We tested this third prototype with housemates who are not computer scientists. This way we could get some feedback from people who have a different view on computer programs.
The feedback we got from this was generally positive. Although some testers still had their doubts about the concept, the interface seemed to be doing its job very nicely. These are the relevant remarks:
- The text in the indroduction screen is not clear enough.
- The button to indicate which friends are taken into account for the value of articles - a green/red “stoplight” - is confusing. People don’t know what it’s for until it has been explained explicitely.
- The button to rate an article neutral was unclear.
- Using the terms Like/Dislike for rating an article causes wrong usage: interesting articles about bad events were rated negative although for our system they should be rated positive.
- When looking at the statistics, some people wanted more specific information, such as a further refinement of the categories.
- One of the test persons thought the button to close a window would close the entire application, and didn’t manage to return to the mining game.
- We had a facebook like-button to the starting screen of the application. However, this was only reachable when starting up the application while it should be accessible anywhere.
Because there were still quite a number of (small) remarks, we are planning to do one more paper prototype iteration. We will make the following changes:
- The “stoplights” in the friends list will be replaced with a checkbox. The color of the box of the friend will also help indicate whether or not they are included in the calculations.
- The rating buttons will have a visible name in addition to the icons, clarifying the purpose.
- The introduction message will be slightly more elaborate to clearly specify the goal of the game.
- It will be possible to view the statistics of categories in general, as well as more specific stats within a category.
- The facebook like-button will be visible everywhere, although we haven’t figured out exactly where on the screen it will be.
We decided not to change the close button, since we believe that when the application appears in the context of a webbrowser it will be clear that it doesn’t close the entire application.
The like/dislike-related observation seems very valid.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered using a system much in the same way youtube does?
What we see happen there is that articles that get a lot of attention are published on the main site.
If a lot of people have strong opinion on the matter (and therefore massivly vote "down" on it) wouldn't it generate more visits by keeping this article highlighted?
First of all, I like the overall look and feel of the application. Also, I think the "stoplight" was a nice idea for displaying whether or not a friend is taken into account; but I agree that if it was confusing to the user, it should be taken care of.
ReplyDeleteA comment on the prototype images themselves:I'm kind of missing the mining part of your application, but this might just not be the entire prototype...
The concept of your game has really improved a lot! I like it! :)
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the chileaders about the like and dislike buttons. You should not look at the fact that an article is rated positive or negative, but rather just at the fact that it is rated. If most people rate an article neutral, then it is probably not a very interesting article... But when users rate it 'down', it is interesting, even though it's bad news.
I was a bit sceptical about the old concept of the application because users could find it too complicated when they just start playing. Having seen the prototype of the new one, I think it could appeal to more users :)
ReplyDeleteThe difference between good and bad articles and good and bad news is indeed important. It should be clear to the user what he or she is voting for. Unfortunately, there aren't really widely used icons for "good article" and "bad article". Maybe a tooltip could appear over the buttons, like "good article" or "well written" or something similar. That way, the same buttons could be used, but the user will know that a "thumbs up" icon doesn't mean "like".
For the checkboxes or traffic lights next to the friends, maybe an article icon (a page with some lines written on it) with a "thumbs up" on it could be used. It is more in the same style as the other icons you are using, but may not immediately be clear to the user either. Although user testing will show that :)
Also, what is the function of the like button exactly? I think it is to spread the word about Data Miner. You could also use a button that says "Do you like Data Miner? Spread the word!" that would post a message to the users's wall :) It's not really essential for the game, but it could spread the word more efficiently as these messages are more easily noticed by other facebook users than "likes".
I agree with the other posters, this prototype looks good and well developed.
ReplyDeleteA few remarks however:
- I too, am sort of missing the game/mining aspect.
- What does the third paper represent exactly?
- Are you going to include media in the news articles (like pictures) or will there be only text?
I also think, since it's supposed to be a game of some kind, that it would not be a bad idea to include a status of where a person is in the game that is visible at all times. Like a rank you've achieved or the latest badge you obtained. This might give a user a better feeling about his progress?
I think the like/dislike buttons look to much like the facebook like button. I would fear that clicking the like button would result in a like on facebook. Maybe a star-rating system isn't a bad idea?
ReplyDeleteWe can see some of our own problems in the ones you describe, like the unclairity of some things without a label. We thought of this our selves and found some kind of a solution, like an info box when people mouse-over a certain button for more clarity. ( we especially think of this solution for the refresh and the change avatar buttons, which was very unclear to us)
ReplyDeleteOverall we really like your third paper prototype, it seems like you've put a lot of work in it and that pays off. It looks great!
Team SachiniNews