email/browser research

research into existing e-mail and web browsers:-

looking at commonly used browsers and e-mail applications such as fire fox/thunder bird or IE/outlook, in conjunction with our target audience the following few points stand out:-

there are many small buttons for people to click which can cause confusion, it does allow for most things be accomplished in less than three clicks, however the choice is so vast that it is unlikely that the right choice will be obvious.

the writing is generally small and thus difficult to read, wholly unsuitable for our target group, the screen resolution can be changed, and there is a 'magnifier' option available in many operating systems, however this feature is difficult to find, and even more confusing

many options are able to perform useful, time saving operations. None are truly necessary and could simply add confusion, thus keeping users away from this great resource

further configurations, include different ways of setting up parameters for e-mail access or security settings for the web browsers. While these settings are useful to have access to, true understanding of the options is required to be aware of possible consequences.

new additions such as 'tabs' have made the page layout more elaborate, great for advanced users yet just another confusing feature to a novice, IE's latest version does however have pretty clear options restricted to back, forward, address, stop, refresh, quick search and then a whole 'options' tab for anything else.

add-ons are readily available for browsers and when not very careful almost install themselves. However these pay little to no attention to benefiting the user in any case and are generally seen as a nuisance.


Conclusion:-

From this we learn that in order to create a browsing/email system suitable for our project we need large buttons with clear meaning. Options need to be restricted to vital ones and any settings will be configured at installation of the browser /email system by a qualified technician. Options deemed essential are: Bookmarks, Address Book. Also while e-mail's functions are deemed a useful addition it will be separated from the browsing functions, in order not to confuse more inexperienced people unnecessarily. There will be no opportunity to use add-ons on the browser, as these are generally unnecessary. The E-Mail service might require more options to maintain minimum functionality, yet it is deemed more more advanced.


Supporting material, with brief notes on their outcome:

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020428.html
http://hci.ms.kagu.tus.ac.jp/hcii/Yuichi_Takahashi.pdf
represents a study on elderly browsing the web, second is a Japanese study on an add-on helping elderly use conventional browsers.
information we gained from it: email is one of the most commonly used features, elderly people have difficulty clicking where they want to click which means we need: clear large font, no drop down menus, clear large buttons.

http://ui4all.ics.forth.gr/UI4ALL-98/zhao.pdf
tests browsers using little to no options and has elderly people evaluate them
information we gained from it:
keep options to the bare minimum (hence we do not even include 'history' as it is not deemed useful enough), email access is considered essential, yet only for slightly more experienced users (so we will implement a complete split of email and browsing right at the start)