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CRITIQUE #1
 SKYPE

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
Skype  is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and, in some countries, to free-of-charge numbers, are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing. A snapshot of the product GUI is as follows:

NIELSENS’s 10 USABILITY HUERISTICS

VISIBILITY OF SYSTEM STATUS:
The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.
1. To make a call, the skype user has to select a contact and click on the call button or the green button with the receiver icon. When a user calls a contact there is no explicit indication that the call in connected and no explicit button to disconnect the call.
The good thing about the interface is it displays the time the user is connected and the rate per minute for the call.

2. The call phones button on the left hand side of the Interface is used to pull up the dial pad. A novice will have to keep searching for a dial pad if the contact in not in his/her list.
3. The shop button below the directory button is a good idea as it allows the user to purchase accessories like webcam and headsets in addition to skype credit.
4. The product allows the user to add skype users as friends/contacts and phone numbers with Name of the owner as contacts. Whenever we login to the system, the users are shown on the left hand side of the GUI. The status of both these users is confusing as shown in the snapshot below.
The first circle around the green tick mark means that the user has a skype account and is online to chat. The 2nd annotation shows a telephone symbol which is also green but is only a phone number contact and we can only call those users.
These icons are confusing and it is tricky to determine this difference and can be resolved only as the user gets going with skype.

Match between system and the real world:

1. Whenever a contact is selected from the contacts list, the phone number appears on a small bar on the right side panel of the interface. The user will not notice the phone number until he searches the GUI. This is unlike the real world phone directory or cell phone where the number appears right below or next to the contact name.
2. Also, for the chat application the chat window appears in the right side panel and only when the other party replies does the user come to know with whom he or she is chatting in case there are multiple instances of chat. The following fig represents this example of poor design:

User control and freedom:
Contacts can be added/deleted. Call/chat history is available. Calls can be ended at the users will and hence the user has control and freedom to use the software. Only it will take time to figure out how to use interface.

Consistency and standards:
The button name ‘Call Phones’ placed on the left hand side panel of the interface does not indicate that clicking on it would pull up the dial pad and the user might keep searching for the dial pad. The name is not consistent with real world use.
To make calls to other countries, one has to select the country from the drop down menu as shown in the figure below:

It is not clear to the user that he has to select the country from the drop down menu. Whenever the user dials the number using the international access code, the country flag keeps changing until the entire number is entered.
Also, the cross mark at the extreme right of the flag symbol is to clear a number or delete a digit which is not very obvious to the user.

Error prevention:
The system gets stuck due to bad internet connection leaving users no clue why calls are not working. It takes a long time to show the user the offline status which is again not obvious as the offline icon is at the extreme left or in some usage scenario, the user is just logged out of the system.

Recognition rather than recall:
The user has to remember the difference between the icons which show that the contact is online or if the contact is for phone numbers as the green symbols are very confusing.
The user has to recollect the country name every time he has to make an international call.
To add a new phone number to the directory, the user has to search for the add button for telephone number  or may have to pull up the dial pad since the add button above the contact list is only for adding skype contacts.

Flexibility and efficiency of use:
The controls/buttons are pretty much standard and there are no keyboard shortcuts or any other kind of accelerators for expert users or frequent users.
This does not allow the experienced users to tailor frequent actions.

Aesthetic and minimalist design:
For an ongoing call, the interface displays many small icons for volume control, dial pad, edit, video settings and help.
But some important info like free call or not, connection status, end call button is not displayed.

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors:
Error messages are expressed in plain language (no codes) and indicate the problem.

Help and documentation:
Installing the system is simple and does not require much support. For other issues, online support is available for topics such as payments and billing, products and features, skype for business and technical support.

CONCLUSION:
Overall the product is easy to install as the setup wizard walks the user through all the installation steps.
For users familiar with various chat applications, the product will be usable after a few calls and a few trial and error scenarios.
For first time users, it will be a bit tiring to figure out various controls like dial pad, call rate, connection status, international access and directory search.