Semester 3: Smart Home Application Design Critique

Desklib provides solved assignments and past papers to help students succeed.

ITC504 – Assessment 3rd

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Part A...............................................................................................................................................6
a....................................................................................................................................................6
b...................................................................................................................................................6
Review of requirements in developed design..........................................................................6
List of requirements and their review......................................................................................6
Justification over complete/incomplete design........................................................................8
List of incomplete requirements within the design..................................................................8
Reason for incomplete requirements.......................................................................................9
c....................................................................................................................................................9
d.................................................................................................................................................10
e..................................................................................................................................................11
Part B.............................................................................................................................................12
Evaluation based on Heuristic Principles..................................................................................12
Reason for the evaluation..............................................................................................................16
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................18
References......................................................................................................................................19
Appendix........................................................................................................................................20

List of figures
Figure 1: Incomplete design 1st.....................................................................................................20
Figure 2: Incomplete design 1st......................................................................................................20
Figure 3: Incorrect unit for Frequency...........................................................................................21
Figure 4: Irrelevant "Street Video" function..................................................................................21
Figure 5: Incorrect spelling for in Breadcrumbs............................................................................22
Figure 6: Unavailability of "Forgot Password" linking.................................................................22
Figure 7: No Back button or incorrect "Sign In" option................................................................23
Figure 8: Irrelevant function..........................................................................................................23
Figure 9: Missing "Add-More" screen...........................................................................................24
Figure 10: Incorrect status of the button........................................................................................24
Figure 11: Incorrect "Light Intensity" showing as "Light Frequency"..........................................25
Figure 12: Registration screen without back button......................................................................25
Figure 13: Videography screen......................................................................................................26
Figure 14: AC screen.....................................................................................................................27
Figure 15: Music screen.................................................................................................................27
Figure 16: Home screen.................................................................................................................28
Figure 17: Bathroom screen...........................................................................................................28
Figure 18: Water heater system.....................................................................................................29
Figure 19: Login page for Facebook.............................................................................................29
Figure 20: Login on the page for Google......................................................................................30
Figure 21: Login page for Twitter.................................................................................................30
Figure 22: Lock access screen.......................................................................................................31
Figure 23: Home Temperature screen...........................................................................................31
Figure 24: Connect Home Screen..................................................................................................32
Figure 25: Water Heater screen.....................................................................................................32
Figure 26: Kitchen screen..............................................................................................................33
Figure 27: Page for registration with confirm password option....................................................33
Figure 28: Main home screen without help option........................................................................34

Introduction
This report developed over the evaluation of developed design by another member in order to
check all the errors and fulfilment of functionality of Smart home application for which this
design has been developed. The evaluation of complete design for Smart Home application has
been done based on Heuristic principles as well as usability of the application for its users. Here,
all the errors and mistakes identified within the design has been listed and explained based on the
principles along with recommendations which must be followed by the other member to correct
the design for better usability and functionality within the application.

Part A
a.
Review of Design
The review of this design has been done by the member with the following details:
Student Name: To be filled by Student
Student ID: To be filled by Student
b.
Review of requirements in developed design
The design developed by the other member-based on Smart Home control and operations for a
user has been reviewed based on the requirements which any application developed for the
control of Smart home devices. It has been developed covering the basic requirements of an
application to control the smart applications and devices but the requirements have not been
covered fully. Some of the requirements such as development of three different zones with the
application has been missing, security and video surveillance of the entire house and different
areas also missing. It is one of the significant failures of this application and failed to provide
better functionality to the users (Paz et al. 2018).
List of requirements and their review
1. Development of control panel for identification of different functions as well as smart
systems for the users.
Review: Developed design satisfy the above requirement.
Reason for consideration: Developed design has all the functions as well as systems
represented clearly along with their sun-systems for the user so that he/she can perform
different actions to control different systems and their sub-systems from the main control
panel of the application.
2. Electronic locking system for the security of access
Review: Developed design satisfy the above requirement.

Reason for consideration: Developed design has an electronic locking system
developed within the design in order to control and secure the access for the house in a
smart manner using the application.
3. Surveillance of the entire house through the camera
Review: Developed design doesn’t satisfy the above requirement.
Reason for consideration: Developed design has Videography function for the user but
the user cannot control the entire video surveillance for the house as well as different
areas of the house. User can only control the video recording option “Off/On” through
the application.
4. Control of lights available in different areas.
Review: Developed design satisfy the above requirement.
Reason for consideration: Developed design has control option for lights available at
different areas in order to either switch Off or On the light along with control of their
intensity but the design is incomplete as it doesn’t provide area selection option over the
light control screen to control lights of different areas from the same screen.
5. Control of AC.
Review: Developed design doesn’t satisfy the above requirement.
Reason for consideration: Developed design has control option to select temperature
such as Cold, High, Low and Medium but the user cannot select any specific temperature
as per their requirement as well as selection of different areas within the house also
missing.
6. Addition of new devices with WiFi.
Review: Developed design does not satisfy the above requirement.
Reason for consideration: Developed design doesn’t have a function to control WiFi
system installed within the house along with addition or removal of any devices through
the WiFi. User cannot control any of his/her device inbuilt with WiFi system or add any
new device through WiFi.
7. Addition of new devices within a developed application.
Review: Developed design does not satisfy the above requirement.
Reason for consideration: Developed design has the function to add new device within
the application but there is such feature or screen available in the entire design for the

user so that he/she can add any new device within the application due to which it failed to
produce the above requirement within the design.
8. Control of newly added music and other devices.
Review: Developed design satisfies above requirement.
Reason for consideration: Developed design has the function to manage and control
different music devices or the system available within the house but it does not has all the
functions available and has incorrect information (i.e. Watt shown for Frequency) over
the screen.
9. Development of three zones (i.e. Environmental).
Review: Developed design does not satisfy the above requirement.
Reason for consideration: developed design doesn’t provide different zones over the
main control or home screen of the application and failed to provide three different zones
over the main control panel of the application so that user can manage different zones
directly from the main screen.
10. Availability of temperature control for different zones.
Review: Developed design does not satisfy the above requirement.
Reason for consideration: Developed design doesn’t include any function for the user to
control or manage the temperature of different areas or rooms available within the house.
It failed to represent temperature within the house as well as their control option for the
user.
Justification over complete/incomplete design
Review of entire design has been done on the basis of requirements defined for the application of
SmartHome and their control for the users. Different requirements defined for the SmartHome
application has not been shown or designed within the application and the user cannot perform
those functions through the developed application (Paz et al. 2017).
List of incomplete requirements within the design
 Surveillance of the entire house through the camera
 Control of AC and lights available in different areas.
 Addition of new devices with WiFi.
 Addition of new devices within a developed application and their control.

 Development of three zones.
 Availability of temperature control for different zones.
Reason for incomplete requirements
All the above requirements which have been listed within the incomplete section has not been
implemented properly or missing within the developed design. Developed design for the
SmartHome does not fulfil above requirements for the users and any of the user cannot perform
certain tasks such control of AC, addition on new devices through Wi-Fi, Addition of new
systems with the application, control of temperature for different areas and many others which
are one of the major functionality or requirements of the application to control different smart
appliances within the house in a smart manner (Ejaz et al. 2019). Example of screens has been
attached in the appendix (Figure 1 & 2).
c.
Clarity of design: Satisfied
The design developed by the other member is clear as well as simple functions which can be
easily understood by any of the users either new or the experience one but some of the screens
developed within the design has incorrect or irrelevant information showing over the screen
which can be difficult for various users to understand them and perform different actions over
those screens.
Aesthetically Pleasing: No
The overall design developed for the SmartHome along with its screens for the user to control
and manage different functions within the application. Different screens such as Kitchen, Light
Intensity, Bathroom, Connect Home, AC, etc. does not meet the Aesthetic design for the screens
and have different errors over them.
List of Issues
 Wrong alignment over the screens
 Incorrect linking over the screen.
 Spelling errors over the design.
 Irrelevant information or function is available on the screen which is not required.

 The incorrect unit used for Frequency
 Incorrect functions such as “Street View” over the screen.
Reason for consideration
Development of design with correct information found missing in the developed design along
with incorrect information, alteration in design as well as alignments over different screens,
irrelevant information over different screens and many other factors due to which it failed to
follow one of the Heuristic principles named “Aesthetic & Minimalistic design”. Example of
screens has been attached in the appendix (Figure 3, 4 & 5)
d.
List of improvements
1. Development of Aesthetic design over the entire screens.
Reason: Some of the screens has variation over the information, irrelevant information,
etc. which reducing the visibility as well as the appealing look of the overall design.
2. Utilization of correct spelling over the screens
Reason: All the information or the words represented over the screens must be correctly
spelt so that user can have correct information about the screen for both new as well as
experienced one along with correct icon or the logo about the function.
3. Proper linking over the screens
Reason: Implementation of correct and proper linking over the different functions
available at different screens provide better control and freedom for the user to perform a
different task which needs to improve within the developed design to follow the “User
Control as well as Freedom” principle.
4. Development of “Forgot Password” screen.
Reason: Developed design has “Forgot Password” shown as a function to reset password
for the user but the screen to perform that task is missing in the design which needs to
develop in order to provide better efficiency for the user to use developed application and
follow “Efficiency to Use” principle.
5. Implementation of “Back” button over the “Registration” screen.
Reason: Registration screen developed in the design don’t have back or “Sign In” button
over the screen which failed to provide the freedom for the user to perform different

actions as well as go back to previous screen in case of error or the user has already
registered himself. As a result, it failed to follow “Error prevention”, “Match with the real
system” and “User control freedom” principles defined by Heuristics. Examples have
been attached in the appendix (Figure 6, 7, 8 & 9).
e.
Recommendations
1. There must be Back button over the screens so that user can freely go back to the
previous screen.
 Improvement: Implementation of a back button on different screens such as “Registration
Screen”.
 Significance: Moderate
2. There must be a screen developed for the user where he/she can go to reset his account
password.
 Improvement: Development of “Reset Password” screen for the users so that he/she can
reset his account password to access the application.
 Significance: High
3. There must be “Add More Devices” screen to add newly installed smart devices within
the application.
 Improvement: Development of screen where user can go to add newly installed devices
with the application in order to control those applications smartly.
 Significance: High
4. There must be correct spelling used over the screens to define different functions to
reduce the confusion for the user or to provide irrelevant information for the user.
 Improvement: All the spellings must be checked in the entire design in order to eliminate
any incorrect information or irrelevant word.
 Significance: Low
5. There must be Breadcrumbs used over the screens to provide better control and freedom
for the user.
 Improvement: Implementation of Breadcrumbs over the screens within the design.
 Significance: Low

Part B
Evaluation based on Heuristic Principles
After successful completion peer-review for the developed design in order to check the
fulfilment of requirements of SmartHome within the developed design so that design can be
improved to meet all the requirements and provide complete design for the user, evaluation of
entire design has been done on the basis of different principles stated by heuristics. Different
screens developed for the design has been evaluated based on ten principles stated by Heuristics
so that different errors and mistakes can be identified for the correction of entire design based on
the usability of the application for the users (Wei & Landay, 2018). It has been done in order to
check whether the basic requirements of an application to control the smart applications has been
covered fully or not along with usability. It has been explained below in detail:
1. Visibility of system status.
Issue: It is one of the important factors for the successful design of any application in
order to represent the current status of system as well as their operations which user
performing over the application which failed on different screens of the design.
Name of Screen: Light Intensity control screen, Connect Home, Security screen (figure
10 & 11).
Reason: Over the Light Intensity screen, “Frequency” has been represented instead of
“Intensity”. Also, on the Security as well as Connect Home screen status of power button
has not been represented clearly (i.e. either On or OFF instead of both On/Off).
Significance: Minor
Remediation: Representation of correct function or the feature defined over the control
panel and over the sub-system screen along with the correct status of buttons and
operations.
2. Match with system and the real world.
Issue: Developed design failed to provide connectivity between the design developed for
the SmartHome in comparison with the application developed in real world.
Name of Screen: Registration Screen, Music Screen, Videography screen, AC screen
(figure 12, 13, 14 & 15).