Human-computer interaction usability test of PhotoDex’s  ProShow Gold software.

Kevin Rio
Krio Media
www.kriomedia.com

ProShow Gold’s Efficiency & Learnability

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. User Models
3. What is Learnability?
4. What is Efficiency?
5. Testing & Recommendations
6. Works Cited

1 – Introduction
ProShow Gold is a software suite that assists users in the production of both video compilations and slide shows. ProShow Gold is developed by the Photodex Corporation. This version of the software targets users with minimal experience in producing slide shows. The software’s website advertises ease of use that is brought upon by the systems drag-and-drop capability and also the hundreds of effects that can be implemented into the slide shows with the click of a button. The website feature list includes the over 260 transition effects, motion tweens, picture scaling, borders, and dozens of slide styles that can be implemented to improve slide show quality. It also advertises many output formats that both novices and professionals alike can utilize to share their compilations with friends, family, and colleagues. These output formats include CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, automatic YouTube uploads, streaming video, and output to major mobile devices, among others. These features are advertised as being usable by the most novice of computer users. The software suite also has companion software that is geared toward expert users and professional visual producers, which will be outside the scope of this article.
The usability of this software will be examined from the vantage point of an advanced beginner who is attempting to create a slideshow that utilizes many of the features listed on the PhotoDex website (Hackos & Redish, 1998). Concepts, such as layers and animation effects will not be explored in terms of their concepts, but instead in terms of how they can be applied to the work. The goal is that the product will allow a first time user to implement a good number of the features listed on their website. As the development of the slideshow becomes more complicated, the user will have a better mental modal of the software, which will result in an increase in productivity (Hackos & Redish, 1998). The main aspects of usability that will explored are efficiency and learnability, however if it is found that other usability goals are not met, they will be noted and described. If learning to use a certain feature takes an exceptionally long time, it may be said that they system is difficult to learn. If users are forced to work through complex menus and commands to locate a feature, the program may be labeled as inefficient. In the past, the majority of software systems comparable to ProShow Gold have targeted a more experienced market of users. Since the release of this version of their software, PhotoDex has attempted to target users with less experience in creating slide shows. This article will discuss if the interface meets expectations that a user has based on PhotoDex’s documentation related to learnability and efficiency.

2 – User Models
The ProShow Gold software is labeled as an easy to use piece of software with advanced functionality. Because the software targets users with very little experience, it is important that when creating the user interface PhotoDex understands how the individuals utilizing the software think. They must realize that these users do not understand graphic design and programming concepts. The users understand buttons, graphics, making selections, and controls. To make their new software successful, they must understand that the user does not care about the technology and architecture utilized behind the interface (Lanter & Essinger, 1991). Due to a computers abstract nature, it is often difficult for users to explore the system, which helps aide in their understanding of it. Through exploration, users are better able to understand the functions of what they are using, leading to improved learnability. A user’s mental model is their thinking related to functions that a system can accomplish and how, which are related to a users prior system experiences, knowledge, and preconceptions (Lanter & Essinger, 1991). For a system to be understood by the user, all functions must make sense and relate to existing knowledge. The way the user is introduced to the system is key with regards to learnability. If introduced poorly, the system cannot be related to existing knowledge. Internal and external factors play a role in a user’s model of the system. Internal factors, such as expectations for the software or its intended use play a role in how the user interacts with the system, while external factors include the interface that the user interacts with.
3 – What is Learnability?
Learnability as defined by Preece, Rogers, & Sharp (2007) is how easy a system is to learn to use. Users want to spend the minimal amount of time necessary to learn to use a system. They also want to exert the least amount of effort during this process. With software such as ProShow Gold and other production suites it is documented that the majority of users are prepared to spend a longer period of time learning to use the software because they understand the extra functionality that they gain from it (Preece, Rogers & Sharp, 2008). This section will examine learnability from the prospective of a user attempting to create a single slideshow for the first time.
4 – What is Efficiency?
Efficiency is how well the software and interface attempt to assist the user when completing tasks (Preece, Rogers & Sharp, 2008). The less number of menus a user has to navigate through or information that must be completed, the more efficient the system is. The efficiency of a system is most notable after the user has experience with it and understands how to complete tasks. If after the user has learned to navigate the system, it still requires a prolonged amount of time to complete a task, the system can be labeled as inefficient.
5 – Testing & Recommendations
When the software suite is first opened, the user is met with icons, white space, slider bars, menu systems, and pictures to navigate through. At first glance at the icons, only a few of them provide an understanding of the actual function of the button. This has an impact on the programs visibility, making it difficult for users to understand what they should do next and how to operate a certain function because the interface is not clear and it does not correlate with the user’s model (Norman 1988). Poorly designed buttons and icons also pose a challenge in that the user may not be able to remember what the item is for, influencing memorability. The user is met with thirteen icons, eight of which correctly depict the button’s functions, while five of them give no clues as to what they do unless the text is read. After being acquainted with the interface the user is able to simply create a new slide show, name it, and easily select which format the video will be presented on. One area that the software’s learnability excels is in the presentation of difficult to understand concepts. Because the software is geared towards novice users, it is apparent that PhotoDex put a considerable amount of time into ensuring that details that may be foreign to new users are explained. Explanations in the software range from visual images to plain text paragraphs or a combination of both. This is especially helpful when trying to export files to a viewable format, such as CD, DVD, streaming video, YouTube, and others. An effective explanation of the pros and cons of each are shown and images that depict the type of visual quality the viewer can expect are provided for better decision making.
Adding photos to the software was both inefficient and not easily learned. The only possible way to enter photos into the slide show is to drag them into the timeline. While this is a natural way for many individuals to transfer photos from one piece of software to another, there are many individuals who could become confused by this operation. There should be a method of adding pictures, possible by navigating through the computer folders without leaving the software interface, much like how the majority of individuals add photos to media sharing sites or emails. This method of adding pictures goes against many preconceived models of adding data to software suites, which has an unsatisfactory effect on efficiency, learnability and ease of use. However, once the photos are added, finding how to add styles and edit them is much easier. There are multiple ways of accessing the styles functions, which helps to fit within different models that a varying group of users may have. Learnability and ease of use in this area is soundly developed. Once within the menu system, it becomes more challenging to figure out how the system is organized and where specific tools are placed. This is a very feature rich application that targets new users in its advertisements. From this, it would be easy to gather that the most used and needed tools would be easily available for the user to find, but this is not the case. The menu system utilizes text based navigation and bombards the user with text that is both horizontal and vertical to the point of overwhelming the user. Learnability in respect to navigating and finding specific settings in the system is very poor.
Picture insertion, slide styles, setting altering, and format outputting are the areas that the majority of new users of the software will be dealing with. In terms of efficiency the software is excellent at providing users with the necessary tools to complete their tasks and, in most cases, ways of completing the tasks quickly. However, there are areas that the software interface requires improvements to be considered as fostering sound learnability principles. The menu system for editing slide characteristics is overwhelming and the system for adding pictures to the slide show may be easily learned by some, but for others who are more familiar with traditional styles of adding pictures will be confused.
In some cases the software does a poor job of building natural mappings that relate to the user’s existing experience. If the user’s expectations matched better with the software model, the software would be easily to master. Another advantage of the two models meshing is that the user no longer has to store their mental image in memory because the user interface is so intuitive that it is not necessary (Lanter & Essinger, 1991). The user’s memory can now be fully devoted to immediate tasks. The majority of the issues with the ProShow Gold software lie in the learnability realm. It is apparent that this version of the software is a stripped down version of the more full-featured application meant for slide show production professionals. It is noticeable in the difficulties that are met when attempting to alter specific settings, such as slide duration. This is a feature that anyone making a slide show with the software must edit, but the feature is difficult to locate and hidden within a difficult to navigate menu system. This area is where the majority of the user interface issues can be seen and where improvements should be made to make the software more user friendly.

6 – Works Cited
Chao, G. (2009) “Human-Computer Interaction: Process and
Principles of Human- Computer Interface Design” Retrieved
on Apr 20, 2009 from http://doi.ieeecomputersociety
.org/10.1109/ICCAE.2009.23

Chisnell, D., Rubin, J. (2008). Handbook of Usability Testing.
Indiana: Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Chrusch, M. (2000, September). Seven great myths of usability.
Interactions, 13-16.

Essinger, R., Lanter, D (1991). User-Centered Graphical User
Interface Design for GIS. Retrieved on April 15, 2009 from

http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/Publications/Tech_Reports/91/91-6.pdf

Foley J. D., Wallace V. L. and Chan P. 1984. “The Human Factors
of Computer Graphics Interaction Techniques”, IEEE Computer
Graphics and Applications, 4(11) pp. 1348.

Preece, J., Rogers, Y., & Sharp, H. (2007).
Interaction Design. England: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.