Evaluation Usability of the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission Student ...

Evaluation Usability of the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission
Student Managment System(SACM-SMS)


Muhsen Hasan Alsaedi

Australia National University
Comp 6703 eScience Project
September 2006
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Table of Contents
Muhsen Hasan Alsaedi .............................................................................................. 1
Comp 6703 eScience Project……….......................................................................... 1
1
Introduction............................................................................................................ 4
1.1Overview………….. ............................................................................................ 4
1.1.1Background…………………… ........................................................................ 4
1.1.2Purpose……………………............................................................................... 6
1.2Stakeholders………….......................................................................................... 6
1.2.1Client…………………………… ...................................................................... 6
1.2.2Supervisor………………………....................................................................... 6
1.2.3Developer……………………… ....................................................................... 6
1.3Deliverables………………………………………………………………………...6
1.4
Schedule…………………………………………………………………………...7
1.5
Document
Organization....................................................................................... 8
2Usability Requirements ........................................................................................... 9
2.1Target User Groups…………. .............................................................................. 9
2.2Usability Evaluation Techniques…………………………………………………...9
2.
3Usability Attributes………………………………………………………………..9
2.4
Tools ................................................................................................................. 10
2.4.1
Hardware………………………. .................................................................... 10
2.4.2
Software………………………………………………………………………...10
2.4.3
Programming
language………........................................................................ 10
2.4.4
Operating
System……………………………………………………………….10
3
Overview of Software Structure……………………………………………………11
3.
1The SACM-SMS Administration Backbone Chart ..............................................11
3.2
Domain
Description............................................................................................11
3.2.1
DataManipulation
Domain……………………………………………………..11
3.2.2
GUI
Domain……………………………………………………………………12
3.2.3
DataResource
Domain…………..................................................................... 12
3.2.4Databae Domain………………………………………………………………..12
4Implementation……………………………………………………………………...13
4.1SACM-SMS Adminstration Backbone Tasks…………………………………….13
4.2SACM-SMS Website Tasks………………………………………………………16
4.3Establishment the SACM-SMS Website………………………………………….18
4.4
Heuristic
Evaluation .......................................................................................... 20
4.4.1Heuristic Evaluation(SACM-SMS Website…………………………………….21
4.4.2Heuristic Evaluation(SACM-SMS Administration)………………………….....22
4.5
Cognitive
Walkthrough...................................................................................... 23
4.5.1Scenarios……………………………………………………………………...…23
4.6User Testing………….……………………………………………………………24
4.6.1Stages of Test…………………………………………………………………....24
4.6.1.1Preparation………………………………………………………………….…24
4.6.1.2Introduction……………………………………………………………….…...24
4.6.1.3The Test It self…………………………………………………………...……24
4.6.1.3.1SACM-SMS Administartion Backbone:…………………………….……..26
4.6.1.3.2SACM-SMS Administartion Backbone:……………………………………26
4.6.2Debriefing………………………………………………………………………..28
4.7Questionnaires………… ..........................................................................……. 28
4.
7.1Some Suggestions to improve the SACM-SMS Administartion Backbone ...... 28
4.
7.2Some Suggestions to improve the SACM-SMS website.................................. 29
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5
Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 30
6
References…………………………………………………………………………..31
Appendix A :Schedule………………………………………………………………...32
Appendix B :Work Breakdown Structure................................................................. 35
Appendix C :Project Time Plan………………………………………………………36
Appendix D :A SACM-SMS Adminstration Backbone Checklist...…………………38
Appendix E : A SACM-SMS Website Checklist……………………………………..55
Appendix F :Questionnaires ................................................................................….57




































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1 Introduction
1.1 Overview
1.1.1 Background
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the usability of a package of software known as the Saudi
Arabian Cultural Mission Student Managment System(SACM-SMS). This software consists of two
main parts .Firstly,the SACM-SMS Administration Backbone has three components:
1. Management :
• Issue ariline tickets for students.
• Send public messages to saudi students ,e.g:to invite them to Saudi National day,or let
them know about new things in Saudi Cultural Mission and RoyalEmbassy of Saudi
Arabia-Canberra.
• To get statistical calculation to update numbers of Saudi Arabia students in one
of the five countries and to know students number in each area,e.g:how many
students for example in Austalia ,or how many students study in IT area in
Australia or in Canberra.
2. Financial :
• Deposite students salary monthly.
• Pay students invoices, e.g:study(Australian universities) invoices,medical
invoices, health insurance invoices, and books invoices.
3. Student Records:
• Registeration new students when they arrive in Australia ,Singapore,Malaysia
,Indonesia and New Zealand.
• Checking students status,e.g:graduated,new,study ,cancelled.

Secondly, the SACM-SMS Website is used by more than two thousand Students in five
countries.This website has some tasks like:
• Every student has an account to check his/her: details,contact numbers,study
place(university),his/her salary.
• Saudi students list in Australia ,Singapore,Malaysia ,Indonesia and New Zealand to
keep in touch between students.
• Some online applications like:Airlines tickets application :to be filled by
students who want to travel,and the student can trace this opearation by using
processing number where this information is in his/her account. And a Bank
Account application:the student has to fill this application which
contains:student name,bank name,BSB, and Account number .This
information will be used by Saudi Cultural Mission to deposit student salary.
• Some Useful links in Australia and Saudi Arabia.
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• Some helpful information about what sould students do when they arrive(the
rules)?,what should students do when they face some problems about their
study,or their visa ,and so on.
Another purpose of my project is to modify the code to improve its usability. The initial System was
created by team of programmers in early 2005, but the team did not evaluate its usability.The
SACM-SMS Website went live for the first time in Augest 2006.I was put on the development team
before commencing this project.My goal of this project was to improve the usability of the website
as well as the Administartion Backbone.
More details can be seen in Figure F.
SACM -SMS

Figure F: SACM -SMS parts




















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1.1.2 Purpose
1. To evaluate the usability of the website as well as the Administartion Backbone.
2. To modify the code to improve its usability .

1.2 Stakeholders
1.2.1 Client
Cultural Mission of Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
P.O.Box 9119
Deakin,ACT,2600
Australia
Ph:62346900
Contact Name:
Mr.Salem Alqahtani:
Moblie:0401061819
Email: salem@sacm.org.au

1.2.2 Supervisor
Dr.Henry Gardner
henry@cs.anu.edu.au

1.2.3 Developer
Saudi Team
webmaster@sacm.org.au




1.3 Deliverables

Deliverable Due
Date
Presentation 10 th November
Final Report
15 th November

Note:
To deliver the Source Code,I discussed that with my supervisor(Dr.Henry Gardner) and he decided
that I do not need to submit the code of my project.
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1.4 Schedule
This project started on 17th July 2006 and will be finished on 15th November 2006.

Task Expected
Actual
Duration (days)
Duration
(days)
1. Analysing Client’s Requirements.


1.1 Contacting the client and getting the initial
2 2
requirements
1.2 Analysing the initial requirements
3
3
1.3 Discussing detailed requirements and
5 4
acceptance criteria with the client
1.4 Selecting tools
6
5
2. Modelling


2.1 Developing domain diagram
2
2
2.2 Developing class diagram for each domain
4
4
3. Implementation


3.1 Establishment the Website
28
30
3.2 Heuristic Evaluation(Website+System)
5
5
3.3 Cognitive Walkthrough(Website+System)
5
7
3.4 Questionaires(Website+System)
8
8
3.5 Modify the code
28
30
4. Testing and Debugging
7
7
5. Documentation(Writing final report)
21
20

More details can be seen in Appendix A , Appendix B,and Appendix C.
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1.5 Document Organization
Section 1,gives an overview of the project, as well as the stakeholders, deliverables, and schedule.

Sections 2 to 5 describe the main phases of this project.

Section 2, "Requirement Analysis", describes the detailed user requirements and the tools needed to
accomplish this project.

Section 3, "Modelling", uses UML to design the structure of this software.

Section 4, "Implementation", includes SACM-SMS Screens ,describes the methods which are used
to achieve the functionality of the software, describes the testing plan and the testing stages and
results.

Finally,Section 5, "Conclusion", draws conclusions from doing this project.




























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2 Usability
Requirements

2.1 Target User Groups:
The two most important issues for usability are users tasks and their individual characteristics
and differences so,to evaluate SACM-SMS Administartion Backbone I chose SACM
employees:More than 14 employee use this system..


And to evaluate SACM-SMS Website ,I chose nine saudi students depending on :
• Their study:I chose them from different degrees(Master,PHD,….) and from different
areas(IT or Education,……).
• Their Places(Overseas):in Australia ,Singapore,Malaysia ,Indonesia and New Zealand.
• Their ages.



2.2 Usability Evaluation Techniques

No.
Name
Des

cription
FR1
Heuristic
I have done this testing to find as much as I can from
Evaluation
Usability problems before I do the evaluation with the users.
FR2
Cognitive
I have done this kind of testing to focuse on the most
Walkthrough
imortant Scenarios in the SACM-SMS Website(with
students)and the SACM-SMS Administration Backbone (with
employee).Then I have got a list of problems and the time
wich is needed to do each Scenario.

FR3 Questionaires
I have done this testing after the first two methods done to
find subjective user experience probing .Also to cover and to
inspect the all parts in the SACM-SMS Website and the
SACM-SMS Administration Backbone.
2.3 Usability Attributes
No.
Description
Pr

iority
1
The SACM-SMS Administration Backbone / the SACM-SMS Website
High
should have a low error.
2
The SACM-SMS Administration Backbone / the SACM-SMS Website
Low
should be easy to remember.
3
The SACM-SMS Administration Backbone / the SACM-SMS Website
Low
should be easy to learn and to use.
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4
The SACM-SMS Administration Backbone / the SACM-SMS Website
Medium
should be pleasant to use.
5
The SACM-SMS Administration Backbone / the SACM-SMS Website
Medium
should Save staff/students time.
6
The SACM-SMS Administration Backbone / the SACM-SMS Website
High
should reduce the cost.


2.4 Tools
The following tools were used in this project:
2.4.1 Hardware
PC(with Windows XP professional)
Internet Connection
2.4.2 Software
Microsoft Word is used for documentation.
Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 is used for generating the Work Breakdown Structure.
Internet Explorer
Microsoft FrontPage to fix the SACM-SMS website pages
Oracl(SQL) to fix the SACM-SMS Administartion Backbone code.
Visual Studio
2.4.3 Programming language
Oracl(SQL) to fix The SACM-SMS Administration Backbone code.
Visual Studio
C Sharp(C#)

2.4.4 Operating System
Windows XP professional





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