VENDING MACHINE

Introduction

The assignment for course design for usability 2 (203CR) had assign us to do a user evaluation on understanding of pervasive computing devices. This assignment are been tested to checked the user understanding of the device. Each student need to conduct an investigation to 30 users by giving them questionnaire. For this evaluation, the part of drink vending machine that needs to be investigated is the interface for the button.

Example of device

Vending machine had been known widely of its usage to dispense items such as beverages, snacks, newspaper and many more. Beverage vending machine had increase widely in customer consuming. The beverage vending machine can be seen mostly at public area such as in the shopping mall, park, school and many more. Nowadays, the beverage vending machine had become more modernized in its usability. Early, the beverage vending machine can accept coins but nowadays it can accept money and even it can uses facial recognition to deny your snack. The example of beverage drinking machine for test the usability is located at the Aeon Jusco, Ipoh. The user are been tested to the understanding of the usage of the button on the interface.

For the evaluation, the respondent, Mastura Binti Ahmad had used this machine. After the observation, she noticed that she did not notice the buttons’ signal to choose the drink. The signal make the respondent seems confused.

Usability evaluation approach

In this report, the target respondent will be age about 10 to 83 years. They will be given a survey on their understanding of usability drink vending machine.  The survey has 19 questions and all structured question. The survey will give out the result on the respondents’ opinion and knowledge on the button of the drink vending machine.

           

Methodology

In the assignment, the analysis that been usage to get the finding is quantitative. Quantitative is the research that giving questionnaire to the random user. The questionnaire that given to the random people which helps the developer to improves their products and services. In the questionnaires, it will ask them on the understanding of the product and services in the structured way. The finding from the survey it will guide the developer to recognize any important information.

Quantitative research in the structured way can produce the hard facts and statistics that can guide the researcher. It is important to survey as many people so that the main objectives can achieves during the research. Before the survey, the researcher needs to find the right questions for the survey form. The questions need to be structured questions and usually it is closed. The respondents are required to choose the answer given by the survey. For example, the question is “how do often do you used vending machine?” and the respondent needs to choose the answer: once a week, once a month and once a year. Besides that, the survey question is allowed to have one or two question that asks the respondents’ opinion.

By deliver the same question to lots of respondents, it will give the researcher a clear view on the customers’ behaviors and opinion. The result of the survey will provide strong data to be analysis.

Conceptual framework

This assignment will collect information and responses from the user regarding the drink vending machine. The respondent will be given questionnaire that consists of 19 questions. The questions will be evaluated on their understanding of the button interface of drink vending machine. The questions will be given to the random users that have experiences, using the vending machine.

According to the 10 heuristics of Jakob Nielson that can relate on the drink vending machine. The guideline that can relate which are visibility of system status, user control and freedom and flexibility and efficiency of use. The goal experience that can achieve from this evaluation is the user can give their response and feedback on the vending machine without any help. The process of getting the user responses at the public areas so that there will more users that can be evaluate. 

Data and data analysis

Question:

1. Total of gender’s respondent that answer the questionnaire.

The graph 1 shows the total of genders’ respondent answering the survey. The female respondent that answer the survey is 19 and for the male respondent, 11 respondent.

2. The age of the respondents

Graph 2

The graph 2 shows the age of respondent who answer the survey. The age 10 to 24 years old, it total of 22 respondent and age of 25-39, 1 respondent. Meanwhile, age of 40 to 55 years old it only have 1 respondent and zero respondent for age 56 to 67 and 68 to 83 years old. It shows that, the age 10 to 55 years old consume beverage from the vending machine.

3. Do you like buying drinks using this machine?

The graph 3 shows question, do they like to buy drinks using this vending machine. The 25 respondents show that they like to buy drink from this machine. It shows that, 5 respondents dislike buying drinks from the vending machine.

4. How often would you use this machine?

The graph 4 shows the question of how often they use this machine. The 2 respondents said that the use daily and 4 respondents use every couple of week the drink vending machine. The 23 respondents show they use the machine rarely and only 1 respondent never use the drink vending machine.

5. How often that you saw vending machine in your surrounding?

The graph 5 shows how often that the respondent saw the vending machine in their surrounding. The 11 respondents saw many drink vending machines at their surrounding but 19 respondents saw few of the vending machine.

 6. Is the vending machine very useful?

The graph 6 shows, 28 respondents said that the drink vending machine is useful and 2 respondents said it not useful.

7. Did you have any difficulties when using this machine?

Graph 7

The graph 7 shows 11 respondents get difficulties when using the drink vending machine and 19 respondents do not have any difficulties when using the machine.

8. Do you take long time to figure out the button for choosing a drink?

The graph 8 shows that 10 respondents take long time to figure out the button for choosing a drink. Meanwhile, 20 respondents do not take long time to figure out the button for choosing a drink. This shows that there are need to be changes on the button of the vending so that all rage of respondent can use the machine.

9. Did you know which part of button for choosing the drink?

The graph 9 shows the question on the respondents’ knowledge on the button for choosing the drink. The 27 respondents knows the button part to choosing the drink but only 3 respondents did not know the button part for choosing the drink.

10. Did you know all the function of the button on the vending machine?

The graph 10 shows the respondent answer on the function of the button on the vending machine. The 24 respondents know all the function of the button on the vending machine but 6 respondents did not know all the function of the button on the vending machine.

11. If the drinks in the machine run out, did you know the color of the button will indicate?

The graph 11 shows the question, if the drinks in the machine run out, did the respondent know the color of the button will indicate. The 21 respondents know the color of the button when the drinks in the machine run out. But, the 9 respondents did not know the color the button when the machine runs out of drinks.

12. Did the color of the button indicator are appropriate?

The graph shows the opinion on the color of the button indicator. The 24 respondents said that colors of button indicator are appropriate but 6 respondents said that the colors of the button indicator are not appropriate. The result shows that the colors of the button need to be change so that all users know the function of the color indicator.

13. Did the button give any signal when you press it?

The graph 13 shows the respondent knowledge on the signal of the button. The 18 respondents show that they acknowledge on the signal that the button gave when the user press it. But, 12 respondents did not acknowledge on the signal button gave when it been pressed.

14. Did the machine give button signal before or after you insert the money?

The graph 14 shows the result on the question; did the machine give button signal before or after insert the money. The 24 respondents said yes and 6 said no.

15. Do you satisfied with the interface of drink vending machine?

The graph 15 shows the result on question that is did the respondent satisfied with the interface of drink vending machine. The 27 respondents said that they satisfied with the interface of the button and 3 respondents did not satisfied with the button interface.

Part 2

This part required the respondent to give their rate on the satisfaction about the drink vending machine.

16. Design of the button.

The graph 16 shows the rate on design of the button. The 12 respondents said excellent, 10 respondents said it was good. For neutral, it is 7 and zero respondent said disagree and one said it was strongly disagree. The design needs to be change so that respondent will satisfied to use it.

17. Size of the button

The graph 17 shows that the respondents’ rate on the size of the button. The 11 respondents said that it was excellent, 10 respondents said it was good and 8 respondents said it was in neutral rate. Meanwhile, only 1 respondent said it disagrees and zero respondent strongly disagree on the size of the button.

 

18. Position of the button

 

The graph 18 shows the rate on the position of button. There were 12 respondents said that the position of the button is in excellent rate and 8 respondents said it was in good and neutral rate. There were 2 respondents said it was in disagree rate and zero respondent said it was in the strongly disagree rate.

 

19. Color of the button

 
The graph 19 shows the respondents’ rate on the color of the button. There were 10 respondents said it was in the excellent and neutral rate. Meanwhile, 8 respondents said it was in the good rate and 2 respondents disagree on the color of the button. For the strongly disagree rate, there was no record of respondent.

Conclusion

In the conclusion, questionnaire is one of the methods that help the developer to find result on the selective topic from the user. By doing a questionnaire method, it allows the respondents to give freedom to give their opinion and response about the topic.  Regarding to this assignment, it find out that, most of respondent satisfied with the button interface of the vending machine.

On the other hand, some of the respondents did not satisfied with the interface. It is because some of the respondent maybe a novice user and did not often use the drink vending machine. The developers need to discuss and develop a interface that meet usability goals so that novice and expert user can use and understand on the interface.

Reference

1.     The marketing donut (n.d). What is quantitative research? Available on http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/market-research/what-is-quantitative-research- [accessed on 13 Jun 2015].

2.     Snap surveys (n.d). Qualitative vs Quantitative. Available on http://www.snapsurveys.com/qualitative-quantitative-research/ [accessed on 13 Jun 2015].