K
KM
1) Inconsistency is bad.
There is a link in the opening screen called
"Spyware scan options". However, when you click on
it you're taken to a screen entitled "Select your
Spyware Scan Settings". Why not "Select your
Spyware scan options"? Plus, why are there capital
letters in the heading, all of a sudden, when the
words "Scan Settings" aren't used anywhere else?
2) Use a button, not a checkbox.
In the screen, "Select your Spyware Scan Settings",
there is a checkbox to "Save these options". This
is not entirely correct. For example, try this. Switch
your options now, make sure the box is checked and close
the software. When you reopen the software, you will
find that the new option you chose was not saved. This
is, of course, inherent in the nature of a checkbox.
The change in options is saved only when you do a
scan. Hence, the following text is more appropriate
alongside the checkbox: "Scan and save these options".
An even better idea is to use a button instead,
together with the original text, "Save these options".
It's more intuitive.
3) Ensure that this software will evolve.
Software that does not evolve eventually dies.
In particular, the "Tracks Eraser" feature needs to
evolve constantly because it operates on other software
that does. You should include a mechanism whereby
the user can add new software versions and delete
old ones in the list of "Tracks". For example, I would
want to remove Acrobat Reader 4, Acrobat Reader 6,
Realplayer 6 and Office 97 from the list, and add
Acrobat Reader 7, Realplayer 10 and Office 2003.
You might improve the design by incorporating
downloadable plugins, one for each separate software
in the Tracks list. This method is at once flexible,
versatile and adaptable. In fact, at a later stage you
could even relax the design so that advanced users can
make their own custom plugins.
A good kickstart for the developer is to have a look at
the plugins design in Acesoft's Tracks Eraser Pro.
There is a link in the opening screen called
"Spyware scan options". However, when you click on
it you're taken to a screen entitled "Select your
Spyware Scan Settings". Why not "Select your
Spyware scan options"? Plus, why are there capital
letters in the heading, all of a sudden, when the
words "Scan Settings" aren't used anywhere else?
2) Use a button, not a checkbox.
In the screen, "Select your Spyware Scan Settings",
there is a checkbox to "Save these options". This
is not entirely correct. For example, try this. Switch
your options now, make sure the box is checked and close
the software. When you reopen the software, you will
find that the new option you chose was not saved. This
is, of course, inherent in the nature of a checkbox.
The change in options is saved only when you do a
scan. Hence, the following text is more appropriate
alongside the checkbox: "Scan and save these options".
An even better idea is to use a button instead,
together with the original text, "Save these options".
It's more intuitive.
3) Ensure that this software will evolve.
Software that does not evolve eventually dies.
In particular, the "Tracks Eraser" feature needs to
evolve constantly because it operates on other software
that does. You should include a mechanism whereby
the user can add new software versions and delete
old ones in the list of "Tracks". For example, I would
want to remove Acrobat Reader 4, Acrobat Reader 6,
Realplayer 6 and Office 97 from the list, and add
Acrobat Reader 7, Realplayer 10 and Office 2003.
You might improve the design by incorporating
downloadable plugins, one for each separate software
in the Tracks list. This method is at once flexible,
versatile and adaptable. In fact, at a later stage you
could even relax the design so that advanced users can
make their own custom plugins.
A good kickstart for the developer is to have a look at
the plugins design in Acesoft's Tracks Eraser Pro.