Discussion Question Set #4

As you study this week's material, please ponder the following discussion questions. Post your responses in the appropriate threads in WebCT.

1. Is it possible to do good design without doing good evaluation? Discuss.

2. In the case of heuristic evaluation, what are "heuristics?" Where did the heuristics we use in heuristic evaluation come from?

3. What are some of the key heuristics used in heuristic evaluation? Do these heuristics apply to the evaluation of all interactive artifacts?

4. What is a good number of evaluators to use in a heuristic evaluation? About how many of the problems can be detected with this number? Why wouldn't you want to use more evaluators?

5. What are the key differences between a heuristic evaluation and a cognitive walkthrough? Which one takes longer to perform? Which one finds more problems?

6. Perform a heuristic evaluation of one of the software packages your studio group has considered in the last couple of weeks. Then perform a cognitive walkthrough. Compare and contrast your results.