2. PURPOSE OF THIS ANALYSIS
The goal of this heuristic analysis is to identify usability
issues, their frequency and severity, in order to assure a
more efficient desktop user experience and identify
areas of opportunity for an enhanced user experience.
The following PBS NewsHour sections where evaluated:
● Recent Programs
● Politics
● Arts
● Nation
● The Rundown
● World
● PBS newshour broadcast
3. This document presents synthesized site-wide trends
with specific recommendations, evaluated according to
universal principles of design by four usability experts
according to the following criteria:
● Priority: Low, Medium, High, Critical
● Frequency: Low, Medium, High
METHODOLOGY
4. 1. Entry Point
2. Hierarchy, Layout, and Information Design
3. Visibility of System Status
4. Navigation
5. Consistency and Standards
6. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design / Signal to Noise Ratio
7. Flexibility and Efficiency of use
8. Error Prevention
9. Help and Documentation
IDENTIFIED TRENDS
5. Problem: Upon entering site,
first time users are faced with
an overlay.
Priority: High
Frequency: Low
Recommendation: Provide these
options elsewhere within the
page that is non-obtrusive e.g.
NYT.com
1. Entry Point
6. Timely data emphasizes news
content, and drop down menus
allow users control over content.
7. Problem: Drop down menus
with two columns leads to
cognitive overload.
Priority: High
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Drop down
menus should be clearly
organized into primary,
secondary, and tertiary
content categories.
2. Hierarchy, Layout, and Information Design
8. Problem: Premium features such as
“Editors Picks” and “Subscribe”
options are buried.
Priority: Low
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Provide these
options elsewhere within the page
that is more prominent.
2. Hierarchy, Layout, and Information Design
9. Problem: Ad space is
competing with site content.
Priority: Low
Frequency: High
Recommendation: If possible,
visually disassociate the
content with the ad.
2. Hierarchy, Layout, and Information Design
10. Problem: There is no clear
feedback system for users to
know what content to expect
and how to allocate their time.
Hover copy is too content
heavy.
Priority: High
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Visible
timecodes are a good way to
let users allocate their time and
know what type of content to
expect e.g. SVTPlay.se
3. Visibility of System Status
11. Swedish news site uses
timecodes, color coding and
provides a countdown to when
the next live stream is.
12. Problem: Identify video content
vs. articles.
Priority: High
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Provide
visual cues in the form of play
buttons, timecodes, etc.
3. Visibility of System Status
13. Problem: Finding a way to
navigate back to the
homepage.
Priority: High
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Consider the
area around the logo to make it
look clickable.
4. Navigation
14. Problem: Inconsistent layout
and information architecture
across platforms and browsers.
Priority: High
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Assure
software is compatible across
platforms, browsers and
different versions for a
consistent user experience.
5. Consistency and Standards
Desktop: Chrome
Desktop: Safari
iOS: ChromeiOS:Safari
15. Problem: Inconsistent layout
within the site for the same
content categories.
Priority: High
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Avoid
excessive labelling to allow the
user to better understand
content categories and gain
more control.
5. Consistency and Standards
16. Problem: Excessive content
results in a low signal-to-noise
ratio.
Priority: High
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Break up
content into clear section
headers and keep content
relevant and high level. E.g.
“The Rundown” column and
“More Ways to Watch” should
be removed or redesigned with
hierarchy and context in mind.
6. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
17. Problem: Primary, secondary
and tertiary headlines are
inconsistent and
indistinguishable, which leads
to cognitive dissonance.
Priority: High
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Make sure
menus are clearly
distinguishable and make sense
to even novice users.
6. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
18. Problem: Accelerators (ways for
the expert users to navigate the
site more efficiently) should not
be visible to the novice users as
this will confuse them.
Priority: Medium
Frequency: Low
Recommendation: Assure
accelerators have a low
hierarchy and do not get in the
way of main navigation, as the
expert users will find this
information regardless.
7. Flexibility and Efficiency
19. Problem: Lack of contextual
information, especially for
novice users.
Priority: Medium
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Add on-
hover labels, or ensure
content is categorized in a
way that the user knows what
to expect.
8. Error Prevention
The “Making
Sen$e” button
makes no sense!
20. Problem: Lack of information
detailing purpose of individual
pages and website as a whole.
Priority: Medium
Frequency: High
Recommendation: Update and
improve visibility of “About Us”
page. Include statements of
intent on pages.
9. Help and Documentation
21. OVERVIEW
The PBS site has a lot of different content categories that need
to be distinguished in a more consistent and clear manner,
especially for first time users who may not be familiar with
PBS’s terminology.
This can be done through visual cues such as color, and a clear
information architecture that emphasizes real time content
which lets the users know what to expect.
22. Opportunities Summary
Hierarchy
Make sure categories
are distinguishable with
visual cues.
Consistency
Stick with the same
terminology and visuals
within content
categories.
Language
Ensure users are
familiar with the
terminology used to
direct them.
23. THANK YOU / QUESTIONS
Catherine Au-Yeung, Fabiola Einhorn, Saima Mohammad, Dylan Shad
April 14th, 2015
