Alvins Wanjohi Kamau 19/02722 BBIT Full-time Day

1) I would use the Jakob Nielsen’s Heuristics method for the evaluation of the KCAU website;
The heuristics to check are:
i) User control and Freedom- Users of the website usually make mistakes when choosing
functions and they need a clearly marked emergency exit to leave the unpatented state
they have gotten themselves in without having to struggle. This website provides a
similar option where the user can leave the page when they have chosen the wrong
option or task
ii) Match between system and the real world- The system should use words phrases and
concepts which the user is familiar to instead of system-oriented terms thus making
information appear in a natural and logical order. The KCAU website uses English which
us widely known an understood by almost every student
iii) Consistency and standards- Users should not have to go through the difficulty of trying
to figure out whether different words, situations or actions have the same meaning. The
university website uses consistent text fonts and colors to convey information to the
users
iv) Recognition rather than recall- The user should not have to remember information from
one part of a script to another. KCAU website’s objects actions and options are visible
and instructions for how to use the system are easily retrievable.
v) Visibility of system status- The system design should always keep users informed of wat
is happening through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time. The
university website provides information about what is going on in the university and in
the website.
vi) Error prevention – Error messages are vital but a good design is careful to prevent those
errors before they even occur either by eliminating error prone conditions or checking
and presenting users with confirmation options before carrying out the actions allocated
to them. The university website is designed in a way that their messages clearly state
what will happen those meeting the condition.
vii) Aesthetic and minimalistic design – Websites should not contain irrelevant information
since every added unit of information competes with the relevant information and
reduces their relative visibility. The university website has an attractive design that
contains only vital and useful information.
viii) Flexibility and efficiency of use – The system should be designed in a=such a way that it
caters for both experienced and inexperienced users. The university website is designed
in such a way that if you have access to it, you should have no trouble navigating it.
ix) Help and Documentation- Its usually best if the system doesn’t need additional
explanation to how it works but it might be necessary to provide it to users to enable
them to understand how to complete their tasks. The university website provides search
options thus meeting this Heuristic.
Alvins Wanjohi Kamau 19/02722 BBIT Full-time Day
2)
a) Life cycle in software development is the process which defines the steps involved in the
development of a software at each phase which are
i) Requirement analysis
ii) Planning
iii) Software design
iv) Software development
v) Testing
vi) Deployment
b) Use-centered Design is a collection of processes which focus on users, their needs and their
perspectives of the system. In this design system users are involved throughout the whole
process through various research and design techniques to create a highly usable and
likeable product for them. The key principals of the design are;
i) It should be designed for the users and their specific tasks
ii) Consistency should be maintained
iii) It should reduce mental effort by the user
iv) Information should be presented clearly
v) It should offer assistance
vi) It should be error-free
vii) It should let the user take charge
viii) There should be adequate navigation mechanism
ix) The language used should be simple and natural
x) It should provide adequate feedback
c) A user centered Design process outlines the development life-cycle while concentrating on a
deep understanding of who will be using the system and tailoring the system to their needs.
The phases of the User-centered design are
i) Specify the context of use; Identify who will be using the product what they’ll use it for
and under which conditions.
ii) Specify requirements; Identify any business requirements and user objectives that
should be met for the system to be a success
iii) Create design solutions via creating personas, coming up with user scenarios, creating
use cases and prototypes.
iv) Evaluating designs; This is done via usability testing methods that use actual users.