As is analysis by Gina Torelli: MarketOSU

MarketOSU is a website only for OSU students that allows students to post books, sporting event tickets, and other event tickets that they would like to sell. Students can search for items that they wish to buy, and can then contact the seller.

1. Visibility of system status

The system status and navigation is pretty straightforward due to the simplicity of the site. The title of the page is on the top. It may be confusing to people that you can switch pages either by going back to the home page, or by using the drop down menu. On the mobile site, it is confusing which words are links and which are not.

2. Match between system and real world

The site uses terms that are easy to understand. The main pages are accessed by links titled "books", "basketball", "football", "events", and "watchlist".

3. User control and freedom

It was not clear to me at first how to return to the home screen from the page I was on, which made me feel that I didn't have control over the website at all times. Also, there is a "watchlist" feature, but I was unsure how to add items to the watchlist.

4. Consistency and standards

The site has separate links for "browsing" and "searching" which is confusing to me since most sites have both these functions on the same page. In fact, MarketOSU does have a search bar on the browse page, so I'm unsure why it is necessary to have an additional link to do this.

5. Error prevention

The site allows you to sign up to use the site, and then sends you a confirmation email for verification. This assures that you are signing up with the correct email.

6. Recognition rather than recall

The available actions are clearly visible on the home page. The site has a limited amount of functions, which lessens the amount of information to recall. Also, the functions have pictures along with words so it is easy to recognize where to go.

7. Flexibility and efficiency of use

The site has a limited amount of functions, so it doesn't cater to inexperienced users any differently than experienced users. There is a "watchlist" function that allows users to place items there and come back to them later, which may increase efficiency of use. There's also a mobile version of the site which is intuitive to use if you have previously used the site.

8. Aesthetic and minimalist design

The site does have a minimalist design. It has a plain white background and has a minimal amount of text. There are advertisements that are somewhat distracting. The design could probably be more aesthetically pleasing.

9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

An error message is given if the wrong username or password is used to sign in. However, it does not give any instruction on what you can do if you forget your password. Also, if you are selling a book and if you cannot find the book by searching it's ISBN, you can manually add the book.

10. Help and documentation

MarketOSU has a Frequently Asked Questions page that has answers to a few questions that users might have. It also has a page that lists contact information. However, there is no page that provides an extensive amount of help.

     We determine if a site is good if it allows us to find what we are looking for easily and quickly. This site is effective because it has a simple design that allows users to accomplish tasks (such as sell and buy books and tickets). The site also uses terms that are easy to understand and does not use excessive amounts of text. The site is flexible for users since it has a mobile version if the site, however, the mobile version is not entirely intuitive. Also, the user may have to use the site multiple times before fully understanding all the functions. Overall, the usability of this site is good (possibly due to its limited functionality).