Software Evaluation

Norman’s site as mentioned on a former entry is a site which gives ideas on the contextual aspects you have to consider when designing websites and software. It describes what attributes do sites have that make them successful.

There is an interview on the characteristics that Windows 8 has and how this new interface can get Microsoft back to the top. The author compares Windows 8 characteristics to those of Android on the mobile segment and explains why the first is going to be better than the second one.

Nielsen’s site is a very interesting one because it offers a wide variety of links to different sites where software evaluation is being carried out. On the News Section there are links to different sites and articles that evaluate webpages and software.

There is a link to the BBC: “The Daily Mail has mastered the art of the long website headline”, which makes an evaluation about the success “The Daily Mail” has achieved. In the evaluation process, the most relevant features used on the site are described and compared to other standards. There, we can see how an evaluation instrument is designed.

Finally, Norman’s and Nielsen’s site is an excellent one because it gets together both authors expertise on the field and gets them to respond their readers’ questions on a practical way. It is just great how they offer simple responses to day to day situations you might face when designing software as well as webpages.

There is one question dealing with user registration while doing business on the net. The way the situation is handle is just deep and simple at the same time. Besides, the way they describe the practicality of each one the characteristics as well as the possible results that can be gotten from them is just awesome.

It is good to have sites like these ones on the net because by reading the sample situations they present in each case, students not only learn how to evaluate software and website, but also the aspects to consider on design (contextual or goal driven) to develop product which respond to customers’ needs.