Case Study - GetHelp!!!

Dont know how to open the post naturally, then just jump to the point right away :-P.

Truthfully, I was a little shocked reading the case study this time. The idea is quite similar to the idea of my group's facebook assignment project, and truthfully, the GUI is somewhat similar, and then it is intended that the GUI sucks, then improve it. LOL, how can I improve it while the GUI implemented by my group is somewhat similar. I'm doomed. Anyway, enough for the spamming joke, let's go to the point.
Seriously, I'm not very good at design as well as my experience is quite limited, so indeed there're not many problems I can see in the implementation, but anyway, let's start.


The very first thing is to analyzing the statement of the problem. "redesign the user interface from scratch" (quoted), note that "from scratch" means that everything single thing is wrong (or is it just prof's trick :-P). Indeed, I don't see problems in some pages, sigh, so let's forget it anyway.

Let's dig out the interface, here I look at every single page, instead of specialization, i.e, user interaction,.. I will dig out each page in term of functional, attractive,.. if I have idea.

The very first and also almost always the most important page is the home page. Here it is merged also into user's profile page. The heart of this app is to 'quickly' get help, so the process to create a new offer should be present right in the home page, and this is met here. Now I understand why prof told my prof to include the create process in our canva page. Actually back then I don't see any real advantages in that, as I think the real intention of my group is to create new event through the publisher, it's much faster and more convenient, plus the users visit their home page quite more often than the app page. Back to the GetHelp!!!, in the create help page, there're some problem I think. The first is that I don't know which ones of the inputs are optional, as there's no indication. If all of the input fields are required, it would be quite troublesome. The first reason is that not in all cases I always have a deadline or estimated time, it's just that I may have, not I must have. Anyway, looking more carefully at the page, it seems that every field apart from the main title is supposed to be optional, but there's no real indication (or just no in the image?), then it may confuse users in the first use. Some other minor issue is that 'who do you want to ask' and the 'web included' should have some default value, and user can set default to that, as it make it more convenient to offer a new help. One more thing is that there can be optional input field 'urgent level', which can included 'emergency' (like tomorrow is my midterm and I need help right now, as soon as possible), 'normal', and the default value should be 'normal'. Of course, on the new feed the very emergency helps should be placed first. That's all for the first page.

Come to the next page, the 'new feed'. The first thing I think looking at this page is it would be a little bit confusing for the long run as well as make it a little harder for those who want to real help. What I mean is that projects/activities and awards/incentives/achievements of friends should be separated. It helps the users to easily see what their friends' help without being disruptive about the awards, as well as there's a box displaying their friends' awards, which I think can encourage them to do more, and the key is that it is always present, which means that they are always encouraged (not absolutely true, but somewhat it is so). Of course the heart of this application is the help, not the awards :-P, so the box for the awards should be relatively small in comparison to that for friends' help. Notice the 'calls for help' on the right side, but don't quite know whether it's really needed or not, in my opinion it's not, as it is displayed and separeted in the 'what's new' page.
Just one thing to also included here. Notice that the 'refer a friend!' function. The question is that, what if I have many friends to suggest/recommend, then it would be troublesome for me to recommend, which may discourage users from doing so. It would better be replaced by 'refer friend(s)', and then users can choose friends from multiple friends, or just search for them by a search function.

Now let's go to the 'helper activity/project page'. Not much problem here, but there should be some, as indicated by "from the scratch". It's not really related to this, but anyway, it's presenting in this page, so let's put it here. The first problem is the 'probables'. There can be duplications in this fields, as maybe there are 2 friends out there who refer the same person. Also, there can be duplication between 'probables' and 'helpers', which should also be paid attention to. Anyway, another problem arising is that at times number of helpers would be relatively large, then it can be somewhat hard for the owner to choose. Many is very good, but at times it is more convenient to have less :-P. Last problem is that I dont see any indication of found/successful-close/giveup here (and in the new feed to), how can I know whether the owner still needs help or not?

Lastly, the stats page, as I mention about, let's forget about the "from the scratch", I don't see any real problems here, I just think that the heart is the help, the incentives are just to encourage people, and this stats page and its functions are just nice :-).

The last thing which is not in any page is that I don't see any indication of friend's page. I think there should be, maybe it's just that it's not in the case study pdf file, cos it's quite important. Imagine of the case I have a crash on someone and want to see her help to offer to gain impression, then the friend's page is the right way for me to go :p.