Write a 500 word review of an app or widget you use regularly. Reviews must be written in the 3rd person using professional language and discuss the usability, functionality, interface, design and aesthetics. Further, create a process flow diagram for that app or widget and persona for three users that would also interact with it regularly. (p.44-54 and p.66-71).
A popular application that is used by many smart phone users is Facebook with 86.1 million users (http://mashable.com/2014/04/03/popular-apps-chart/). Facebook allows users to connect with friends and family seamlessly through their smartphone and other electronic devices. Users of this application are able to private message an individual or a group of people, post statuses that include and are not limited to photographs, updates, locations and more. Users can use this application to play games, share events, and customize the information that is scene on their profile pages. The overall design of the Facebook application changes slightly each two to four weeks to help improve the website and application for the users to have a pleasant experience. The design of the application and website gives the users easy access and a continuous flow between various parts of the application and website. As far as the aesthetics for Facebook, it follows a simple color scheme that uses only blue and white with black text for the design of the website. Users are not able to customize the profile pages with different backgrounds and color schemes like that of MySpace and Twitter do.
Users who use this varies between ages 12 and over. Facebook is meant to be used by anyone and everyone in order to connect them to those they are friends with and to the world around them. User A is a 16 year old high school student who uses Facebook to connect with her friends and family. She uses the application to post pictures of her with her friends and statuses about her day-to-day life. User B is a 32 year old who works for a top accounting firm in Pittsburgh and uses the application to see what his friends are doing during the day when he works. He doesn’t post many statuses and pictures but had some photographs of his three kids and wife. User C is a 57 year old female who is about to see her oldest child get married. She posts statues and photographs of her daughter and son-in-law in engagement photos and photographs of family events. She also uses the application to snoop on friends and family and see what they are up too, private messaging her friends often to keep up with them. Each user uses the application in similar ways but some only use certain parts of the application because they feel it is to much information. The younger user use the application on smart phones and other electronics because they can understand the concept of those devices while the older uses only use it through computers and not to the fullest potential of the application.
Most users use the application differently, teenagers tend to put to much information out there and parents with younger children. This becomes interesting to see how different people and generations use the application whether it is because of understanding it or lack of understanding it.