UX characteristic: usability

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Date:

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Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which statement best describes usability in software?

A How easily, quickly and accurately users can learn and use the software to achieve their goals

B How fast the software's code runs on the user's device

2. A new user can complete their first booking without any training. Which usability sub-theme does this show?

A Error recovery

B Ease of learning

3. An experienced user presses Ctrl+S to save instantly instead of using menus. Which sub-theme does this support?

A Ease of learning

B Efficiency of use

4. A form greys out the Submit button until all required fields are filled in. What is this an example of?

A Error prevention

B Error recovery

5. A user deletes a file by mistake and clicks Undo to get it back. Which sub-theme is this?

A Error recovery

B Error prevention

Match the Pairs

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

Left column		Right column
1Ease of learning		AAn experienced user can finish tasks quickly with few steps, for example using keyboard shortcuts
2Efficiency of use		BCtrl+Z undoes the last action
3Error prevention: the design stops users making mistakes before they happen		CA new user can work out how to complete basic tasks quickly, without training or a manual
4Error recovery: users can easily undo a mistake and get back on track		DConfirm dialog: 'Delete this file? Yes / No'
5Usability only means the software looks attractive and colourful		EUsability is about how easily, quickly and accurately users achieve their goals, not just appearance
6Error message: 'Error 0x80004005'		FThe message is not clear and does not help users recover from the error or know what to do next

Definitions

usability

Fill in the Blanks

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

__ quantity < 1 THEN DISPLAY "Enter 1 or more" END IF

INPUT answer IF answer _ "Y" THEN deleteFile()

REPEAT INPUT age _____ age >= 0 AND age <= 120

IF key = "S" ___ ctrlPressed THEN saveFile() END IF

_______ "Enter your email address:" INPUT email

Spot the Error

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

Question 1

A INPUT age

B WHILE age < 0 OR age > 120

C DISPLAY 'Age must be 0-120'

D DISPLAY age

E END WHILE

Question 2

A INPUT choice

B IF choice ≠ 'delete' THEN

C DISPLAY 'Are you sure?'

D INPUT answer

E END IF

Question 3

A DISPLAY 'Enter password'

B INPUT pass

C IF LENGTH(pass) > 8 THEN

D DISPLAY 'Min 8 characters'

E END IF

Question 4

A default ← Australia

B DISPLAY 'Country: ', default

C INPUT country

D IF country = '' THEN

E country ← default

Question 5

A WHEN user presses Undo

B IF undoStack NOT EMPTY THEN

C text ← PUSH(undoStack)

D END IF

Answer Key

UX characteristic: usability

Section A: Quick Questions

A — How easily, quickly and accurately users can learn and use the software to achieve their goals

B — Ease of learning

B — Efficiency of use

A — Error prevention

A — Error recovery

Section B: Match the Pairs

Ease of learning → A new user can work out how to complete basic tasks quickly, without training or a manual

Efficiency of use → An experienced user can finish tasks quickly with few steps, for example using keyboard shortcuts

Error prevention: the design stops users making mistakes before they happen → Confirm dialog: 'Delete this file? Yes / No'

Error recovery: users can easily undo a mistake and get back on track → Ctrl+Z undoes the last action

Usability only means the software looks attractive and colourful → Usability is about how easily, quickly and accurately users achieve their goals, not just appearance

Error message: 'Error 0x80004005' → The message is not clear and does not help users recover from the error or know what to do next

Section C: Definitions

usability — How easily, quickly and accurately users can learn and use software to achieve their goals, including ease of learning, efficiency of use, and error prevention and recovery.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

IF quantity < 1 THEN
    DISPLAY "Enter 1 or more"
END IF

INPUT answer
IF answer = "Y" THEN
    deleteFile()

REPEAT
    INPUT age
UNTIL age >= 0 AND age <= 120

IF key = "S" AND ctrlPressed THEN
    saveFile()
END IF

DISPLAY "Enter your email address:"
INPUT email

Section E: Spot the Error

D — The loop never asks for age again, so the user can't recover from a bad entry and is stuck in an endless loop. Line 4 should be INPUT age so they can correct the mistake.

B — The condition is reversed. The 'Are you sure?' prompt would show for every choice except delete. For error prevention, the confirmation should appear only when choice = 'delete'.

C — The comparison is wrong. The 'Min 8 characters' message would show for passwords that are long enough and not for short ones. The check should be LENGTH(pass) < 8 so the user gets useful guidance.

A — Australia is text, so it needs quotes. Without them it is treated as an undefined variable. The correct line is default ← 'Australia'. The default value saves users typing, which makes the software more efficient to use.

C — Undo must take the previous version off the stack with POP so the user can recover from a mistake. PUSH adds to the stack and does not restore the earlier text.