Recording pitfalls and useful solutions in an existing interface

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. During a task walk-through of an existing app, what should you do at each step?

A Record any pitfall or useful feature and link it to a useability principle

B Skip to the end and give the app an overall score out of 10

2. Which note about a school canteen app is linked to a useability principle?

A Learnability: the first screen has no instructions, so new users do not know where to tap

B This app is bad and I do not like it

3. Why do you add notes to a screenshot during a walk-through?

A To point to the exact part of the screen where the pitfall or feature appears

B To make the screenshot look more colourful in your report

4. Which is an example of an idea worth reusing?

A A hidden menu that takes five taps to find, which makes tasks slower

B A confirmation step before deleting a file, which supports the safety principle

5. You are walking through the task 'book a library room' and the Submit button is grey and unlabelled. How do you record it?

A Do not record it, because only useful features belong in a walk-through

B As a pitfall, with the step number, a screenshot note and the principle it breaks

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Step 3: Checkout button hidden below the fold		AA walk-through note recording a pitfall, because the button is hard to find (breaks learnability and effectiveness)
2Screenshot 4 + note: 'Progress bar shows steps left'		BReuse \| Step 2: Search suggests words \| Utility
3Record a pitfall against the safety principle during a walk-through		CA screenshot with a note recording a useful feature that helps users and is an idea worth reusing
4Record an idea worth reusing and link it to a useability principle		DPitfall \| Step 5: Delete has no confirm \| Safety
5Step 4: The app is bad and confusing		EIt leaves out the useful features. A walk-through should record both pitfalls and useful solutions worth reusing.
6Walk-through notes: list only the pitfalls found		FThe note is vague. It names no specific pitfall and no useability principle, so it cannot be used as evidence.

Definitions

task walk-through

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

Step 2: Tap the tiny Pay link Note: Hard to tap, so users miss it Type: _______

Step 4: Undo fixes a wrong order Type: useful feature Principle: ______

Screenshot 3: arrow points to Help icon Note: Icon is clear, easy to learn Principle: ____________

Step 3: Progress bar shows steps left Type: useful feature _____: add a progress bar to my design

Step 5: Search fails, task cannot finish Type: pitfall Principle: _____________

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A Task: Delete a saved photo

B Step 3: Tap the bin icon

C Pitfall: No confirm message

D Principle: Utility

Question 2

A Task: Order a pizza in an app

B Step 2: Pick a size

C Pitfall: Progress bar shown

D Principle: Learnability

Question 3

A Task: Find a library book

B Step 2: Type a title

C Screenshot: step2_search.png

D Note: Search box has a hint

E Pitfall: Unclear what to type

Question 4

A Task: Change my password

B Step 1: Tap Settings

C Step 4: Tap Password

D Step 3: Type new password

Question 5

A Useful: Free times in green

B Principle: Prettiness

C Idea to reuse: Colour coding

Answer Key

Recording pitfalls and useful solutions in an existing interface

Section A: Quick Questions

A — Record any pitfall or useful feature and link it to a useability principle

A — Learnability: the first screen has no instructions, so new users do not know where to tap

A — To point to the exact part of the screen where the pitfall or feature appears

B — A confirmation step before deleting a file, which supports the safety principle

B — As a pitfall, with the step number, a screenshot note and the principle it breaks

Section B: Match the Pairs

Step 3: Checkout button hidden below the fold → A walk-through note recording a pitfall, because the button is hard to find (breaks learnability and effectiveness)

Screenshot 4 + note: 'Progress bar shows steps left' → A screenshot with a note recording a useful feature that helps users and is an idea worth reusing

Record a pitfall against the safety principle during a walk-through → Pitfall | Step 5: Delete has no confirm | Safety

Record an idea worth reusing and link it to a useability principle → Reuse | Step 2: Search suggests words | Utility

Step 4: The app is bad and confusing → The note is vague. It names no specific pitfall and no useability principle, so it cannot be used as evidence.

Walk-through notes: list only the pitfalls found → It leaves out the useful features. A walk-through should record both pitfalls and useful solutions worth reusing.

Section C: Definitions

task walk-through — Doing a task step by step in an existing interface, recording each pitfall and each useful feature against a useability principle, using screenshots with notes and ideas worth reusing.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

Step 2: Tap the tiny Pay link
Note: Hard to tap, so users miss it
Type: pitfall

Step 4: Undo fixes a wrong order
Type: useful feature
Principle: safety

Screenshot 3: arrow points to Help icon
Note: Icon is clear, easy to learn
Principle: learnability

Step 3: Progress bar shows steps left
Type: useful feature
Reuse: add a progress bar to my design

Step 5: Search fails, task cannot finish
Type: pitfall
Principle: effectiveness

Section E: Spot the Error

D — With no confirm message, a user can delete a photo by accident. That is a Safety problem, so the line should be 'Principle: Safety'.

C — A progress bar helps users, so it is a useful feature. It should be recorded as 'Useful:', not as a pitfall.

D — The note says the box has a hint, but the pitfall below says users do not know what to type. The note must say 'Search box has no hint' so the record is consistent.

C — A walk-through records steps in order. After Step 1 comes Step 2, so this line should read 'Step 2: Tap Password'.

B — Each note is linked to a real useability principle. Prettiness is not one. Colour coding that helps users find a time quickly fits 'Principle: Efficiency'.