UNIT V

Software Quality and Usability

 Chapters

I. Designing Interface Objects

II. Software Quality Assurance
III. System Usability and Measuring
User Satisfaction
 I. Designing Interface Objects
Objectives:

• Identifying view Classes

• Designing interface Objects

 Goal of a User Interface (UI)
• To display and obtain needed information in
an accessible, efficient manner.

• User interface can employ one or more

Windows. Each window should serve a clear,
specific purpose.
• Forms and data entry windows

• Dialog boxes

• Application windows
 1. Forms and Data Entry Windows
• Data entry windows provide access to data
that users can retrieve, display and change in
the application.
• For example
– Form Design in VB
– Input Dialog boxes in VB
Example
Example for Input Box:
 Guidelines for designing Forms and
Data Entry Window
• Identify the information which we want to
display or change.

• Identify the task that users need to work with

data on the form or data entry window.
 Data entry tasks include
• Navigating rows in a table, such as
moving forward and backward, and going
to the first and last record

• Adding and deleting rows

• Changing data in rows

• Saving and canceling the changes

Example for Dialog box
 Dialog Box
• A dialog box provides an exchange of
information or a dialog between the user and
the application
• Dialog boxes generally appear after a
particular Menu item or a Command button
pressed.
• To display error messages.
Application Windows (Main Window)

• An application window is a container

of application objects or icons.
• It contains an entire application with
which users can interact.
 Application Window Consist of

• Frame or border
• Title bar
• Scroll bars
• Menu bar
• Toll bar
• Status bar
Example
Three Layer Architecture
 Two types of Interfaces
• The main Goal of UI:
To display and obtain needed information
in an accessible, efficient manner.

• The Main Goal of GUI:

– Graphical Representation
 View Layer Objects
• The View Layer Objects are represented for
two major aspects of the applications.

INPUT – Responding to user interaction

OUTPUT-Display or Printing business objects.

 View Layer Classes is divided four
activities
1. Macro level UI design process:
Identifying view layer objects, User’s
perspective.
2. Micro level UI design activities: Design
axioms and corollaries, Prototyping.
3.Testing usability and User satisfaction.
4. Refining and Iterating the design.
 MACRO LEVEL PROCESS
Two Steps:
For every class identified, determine if the class
interacts with a human actor.
1.Identify the view (interface) objects for the
class.
2. Define the relationship among the view
objects.
3. Iterate and Refine.
 CHAPTER II

Software Quality
Assurance
 Introduction
Debugging: Is the process of finding out where
something went wrong and correcting the code
to eliminate the errors or bugs that cause
unexpected results.
Types of Errors:
• Language(syntax) errors
• Run – time errors
• Logic errors
Categories:
• Error – based Testing
• Scenario(usage) – based Testing
 TESTING STRATEGIES
• BLACK BOX TESTING: It is used to represent a system
whose inside workings are not available for inspection.

• WHITE BOX TESTING: Specific logic is important and

must be tested to guarantee the systems proper
functioning.

• TOP – DOWN TESTING: It supports testing user

interface and system integration.

• BOTTOM – UP TESTING: It starts with the details of the

system and proceeds to higher levels by a progressive
aggregation of details until they fit requirements of
system
 MYER’S DEBUGGINGPRINCIPLES
Bug locating principles:

• Think
• If you reach an impasse, sleep on it.
• If the impasse remains, describe the
problem to someone else.
• Use debugging tools.
• Experimentation should be done as a last
resort.
 MYER’S DEBUGGINGPRINCIPLES
(Contd..)
Debugging principles:
• Where there is one bug , there is likely to be
another.
• Fix the error, not just the symptom.
• The probability of solution being correct drops
down as the size increases.
• Beware of error correction, it may create new
errors.
 GUIDELINES for test cases
• Describe the feature or service.
• If based on use case, then refer its name.
• Specify the feature to test and how to test.
• Test the normal use.
• Test the abnormal but reasonable use.
• Test the abnormal and unreasonable use.
• Test the boundary conditions.
• While revising document the cases.
• Reusability and extendibility should be assessed.
• Add Questions that arise out of previous ones.
 CHAPTER III

• SYSTEM USABILITY &

MEASURING USER
SATISFACTION
 Introduction
• The task of satisfying user requirements is
basic motivation of quality
• Usability testing is different from quality
assurance testing in that, rather finding
programming defects.
• It reflects the users need and satisfaction.
 USABILITY TESTING
• Definition:
• –ISO Defines the usability as the effectiveness,
efficiency and satisfaction with which a
specified set of users to can achieve a
specified set of tasks.
 Introduction (Contd..)
• Usability measures the ease of use as well as
the degree of comfort and satisfaction users
have with the software.
• Usability is one of the most crucial factor so it
should begin in the earlier stage of product
development.
• Defining tasks – What are the tasks
• Defining users – who are the users
• A means for measuring effectiveness,
efficiency and satisfaction – how do we
measure usability?
 Usability Test Cases
• Usability test cases begin with the
identification of use cases.
• When designing test focus on use cases and
tasks not features.
 Guidelines for Usability testing
• The usability testing should involve all
software components
• Usability need not be more expensive or
elaborate
• All tests need not involve many subjects
• Consider user’s experience as apart of your
software usability
• Apply usability testing early and often.
 RECORDING THE USABILITY TEST
• When conducting a usability test provide a
comfortable environment.
• Record the test results using a video camera
or a tape recorder.
• If possible involve all design team members in
observing the test and reviewing the results.
 USER SATISFACTION TEST
• User satisfaction testing is “the process of
quantifying the usability test with some
measurable attributes of the test such as
functionality, cost, or ease of use”.
 PRINCIPLE OBJECTIVES
• To act as a communication vehicle between users
and designers.
• To detect and evaluate changes during the design
process.
• To provide a periodic indication of divergence of
opinion about the current design.
• To enable pinpointing specific areas of
dissatisfaction for remedy.
• To provide a clear understanding of just how the
completed design is to be evaluated.
 GUIDELINES FORDEVELOPING
USERSATISFACTI0N TEST
• The format of every user satisfaction test is
basically the same, but its content is different
for each project.
Custom Form For UserSatisfaction Test
• How do you rate the customer tracking project
at this time?
 CASE STUDY (Exercise)
• COTS Software Tool