Case Study 1

Usability vs Aesthetics:

Overall, I think the UI design is good. The graphics is attractive and the functionalities are abundant. However, there are some issues that fancy graphics and functinalities cannot solve.

1. Misleading titles: In the main page, the main title, i.e. "I need help with" is very noticable, which is good. But the subtitle below it is confusing. The "need quick help? add more details" is weird. If I need quick help, then why should I add more details? I guess the developers think that if users fill in more details, then it the problem is likely to be solved more quickly. But by intuition, I don't think in that way...

Solution: Maybe put all these options in a pop up dialog which can be shown by clicking a "more options" button.

2. Layout:

(1). Some important functionalities are not noticable. The "overview" page is very important since the initial aim of this app is HELP OTHERS. But the "overview" is confusing and the button is too small. When users use this app, they may not find where to help their friends.

Solution: Add a tab for this page. If possible, the developers can combine the "ask" page with "help" page; thus, when users log in, they can see friends' help as well as post their helps.

(2). In the main page, the space of help options (e.g. left side) is even smaller than the right side. Since the right side is also part of the options, I think it will be better to put the right side below the left side, which looks more consistent.

(3). In the main page, the text input boxes are poorly aligned (I'm not sure if this is the final design. I guess they should notice this and fix it).

(4). Font size issues. In the main page, the font size of "need quick help" and "Who do you want to ask?" are different, which looks inconsistent.

Solution: Carefully adjust font size.

Number of options and freedom:

It is good to see that the developers offer many options to let users customize their posts. But it important that the options are intuitive and accurate.

1. Misleading options: I don't understand what "estimated time" stands for? What is the difference between "deadline" and "estimated time"?

2. Contradictive: It seems that we can select both "post to all your friends" and "No, I want to pick & choose reliable people!". I am not sure if the screenshot is only a mock up. If not, then this is a serious issue.

3. Redundent: I think posting help via RSS and SMS through facebook app are quite weird. Twitter is also not necessary.

Solution: Remove them.

Cycle of interactions and incentives:

1. Some interactions are not fast. If I want to help a friend, I need to first click "overview", then click "help him", and click "help him" again!

Solution: I don't know what the "Need to know more? Ask below" and the comment box is for. Probably replace it with a commenting system where you can give your friend solution directly.

2. The Badges page is to attract users to use the app more. But I guess there won't be many users that click the tab and see how many badges they have.

Solution: Maybe just put the badges on the top left corner. Badge icons can be smaller but users will see their badges anytime.