Usability Inspection: Cybersecurity and User Experience Design of Grammarly
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Final Assessment - Usability Inspection Technical Report
Module: Cybersecurity and User Experience Design
Task
Your task is to conduct a heuristic usability inspection on a self-selected software artefact, then present which usability testing method you would use to expand upon your inspection. The findings should be contained within a 2,000-word (+/- 10%) report. The usability inspection should evaluate your chosen software to highlight problems, describe why it is a problem, the severity of the problem and give design suggestions to improve the evaluation.
I recommend you choose software which you can readily think of several scenarios that you can run through without severe inconvenience which have meaningful usable security implications. If a scenario within your evaluation requires significant effort or external factors it will affect your ability to perform the assessment. If it is difficult to find usable security problems within your chosen software (either due to irrelevance or excellent implementation) it will be more difficult to complete the assignment satisfactorily. Please consider what you will evaluate and subsequently be able to report upon as you choose your software.
It is expected that you will perform your inspection to create a problem list against your set of heuristics, your problem list will then be placed prioritized order. Focusing on the most important problems you should illustrate with screenshots where the problems are and what scenarios cause them.
The following learning outcomes will be assessed:
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2 |
Critically understand the major, specialized, research themes in usable cyber security |
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3 |
Systematically and critically apply techniques from user experience design to the design and evaluation of cyber security systems |
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4 |
Design, conduct, analyse and justify the results of usability studies in the evaluation of cyber security systems |
Guidelines
- Your submission should 2,000 words in length (+/- 10%).
- Please make sure that you correctly cite and reference all secondary sources you use and include a reference list. The reference list will not be included in your final word count.
CYBERSECURITY AND USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN: A FOCUS ON GRAMMARLY
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Cybersecurity and User Experience Design: A Focus on Grammarly
Introduction
Heuristic evaluation is a technique for evaluating usability in which an analyst searches for usability issues by comparing the user interface to a combination of provided principles or heuristics. IT systems’ development and design are receiving more attention in today’s web- and technology-driven business environment. Evidence supports the claim that IT systems are now more expensive than ever. However, some systems’ poor quality and difficulty have startled information systems researchers. Low usability workstation systems have also been connected to a stress trend. Usability can be conceptualized via product efficacy, efficiency, and satisfaction experiences as recorded by specific customers inclined to attain pre-determined objectives within a given use context. Usability cannot be defined without reference to certain settings; it does not exist in any absolute sense (Sohl, 2018, p.11). As a result, users cannot be measured in an absolute sense.
With society’s growing reliance on technology, emphasis is now placed on the systems’ ability to meet users’ experiences. This perspective applies in many technological contexts, including software development. Here, the user experience is best fulfilled through design. The design process is itself demanding, as it needs to consider several factors concerning the purpose for which the software was created. Since the purposes of software vary, the priority of user experiences may also differ. The aim of this paper is to analyze the user experience design of Grammarly. This software is a cloud-based typing assistant that helps with proofreading for grammar, spelling, clarity, punctuation, engagement, and delivery mistakes in English (Grammarly.com, 2020). This software is chosen because it is one of the leading proofreading applications, inviting the question of whether it is meeting users’ interest. The experience design of the software is reviewed against language, customizability, visibility, and navigability. The assessment reveals that while there are certain areas of strength in design, there are also weaknesses that need to be addressed.
Product Inspection
Component 1: Navigability
Navigability is regarded as one of the pillars of usability. It refers to the ease by which users can access the software menu. This goal is fulfilled by investing in a structure that is easy to understand and explore (Spiratos & Kořistová, 2020, p.19). A look at Grammarly reveals it has a weak navigability structure.
Annotated screenshot
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: Screenshot of the cluttered landing page of Grammarly that obscures navigability
Problem Description
The navigability challenge arises from the cluttered landing page and defying the three-click usability principles. The featuring of many contents and menus clutters the page and makes it difficult to navigate. The users can get lost while navigating through the menus and looking for the next page. For instance, the claimer first welcomes the user, “Grammarly stands with our friends, colleagues, and family in Ukraine, and with all people of Ukraine,” which is unrelated to the software’s purpose.
Severity rating: On a scale of 1-10, the navigability rating of Grammarly can be rated 4. The score implies the software score falls below average and can severe software function.
Component 2: Visibility
The visibility component is also an important determinant of the software’s ability to meet the user’s experiences. In this case, visibility defines the ability of the software to display the user’s status, making use of objects, functions, and options, in addition to the use of appealing colors and themes that give a good visual impression and enable users to find the menus and clicks with relative ease (Perficient Latin America, 2019, n.p.). The software evidences a significant level of weakness in this area.
Annotated screenshot
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 2: Screenshot showing Grammarly’s visibility weakness
Problem Description
The major problem with the Grammarly software is the limited use of color sheds. There is an over-reliance on green, black and white space. The use of a limited color range limits the opportunity to satisfy aesthetic functions. For people with visual problems, some content might be easily missed.
Severity rating: On a scale of 1-10, the navigability rating of Grammarly can be rated 6. This means the software score is slightly above average but will not appeal to the diverse experiences of users.
Component 3: Language
Language is an equally important factor in software design. The bottom line is that the software should be created using a language the users can comprehend (Elgammal et al., 2017, p.346). To effectively achieve this function, the texts should be verbalized where necessary to meet the diverse audience. Nevertheless, it is important to note that many sentences utilize technical language rather than those that the consumer would use. The finest illustration of this is error reports that are extremely detailed and beneficial for system developers but completely useless for users. An extensive examination of the user’s technical language is required to prevent this.
Annotated screenshot
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 3: Screenshot showing language limitation of Grammarly software.
Problem Description
The software is limited because it is only presented in English. This is a significant weakness in terms of linguistic diversity because it means non-English speakers cannot use the software. The software is also largely adapted to American English, ignoring other versions of English, such as the UK.
Severity rating: On a scale of 1-10, the navigability rating of the language of Grammarly can be rated 4. This means the software score is slightly below average and will not satisfy the experiences of users.
Component 4: Customizability
Another significant component in the user experience design is customizability. This component can be described as the ability of software to meet diverse user experiences (Elgammal et al., 2017, p.347). The software can be customized based on culture, language, shorts, or features such as font size. These features can be addressed through the setting options. A look at Grammarly evidences the use of various customizable options. However, certain areas of weaknesses that need to be addressed are also notable.
Annotated screenshot
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 4: Screenshot showing customizability attributes of Grammarly.
Problem Description
Grammarly strives to use different forms of customizability to meet the diverse needs of users. For instance, it provides an opportunity to customize the paper to meet different audiences. The user can decide whether to edit the paper to meet the demands of a general, knowledgeable or expert audience. The ...