These eight original questions use short fictional screens. Write your own answer before opening each model.
The set belongs to human computer interaction. A teacher can review your answers in the one-hour trial class (from RM50), a taught lesson on the Computer Science topic you choose.
Questions
Question 1. A school app shows a lock icon with no label beside “Settings.” Which criterion does this affect, and what is the fix?
Answer
It affects clarity, because the user cannot tell what the lock does. The fix is to add a text label, such as “Change password”, beside the icon.
Question 2. A student submits a homework file, and the page refreshes with no message. Name the problem and a fix.
Answer
The problem is weak feedback. The user cannot tell whether the file was received. The fix is a message on the page, such as “Homework.pdf submitted at 4:10 pm.”
Question 3. A timetable app has no way to return to the class list once a class is opened. Which criterion fails, and what should be added?
Answer
Navigation fails, because the user reaches a dead end. Add a visible Back button and a title that shows the current screen.
Question 4. An error message on a form says “Error 12.” Rewrite it so it helps the user.
Answer
A helpful message says what is wrong and how to fix it. For example: “The class name is missing. Please choose your class from the list.” The original message gives no information about the cause.
Question 5. A form marks missing fields by turning their border red, with no other sign. Give one problem and one improvement.
Answer
The problem is that colour alone carries the message, so users who cannot tell the colours apart, or who use a screen reader, will miss it. The improvement is to add a text message beside each field, such as “Name is required.”
Question 6. Explain why a date field with an example format, such as “DD/MM/YYYY”, is a good design choice.
Answer
The example shows the expected format, so users make fewer errors and need fewer retries. This supports clarity. The cost is a little extra text on the screen, which is a small trade-off.
Question 7. Four testers each reserve a book on a prototype. Their times are 40, 50, 44 and 46 seconds. What is the average time?
Answer
(40 + 50 + 44 + 46) ÷ 4 = 180 ÷ 4 = 45 seconds.
Question 8. Write a short observable task and two measures to test a fictional canteen ordering screen.
Answer
Task: “Order one Teh tarik and pay using the screen.”
Measures: whether the tester finished the order (success), and the number of taps or the seconds taken. A note of where the tester paused adds evidence.
The task has a clear start and end, and the measures can be counted.
If you got these wrong
- Questions 1 to 3 test the three criteria: see evaluating clarity, feedback and navigation.
- Questions 4 to 6 test form design: see designing an accessible input form.
- Question 6 also tests reasons: see explaining usability decisions.
- Questions 7 and 8 test results and tasks: see testing a prototype with observable tasks.
Record the ones you missed in the mistake log. The timed practice session builder sets up a timed attempt.