CMSC436/636: Data Visualization
Beta Review
Due November 28, 2017
For this phase, you will evaluate the functionality, usability, and requirement
satisfaction of the beta release of another project team. Team assignments will
be distributed in class. Schedule an evaluation session with your assigned team in
the next day or two. During your evaluation, you should use the prototype yourself (under the
direction of the developers), rather than having them drive as in the demo.
Write a one to two page evaluation of the assigned prototype,
addressing the issues listed below and guided by the attached rubric.
Your score for this assignment will come from the quality
of your assessment, not from the particular judgements you make about the other
prototype (i.e.,
you can conduct and write a high-quality evaluation regardless of whether the prototype
you're evaluating is spectacular or unimpressive). Your evaluation should include suggestions for
improvement.
The Requirements to Assess
Assess the degree to which the beta release satisfies each of the following requirements:
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The presentation delivers a clear high-level description of the client problem and goals, as well as discussion of design and functionality. Professional quality.
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Beta release exhibits all functionality proposed.
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There are no spelling or grammatical errors that impair the clarity or meaning of the presentation or report.
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The beta report contains a clear description of design and functionality. Contains sufficient details to reproduce.
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The beta report contains a clear description of bugs and enhancements. Contains sufficient details to indicate path to completion.
If you judged each criteria on a scale of 0 (no satisfaction) to 5 (full satisfaction), what
composite score would you give this prototype? Explain your score.
Other Issues to Address
Your evaluation should also address each of the following questions:
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How enjoyable or frustrating is it to use the user interface?
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How engaging/attractive are the visualizations?
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What particularly creative element of this prototype most improves this prototype?
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How might the developers improve their prototype?
Possible Other Elements
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Can you suggest solutions to some of prototype's problems (or technical approaches for
enhancements)?
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Have you run across papers that would be useful for this project team?
What to turn in
Submit your evaluation by emailing a pdf version of your report to both the instructor and
the project team members.