tab that matches its
Strongly Somewhat
category and a picture Neutral
that helped Somewhat
draw the eye before Strongly
the Strongly Somewhat Neutral Somewhat Strongly
label did. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
use. use.
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Additional To insert a table, the insert button had to be clicked, then

Notes To complete this task I had to click on the insert button, the mouse needs to hover over the table button. This opens
click on the table button, then select a table size. I really the grid to select table size. This product was intuitive in 21
liked the grid design to decide table size, as it allowed you how to make the table, and it was easy to learn how it
to see how it looked on the page and to easily change the worked.
size of the table.
Task 4 Create a Header Create a Header
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
use. use.
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Additional The process to insert a header was intuitive and easy to

Notes To insert a header, the insert button needed to be clicked, learn. The steps were to click the insert button, click the
then the header button had to be selected, then a header headers and footers button, then select the header option.
style could be chosen. This program was easy to use The options were located in places that were easy to find
because the buttons were placed in categories that made and made sense.
sense, and viewing the heading options made it easy to
decide what style you need.
Task 5 Change to landscape orientation Change to landscape orientation
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
use. use.
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Additional To change from portrait to landscape, the layout button had To change the document from landscape to orientation, the
Notes to be pushed, then the orientation button, and finally the file button must be clicked, then the page setup, then the 22
landscape option could be selected. This program’s landscape option must be selected. The final action is for
illustration greatly enhanced the ease of finding the button, the OK button to be selected, and the document will be
and the placement of the buttons makes sense for their changed. This system was not intuitive to use, as the
function. landscape button was not expected to be in the file tab.
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Task Four 910

Task Five 102

(5) Photo of the drop-down menu with

Task Two: Change the margins

(9) Photo of the layout tab, with

(10) Photo of the open margins tab, with

Task Three: Insert a table

Task Four: Create a header.

(16) Photo of selected header button

(17) photo of Headers & Footers option highlighted on insert tab.

Task Five: Change to landscape orientation.

(19) Photo of the orientation button

(20) Photo of paper in landscape

(21) Photo of the file drop-down menu, with

- To change from portrait to landscape orientation, I strongly preferred Microsoft

Myerson, T. (2015, July 29).

Additional To insert a table, the insert button had to be clicked, then

Additional The process to insert a header was intuitive and easy to

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