Evaluations

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For an interactive environment, users want systems that are easy to learn and to use as well as effective, efficient safe, and satisfying. There are some other ideas to designs by adding entertainment, attractiveness and challenge. Users are allowed to fully engage with the product of design and thus generating a personal bond with the product. Evaluation is the process that can check if the product has all the criteria mentioned above. To find out if the design products are suitable for the user, evaluation is a crucial step in tailoring to users needs. Although there are design guidelines for designers to follow, they should not assume that the guidelines would guarantee good usability. With the technological advancement of today and people opening up to wider horizons with the use of Internet, a good usable system might not meet full satisfaction. A product that is being developed maybe a brand-new product or an upgrade of an existing product. Market research is crucial and most companies would usually spend huge investments on it. So the next question is, when to evaluate? The following is some scenarios of when to evaluate.

i) Obtaining feedback to inform early design concepts Early conceptual models should be evaluated to ensure product’s placement in the market.. Evaluating competitors or previous products can also give insights to the new design.

ii) Deciding between different design options During designing, there would be alternative solutions to improve the designs. Considering design options and having a conclusion to which is the better method will help improve the designs.

iii) Checking for usability problems Evaluations sometimes involve testing to identify potential problems. One of the main design issues is the usability problem. As a designer, it is not feasible to exclude those that cannot use the product because of physical capability.

iv) Involving the users in the evaluating process Users are the directed audience of the product. Their remarks, comments, and feedbacks are critical to the evaluating process. After all, they will be the ones investing, implementing or using the product of your design.

v) Create prototypes to discover design flaws As mentioned in our course learning materials, creating Low-Fi and high-fi conceptual models can benefit in discovering problems that cannot be seen in design phase. Putting the conceptual models in different environments and testing the products capabilities not only give vital information on the limits of the design but also help additional market sell point of the product.

vi) Summative or Formative Evaluations If the product of design is a process, evaluations can be done through summative or formative evaluations.