FarmGrow Application: UI Design Reflection Using Heuristic Principles

This report provides a comprehensive reflection on the user interface design of the 'FarmGrow' application, created for a farm shop and restaurant to offer online services. The design was developed using Balsamiq and adheres to heuristic principles to ensure usability, consistency, and a positive user experience. The report discusses how the design meets user requirements, factors that influenced the design choices, and similarities with existing interfaces like the 'Big Basket' application. Key aspects covered include user registration, product selection, password recovery, restaurant booking, order tracking, and store location. The conclusion emphasizes the benefits of the design in expanding the farm shop's services and improving customer engagement through an interactive and user-friendly interface.

Assignment 5

Abstract
The designs of the user interface are developed with the interactive platform for the
applications such that they can be used for the online application. The design should cover
the main aspects of the objective of the application which includes the design which can be
customized and should be goal driven. For the better establishment in the market, the
usability of the design must be good enough so that it can fulfil the need of the application.
Good interface also allows the users to navigate in an easy manner, the design developed
should be comprises of better technology and communication (Joef, 2017).
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................3
2. Reflection of the Interface Designs........................................................................................3
a. Method of designing the interface......................................................................................3
b. How my design meets the users requirements and enhances their experience..................5
c. What factors influenced my design, how they influenced it and why...............................5
d. Discussion on similar interfaces.........................................................................................6
3. Conclusion..............................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................7
List of figures
Figure 1: Register button............................................................................................................2
Figure 2: Back button.................................................................................................................2
Figure 3: Direction logo.............................................................................................................2
Figure 4: Use of Dashboard.......................................................................................................2
Figure 5: Confirm password.......................................................................................................3
Figure 6: Check box for similar address....................................................................................3
Figure 7: Minimal design...........................................................................................................3
Figure 8: Additional functionality of reorder.............................................................................3
Figure 9: Forget option password..............................................................................................4
Figure 10: Big Basket Home page.............................................................................................5
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1. Introduction
Farm Shop provides different services of product purchase and restaurant facilities. For the
expansion of the business, it needed the application which can provide the online service to
the customers. This design is developed as ‘FarmGrow’ and it is developed using the
principle of heuristic principle. This application become successful and is providing great
experience to its customers in purchase online products and as well as restaurant and catering
services. This report will provide a reflection on the designed user interface and will also
discuss about the user requirements and how it enhances the experience of users. This report
will also discuss about the factors influenced by the design and their reason in addition to
explanation of similar interface.
2. Reflection of the Interface Designs
a. User interface design
For designing the interface, the tool that has been used is the Balsamiq where all the design
has been using the Heuristic principle. These principles are ten in number and for effective
design these principles must be followed. The main heuristic principles are:
1. Visibility of system status: With the help of this principle, the interface of the application
improves in terms of better visual representation and actions performed on the application
keep the user informed. This increases the quality of the application with respect to
professional design.
For example: In the farm shop, the navigation of the register button has been changed to the
login page for better visibility statues
Figure 1: Register button
2. User control and freedom: According to this principle, user must have the control over the
actions of the application.
Example: Use of back button enables user to go back from preventing any accidental click.
Figure 2: Back button
3. Match between system and real world: This principle follow the criteria where interface
application use the components which are similar to real world objects (Alotaibi, 2013).
Example: use of direction logo matches the real symbol of direction
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Figure 3: Direction logo
4. Consistency and standards: This principle help in maintaining consistency throughout the
application and also to follow some basic rules of standard application.
For example: Use of dashboard on every page after login
Figure 4: Use of Dashboard
5. Error Prevention: With the implementation of this principle at the interface, the errors can
be prevented from occurring with the help of confirmation of the actions (Uxness, 2015).
For example, use of confirm password after the insertion of password in registration
Figure 5: Confirm password
6. Flexibility and efficient to use: According to this principle, the interface must have ability
to understandable to both the experienced and unexperienced type of users.
For example, use of confirmation page of payment helps the user to get confidence regarding
the successful payment.
7. Recognition rather than recall: Sometimes in the application same information has to be
filled more than once and similar some actions are repeated. So rather than to repeat the
action, it is better to recognise and use them (Duggirala, 2016).
For example: Use of check box for the case of same residential and postal address
Figure 6: Check box for similar address
8. Aesthetic and minimal design: This principle provides the criteria of simple and clear
design in addition to placement of minimum content on the screen.
For example: unwanted text of ‘show now’ has been removed from home 1 as it creates
confusion to the user
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Figure 7: Minimal design
9. Help and documentation: According to this principle, there should be proper support of
help in the application such as details of booking order and reorder of products.
For example, use of reorder at the track order page
Figure 8: Additional functionality of reorder
10. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from error: According to this principle, there
should be support in case of any issue regarding the help such forget password (Nielsen,
2013).
For example: forget password page has been created for the application
Figure 9: Forget option password
b. How my design meets the users requirements and enhances their
experience
This reason for choosing the interface is that it follows all the heuristic principle. And after
evaluation, it was found that it also represents like a professional application. This design
fulfils all the requirements of the user with respect to the farm shop and restaurant facilities.
The interface is highly interactive and user can easily understand the functionality of the
operation. User is able to perform action according its requirement and also helps the farm
shop to grow its business. When user uses this application, the attractive interface will
provide good experience to the users. There are several features such as locating nearby store
help in detecting nearby store so that user easily purchases the product offline and also user
can also book for the party according to the date required.
c. What factors influenced my design, how they influenced it and why
There are several requirements of the user regarding this application to buy product at the
farm shop and book services at its restaurant facilities. Here, the discussion is on the some of
the major requirements.
 User can easily register and login the application to access the products and
services.
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 For the selection of the product, user can select the product from the category
screen
 If the user gets forget the password, the by clicking and resting the password can
also be changed
 User can easily book the services of restaurant facilities from the booking screen
 User can also access the restaurant facilities from its page
 User can also find the details of the booked product and services through track
order
 User is also able to locate the nearby store to access the product that is required
d. Discussion on similar interfaces
This idea of interface has been extracted from the ‘Big Basket Application’. It is the
emerging online supermarket which provides all types of products to the customers and also
provides a varied range of products which can be provides at the best price (Bhattacharjee,
2016). The features that can be compared for the selection of idea include the use of offers,
dashboard, use of products including the increase and decrease of number, track order and so
on.
Figure 10: Big Basket Home page
3. Conclusion
This report concludes about the reflection on the successful design of the application of farm
shop and restaurant facilities named as ‘FarmGrow’. This design will benefit the farm shop in
expanding its services of product sell and restaurant facilities. Online application helps in
good marketing of any business. The interface of the design has been developed on the basis
of the heuristic principles and this design follows all the principles. Hence proves that it is the
best design to be developed for the farm shop.
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References
Bhattacharjee, N. (2016). BigBasket’s secret to handling 35,000 orders a day, where even
Amazon fumbles. [online] Techinasia. Available at: https://www.techinasia.com/behind-the-
scenes-at-bigbasket [Accessed 28 May 2018].
Duggirala, S. (2016). 10 Usability Heuristics with Examples. [online] Prototypr. Available at:
https://blog.prototypr.io/10-usability-heuristics-with-examples-4a81ada920c [Accessed 28
May 2018].
Nielsen, J. (2013). 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design. [online]
Designprinciplesftw. Available at: https://www.designprinciplesftw.com/collections/10-
usability-heuristics-for-user-interface-design [Accessed 28 May 2018].
Uxness (2015). 10 Heuristic Principles – Jakob Nielsen’s (Usability Heuristics). [online]
Available at: http://www.uxness.in/2015/02/10-heuristic-principles-jakob-nielsens.html
[Accessed 28 May 2018].
Alotaibi, M.B., 2013, April. Assessing the usability of university websites in Saudi Arabia: a
heuristic evaluation approach. In Information Technology: New Generations (ITNG), 2013
Tenth International Conference on (pp. 138-142). IEEE.
Joef, C. (2017). 6 Best UI Design Principles to Develop Mobile Apps. [online] dzone.
Available at: https://dzone.com/articles/6-best-ui-design-principles-to-develop-mobile-apps
[Accessed 28 May 2018].
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