Intro to UX: Fundamentals of Usability

Assignment Option A: Do a heuristic evaluation

Product focus: DuoLingo (Foreign language learning product)

Media Platform: Smartphone application (via iPhone 11)

Key Usability Heuristics (source: Jakob Nielsen):

Match between system and the real world
User Control and FreedomHelp users recognise, diagnose and recover from errors
Recognition rather than recall
Aesthetic and minimalist design
Flexibility and efficiency of use

Analysis:

1. Match between system and the real world

- The main page of the application features a number of units, each focusing on a different topic, which the user works their way down. The linear layout and the way lessons are grouped into sections feels similar to a textbook and it feels intuitive to scroll down through the units, completing the tasks, until you reach the end of the ‘section’ and move onto the next level.

- One thing I feel is missing with this layout is a glossary and/or index. If you want to revisit a topic, you have to scroll through all of the units and read all of their titles. It would be useful to see a collapsed view of the unit numbers and names to make this process more efficient.

2. Visibility of the system status

- The app contains built-in error messaging to resolve problems, e.g. ‘Oops… looks like you’re offline’, ‘go online to take this lesson’ and ‘loading’. These messages provide feedback to the user so they are aware of what is happening in the background, or what is stopping the app from functioning properly, preventing confusion and the impulse to click a button multiple times when nothing appears to be happening.

- The ‘Loading’ message contains drawings and phrases that change each time it appears. This is a pleasant feature that keeps the user occupied for a short time and takes their mind off the wait time between screens.

3. Recognition rather than recall

- The home page of the application contains no text, but instead different icons of books, weights, trophies and more, which gives the user an instant understanding of what each exercise entails, whether it be reading, recapping previous mistakes, and so on. This is a simple and effective way of providing the user with more information about the unit or lesson, without overcrowding the page with writing.

4. Aesthetic and minimalist design

- The homepage of the product is very simple with lots of blank white space and informative images. There is an animated ‘Start’ button which draws the user to the next lesson in the unit to be completed, making the next step in completing the task clear.

- The graphic style is paired back and a minimal, complimentary colour palette is used. This keeps the focus on the task and the information does not distract or impede the user from completing a quick language lesson.

5. Flexibility and efficiency of use

- Flexibility of use is an area DuoLingo is less successful in. The path of completing language units is linear as you complete lessons, you unlock new ones. There is no way of tailoring a course to a user’s specific needs, for example, if you wanted to focus on grammar, or vocabulary. All of the lessons contain a mixture of skills. Ideally there would be a search function to find lessons that cover specific areas sought out by the user.

- DuoLingo is overall efficient in making daily practice of a foreign language achievable. The short lessons make the tasks manageable to fit into a busy day. The progress bar at the top of the screen as you are taking a lesson encourages you to complete it, instead of stopping partway through. The ‘streak’ and ‘leader board’ features provide incentive to the user to continue learning and encourage them to return to the app the next day to take another class.

Screenshots from the Application

1. Home page – completed unit

2. Leader board

3. Home page – Next lesson

Useability Heuristics Evaluation - image 1 - student project

Useability Heuristics Evaluation - image 2 - student project

Useability Heuristics Evaluation - image 3 - student project

Evie Robinson

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