Heuristic Evaluation of yoyochimp.com & competitors

1. Purpose of the Study

The main goal was to analyze yoyochimp against a set of generally agreed upon usability and user experience standards. Competitors were included to see how yoyochimp stacks up and identify where the website has room for growth and where its threats are.

The goals for this evaluation were: identify usability problems based on information architecture, interaction design,

visual design, and the quality of writing compare website interaction to a model of direct conversation with the user identify value of using website based on typical user motivations identify disadvantages of yoyochimp to its competitors

2. Method

The method of evaluation was heuristic evaluation, which analyze how a website or interactive system stacks up against a set of best practices or general principles of usability. These principles can be found in Appendix A. The categories were identified by a heuristic evaluation performed by (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/12/16/a-guide-to-heuristic-website-reviews/) and the principles were organized from resources found in Appendix C including several websites on Heuristic Evaluation and a number of books on best practices of UX design. The websites were then rated on their success or failure of each general principle and how severe the problems were (with 0 being the most severe and 4 being the least) as well as including a description of aspects of the system (positive or negative) that resonated with that principle.

The ratings were then added up for each category and averaged to give a rating for each category for each website.

This evaluation is qualitative in nature (although the rating adds a quantitative component). The ratings are based on judgments of the applicability of design principle by the User researcher/Usability expert.

The evaluation was focused on the yoychimp (YYC) website and two of its competitors: activitiyhero (AH) and camperoo (CR). The evaluation focused solely on the parent-facing side of each of these websites.

Figure 1. Network graph showing percentage (from 0 to 1) over each category evaluated. This

percentage represents the severity total out the total number of points in each of the nine categories (toward the center of the graph shows more severe problems).

3. Findings

These are the qualitative findings from the evaluation. They have been categorized as a general comparison of YYC to its competitors. Interspersed with each finding is a short description of what each bullet point represents. Full details of usability issues for YYC can be found in Appendix B.

3.1. YYC's strengths with respect to (wrt) competitors: Straightforward, clear rating process of camp activities

YYC asks for a star rating and a written description on activities detail pages. CR has a simple rating process, but it is not connected to the activities themselves—users have to name the activity. AH has a rating system with more categories and information, but this makes the process more complicated.

Sharing website data with others

Task orientation and website functionality

Navigation & Information Architecture

Forms & Data Entry

Trust & Credibility

Writing & Content Quality Search

Help and Error Tolerance

Page Layout & Visual Design

Accessibility

0.3

0.65

1

yoyochimp.comactivityhero.comhttps://www.camperoo.com/

YYC's social connections makes sharing favorites with others easier (although I was not able to see personal posts and how that is shared with others). AH and CR have to rely on email sharing, which requires recall and is more time consuming.

Value of creating a login (e.g., not bypassing website and registering directly with camp).

While the communication of the value could be made stronger, once a user logs in there is a whole level of functionality that could not be provided without logging in. This provides more incentive to use the website more completely rather than doing research on the website and going somewhere else to buy. AH and CR have this to an extent, but YYC is stronger.

Consistency of core layout and visual designParticularly in AH, when one searches, a user gets a particular search results page. If that user changes for example the days of the search, they are taken to a different page. This is disorienting to the user (even though it is trying to serve comparisons). YYC has a consistent visual design that follows between pages. In part, the more complicated the visual designs get, the more difficult it is to keep consistent, but at the present this is a strength.

Form elements respond and are designed in ways expected by user.All elements on YYC are standardized even though they are using some fairly uncommon controls such as toggle switches in place of check boxes.

3.2. YYC's weaknesses wrt competitors: Making registration for camp seamless and easy

In particular with AH but to some extent with CR, the registration process of signing up for camps is made seamless with the website. Though the forms are not always the easiest to fill out (as with AH), it does take one step away from the parent, and also provides for a more consistent experience.

Promoting user experience of website through social proofBoth AH and CR provide social proof, which is evidence such as testimonials that tell me people I know or people like me get value in the website, for the entire site itself. YYC does have a rating system, which is a form of social proof, but these are for the camps, not the website itself.

Visual hierarchy of search resultsThe organization of search results in YYC make it difficult for the user to scan a search result and determine if that is what he/she needs. This is even though the information seems mostly effective. The layout of both AH and CR, the iconography, and typography all makes these layouts easier to look at in a glance.

Visual hierarchy of activity details pagesThe activity details page for AH and CR are designed for parents who are clearly looking for details about an activity or a camp. YYC is still built on a model of progressive

disclosure (which is good, but in this case is getting in the way of someone who is looking for more details). The tabs are getting in the way of the the parents information seeking. Furthermore, activities and camps need to be separated into different pages even though they are connected.

Likelihood and organization of search results and search hint boxesSearch results in YYC should be ordered based on what users are most likely to want for a particular search. The sort by helps, but it also make certain aspects unclear such as if I sort by location, what happens to the date? The search hint boxes (e.g., when I start to type Pal—should come up with the most likely response first: Palo Alto, but that is not what happens—I get the zip code which is numerically the smallest). There were a few other comments on this point in Appendix B.

Appropriateness of terminologyThere were a number of subtle word choices made that represent the underlying system model and not the user's model. For example, “Enter email” is something for those who habitually use computer means “Type email.” Competitors struggled with this at times as well, but it was most prevalent on the YYC website. There were a number of other comments on this nature in Appendix B.

Consistency of visual effectsThere were certain visual effects that seemed to be connected with hover over pop ups (some were yellow and no border, others white with a border) and notifications (some had a jQuery notification screen, and others just had the default browser alert). YYC was the only one that had this consistency issue.

Demonstrated openness to contact on the siteWhile YYC does show an openness to be contacted with email and feedback (and the address found in the FAQ). AH and CR go way beyond with a chat system and sharing phone numbers. CR even has a personal concierge service. The feedback YYC has is good, but given the terms included might feel a bit overwhelming (such as component(s): None).

Notification of system status (e.g., search engine completion, markets served)YYC runs into this problem of not signifying certain conditions and certain system status well enough. When a search results in no listings, the system says 0 search results in the top bar. That is too subtle because the area where search listings come up is where users are expecting to look. There needs to be a message there. The system also needs to explain what cities are served by the system, instead of the user thinking they are not using the right search results and getting frustrated.

Visual polish on certain pages (profile, search results)The home page and about page on YYC has a good polish and level of professional sheen. The profile, search results, and activity details page do not match that level of polish from the other pages or what is found on CR or AH.

Clarity and simplicity of instructions to user.Many of the instructions on YYC are simple and clear, but there are areas as listed in Appendix B of where the instructions are not as clear as they could be. In particular, when a user first logs in is very unclear on the wall post page. There should maybe be a separate page when users “first” logs in that demonstrates everything that can be done. The instructions about Inviting other parents is too dense and will not be read. Also, the invite parents probably matches making connections more than wall posting.

Use of human faces in selling website.There is good use of faces on the homepage of YYC, which is an important personalizing component for the website, but after that there are no faces anywhere other than Neelam's on the about us page (and possibly profile pictures). Getting camps to upload face pictures will make the website and camp activities more trustworthy and personal. More faces on the website, should help to sell the website and what we are trying to get people to do.

User-centered FAQThe FAQ needs to be geared more around user questions. The Parent FAQ has a mix of technical answers, how the system works, and contact information. It really should be all about helping answer how the system works and how it should be used. We have wall posts so if we can mine them for general site-wide based questions to fill in here, the better we will be. If we start having a lot of questions, we may want to list the questions at the top with links down to the questions below. AH and CR both have more user-centered versions of their FAQ based user questions.

3.3. YYC maintains balance with competitors on: Simple, non-required registration pages

YYC, AH, and CR all make it very simple with few questions to actually make a login for the webpage.

General simplicity of all tasks, rarely more than one step.Few tasks require more than 1 step on any of the three websites and it is completed. Search obviously requires more, but it is not more than necessary. AH has an easy enroll form that should probably be more than 1 step.

Playfulness and tone of websiteThe language, colors, and visual design of all the websites are playful and kid-oriented, which is good even though parents are the ones using the websites (although on one website I did read a comment that was likely written by a kid on a parents account). The websites all are appropriately informal.

Progressive Disclosure of Information on websiteInformation on all web page is kept at a minimum until a user has demonstrated that they want to read about a particular topic.

3.4. All sites are struggling on:

A simple way to make comparisons of camp activitiesNone of the websites make comparison particularly easy. AH is the only one that seems to be trying to explicitly addressing it in the design, but they make their interface exceedingly complicated as a result (two different style search results that are not logical in how they are brought up).

User-centeredness of search results (conversation style)All websites need to treat the search process in a more conversational way. AH is over the top in what they ask users on the home page. CR and YYC start with an appropriate amount of information (and use appropriate labels), but on the search results they then display all other search controls (consider making the some of the controls like activity type, days of the week, and categories in an advanced jQuery slide down panel). Also, age is tricky because what happens if I have two kids of different ages I want to search for simultaneously? Maybe a pop up box with a series of check boxes for ages to choose from—this may work well to reserve space for the categories as well.

User-centeredness of error messagesError messages have a very system model dimension to them. Instead of responding, “First name cannot be left blank,” (I'm paraphrasing) respond something like, “Oh, I'm sorry, but I need to know your first name if I am going to be able to address you properly.” Also, make sure everything required is actually required. Suggesting a camp should take one of the address, email, phone number, URL—not all of them.

Submissiveness of website language/visual design.The model the system responds to the user should be submissive, not dominant. That is in terms of language used, visual design, feedback/response, and system expectations of the user. This is because the user should be the dominant one, in control, of this process and the system must be in support of that. One area that stuck out to me was there are a lot of rounded edges (which are submissive) in most controls and images, but the categories on the front page are actually straight lines—which is more dominant. This is not a huge problem, but it stood out to me. Also, language needs to be flattering and apologetic in terms of errors and generally friendly and polite. There are a number of comments on this in Appendix B.

Mobile and small screens.The website is not optimized for small screens and mobile. I am using a netbook with a maximum resolution of 1024x768 and figure 2 is what I saw on most pages. This is a longer term project, but Neelam mentioned possibly creating a responsive design for the website. That would be a start, but mobile also has other issues. For example, the optimized size for a clickable object is 44x44 (this is the size of iPod icons). Anything smaller can lead to inaccurate results. You also lose the ability for any hover over effects—so those features need to be provided in other ways.

Figure 2. 1024 x 768 Firefox search page.

4. Recommendations

Based on the above findings, it is recommended YYC improve the following high priority items:

1. Conduct a visual redesign of search result items focusing on a visual organization, typography, color use and iconography to support easy scannability.

2. Redesign activity details page using a grid-based layout as opposed to a tab-based layout.

3. Separate activity details with camp details, having separate pages for each.4. Redistribute information on the wall, having a separate welcome page, from the

wall page, and inviting parents.5. Promote the website via testimonials present on the home page and about us page.6. Redesign suggest results (both search results and search hints) ordered based on

results that are most likely given a user's current situation/expectations.7. Further design the search controls around progressive disclosure and how a

human would help another human find camp activities.8. Finish easy registration procedure to register for camps on our website.9. Clearly mark on the home page and during searches what cities are currently

supported.

The following are moderately high priority items:1. Revisit all instructions and feedback to the user for clarity, non-technically

oriented language, and a positive/friendly/submissive/flattering or apologetic tone.

2. Ensure consistency among all form controls throughout the website.3. Make the website more visual particular from the standpoint of images from the

camps and images of human faces.4. Improve the FAQ based on user tasks on the website.

Appendix A. General Principles Applied

1 Task orientation and website functionalityThis category specializes in the way users do tasks on the website. This describes the primary uses of the website.

1.1 Task decision making. For Example:Too many choices? (people want many choices, but options make it hard to decide)Fewest possible of clicks required to complete a taskResponses to questions (dropdowns, etc.) are presented in order of likelihood Recommended responses are clearly marked

1.2 Task startup provides a low bar to useEffort is minimized by removing any hurdles, allow user to get right into the taskWhen possible, make a reasonable guess to fill in controlsShortcuts for common tasks are available for expertsSocial validation if people are unsure (social proof, testimonials, ratings, reviews)

1.3 Task CompletionAccuracy of controls for completing taskConsistency in methods of completing tasksIf saving data is necessary, do it automatically

1.4 Task FlowCommand for next step is discoverable (or inevitably discoverable) Error prone tasks are broken into smaller chunks Little information is required to remembered between stepsSuitable tempo (not too much at once, or too slowly) of asking user questionsNo unnecessary stepsTask progress is shown

1.5 Task questionsQuestions are asked only if users can answer/cares to answerTask-oriented questions are askedAsk questions only once in a setting

2 Navigation & Information ArchitectureThis describes how a user gets from page to page, task to task. It also describes how content is broken down across pages/screens.

2.1 Actions are easily discoverablePrimary tasks are discoverable (or inevitably discoverable)Standard elements easy enough to find?Use images for labels for tasks requiring recallLinks provide reasonable indication of where they go: External links, Larger downloads

2.2 Navigation and page layouts are consistentHome page link, site identification, navigation links, sitewide utilities, contact information present on all pagesConsistency in navigation across websiteAll pages should include page title and page heading/name

2.3 Demonstrated clear value (but minimal effort) for each task

Main reasons to use the website are promoted on the home page and throughoutBenefit to audience is stated on each page in some form

2.4 Logical ordering of websiteInformation is separated into appropriate sectionsPages and tasks do not “take on” too much or too littleBelow-the-fold content is no greater in importance than above the fold content.Categorize into relevant groupings

2.5 Content is geared to audienceAll elements on page are relevant to task at hand Reveal information only as neededText line is optimized for goals: shorter for preference, better for reading on long onesExamples are shown in addition to descriptions

3 Forms & Data EntryThis category deals with how users provide input into the system. While website functionality above is the “what” of the system, forms & data entry is the “how.”

3.1 Default valuesDefault values based on reasonable guesses are usedKeep track of previous user inputThere are no blank canvases

3.2 Control appearanceClickable things look clickable. The right affordances are appliedControl focus is demonstrated through highlighting and designSize of form elements reflects amount of data neededNon-applicable controls are removed or disabledLinks must be clearly be colored/designed

3.3 Form works as expected by the user and developersForm elements used are appropriateProvide reasonable checks on input dataDon't require data re-entry after an error or user goes backForm elements are flexible (e.g., multiple date formats accepted)Consistency of input methods

3.4 Form is well organizedStart with easier or most logical form elements firstForm elements align visible together, with few jumpsForm as a whole is visually grouped

3.5 Form elements are clearly understandableForm elements are labeled in a clear, concise wayForm elements use tooltips/question marks giving details about elements

4 Trust & CredibilityThis deals with how the system works with the user. There are two components: letting the user know what is happening and demonstrating why the system is trustworthy.

4.1 Visibility of system statusLong delays are communicated and gracefulAvoid (negative) surprises

Feedback is immediate, when action is happening, and shows success or failureSystem responds consistently in all areas

4.2 Interruptions are rare and appropriateNot distracted at inappropriate times

4.3 Contact information is providedMultiple ways to provide contact information is availableFeedback is welcomed and encouraged

4.4 Demonstrates competence, accuracy, and timelinessExplain who your company is (authentic story about organization)Home page must be timelyImportant changes are notified to user

4.5 Wait time is explained and utilizedStartup, shutdown, signing in/out, adjusting/transitioning, waiting, problems/service unavailable, customer service time is not wastedSystem is responsive to user interactionFor wait times of longer than 5 seconds, provide progress barExplain what the purpose of the wait is

4.6 User Privacy is respected.Privacy Policy documenting what data will be collected and how it will be usedWhen private data is entered, reminder of policy is shown in user's languagePrivacy related settings should be set off by default.

5 Writing & Content QualityThis deal with all writing in the website in terms of both informing and persuading.

5.1 InstructionsInstructions limited only to that which is not obviousNon-main instructions are used only when self-explanatory labels aren’t possibleDo main instructions sound like something you would say to the user?Instructions should be clearly visible/accessibleAre acronyms and abbreviations defined before first used? (unless universally known)Use mnemonics, icons, abbreviations where appropriate

5.2 Speak User’s Language (familiar)Address users in second person

5.3 Appropriate language is used for contextFormality of language is appropriateTask-focused languageProvides flattery of user successIs user described as dominant and computer as submissive?

5.4 Persuasion is used appropriately for encouraging user actionAre items correctly shown as scarce or not?Human faces are used to personalize the website/tasksText (as a whole) tells a storyGet people to make small commitments firstCall to action is dominant and persuasiveUse social proof to document website/company success

5.5 Language on website is strong and appropriateLanguage used is clearVoice is consistent across siteNo spelling, grammar, or punctuation errorsLanguage is simple without clichéLanguage used is precise as opposed to overly abstractLanguage is not wordy, it is simplifiedStrong/explicit verbs are usedJargon is appropriate for audienceActive voice is used (except where the user may have made a mistake)

6 SearchThis category deals with supporting the user search for what they need. This includes using a search bar and for how users search for information on a page.

6.1 Pages/screens are constructed around user questions/goals6.2 Pages/screens are easily scannable

Text is broken into short blocksHeaders are providedGood information hierarchyRemoval of extraneous information

6.3 Pages/screens are built on progressive disclosureHigh level information is immediately seenProvides additional information when asked for

6.4 Search bar is providedFor search bars, only need a text box, search button, (perhaps icon instead of button, but must be clear it is clickable)Enter will search when using formSearch results should help user make an informed decision

6.5 Provide an FAQFAQ should answer questions most users will have when coming to websiteFAQ should be easily scannable and have its own navigationFAQ should be broken down by audience

7 Help and Error ToleranceThis category deals with mistakes users make in using the system and how the system responds. It supports the user in recognizing and overcoming errors.

7.1 System prevents errors from happeningCatastrophic/irreversible actions are extremely difficult to triggerAsk confirmation before committing actions with severe resultsEnsure form elements have maximum/minimum settings (prevent invalid values)Emergency Exit is provided at every step of a task

7.2 Error ResponseNotify user of what happened and whyNotify user of how to remedy errorEnsure website missing page errors are user-centered

7.3 Provide Forgiveness of ErrorsWhen possible, provide the ability to undo an action that erredSystem is as easy as possible given system configuration to recover from errors

Don’t lose information due to an errorAllow user to easily predict what website will do

7.4 DocumentationProvide technical support based on the user’s perspective/tasks/goalsMake it in the user’s languageMake it searchableCategorize documentationUp-to-date helpContextualize help based on user’s current activities

7.5 Error LanguageApologize for errorsDon’t blame the user

8 Page Layout & Visual DesignThis category deals with aspects of the way the website looks. The design should put a positive image on the website.

8.1 LayoutCreate information hierarchyCreate sense of page flow: focal point, guiding elements, termination pointNo competition in focal pointsWhitespace provides enough space to feel open, but not empty

8.2 TextDoes website favor visual information over textual information?Typography is readable and conveys themeLinks/commands/actions are clearly visible

8.3 ColorColor at the forefrontThere is effective color contrastReds, yellows, greens are used for status elements

8.4 ImageryPhotography is high qualityImagery used helps enhance the meaning, rather than just being eye-candy

8.5 AnimationAnimations should usually be natural, relaxed, and subduedAnimations should not be tiresome after repeated viewingsAnimations should not interfere with users’ productivityAnimations should convey a single meaning at a time

8.6 Visually appealingIs interface desirable/attractive?

8.7 SimplicityWebsite does not have an unnecessary elements—everything serves a purposeIcons/glyphs are made as simple as possible

8.8 Consistency & StandardsWebsite follows typical design guidelinesAccept for the most standardized icons/glyphs text labels accompany them

9 Accessibility

This category deals with supporting all sorts of users in all sorts of circumstances.

9.1 Physical AccessibilityDoes website work under various human physical limitationsIs color contrast enough across websiteColor elements should have redundant design elements (for color blind users)Control target is easily clickable (e.g., provide margin of error)

9.2 Device AccessibilityDoes website work at lower resolutions?Does website work on mobile devices?

9.3 Cultural accessibilityColors used are culturally acceptable where appropriateLanguage used is appropriate in locales used

9.4 Website validationDoes website validate with W3C?

9.5 Website works across browsers

Appendix B. Details on YYC Heuristic Evaluation

Task orientation and website functionality

Task decision making. The city name and search string suggestion box should organize based on most likely candidates, e.g. when I type Palo (one of the Palo Alto addresses should pop up first) maybe when I type Pal, Pa should be Pasadena or Palo Alto. It seems like it is pulling the cities based on zip code order, but users won't think like that. After most common alphabetical will work best, though users won't probably scroll for it—Maybe just show the top 20 results or so. They probably will only click one of the top few. Search string suggestion box seems to be missing something basic like Soccer. I may not completely understand what it is pulling from, but I would think basic names like that should pop up (is it based on camp titles?) Are there no soccer camps in palo alto? Either way, the suggestion box is reducing the amount of typing by adding a click, but it is a shortcut—not mandatory , which is exactly as it should be. I understand the direction we are moving toward why the activities drop down is there, but until there is another option to put in there, maybe the element could just be commented out. It is just superfluous at this point and could be confusing to the user. On the activity details page, I need to click to find what times of day the class is listing. That is an unnecessary click. There was duplication on the way of asking the question if people have signed up for summer camps on the left side and the right side. The connections page could be overwhelming to users the first time. It's a blank page with a search bar that users need to fill up. If there are people the system can make reasonable guesses at who this person may connect with. Making connections via Facebook connections would be another good thing. The connections page search bar relation to the main search bar for parents is ambiguous. There needs to be a way to display information about connections that works for people with lots of connections, but also with people who only have a few. There are a number of problems, but generally all other aspects of the system make options much easier that the either wise could be.

Task startup provides a low bar to useAs the user would type in his/her City name and search string, it provides suggestions of what he/she may be trying to type. Promotes recognition over recall. The camp suggestion page should only ask information it absolutely needs: name, city, state, and one of: website, email, phone number—not all three. Provide a lower bar will mean more people will be likely to do it. Adding a child preloaded the user last name, but kept it editable (which is good). Testimonials are not provided. These would help get people into the experience overall.

Task CompletionWhen a user is in a city that is not supported (I just tried mine—14882), they would have no idea if the search led to no results or, as is actually the case, the city is not supported—a user could try this forever with the area code an not be any the wiser. We need some indication that the city is not supported. A user will feel misled if the search suggestion box offers a suggestion that doesn't exist for a particular area. I would say if a city hasn't

been provided, then allow all camps in the suggestion box, otherwise only draw from the options in that city provided. What age does one choose if he/she has to kids of different ages to send to the same camps when using the advanced search controls. Adding children was very easy. Profile picture for children do not work. I also, through a fault connection, managed to set up a situation where I cannot get to the groups or child page.

Task FlowAfter making a number of searches, and clicking the back button I was taken back to the last page I was on. I was expecting to be taken back to my last search result. Most users (based on how they have worked with Google) would expect the last search result. You open a new page when the user clicks on a search result. Why not keep it in the same tab? Not being logged in, I tried to write a review. I was given an error message—commented on below—saying I need to log in first. As opposed to just giving an error message, why not bring up the login screen (with a link to register). It's a lost opportunity. On activity details or search results, the link to the camp takes the user to the camp details page on the activity page. It would be a more logical flow to take the user to a page for the camp itself. The activity and the camp are separate logical entities, particularly if the user wants to see what else the camp offers—these need to be separate pages. Instead of having an instruction for the user to close the signup page and go to the other section, make a link that takes a user to that side of the site and their registration. A better way to do it might be to have a “Register as Parent button” and a “Register as camp/class manager” button. The privacy policy and terms of use on sign up opens a new page, which preserves the task flow—great! Logging in takes me to a different page than I was on when I was asked to log in again. It takes me to Feeds and I was on Favorites. Task progress is never really shown, because no steps really needed more than 1 step.

Task questionsReally only the suggest a camp form has asked too much information from the user—too quickly. Child information is very appropriate and asking about chlld interests is some great data to work on a recommendation system. I wonder about gender? Should that be asked?

Navigation & Information Architecture

Actions are easily discoverableOn the activity detail page, as I clicked on a camp's external link it opened it up into a window in a window as opposed to just a new tab—most users would not expect this and in fact would find this difficult to work with. The My Feeds link takes the user to a page titled “Wall” Which also lacks a header. The delete button for posts are not discoverable, but they are inevitably discoverable because of hover overs. Once you click “View Shared Favorites” on the favorites page, it is not obvious how to get back to the user's entire favorites. Standard elements are easily discoverable, menu is clearly stated at the top of the screen.

Navigation and page layouts are consistentThe separation of the Group and Connection notification controls (on the left side of the parents menu) makes it feel disconnected with the content on the right. I am actually surprised tabs were not used here as they were used elsewhere. But they are not necessary. Home page, site identification, contact information, and Site Utilities are present on every page. The navigation changes pretty significantly whether one is logged in or not.

Demonstrated clear value (but minimal effort) for each taskMost of the value is explained after the home page (with the icons). Can it be shown more through examples (such as the template on the feeds page and the children page). The value is explained on the home page—this is good. Camperoo also added a getting started page that helped promote the website value.

Logical ordering of websiteOn the activity detail page, you are using tabs—which could be an example of progressive disclosure. But, I actually think, in this case, it is obscuring information that could easily be laid out on the page. The map and the discounts absolutely should not be in the tab. Pulling the description out (as that is likely something everyone coming to that page would want to read) that leaves reviews and company description. If you put reviews near the bottom (maybe not all of them, but a subset with a link) and you find a way to progressively disclose information about the company (as that is something that not everyone will look for there), you eliminate the need for the tabs. For reviews from the search results page, it makes more sense to take them to the activity details page. The feed organization makes sense once there has been a wall post added. Is adding the invite parents on the feed page too much? It seems related more to adding connections, shouldn't it be on that page. The navigation on the connections page is based on first name only.

Content is geared to audienceThe content is generally pretty geared toward the audience except maybe the instructions when logging in. Generally the text length is appropriate. Examples are not shown, but that is not an absolute necessity right now.

Forms & Data Entry

Default valuesForm does a good job remembering the user's last entered city. This means the user does not need to enter it again. When logged in, and after a while not searching (more than a day), the search loses the city the user is searching in. The site makes reasonable efforts to pre-fill in the forms. The website does its best to make pages such as groups, connections, and wall posts not feel empty, but there may be a more effective way to do this.

Control appearance

Minor nit: the custom controls for the date are nice and rounded as are the toggles. The dropdown boxes are the default browser drop down boxes and are visually different from the other controls (this includes the sort by further down). On search results, the name of the activity looks like a heading, not a clickable link. Forgot Password on login pages is jst the way it needs to be, blue and clearly a link. Most controls look and function as expected, even the toggle buttons which are more unique.

Form works as expected by the user and developersThe days of the week toggles have a “hit area” only in the top half—they do not trigger the hand until you hover over the top half of them. Without that affordable it A) makes it immediately unclear they are toggles, B) makes it permanently less accessible. The search does allow for flexibility in putting a specific area code in, but also just putting an entire city in (multiple zip codes). Is there a reason we cannot search by state or with nothing? Perhaps nothing would return too many results, but what about by state? This is not a consistency of input methods, but you have one tool tip with a yellow call out for the search controls and another one for the regular class glyph on the activity details page. This may not be a problem, or it may just be a small visual consistency issue at worst. It is not clear why on activity details the user cannot select the starts to make their own review on the fly (then a pop up box could follow up asking for a written response). Have people complete this task progressively. This is something akin to what Netflix does. You can still have another route to add a review below. We should have some consistency in form errors. When a user tries to suggest a camp and suggest no information, there is a message saying the user need to fill in the form elements, but there are no a red boxes around the element (like I did when I didn't put a city, state, or zip code in). Also, I only get an error if I put an invalid email in, but I can put invalid states and phone numbers in. With the signup, why must there be a zipcode now. This is probably fine, but I imagine if someone is moving to a new area that may not know the zipcode yet, but knows the city and state (maybe like looking ahead for the move). When I made a connection, it does not show up in my pending connection request. Invite parents correctly validates correct email. It may work based on the developers model to first need to associate favorites with children, but would a parent user need to do that. Logically, a parent would have the favorites for the children. Requiring children is enforcing the user to do something they may not want to do. When the user deletes a wall post, there is not a message box and overlay like on other pages, just an standard browser alert box (this will be processed differently than a custom box).

Form is well organizedThe forms in general are organized from top down with text on the left and elements on the right. This is acceptable. I wonder if for certain things like asking city, state (as in the camp suggestion form), if the form should organize those as if one is filling out city then state (also that should be the order, not state then city). This means moving the labels to above the form elements (otherwise it would not be clear what the labels referred to.

Form elements are clearly understandableTool tips are great when they express more than the label, they are working well on the days of the week and mostly on the start date and end date—though I think they could

explain of what (for the camp). Age, range, and camp/class needs more explanation. Labels are good, but the duplicates between the labels and the title inside the form elements are unnecessary duplication and at worse could be harder to process.

Trust & Credibility

Visibility of system statusWhen the search returns no results, it is very unclear that it is actually even working (there is a subtle message about no results and suggesting new camps). There needs to be a more central message that appears in the area the search results appear and it should appear as a properly formatted error message. The system provides rotators when the page is loading both on the home page and search page. On the results page, the system relays “975 found” for the number of activities found. Could it say “975 activities found.” After switching from Fremont, CA to 14882 (Lansing, NY—which returns nothing) there is momentary pause where the search results are cleared, but the results still say 88 returned. Eventually, it is fixed—is there a way to sync this up? When logged in, the user's name is shown in the bar at the top, but it is not clear what that is for. Perhaps, using it as a greeting would indicate the computer is acknowledging the user as logged in “Hello William Ryan.” When the user uploads an image for the child, there is no change in the profile picture. The green Invitation sent successfully, but it may be a bit subtle too notice.

Interruptions are rare and appropriate It comes across like we don't trust users to come back after they are done looking at the site. It's distracting to have the box to search the camps site through a website. The error checking in the invite parent form on the feed page once you made an error once, will continue to warn you that there is an error even in process of changing the response. The system should not validate again until invite parents is clicked. The feedback form is generally not too big a distraction.

Contact information is providedThere are multiple email accounts and generally the website is fairly open to feedback (with a way to provide it built in to the side). They do not provide multiple options for feedback though.

Demonstrates competence, accuracy, and timelinessIt is unclear from the website that this is only currently servicing the San Francisco area. New connections/group acceptances should be notified on the icon itself: possibly through animation and a number indicating how many new connections were made. Home page seems timely, but changes could be made a bit more clearly. On the privacy policy, A user stubmling upon this “send statements and invoices to you, and collect payments from you;” may be concerned the website is not 100% free. Is there a way to qualify it for paid services only?

Wait time is explained and utilizedThe system provides rotators when the page is loading, which is good, because under most circumstances the load should not take more than a couple seconds.

User Privacy is respected.The newsletter should not be checked by default. It should be an opt-in, as opposed to an opt-out for privacy reasons. When adding children, it is good that school and grade are not required. I think it would be wise to add a message explaining that this information will be kept secure and private as honestly as possible—because it is sensitive information. There should also be privacy related information as to who can view the children's information with a default only the parent. Privacy policy and terms of use are clearly explained. Users may not appreciate that the only way to terminate the account is by emailing the website. They may want to look for an automated way to do it, or at least an automated way to suspend it.

Writing & Content Quality

InstructionsNot sure if this is an instruction problem or functionality problem. I can put in city and state, zip code, all three, but I cannot just put the state into the city search as “Enter city, state, OR Zip code” would seem to imply. Also, lower case zip code here. The search controls on the search page is structured to read like a series of questions, which is a best practice! The regular class glyph is used on the class detail page, but not on the search results page (where it just says regular class). This glyph is non-standard and never introduced. Only a tool tip reveals what it means. It's repetitive to use the label of the form elements in the form elements themselves (happens in all major forms). The instructions on signup are not necessary, you only need a single sentence saying that this registration is only for parents. The instructions after the registration were only up for a fraction of the time users need to actually have time to read them. When I was able to copy the message. It seemed effective. For this message and the message in the email, there does not need to be a “Click on the button below to activate your account.” Just make sure the button to click says “Activate Account Now.” For connect request heading, maybe the website should use “connection request” instead. Do not write “Enter emails...” use “Type emails separated by commas.” Remove the secondary instruction below. The instructions on the children page (while long) do add an understanding the purpose of adding the children is. This information will not be read by most people. I am wondering if it would be better served to add a pop up link next to the header--”Why add my children to the site?” I understand it makes the page feel bare at that point, but you could put a sample template there that looks like a child (same thing for the feed posts when there is nothing there). That would demonstrate not just through text, but imagery as well. The second line of instructions for adding child interests is good, but again only provide that information when the parent asks “Why?” make a link with a popup explaining that. On the add child form, the part about being able to edit it later can be removed—I think that would be most parent's expectations and they do not need reminded of it. The text on the feed page at the bottom asking parents to invite others is

very dense. Too much text. The only text people would likely read is the “Enter email” and “Invite.” When it is in its smaller form, it is more effective (but the larger form on the main page will likely be ignored).

Speak User’s Language (familiar)Error messages on activity details page do use second person. Signup and registration methods are in second person. Even privacy policy and terms of use is in second person.

Appropriate language is used for contextRegistration has proper amount of flattery and encouragement in the language (including the email that is sent). The error message the user is given is a bit passive aggressive. It's trying to act helpful, but is actually being very dominant and correcting the user in their behavior in something that should not (I don't think) be required. The story about Neelam is good, but the second paragraph loses its focus a bit. In the privacy policy, why are there [] brackets? There presence is confusing. The primary policy and terms of use are in a way people expect. The formality is appropriate, but for the sake of maintaining a positive tone is there a way to be just a bit less authoratitive in these? Just soften the language a bit more. I know most people do not read these, but those that do—this provides another opportunity to connect with them and create a uniform personality for the site. Generally speaking though, while there is a little bit of encouragement to the users. There could be more in the way of accomplishing milestones (filling out profile info, adding profile picture, connecting with others or groups, posting a question, etc.) It will make people feel valued and lowers the bar a little bit. Error messages in general need to be less aggressive and dominant. There is some submissiveness by the computer, but it could be enhanced (submissiveness is desireable—we want to put the user in charge).

Persuasion is used appropriately for encouraging user actionPersuasion is used on the front page with the main engaging image and category images. The main call to action, which is to search is very dominant. Signup and all activities related to it are not as dominant and to some extent may be a bit harder to find. The value of signing up is also not clear without reading the block of text on the home page. Testimonials/social proof are not used to help sell the website (only the camp activities with ratings). Getting people to signup for the newsletter and make an account are great examples of small commitments. Adding information is another small commitment. And, making connections and joining groups and interacting with others takes YoYoChimp beyond its competitors. Scarcity is not used, but it would only be appropriate in getting users to sign up for camps. There may be a need for find a way for camps to streamline that information into YoYoChimp to share with our network.

Language on website is strong and appropriateWe are starting to walk into a situation of terminology here. What is the difference between activity, class, and camp. (I get the difference somewhat between class and camp, but will users?) The word “Enter” in the search boxes is not user-centered. Try “Type your city, state...” and “Type any keyword...” instead. Along those same lines, should we use “Organize by:” instead of “Sort by:” At this point, I'm not sure about that

one, it may require actual users to work with these (or other ones) to see which one is more meaningful. Also, in terms of the options of that drop down, all of them work for “Sort by” accept “Start Date” is not as clear. Maybe, “soonest to latest,” but that is not a perfect fit—needs discussion. What is meant by “regular class” on the activity details page and the search results. “Timings” in activity details is not precise, what about ”Activity Weekly Schedule.” Also, “On-going” by itself is not clear next to “Duration.” Perhaps, a tool tip explaining that means no set start/end date. The language for the “Session Timed Out” page is not in the users words. Try “Please login again.” Words like “session,” “expire,” “re-login” are not user-centered, they're based on a technical perspective of the system. You could write, “For your security, we log you out of your account every X minutes. We are sorry, but would you please log in again.” When uploading an image for my child, upto is 1 word, but it should be 2. Instead of select child's interests, “share” child's interests. The feedback uses the terms “Affects Version/s” and “Component/s” neither of which the users would understand (they also have None) so can't they be removed? On the privacy policy: “provide third parties with statistical information, such as number of times a class is viewed or shared by parents, number of reviews, etc. about our users – this is an aggregate information about the use of website and is not used to identify any individual user;deal with enquiries and complaints made by or about you relating to the website; an” these have some grammatical issues needing cleaned up.

Search

Pages/screens are constructed around user questions/goalsPages are created around enabling the user to search for activities for their children, learning from peers about camp activities, connecting and grouping with peers in similar situations. Perhaps the only aspect to the experience would be improving the ability to compare between activities/offerings easily.

Pages/screens are easily scannablePages use good visual techniques in general to separate content. It is clear from the hierarchies what sections are which. There are few text blocks except on the home page. Those blocks are likely acceptable, but if they could be reduced it would help the cause of scanning. There is no content on any page that was not necessary at least for some people in some contexts.

Pages/screens are built on progressive disclosureThe load more results is good because A) it will not force the user to deal with paging systems or very long scrollbars (at least initially) and B) keeps the load time down. Is it possible to do this as the user gets near the bottom of the page though—like Google does? Do all users need all search options up front? Would dates, ages be the first “level” of search modification. Range, camp/class type, days of the week, and category all seem secondary to these two (and city and keyword above). In general, there are also a number of instructions commented on in the instructions above that could be disclosed only to those who want to see them. In general, what is shown on the page is necessary for most users.

Search bar is providedHome page search bar and other page search bars are well done. Enter works to search. Search results do by themselves provide enough detail to make an informed decision, but the organization makes user work for it.

Provide an FAQThe FAQ needs to be more systematic. It answers a number of questions about groups including how to remove oneself from a club, but not how to do anything else. Some FAQ aspects are about bulk uploads on a Parent-based FAQ. FAQ should be designed based on use questions, some of it is answered here some of it is not. There is no real organizational structure or navigation to the questions. The FAQ should address more questions than are present here.

Help and Error Tolerance

System prevents errors from happeningSystem does check with the user before deleting a wall post. There are no real catastrophic events that can be done that aren't absolutely irreversible. The form prevented invalid values for all but the phone number and zip code for camp suggestions, in general it does a great job. As most tasks are a single step, there is no real emergency exit needed except the home page link or a X mark.

Error ResponseWhen no city, state, or zip code is typed, a subtle red box is made describing what went wrong, but not why (though we may think it is implied, a message will show more of the system status). It will also show users how to remedy the situation. Error messages on activity details page do a good job of explaining what happened and why and how to correct it (but again, you could just correct it for them). The error messages on the camp suggestion and sign up page looks good in terms of explaining why an error is happening and how to fix it. It may not be enough to assume users understand that * means required. This may be a borderline thing, but if they don't realize it and then find out that it is—that would be potentially embarrassing. I had a base Apache error based on missing JSON data (firstname) after trying to edit the child data on the 8080 server. May have been a network connection problem on my end. Once I had that problem, would always get that problem when I went to any child related page. 404 error pages (pages that do not exist) returns a technical error from the Apache server. There needs to be a page that helps the user realize that was not a page that exists and get them back to somewhere they recognize. Although I did when an error page due to a partial request (due to a bad connection).

Provide Forgiveness of ErrorsGiving the ability to edit profile and child information and delete wall posts, connections, and groups. Should provide an ability to edit a comment or post that was made. The system does a good job of saving information under most circumstances and task are generally pretty short. Forms are designed around user expectations.

When possible, provide the ability to undo an action that erred

DocumentationThis was not really tested. There was some technical information in the FAQ, but it does not really belong there. If there is a need for technical help, have a separate page for it. FAQ should be about use.

Error LanguageThe error message for trying to write an review without being logged in does not apologize and implies blame on the user (how were they supposed to know they needed to be logged in?). The other ones on the activity details page are not apologetic, but a little less blamey. Error messages on camp suggestion page blame the user. “You can't leave this blank”. In general, error message language could be improved to be more welcoming.

Page Layout & Visual Design

LayoutThe categories on the search page are really bulky and take up a lot of space as is. Why are there gaps between each search result? On search results, the arrangement of text is very confusing. Categories are on the line above the description and it seems like they are part of the same paragraph. There needs to be more separation there. The feed section seemed to be fairly well organized and laid out for a small number of posts. In both the profile page (when others view the user's page or the user views his/her own page) has a great hierarchy through sub headings. The shared favorites also has a good separation for the same reason.

TextSearch results and activity detail page are not visual enough. Children table should include image of child. Text in general are readable and comfortable. Text coloring (links and so forth) is apporpriate and effective. The site needs to rely a bit less on text to communicate, even though there are some glyphs/icons and imagery. There is room for expansion for more imagery to communicate.

ColorThe arrows on the feed to delete a post is a red arrow, but to delete a comment is green (green is sending the wrong message here) and it is also inconsistent. The remove connection could use a red x mark to be consistent. There is effective color contrast and

ImageryOn search results and activity detail page, it is good to include the camp logo, but other websites have include good quality images associated with the camp—this is a must for helping to “sell” the camp. The logo could perhaps be overlayed in the corner of the eye catching image. The logo will not be eye catching enough. The move to gylphs/icons for the categories on advanced search is a good idea. The home page has some great imagery—although I wonder why the categories on that page are square as opposed to rounded.

Rounded is more submissive and friendly like most controls and visuals elsewhere on the website.

AnimationThe animation that occurs when the user puts an email into the camp suggestion or signup is a bit distracting. Place it to the right of the form element and it will be a little less distracting. There is an an opportunity when connecting with a parent that when one clicks the ok button, the notification could animate into the bell to make a connection with connections (same with connecting to a group). The only real animation is when the user loads the page and these are generally pretty low attention and subtle. The feedback tab which scrolls with the user is subtle as well.

Visually appealingThe website is visually appealing, though perhaps a tad less so than its competitors. This website lacks the polish that the competitors have gotten over time.

SimplicityThe website is simple and clear. It is easy to follow. It services its users tasks and does not include extra unnecessary parts on any of the pages. The only exception is when the user first logs in. The My Feeds page is trying to do too much and aspects should be separated. Perhaps, they need to make a clearer separation from the wall posts, the welcome to new users (this may include a welcome back message to returning users), and inviting parents.

Consistency & StandardsWebsite complies to standards to some extent even more than competitors. Icons and glyphs need to be revisited. The ones on the home page are fair because they are mostly text based, but they are atypical (this is acceptable though). For things like favoriting though a heart has a slightly different relationship than making a favorite (essentially a bookmark). Pins, price tags, bells for notifications, and person silhouette works fine for location, price, notifications, and profile information.

Accessibility

Physical AccessibilityThe targets for controls was off for the day part of searching, but in general, the controls are very small and only work best under optimum conditions, both for users and technologies. The color contrast is fine. If there is a color background, white text is used, if white, then color was used. In general, shape, location, and text are used so color isn't solely relied on for showing information except for the error message for the city box on search.

Device AccessibilityOn my netbook (generally smaller displays of 1024x768), I had issues with content displaying correctly. The advanced search components are off center and fall off the screen. It fits on my iPhone, however, the problem on these devices is that most controls

become almost too small click without a good bit of zooming in. In fact, search does not work on my iPhone 3.

Cultural accessibilityGenerally, the site is not geared toward other cultures, but it does support the needs of these other cultures. Colors are neutral in their usage and language is appropriate in the contexts it will be used.

Website validationWith the section tag, this is definitely an html 5 page, that should instruct browsers to process it as such. Also, importantly many images were missing alt tags that are important for screen readers.

Website works across browsersGenerally, the site works across all major web browsers, except for moderate problems in Safari on an Iphone.

Appendix C. Sources

Web Resources1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heuristic_evaluation 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_disclosure 3. http://www.sitepoint.com/heuristic-evaluation-guide/ 4. http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/12/16/a-guide-to-heuristic-website-

reviews/5. http://www.tingzabraham.com/Information-Architecture/usability/usability -

heuristics-part-1-visibility-of-system-status/6. https://www.measuringusability.com/blog/he.php 7. http://uxmag.com/articles/psychological-usability-heuristics 8. http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-to-conduct-a-heuristic-evaluation/ 9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWc0Fd2AS3s 10. http://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/ 11. http://www.cs.umd.edu/class/fall2012/hdcc208f/HeuristicEval.pdf

Books1. Designing the Obvious by Robert Hoekman2. Designing for the Social Web by Joshua Porter3. 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan Weinschenk4. Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug5. Design for Emotion by Trevor van Gorp and Edie Adams6. UI is Communication by Everett McKay