Building an MSc Project Selection Systemstudentnet.cs.manchester.ac.uk/resources/.../MSc13/... ·...
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UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE Building an MSc Project Selection System Student: Wan Yin LAM Supervisor: Dr. Goran Nenadic A dissertation submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences Year of submission: 2013
Transcript of Building an MSc Project Selection Systemstudentnet.cs.manchester.ac.uk/resources/.../MSc13/... ·...
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
Building an MSc Project Selection System
Student: Wan Yin LAM
Supervisor: Dr. Goran Nenadic
A dissertation submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Master of
Science in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Year of submission: 2013
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Abstract
The MSc project selection system is an online system of School of the Computer
Science in the University of Manchester for presenting projects to students.
Usability studies are conducted in this project to find out if the current system is
able to satisfy the students’ needs. Although most of the students agree that the
current system is easy to use and fit for purpose, they generally think that there is a
lack of information available in the system and its functions are limited. Not only
does this slow down the selection process, it also affects students’ decision in
choosing their desired projects. In order to improve the user experience and
enhance efficiency during the project selection process, a new MSc project
selection system is designed and implemented based on students’ requirements.
The aim of this project is to build a prototype of a new MSc project selection system
and to respond to students’ demand by enhancing the existing functions (filtering
and ordering) and adding new functions (such as searching projects, booking
timeslot, suggesting projects, related projects and discussion board) to the new
system.
Evaluation results indicate that the new system can satisfy the user needs by
providing more essential information about the projects and implementing novel
functions which help student to better communicate with the potential supervisors
and to choose their desired projects.
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DECLARATION
No portion of the work referred to in the dissertation has been submitted in
support of an application for another degree or qualification of this or any other
university or other institute of learning.
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STATEMENT
i. The author of this dissertation (including any appendices and/or schedules to
this dissertation) owns certain copyright or related rights in it (the “Copyright”)
and s/he has given The University of Manchester certain rights to use such
Copyright, including for administrative purposes.
ii. Copies of this dissertation, either in full or in extracts and whether in hard or
electronic copy, may be made only in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988 (as amended) and regulations issued under it or, where
appropriate, in accordance with licensing agreements which the University has
entered into. This page must form part of any such copies made.
iii. The ownership of certain Copyright, patents, designs, trade marks and other
intellectual property (the “Intellectual Property”) and any reproductions of
copyright works in the dissertation, for example graphs and tables
(“Reproductions”), which may be described in this dissertation, may not be
owned by the author and may be owned by third parties. Such Intellectual
Property and Reproductions cannot and must not be made available for use
without the prior written permission of the owner(s) of the relevant Intellectual
Property and/or Reproductions.
iv. Further information on the conditions under which disclosure, publication and
commercialisation of this dissertation, the Copyright and any Intellectual
Property and/or Reproductions described in it may take place is available in the
University IP Police (see
http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=487), in any relevant
Dissertation restriction declarations deposited in the University Library, The
University Library’s regulations (see
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/library/aboutus/regulations) and in The
University’s Guidance for the Presentation of Dissertations.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to express my special thanks to my supervisor Dr. Goran Nenadic who
gave me this golden opportunity to take part in this project and supported me by
giving me a lot of useful advice
I would also like to extend my warmest thanks to all the participants who spent
their precious time answering the survey and attending the interviews. Their
valuable inputs are extremely crucial to the success of this project.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to Patrick Chan for his generous help,
and his sound knowledge of other similar systems is in particular essential to the
success of this project.
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List of Contents
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................ 2
DECLARATION .................................................................................................................................. 3
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STATEMENT ............................................................................................. 4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................... 5
LIST OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................... 6
LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................... 9
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................... 11
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 12
1.1 MOTIVATION ........................................................................................................................... 12
1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................ 13
1.3 DELIVERABLES .......................................................................................................................... 13
1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRESS REPORT .......................................................................................... 15
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................. 17
2.1 REQUIREMENT ELICITATION ........................................................................................................ 17
2.1.1 Steps on Setting out the Requirements .......................................................................... 17
2.1.2 Selecting Participants ..................................................................................................... 17
2.1.3 Defining Sample Size ...................................................................................................... 18
2.1.4 Usability Metrics ............................................................................................................. 18
2.1.5 Research Methods for Collecting User Data ................................................................... 21
2.1.6 Ethical Issues .................................................................................................................. 26
2.1.7 Analysing Requirements ................................................................................................. 27
2.2 ANALYSIS OF EXISTING SYSTEMS ................................................................................................... 28
2.2.1 Current MSc project selection system ............................................................................ 29
2.2.2 MSc project selection system at Imperial College London .............................................. 30
2.2.3 Amazon ........................................................................................................................... 31
2.2.4 Apple Store ..................................................................................................................... 31
2.2.5 Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust website ................................................................. 32
2.2.6 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 33
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODS ............................................................................................ 35
3.1 STRUCTURE OF THE PROJECT ....................................................................................................... 35
3.2 REQUIREMENT GATHERING IN 1ST
PHASE ....................................................................................... 36
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3.2.1 Research Methods for Collecting User Data ................................................................... 36
3.2.2 Sampling and Sample Size .............................................................................................. 37
3.2.3 Usability Metrics ............................................................................................................. 38
3.3 DESIGN ................................................................................................................................... 39
3.4 IMPLEMENTATION ..................................................................................................................... 39
3.5 TESTING .................................................................................................................................. 39
3.6 EVALUATION ............................................................................................................................ 39
CHAPTER 4 DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ........................................................................ 40
4.1 REQUIREMENT GATHERING AND ANALYSIS .................................................................................... 40
4.1.1 Survey ............................................................................................................................. 40
4.1.2 Interview ......................................................................................................................... 48
4.2 LIST OF FUNCTIONAL AND NON-FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS............................................................. 53
CHAPTER 5 DESIGN .................................................................................................................. 55
5.1 USE CASE ................................................................................................................................ 55
5.2 SEQUENCE DIAGRAM ................................................................................................................. 56
5.3 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE OF THE SYSTEM ........................................................................................ 58
5.4 FUNCTIONS OF THE NEW SYSTEM ................................................................................................ 60
5.4.1 Browsing Projects ........................................................................................................... 60
5.4.2 Suggesting Projects ........................................................................................................ 61
5.4.3 Related Projects .............................................................................................................. 62
5.4.4 Booking Timeslot ............................................................................................................ 62
5.4.5 Discussion Board............................................................................................................. 63
5.4.6 Propose Projects ............................................................................................................. 63
5.4.7 Self-proposed Projects .................................................................................................... 63
5.5 DATABASE MODEL .................................................................................................................... 64
CHAPTER 6 IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................ 67
6.1 SELECTION OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE AND PLATFORM ............................................................... 67
6.2 USER ACCESS CONTROL .............................................................................................................. 67
6.3 MAIN PAGE ............................................................................................................................. 68
6.3.1 Searching ........................................................................................................................ 69
6.3.2 Filtering .......................................................................................................................... 70
6.3.3 Sorting ............................................................................................................................ 71
6.3.4 Suggesting Projects ........................................................................................................ 71
6.4 PROJECT DETAILS PAGE.............................................................................................................. 72
6.4.1 Booking Timeslot ............................................................................................................ 73
6.4.2 Related Projects .............................................................................................................. 74
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6.4.3 Discussion Board............................................................................................................. 74
6.5 SELF-PROPOSED PROJECTS .......................................................................................................... 75
6.6 SUPERVISORS’ INTERFACE ........................................................................................................... 76
6.7 ADMINISTRATOR’S INTERFACE ..................................................................................................... 76
6.8 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... 77
CHAPTER 7 TESTING ................................................................................................................ 78
7.1 TEST PLAN AND RESULT ............................................................................................................. 78
CHAPTER 8 EVALUATION ......................................................................................................... 80
8.1 COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CURRENT AND THE NEW SYSTEM ............................................................ 80
8.2 EVALUATION INTERVIEW ............................................................................................................ 81
8.3 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 87
8.4 PERSONAL REFLECTION .............................................................................................................. 87
8.5 FUTURE IDEAS .......................................................................................................................... 88
CHAPTER 9 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 89
APPENDIX A DATA TYPES .......................................................................................................... 92
APPENDIX B TECHNOLOGY ........................................................................................................ 93
APPENDIX C SURVEY OF THE MSC PROJECT SELECTION ............................................................. 94
APPENDIX D DETAILED SURVEY RESULTS ANALYSIS................................................................... 97
APPENDIX E INTERVIEW OF THE MSC PROJECT SELECTION ..................................................... 107
APPENDIX F EVALUATION INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ................................................................. 109
APPENDIX G SCREENSHOTS OF THE SYSTEM ........................................................................... 111
Word Count: 17,211
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List of Figures
Figure 1. Project selection process of the current system ........................................ 12
Figure 2. Example of Likert Scales .............................................................................. 19
Figure 3. Screenshot of the current MSc project selection system ........................... 29
Figure 4. Comparing function of products for Apple Store ....................................... 32
Figure 5. Booking timeslot function for Manchester Aquatic Centre ........................ 32
Figure 6. Example of ease of use question ................................................................ 38
Figure 7. Example of after-scenario questionnaire .................................................... 38
Figure 8. Chart for the question "Which options regarding the display order do you
prefer on the main page with all projects?" .............................................................. 43
Figure 9. Chart for the question “How many projects do you usually browse during
project selection?” ..................................................................................................... 43
Figure 10. Chart for the question "What do you expect to have on the main page
with all projects" ........................................................................................................ 44
Figure 11. Chart for the question "Which features do you want to add if there is a
new MSc project selection system?" ......................................................................... 45
Figure 12. Chart for the question “Expected information on the summary page of
each project" .............................................................................................................. 46
Figure 13. Use case diagram of the MSc project selection system ........................... 56
Figure 14. Sequence diagram for situation 1 ............................................................. 57
Figure 15. Sequence diagram for situation 2 ............................................................. 58
Figure 16. System architecture of the MSc project selection system ....................... 59
Figure 17. System architecture of the MSc project selection system (extend) ......... 60
Figure 18. Sequence Diagram for booking timeslot .................................................. 63
Figure 19. Sequence diagram for self-proposed projects .......................................... 64
Figure 20. Database model for storing project details .............................................. 65
Figure 21. Database Model for storing students related information ...................... 66
Figure 22. Database Model for storing users’ details ................................................ 66
Figure 23. Screenshot for the login process .............................................................. 68
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Figure 24. Screenshot for the main page ................................................................... 68
Figure 25. Part of the screenshot for project details page ........................................ 72
Figure 26. Screenshot of Discussion Board ................................................................ 74
Figure 27. Screenshot for self-proposed projects ...................................................... 75
Figure 28. Screenshot for supervisor interface .......................................................... 76
Figure 37. Screenshot for administrators’ home page .............................................. 76
Figure 29. Diagram for LAMP Architecture [30] ........................................................ 93
Figure 30. Screenshots for the filtering ................................................................... 111
Figure 31. Full screenshot for the project details page ........................................... 112
Figure 32. Screenshot for My Profile Page ............................................................... 113
Figure 33. Screenshot for self-proposed project input form ................................... 113
Figure 34. Screenshot for showing list of self-proposed projects ........................... 114
Figure 35. Screenshot for Arrange Meeting Page .................................................... 114
Figure 36. Screenshot for Add Project page ............................................................ 115
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List of Tables
Table 1. Comparison of distributing survey by post or by web and email ................ 23
Table 2. Comparison of different types of interview ................................................. 24
Table 3. Comparison of different types of research methods ................................... 26
Table 4. Comparison of current e-commerce systems .............................................. 33
Table 5. Comparisons between two MSc project selection systems ......................... 34
Table 6. Summary table of interview feedback ......................................................... 52
Table 7. Table of functional requirements ................................................................. 54
Table 8. Table of non-functional requirements ......................................................... 54
Table 9. Comparison between the current and new systems ................................... 80
Table 10. Comparison of the information shown in the current and the new systems
.................................................................................................................................... 81
Table 11. Summary table for results from evaluation interview ............................... 86
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Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Motivation
The Master of Science (MSc) project selection system is an online system designed
for students of the Advanced Computer Science and Advanced Computer Science
with IT Management master degree programmes in The University of Manchester
to browse and choose their desired projects. Selecting the desired project from
over three hundred projects which consist of a variety of themes and come from
various areas or fields is a rather complex procedure. Therefore, the MSc project
selection system is an important tool to assist students in filtering and selecting the
desired projects from a wide variety of choices.
In the current MSc project selection system, the chronological sequence of the
project selection process is illustrated in Figure 1. First, students can choose their
desired projects through filtering and ordering. Then, they can browse the details of
the projects on the main page where all projects can be found and also on the
summary page of each project. After that, they can shortlist their interested
project(s) if necessary.
Figure 1. Project selection process of the current system
Students repeat this filtering, ordering, browsing and shortlisting process before
they finalize their decision (i.e. selection). At the same time, students may contact
their potential supervisors to acquire more information about their interested
projects. This workflow can be further enhanced by obtaining user requirements
through questionnaires and interviews used in this report.
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In order to help students choose their projects more effectively, a prototype of a
new MSc project selection system with a focus on enhancing the filtering, ordering
and browsing experience is built to satisfy the students’ needs. The new system is
designed and implemented based on the students’ requirements which are
collected through surveys and interviews. Finally, the new system is evaluated
through interviewing the users and comparing with the existing system.
1.2 Aim and Objectives
The aim of this project is to design and implement a new interactive web-based
MSc project selection system through a comprehensive analysis of students’
feedback on the current system. Students’ feedback is obtained through a survey
and individual interviews.
The objectives of this project are listed as below:
Understand the current MSc selection process and the current MSc project
selection system
Design two sets of questionnaires for survey and interviews so as to collect
feedback on the current MSc project selection system
Collect feedback from MSc students through a survey and interviews in
order to identify the requirements through analysing students’ responses
Design and implement a prototype of a new MSc Project Selection System
focusing on the browsing experience and the presentation of the project
information
Evaluate the newly developed MSc project selection system
1.3 Deliverables
Two sets of questionnaires for survey and interviews
o The survey and interviews are conducted so as to collect students’
feedback on the desired user requirements. Both the survey and
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interviews focus on collecting respondents’ feedback on the current
MSc project selection system and suggestions for the new system.
A comprehensive analysis of the responses obtained
o Responses from both survey and interviews are summarized and
analysed in order to find out the advantages and disadvantages of
the current system, the user desired features and expectation on the
new system.
List of requirements
o Functional and non-functional requirements are obtained through
analysing the data collected from the survey and interviews.
Design Model of the new MSc project selection system
o The new MSc project selection system is designed according to the
user requirements. Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams such
as flow charts and activity diagrams are used to describe the design
model of the new system.
Prototype of the new MSc project selection system
o The prototype of the new MSc project selection system is
implemented through various programming languages such as PHP,
JavaScript, Structured Query Language (SQL), etc. The prototype
focuses on the browsing experience and the presentation of the
information. The following functions are implemented according to
user requirements:
Filtering & Ordering: Users can filter and sort their desired
projects through various filtering and sorting functions, such as
sorting by theme.
Browsing: Users can browse the project information on the main
page showing all project details and on the summary page of each
project. Users’ preferences for the presentation of the project
and supervisor information are investigated and implemented in
this prototype. Communication functions between students and
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supervisors such as an online forum is also added according to
users’ interests.
Evaluation report of the new MSc project selection system
o The second iteration of the survey is conducted with a view to
obtaining users’ feedback on the prototype of the new MSc project
selection system. This report evaluates the new system in order to
determine whether the new system can enhance user satisfaction
and meet user requirements.
Documentation
o The outcomes and deliverables include an initial report, progress
report and the final dissertation along with the prototype application
to record the details of each development stage.
1.4 Structure of the progress report
The aim of this report is to provide details of the progress including the background
research, project methodologies and design of this project. The contents of each
chapter are described as below:
Chapter 2 - Literature Review
This chapter discusses the existing relevant literature and explains how the
current research covered in this report is carried out based on the findings
of the previous investigations. This chapter also reviews various aspects
regarding this project, including survey methodologies, analysing
requirements and study on similar existing systems.
Chapter 3 - Research Methods
This chapter illustrates how the list of requirements is collected in this
project and how these requirements are generated based on the feedback
collected. It also explains how the MSc Project Selection System is designed
and implemented based on the list of requirements.
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Chapter 4 - Data Collection and Analysis:
Requirements elicitation is achieved by using questionnaires and interviews.
The results obtained from different research methods are also discussed in
this chapter. The responses collected are analysed and summarized as a list
of requirements.
Chapter 5 - Design
This chapter illustrates the design model based on the user requirements. It
also explains the major functionalities of the new system and the design
structure of the database.
Chapter 6 - Implementation
This chapter discusses the overall idea of the implementation as well as the
implementation details of the major functions.
Chapter 7 – Testing
The prototype of the new MSc Project Selection System has been tested by
the author. The testing plan and the result of the prototype of are discussed
in this chapter.
Chapter 8 - Evaluation
This chapter discusses the evaluation results of the prototype of the new
MSc Project Selection System through comparing with the current system
and interviewing users. Conclusion of the project and the suggested future
work are also included in this chapter.
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Chapter 2 Literature Review
Requirement Elicitation is one of the major issues for this project. The relevant
literature regarding this topic, such as the process of getting and analysing the
requirements is stated in this chapter. At the end of this chapter, some similar
systems are discussed and compared with the current system.
2.1 Requirement Elicitation
To design a new system which can satisfy the needs of users, it is essential to
conduct a comprehensive evaluation on the current system. Conducting a usability
study is one of the methods to evaluate the system effectively [1]. From the
usability study, users’ responses are collected and analysed as user requirements.
This is discussed in the following section.
2.1.1 Steps on Setting out the Requirements
Different users have different user requirements. Therefore researchers are
required to investigate and understand these requirements. A sequence of steps is
taken to set out the requirements. First, problems of different kinds arising from
the current system (if any) must be understood and defined. A set of inter-related
procedures for acquiring the data is described. This is followed by the observation
stage at which evaluation is also carried out. Then, data is collected and analysed.
Data interpretation is conducted based on the analyser’s own experience,
knowledge and results obtained from the data analysis. Finally, a list of
requirements is produced and cross-checked with stake-holders if necessary [1].
2.1.2 Selecting Participants
Participants constitute a representative sample of the wider population of the study
in every usability study. In order to select the participants who can reflect the
needs of the target audience, they are chosen taken into account different factors
such as cost, availability, appropriateness, and study goals [1] [2]. A good sampling
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strategy enables the analyser to select a representative sample. Some of the
existing sampling strategies include [1] [2]:
Random sampling: Everyone in the population has an equal chance of being
selected as participants. The selection of each participant is fully independent of
the selection of every other participant and it shows no bearing on how the
participants are selected.
Systematic sampling: The participants are selected based on pre-defined criteria
such as age and gender.
Samples of convenience: This is the most common sampling strategy in conducting
usability studies. Anyone who is willing to participate in the study can be a
participant. However, the representation of the participants recruited under this
method should be carefully considered so that it can meet the requirements set out
in the study.
2.1.3 Defining Sample Size
There is no golden rule for defining the sample size of each study. It depends much
on the goal of the study and the acceptability of error. For major usability issues
that form part of the iterative design process, responses from a small number of
participants (e.g. 3-4) are sufficient. However, when there are more usability issues
to be covered, such as evaluating various parts of a product, the sample size should
be relatively large. In general, more participants are needed in recognising other
remaining issues when the design phase is getting closer to completion [2].
2.1.4 Usability Metrics
Usability metrics [2] [3] [4] are the measurement or evaluation of the usability
study. Different usability metrics can reveal different areas of user experience.
Examples of usability metrics are described in the following sections (see Appendix
A for usability data):
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Performance metrics
They are frequently accrued by measuring user behaviour based on scenarios or
tasks. It is crucial importance when it comes to estimate the magnitude of a certain
usability issue. An example of performance metrics is to determine the usability of
a website and this type of data can be collected by counting the number of clicks
needed to access certain page.
Self-reported Metrics
Asking participants to report their user experience is the most direct way in
usability study and this can be achieved by self-reported metrics. Questions can be
presented in different forms such as options list, open-ended questions and rating
scales. Self-reported metrics are commonly used as information that can be
obtained directly from the user.
The rating scale is an efficient way to collect self-reported data since it is relatively
easy to analyse the data when comparing with the use of open-ended questions to
collect data [5]. Likert Scales are one of the common rating scales. Participants can
rate their level of agreement using the Likert Scales. The statement can range from
very positive (e.g. Strongly Agree) to very negative (e.g. Strongly Disagree) as shown
in Figure 2. It can be a 5 or 7-point scale of agreement which allows a neutral
response.
Figure 2. Example of Likert Scales
The goal of using self-reported metrics is to gain insight into users’ perception of
the system and their interaction with it. To achieve this goal, various types of
questions can be used. In the following sections, some types of questions are
discussed:
Post-Task Ratings
By asking users to rate each task, it allows researchers to understand users’
satisfaction in respect of each task. The post-task ratings include the following
three types:
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Ease of Use
Ease of use is the most popular self-reported metric which requires users to
rate the difficulty of the task. Questions such as, “It is easy to complete this
task” along with the Likert Scale are frequently used.
After-Scenario Questionnaire
Questions such as, “I am satisfied with the documentation while completing
the tasks under this scenario” are devised to collect data from participants
after completing a series of related tasks or under specific scenario [6].
Expectation Measure
Understanding how participants expect the difficulties of each task can be a
critical prerequisite (Albert and Dixon, 2003). It is important to identify the
differences between how participants feel before completing the task and
the difficulties encountered after completion. The gap between
participants’ expectations and their thoughts after completing the task can
be compared and analysed thereafter [7].
Accessing Specific Elements
For website usability studies, researchers usually measure the difficulties
encountered by users in accessing specific elements such as the site map of the FAQ
page. This technique can be easily implemented by asking the participants to rate
the specific element concerned with the use of a suitable rating scale (e.g. 7-point
Likert Scale)
Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions are commonly used in many of the questionnaires. This
type of questions allows participants to make comments/ express opinions in
response to the questions. This is one of the most effective methods for identifying
how a product can be improved [8]. However, it is hard to “calculate” these
comments using metrics. Besides, this method also increases the research cost as it
involves more time to retrieve and analyse the data [9].
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2.1.5 Research Methods for Collecting User Data
Research methods can generally be grouped into three categories: quantitative
methods, qualitative methods and laboratory-based methods. In general,
quantitative methods can provide an overview of the data obtained, and put
emphasis on how the random relationships between variables are measured and
analysed.
Qualitative methods are usually specific but rich in data content. Qualitative
methods emphasise the understanding of human behaviour. On the other hand,
laboratory-based methods can obtain accurate experimental validation but can only
be carried out with a limited number of participants.
A single research method or a combination of the above research methods can be
used to serve different purposes. For example, a combination of quantitative and
qualitative research methods can produce the result with representative statistical
information using quantitative methods, while in-depth understanding of the area
can be achieved using qualitative methods [1] [10].
Various research methodologies are applied to different subject domains. For
example, participant observation is commonly used in the field of anthropology and
social sciences together with the frequent use of questionnaires. The following
paragraphs explain three common types of research methods including survey,
interview and participant observation.
2.1.5.1 Survey
A survey is “a systematic method for gathering information from (a sample of)
entities for the purpose of constructing quantitative descriptors of the attributes of
the larger population of which the entities are members.” [11] Under this research
method, data such as self-reported metrics are usually gathered by asking
participants questions. Answers are then recorded and further analysed. It is then
followed by quantitative summaries of the observations [2] [11].
It is common for participants to make mistakes while answering the survey, for
example, misunderstanding the questions, answering the questions in the wrong
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format, unable to finish every question listed in the survey, etc. Although it is
impossible to eliminate all the errors, errors can still be minimized through the use
of different strategies. For example, using self-administered online surveys system
can eliminate the likelihood of transcription errors and enhance the accuracy of the
survey through data validation and skip pattern detection [11] [12].
Writing Good Survey Questions
In order to get the information that researchers seek to retrieve from the survey, it
is important to formulate good and effective questions in different forms. Different
types of questions can raise different issues. Before designing an effective
questionnaire, researchers have to observe different guidelines of devising different
types of questions. For example, non-emotionally sensitive questions about human
behaviour have to be as specific as possible and include all reasonable responses
with an exhaustive list of options. Questions formulated in this way can prevent
participants from answering the questions that are not intended for that purpose.
However, for emotionally sensitive questions on human behaviour, it is
recommended to use open-ended questions rather than closed questions to find
out the details of sensitive behaviour. Using open-ended questions can also avoid a
loss of information and can allow the researcher to analyse the information
obtained. Also, response options in the form of closed questions may have a
tendency of misleading participants that those options are meant for general
distribution [11].
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Distributing survey
A Survey can be distributed using various methods and each method has its own
advantages and disadvantages. The comparison of methods, such as by post, web
and e-mail is listed as below [12]:
Advantages Disadvantages
Distributing by
post
Relatively high response rate
Wide participation as everyone
can participate in it regardless of
whether they can get access to
the Internet or not
Time-consuming as it takes time
to deliver the survey, hence it
lengthens the time required to
complete the whole survey
Data quality varies as there may
be incomplete questionnaires
received and there is no alert
message to ensure that the
participants have successfully
completed every item listed in
the survey
Postal addresses of potential
respondents have yet to be
known
Distributing by
Web and E-
Lower cost as postage and
printing cost is not required
Can be conducted more quickly
and conveniently as the survey
can be distributed easily
Lower error rate since error
prevention functions (e.g. data
validation) are usually
implemented in online surveying
systems
Relatively low response rate
Cost can be high if evaluation
and testing software is needed
Email addresses of potential
respondents have yet to be
known
Table 1. Comparison of distributing survey by post or by web and email
The dual-mode strategy that suggests distributing the survey both by post, and by
email and web is a more effective means to obtain better results as this can
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enhance both the coverage rate and data quality with minimum cost and use of
resources [12].
2.1.5.2 Interview
Interview is one of the most common qualitative research methods. During the
interview, participants are asked to answer a set of interview questions which allow
researchers to understand and acquire their views and experience [13] [14].
Different types of interviews can serve different research purposes. The following
table describes three typical types of interviews [1] [13]:
Advantages Disadvantages
Telephone
Interview
Save time as researchers do not
need to reach the potential
participants in person (e.g. no face
to face contact is required)
Difficult to make thorough
assessment as information obtained
via face-to-face communication such
as facial expression cannot be
gauged over the phone
Focus Group Interaction between participants
can be recorded
High-quality information can be
collected only when the participants
cooperate with each other and
provide constructive information in
the group.
One-to-one
interview
Save time as there is no need to
gather a group of participants at the
same time while rich data can still
be obtained through face-to-face
communication
Participants have to be willing to
share their ideas and experiences.
The information collected may vary
depending on the comfort level of
participants with interviewer.
Table 2. Comparison of different types of interview
Role of Interviewers
Interviewers play an important role in every interview as they assist participants in
answering questions and are responsible for recording the answers accordingly.
However, studies have shown that interviews can produce biased responses if
questions are explained to participants in a misleading way. Interviewers may also
25
directly or indirectly provide more information than necessary and this may affect
participants’ judgement and answers [11].
Researchers can ensure consistency among interviewers by preparing a detailed list
of questions for the participants to answer, proper guidelines or procedures for the
interviewers to follow, and a thorough plan on how to guide and manage the
interviewers. In addition, methods such as video-recording the interviews can be
used to ensure consistency [1].
2.1.5.3 Participant Observation
Participant observation is one of the qualitative methods which enable researchers
to gain an insight into participants’ views. The aim of participant observation is to
find out multiple perspectives from the community of participants understudied
and gather information on the interaction among these perspectives.
Although participant observation is extremely useful for studying participants’ lives
and their relationships with others, this research method is time-consuming and it
may not be practical if a large number of participants have to be studied within a
short period of time. Besides, researchers may find it difficult to make notes while
they are observing the participants [15] [16].
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2.1.5.4 Summary
The three types of research methods mentioned above have different
characteristics. They have both advantages and disadvantages. The following table
is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the three types of research
methods in terms of different aspects [1] [11] [14]:
Survey Interview Participant
Observation
Cost Cheapest More Expensive Most Expensive
Time used by
researchers
Less More Most
Type of data Quantitative Data:
Provide an overview
but poor data
content
Qualitative Data:
Rich data content in
specific area
Qualitative Data:
Rich data content in
specific area
Type of question Mainly closed-ended
questions
Mainly open-ended
questions
Mainly close-ended
questions
Sample size Largest Smaller Smallest
Anonymity Yes (i.e. anonymous
questionnaire is
possible)
No No
Error Error may come from
participants, such as
misunderstand the
questions, answer the
questions in the
wrong format, unable
to finish every survey
item, etc.
Error may come from
interviewers (e.g.
their bias, mislead
the participants,
make mistakes in
taking notes, etc.)
Error may come from
researchers (e.g. their
bias, mislead the
participants, make
mistakes in taking
notes, etc.)
Data analysis Relatively easy to
analyse due to the use
of close-ended
questions
Difficult to analyse
due to the use of
open-ended
questions
Difficult to analyse
due to the use of
open-ended
questions
Table 3. Comparison of different types of research methods
2.1.6 Ethical Issues
Maintaining high ethical standards is one of the researchers’ obligations when
collecting data from participants. Researchers can achieve this aim by protecting
the rights, interest and dignity of the participants. Getting ethical approval from an
27
authorized Ethics body or committee can ensure that the experimentation and
testing meet ethical standards [1] [17].
2.1.7 Analysing Requirements
After collecting the usability data, presenting the data graphically is one of the best
ways to demonstrate the analysis results. Overall trends and important aspects of
the data can also be easily identified. Various types of data graphs can be used,
including the following [2]:
Columns or Bar Graphs: They are useful when representing values of continuous
data for discrete items or categories such as self-reported data, task completion
rate and task duration. However, line graphs are more appropriate if both variables
are continuous.
Pie Charts: They are ideal if relative proportions of the various parts are
represented as a whole. However, pie charts can only be used when the sum of
each part amounts to exactly 100 percent.
Word Cloud: It is used to present text data visually. Most text data is represented
in the same colour and size. Besides, in a word cloud, words that appear more
frequently are displayed in brighter colours and with larger size. Word cloud is
useful for locating the most related/relevant and important words within a large
text.
Then, the list of requirements can be further determined by observing the data
graphs using analyser’s own experience. Answers chosen by a large number of
participants should be considered as requirements. Besides, the analyser should
pay attention to the keywords which are frequently shown in the participants’
answers to open-ended questions as these keywords usually represent the
participants’ concerns. Practical and useful comments which are collected in the
interviews should also be added to the requirements list even though very few
participants mention it [2].
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2.2 Analysis of existing systems
The MSc Project Selection System is designed for students of the Advanced
Computer Science Master programme and Advanced Computer Science Master
programme with IT Management programme to browse and choose projects. The
objective of this system is to allocate resources (i.e. MSc projects) to specific
receivers, which in this case refer to the students using different online systems. A
number of external systems serving similar purposes can be used for comparison
before designing the prototype. For example, the “shopping basket” function in
most e-commerce websites is similar to the “shortlisting” function in the MSc
Project Selection System and is indeed implemented as such in the current system.
In this section, some external online systems are selected to compare the
similarities between these systems and the MSc project selection system. These
systems include Amazon [18], the world’s largest online retailer, Apple’s online
platform [19] which sells the products of Apple, Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust
website [20], an online platform which allows the booking of sports centres and
related facilitates) and the MSc project selection system used at Imperial College
London. Most of the data is collected by browsing these official websites. The
information about the MSc project selection system at Imperial College London [21]
is gathered by interviewing a current MSc student at Imperial College London [22].
The descriptions of each system in terms of different steps of the current MSc
project system (filtering & ordering, browsing, shortlisting and selection) are listed
as below.
29
2.2.1 Current MSc project selection system
Figure 3. Screenshot of the current MSc project selection system
The current MSc project selection system (as shown in Figure 3) enables students to
browse the projects using filtering and ordering options and select the desired
projects. The details of the functionalities are described below.
Filtering & ordering: The current MSc Project Selection System can filter the
projects by skills, theme and programme. The listed projects can be displayed
according to “order by supervisor” or “order by project title”.
Browsing: The titles and the names of the supervisors are listed on the main page
with all project information. Further details can be viewed by clicking “Show
Suitabilities & restrictions” where the number of participants, suitable themes and
required skills can then be shown.
On the summary page of each project, the following information is usually shown:
Project title
Name of supervisor
Deliverables
Equipment
30
Suitable themes
Description
Background
Pre-requisite
Required skills
Shortlisting: Projects can be shortlisted by clicking “add to shortlist”.
Selection: Rankings can be allocated to projects that have been shortlisted. There
are 4 ordered rankings for students to rank the projects. After selecting 4 projects
with respective ranking, students can submit the choices by clicking “submit”
button.
2.2.2 MSc project selection system at Imperial College London
Filtering & ordering: The ordering function is not available in this system. The
projects are automatically filtered. Only projects which suit the themes desired by
the students are shown. Students can further filter the projects by name of
supervisors, or by keyword search regarding the title or description.
Browsing: Compared with the current system, the MSc project selection system at
Imperial College London provides detailed project information on the main page of
all projects. Other than information such as project title and name of supervisor,
the following information is also available:
Number of students who shortlisted this project
Number of students who ranked this project
Number of students who ranked the project in each level (i.e. 1st, 2nd, SNR)
Number of students who shortlisted the projects of this supervisor
Number of students who ranked the projects of this supervisor
Note: SNR refers to ‘Select but Not yet Ranked’
By displaying more information about the projects and the supervisors, students
can get more information not only about the project itself but also its popularity.
Shortlisting: The selected project can be shortlisted by clicking “add to shortlist”.
After adding to the shortlist, students can meet their potential supervisors. First
and second ranks can be allocated to each selected project after meeting the
potential supervisors.
The ranking system adopted at Imperial College London is different from that at The
University of Manchester. There is one 1st choice and two 2nd choices, totalling up
31
to three choices. The University of Manchester offers users an additional rank, with
a total of four choices.
Selection: Projects that are ranked are automatically submitted to school after the
deadline.
2.2.3 Amazon
Filtering & Ordering: These functions are available after the users have searched
their desired items. Customers can filter items according to different criteria, such
as department, format, author, etc. It also supports a number of ordering functions
such as ordering by price, popularity, average customer review, etc.
Compared with the current MSc Project Selection System, Amazon provides more
dedicated filtering options. Also, it supports ordering functions based on customer
related data. For example, customer rating is taken into account rather than
depending solely on the product information.
Browsing: More essential information such as price, average customer review and
product image is shown on the main page of all products. Detailed description is
displayed on the summary page of each product. Rating and feedback can be found
at the bottom of the summary page.
In addition, “related products” and “other customers’ favourite products, which
are shown under “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought”, are shown on
the summary page. This makes the browsing process more convenient by giving
related and useful information to customers.
Shortlisting: Products can be “saved” for future purchase by clicking “add to
basket”.
Selection: Items in the basket can be purchased instantly. This function is similar to
the current MSc Project Selection System as the basket function is similar to the
shortlist and the purchase as the selection but without the ranking option.
2.2.4 Apple Store
Filtering & Ordering: It supports filtering by product type and keyword search.
However, it does not support ordering functions.
32
Browsing: As shown in Figure 4, Apple Store supports comparison function by
allowing customers to select up to 3 different products for comparison. The
product description area, including price and technical specification, is well laid out
together with images. Therefore, customers can compare the products easily as
details are laid out into the relevant sub-headed sections.
Figure 4. Comparing function of products for Apple Store
Shortlisting: Products can be “saved” for future purchase by clicking “add to
basket”.
Selection: Items in the basket can be purchased instantly and this is similar to the
current MSc Project Selection System as the basket function is likened to the
shortlist and the purchase as the selection but without the ranking option.
2.2.5 Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust website
Filtering and ordering: Filter by types of sports is available.
Browsing: Name of each sport is shown on the main page.
Shortlisting: There is no shortlisting function in this system.
Selection: The Tennis and Football courts in Manchester Aquatic Centre are
allocated based on a first-come-first-serve principle. The example in Figure 5 shows
an exhausted list of timeslots with the number of courts available for booking each
day. Members can select any timeslot which has not been fully booked yet.
Figure 5. Booking timeslot function for Manchester Aquatic Centre
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2.2.6 Summary
The systems explained above show differences in terms of functionalities. To better explain the differences in a domain specific
aspect, two summary tables are made in respect of e-commerce systems and MSc project selection systems. The following table
provides a summary of comparison of different features available in each e-commerce system:
Amazon Apple Store Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust website
Filtering & Ordering
Searching
Filter by various criteria
Various ordering options, including the use of related data of customers
Searching
Filter by product type
Filter by type of sports
Browsing
More information such as product image and average customer review on the summary page
Related products and other customers’ favourite products are shown
Customer rating and feedback are available
More information such as product image and special features on the summary page
Name of each sport is shown on the main page
Shortlist
By ‘add to basket’ By ‘add to basket’ N.A.
Selection Items in basket can be purchased Items in basket can be purchased By first-come-first-serve basis with a list of time slots and current booking availability
Table 4. Comparison of current e-commerce systems
34
To be more specific, the following tables compare two MSc project selection systems adopted in different universities:
Current MSc Project Selection System Shared between two systems
MSc Project Selection System at Imperial College London
Filtering Skills Theme Programme
/ Supervisor
Searching No / By Title or/and by description Ordering Project title
Supervisor / No
Information on the Main page of all projects
After clicking “Show suitabilities & restrictions”, the following information is available Number of participants Suitable themes Required Skills
Name of supervisor Project title
Number of students who shortlisted this project
Number of students who ranked this project Number of students who ranked the project in
each level (i.e. 1st, 2nd, SNR) Number of students who shortlisted the
projects of this supervisor Number of students who ranked the projects
of this supervisor Information on the Summary page of each project
Background Deliverables Equipment
Project title Name of supervisor Suitable themes Description Pre-requisites Required skills
Reference (related resources about the project)
Shortlisting / By adding to shortlist / Ranking 4 rankings
Ranked before selection / One 1st choice and two 2nd choices
Ranked after meeting the supervisor Selection Projects in the “shortlist” can be ranked
and submitted as selection / Shortlisted projects are automatically submitted
after the deadline Auto filtering
No / The projects are automatically filtered. Only projects which suit the students ‘preferences are shown
Table 5. Comparisons between two MSc project selection systems
35
Chapter 3 Research Methods
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the research methodologies that are
applied in this project. A comprehensive explanation is given on how the project is
carried out and the reasons for applying these methodologies.
3.1 Structure of the Project
As stated in 1.1 and 1.2, there are a number of aims, objectives and deliverables to
be achieved in this project. Iterative development is used as an approach to reach
the above goals and is divided into three phases according to different procedures.
Feedback from students is collected by survey and interview in the 1st and 3rd phase
to serve the purpose of requirement gathering and system evaluation. In the 3rd
phase of development, interaction with students is scaled down to a small number
of students in order to reach the aim of collecting in depth comments on the
prototype in less time-consuming way.
Requirement gathering, design, implementation and testing are carried out in the
2nd phase. The iterative lifecycle is applied in this phase. A prototype of the MSc
project selection system is designed, implemented and tested part by part. The
final system is built after enlargement and refinement of the system during
iteration [23]. The detailed structure of the project is stated as below:
1st Phase
Requirement gathering and analysis
o Understand the current MSc selection process and the current MSc
project selection
o Design two sets of questionnaires for survey and interviews
o Collect feedback from students
o Analyse the data
o Prepare a list of requirements
36
2nd Phase
Requirement gathering: Collect feedback from a small number of students
on the prototype
Design: Design the new system and description using UML diagrams
Implementation: Implement a prototype of the new system
Testing: Test the prototype
3rd Phase
Evaluation
o Collect feedback from students again regarding the new system and
carry out evaluation using the same questionnaires used in the 1st
phase
o Analyse the data
o Conclude the evaluation
3.2 Requirement gathering in 1st Phase
The gathering of requirements is carried out in the first phase through survey and
interview. The steps for getting the requirements are already elaborated in 2.1.1.
3.2.1 Research Methods for Collecting User Data
As mentioned in 2.1.5, both quantitative and qualitative research methods have
their own advantages and disadvantages. In order to get the best results, both
research methods are used. Since this research focuses on the experience after
participants have used the project selection system and it is hardly possible to
thoroughly observe them within a short period of time, participant observation is
not used here. Instead, surveys and interviews are used in the analysis of the
current system.
Survey
In this research, a hybrid method of distributing the surveys to students by hand in
classes, by email and also by web using Google Survey is adopted. Hence, relatively
reliable data can be obtained and a good response rate can also be secured. That
37
the Google Survey is used as the online tool for distributing the survey fits the
characteristics of online survey tools as described in 2.1.5. It can lower the error
rate through data validation and can eliminate empty response. It is also equipped
with other error prevention functions so as to ensure that the surveys are
distributed and completed in the best possible way.
Interview
There are different types of interview as stated in 2.1.5. A one-to-one interview is
adopted in this research as participants may feel more comfortable by providing
responses individually. Also, the participants are not required to gather at a specific
time for attending focus groups or other kinds of group interviews. The interview
session can be arranged at their own convenient time and place. Telephone
interview is not used as it lacks personal touch and hence emotional data which is
useful for understanding the participants’ experiences in using the system may be
lost over the phone.
Compared with the survey, fewer questions are asked in the interview. The details
of this approach are elaborated in 2.1.5, and the objective of the interview is to get
an insight into specific problems rather than having an overview through the
survey. Besides, reducing the number of questions for the interview can allow
researchers to have more time to discuss and explore the problems with the
participants.
3.2.2 Sampling and Sample Size
As the objective of this project is to obtain feedback from the students who have
used the current MSc Project Selection System, systematic sampling is applied in
this research. As stated in 2.1.3, the predefined criterion for this project is that,
participants must be students who have used the system before. To ensure that
participants meet the above criterion, the survey and interview are distributed
tactically and carefully. For instance, the questionnaires are distributed in the
classes attended by MSc Advanced Computer Science students. Besides, a private
Facebook group is created in which only MSc students are invited by email.
38
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are applied in this research. As
described in 2.1.3, a small number of participants are enough to identify major
usability issues. Therefore, the aim is to recruit 5 participants for one-to-one
interviews. To identify other issues on usability, participants for the survey are
needed and the target number of participants is 50.
3.2.3 Usability Metrics
Since participants have already performed the project selection process before, it is
difficult to measure their performance by asking them to perform the selection
process again. As a result, performance metrics are seldom applied to this
research. Instead, this research focuses on self-reported metrics. For example,
self-reported metrics are collected by asking participants to rate the ease of use of
the interface using the Likert Scales as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6. Example of ease of use question
As explained in 2.1.4, participants are asked to rate in the survey. For example,
questions regarding the “ease of use” of the system as shown in Figure 6 can be
used. “After-scenario questionnaire” can also be added for collecting the rating for
a series of tasks such as filtering (Figure 7).
Figure 7. Example of after-scenario questionnaire
Apart from self-reported metrics which can provide an overview of the whole
system but with rather limited content, open-ended questions can be used during
the interview. Open-ended questions can help researchers to acquire rich data on
specific areas which can hardly be obtained using self-reported metrics.
Usability data is also collected and analysed. A list of functional and non-functional
requirements is summarized based on this data.
39
3.3 Design
The new system is designed based on the requirement list which is engineered after
analysing the students’ feedback. The design is described using the Unified
Modeling Language (UML), “a visual language for specifying, constructing and
documenting the artefacts of systems” [24]. The UML diagrams are useful in
describing raw ideas [23]. During the design stage of this project, activity diagrams
and low charts are used to describe the system.
3.4 Implementation
As described in Appendix A, LAMP is a well-developed open source platform. It is
widely used for web development. This combination of software is used to develop
the prototype of MSc project selection system with filtering, ordering and browsing
functions.
3.5 Testing
Testing of the system is conducted part by part and later as a whole. White-Box
testing, black-box testing, unit testing and integration testing etc. are used in
different stages of development. Each function and web page is tested explicitly.
3.6 Evaluation
The modified version of survey and interview which is designed in the 1st phase of
requirement gathering is again used to collect feedback from students. The survey
and interview focuses on the prototype of the new MSc project selection system
and the comparison between the current system and the new system. The
feedback collected in this phase can be considered as the evaluation on the new
system from the students’ perspectives.
40
Chapter 4 Data Collection and Analysis
Collecting user requirements and conclude the requirements list is one of the major
tasks of this project. In this chapter, the details of data collection and analysis are
discussed. User requirements are analysed and a list of functional and non-
functional requirements is produced at the end of the chapter.
4.1 Requirement Gathering and Analysis
The 1st phase of requirement gathering and analysis was conducted in March, 2013.
Surveys and interviews regarding the current MSc project selection system are then
conducted in this phase.
4.1.1 Survey
In order to maintain the ethical standard of this research, this survey has gained
approval from the University of Manchester Research Ethics Committee with
approval number CS62. As stated in 3.2, the survey (listed in Appendix C) is
distributed in two ways, including the hard copy for classes and the soft copy
distributed through email and Facebook using Google Survey. In total, 25 students
submitted their responses by paper and 23 students submitted their responses
using Google Survey. Since the survey is the same for the paper and online
versions, the following analysis consists of the feedback collected through the
above two means and this combined feedback is regarded as the overall result of
this research. As described in 1.2, since this project focuses on the browsing
experience and the presentation of the project information, the feedback regarding
the “shortlist” and “selection” is not analysed here.
A complete analysis of the survey results can be found in Appendix D. The results
of responses regarding the use of different functions in the system are summarised
and an overall conclusion of the survey results is also explained below:
41
Potential features for the new system
As explained in 2.1.5, since respondents tend not to think of extra options but to
select what is available, this survey includes more options so that the respondents
can make the most suitable choices. In this regard, a list of potential features for
the new system is pre-defined for the survey used in this project. These features
have not yet been confirmed as the final features for the new system. The
following potential features are set based on the author’s experience and ideas
regarding the MSc Project Selection System, as well as observation on other
students’ behaviour and comments on the current system.
Extra filtering and ordering options (e.g. order by theme, filter by supervisor,
keyword search)
Popularity information (e.g. number of students who shortlisted the project,
number of students who selected the project)
Different types of project information
o A tweet-like description and summary with keywords which can
enhance the reading speed
o Related projects which show similar or related projects with an aim
to helping students to explore more relevant projects
o Projects which other students also browsed while browsing this
project which assist students in project exploration
Different types of supervisor information
o Photo
o Link to supervisor’s email
o Link to supervisor’s webpage
o Background information about the supervisor
Online forum for students and supervisors to communicate with each other
Schedule meetings for students who would like to book the pre-set
timeslots proposed by the potential supervisors. The specific timeslot will
then be allocated by the system automatically.
42
Results of the survey
Some general questions were asked at the beginning of the survey. In general,
most of the participants (81%) responded that the system is fit for purpose. In
addition, about 88% of the participants responded that the current system has
sufficient functions and is useful.
Filtering & Ordering
Feedback was also collected regarding the usability of the current filtering and
ordering functions. Besides, participants were asked to express their expectation
on the new system in respect of filtering and ordering options.
Filtering
The data collected indicates that three quarters of the participants give positive
feedback on the current filtering options in which about half of them support
retaining all of the current filtering options. However, over half of them suggest
having additional filtering options such as keyword search and supervisor filter.
About two thirds of the participants are in particular supportive of adding the
keyword search.
In general, participants are satisfied with the current filtering interface. However,
one third of the participants give negative feedback on it.
Ordering
Quite a considerable number of participants (38%) dislike using the default display
order for projects. Over half of them suggest including “order by theme” and
“order by programme “while retaining the current ordering options such as “order
by title” and “order by supervisor” as shown in Figure 8. About one quarter of
participants suggest having more information on the popularity of the project by
adding “order by number of students who have selected this project before” and
“order by number of students who have shortlisted this project before” options.
43
Which options regarding the display order do you prefer on the main page with all
projects?
Figure 8. Chart for the question "Which options regarding the display order do you prefer on the main page with all projects?"
Number of projects browsed
There are over two hundred projects available in the current system. Surprisingly,
about 65% of participants respond that they had only browsed 10 or fewer projects
(Figure 9). In total, only less than 20% of participants respond that they have
browsed more than 20 projects. The findings show that most students do not
explore much in the selection of the projects currently available in the system. This
may suggest that filtering and ordering functions play an important role in helping
students to select their suitable projects from a wide variety of choices.
How many projects do you usually browse during project selection?
Figure 9. Chart for the question “How many projects do you usually browse during project selection?”
44
Information about the project
There are two major types of information presented in the MSc Project Selection
System, these include project information and supervisor information. Taking into
account the importance of the above information, our focus is to gather users’
responses on the presentation of these two types of information. Participants are
asked to give comments on the usefulness of the information that is presented on
the different pages in the current system, including the main page with all projects
and the summary page of each project.
Information about the project on the main page with all projects
Half of the participants responded that there is insufficient project information
available on the main page as well as on its summary page.
Figure 10 shows that there are a number of features that participants would like to
adopt but they are not available on the main page with all projects in the current
system. Although the first and second most wanted ordering options, which are
“order by title” and “order by supervisor”, are already available in the current
system, they opined that it is necessary to add the “summary with keywords”
option . However, currently there is no summary at all on the main page. Therefore,
other information such as tweet-like description, restrictions and pre-requisites has
gained many participants’ support and hence they should be carefully considered
when designing a new system.
What do you expect to have on the main page with all projects?
Figure 10. Chart for the question "What do you expect to have on the main page with all projects"
Currently not included
45
Information about the project on the summary page of each project
Similar to the results regarding filtering & ordering, about half of the participants
show interests in the popularity of the project by including information such as
“number of students who have selected this project” and “number of students who
have shortlisted this project” on the summary page of each project. The feature of
“Summary with keywords” is again a major user requirement as about 70% of the
participants give feedback on it. “Related project” on the summary page is another
popular feature that users expressed interests in it, with about 70% of the
participants support this new feature. Most of them prefer keeping all of the
current information on the summary page such as restrictions, pre-requisites,
suitable theme(s), etc.
Length of Descriptions
Regarding the length of the descriptions, two thirds of the participants suggest
keeping it as short as possible, that is about 1 to 3 sentences on the main page with
all projects. On the other hand, they prefer having detailed descriptions of no less
than 10 sentences on the summary page of each project.
New Features
Participants are relatively excited about the new features proposed in the new MSc
project selection system. About two thirds of the participants respond that they
are happy to see new features like the forum and “showing related projects”. On
the other hand, fewer participants (30%) prefer the option of “Showing the projects
which other students also browsed this project” as shown in Figure 11.
Which features do you want to add if there is a new MSc project selection system?
Figure 11. Chart for the question "Which features do you want to add if there is a new MSc project selection system?"
46
Information about the supervisor
Similar to the above section, participants were asked if there is sufficient
information available on different pages.
Information about the project on the main page with all projects
Almost all the participants agree that the name of the supervisor should appear on
the main page with all projects. About one third of them would like to have the
contact information with the supervisor on the main page, such as links to the
supervisor’s email and webpage.
Information about the project on the summary page of each project
In the current system, only the name of the supervisor is provided on the summary
page of each project. But from the results represents in Figure 12, participants
respond that there is not enough information about supervisors. More participants
would like to have the link to supervisor’s email than only the name of the
supervisor. About half to two thirds of the participants suggest having other
information, such as photo, background information and link to supervisor’s
webpage.
Expected information on the summary page of each project
Figure 12. Chart for the question “Expected information on the summary page of each project"
47
Ways of communication
Most participants (75%) prefer contacting the potential supervisors by email, while
the second priority is face-to-face conversation. About 40% of participants respond
that they are curious about the online forum and they would like to communicate
with their potential supervisors.
Scheduling Meeting
Scheduling meeting is a proposed feature for assisting students and supervisors in
choosing suitable timeslots for consultation. This function enables students to
choose their preferred timeslots which have already been pre-set by the
supervisors. Then, the system will allocate the chosen timeslot according to the
first-come-first-serve principle. In this survey, almost all the participants (except
one participant) support this idea.
Interface
The look and feel of the webpage is regarded as average. Two thirds of the
participants give positive feedback on the usability, look and feel and ease of access
to certain pages/items. But among these three aspects, participants are the least
satisfied with the look and feel of the webpage with about 42% of participants give
negative response.
Expectation on the new system
Some participants suggest a number of practical recommendations to the new
system. These comments are summarized according to their different
functionalities as follows:
Interface
Easy to use
Simple but not too packed with information
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Information
Response or comments page for supervisors should be included
Links to web related pages are prefered.
Communication
Appointment Booking system is needed
Other:
More intuitive and easier to undersand
Function of suggesting self-proposed project should be added
4.1.2 Interview
In order to explore the problems found in the survey, an in-depth interview was
conducted after results from the survey had been collected. Several interviewees
provided responses in the interview (see Appendix E for interview questions). The
interview is organized into eight sections. The first six sections are divided
according to the functionalities of the system. The last two sections aim to collect
feedback on the current system and suggestions for the new system. The interview
results are summarized and analysed in the following paragraphs:
Filtering
Most of the participants respond that that there are plenty of other useful filtering
options and they are supportive of the pathway filtering option. However, they still
opine that there are many limitations on the current filtering function. For
example, users can not search the projects by area of interests. They suggest that
the future system should support filtering by supervisor, level of difficulty and
keyword search. One of the interviewees who have completed his undergraduate
course at the University of Manchester suggested including a filter in respect of
level of difficulty. He mentioned that the level of difficulty of each project is listed
for his undergraduate project selection. He would like to have it in the MSc project
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selection and believes that this can be useful for assisting students in identifying the
project that suits their abilities the most.
Information about projects
Many participants comment that there are insufficient project descriptions. And
the descriptions are unclear and too general. Besides, all of the participants face
difficulties in understanding the descriptions and more importantly, they opine that
the actual projects are usually different from the project descriptions provided in
the system.
It is suggested by the participants that other resources such as “link to past
dissertations” and “example of deliverables should be added to help students to get
familiar with the projects”. They also look forward to having more details of the
skills involved in the projects and the requirements of supervisors which constitute
the major parts of the projects. One of the participants also suggested including a
project comparison function to assist students in choosing their projects by making
comparison of different projects.
Information about supervisors
All of the participants give negative feedback on the current information on
supervisors. Most of them prefer knowing more about the potential supervisor,
such as their research interests and time spent on research and/or supervising
students as they usually choose their projects based on the supervisor information.
They also responded that this is essential as it might affect the amount of time the
supervisor can allocate for supervising the projects. Also, some students expressed
interests in the PhD programme and responded that a supervisor with relevant
research backgrounds can help them decide their future research fields. It is also
suggested that a brief introduction of the supervisor should be added as it can help
participants know more about the supervisor.
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Also, they would like to have more supervisor information such as photos, links to
supervisors’ webpage and contact information. Some said that they cannot find the
supervisors after the open house since there is no contact information on the
current system. They suggest changing the name of the supervisor to a hyperlink to
their email so that students can contact them more conveniently. One participant
suggests adding the meeting times available for the ease of scheduling meetings.
Interface
In general, they agreed that the current interface is easy to use. However, as
mentioned in the above paragraphs, they give rather negative feedback on the lack
of information about the projects and the supervisors. This problem resulted in
users’ unpleasant browsing experience.
Communication
Most of the participants encounter problems while contacting the potential
supervisors to schedule a meeting. Some of the possible reasons can be the fact
that the supervisors seldom read or reply to the emails, and students are unable to
find them in their offices. To prevent the likelihood of such situations from
happening, participants suggest having the “scheduling meeting function” or
making it compulsory for supervisors to read their emails.
Although the idea of online forum is suggested to the interviewees, they still prefer
contacting the supervisors by email or by face-to-face communication. They agree
that the online forum was a good choice for general discussion but they still think
that emails or face-to-face interaction are important since they prefer having
individual discussions with their supervisors occasionally.
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Overall comments for the current system
In general, from the participants’ perspectives, the current system is easy to use,
simple and fit for purpose and it allows users to know the skills required for the
projects.
However, there are many disadvantages of the current system. As mentioned
above, one of the major problems is insufficient information on the projects and
supervisors. It is difficult for them to know more about the popularity of the
project and its supervisor while this information is crucial in deciding which project
to choose. Besides, it is suggested that the “keywords search” function should be
available in the current system.
New System
Regarding the look and feel, it is suggested having a user-friendly, simple and clear
interface. Functions like keyword search and scheduling meeting should be made
available in the new system. There are also other suggestions such as showing the
filtering options in a dropdown list.
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Many valuable inputs are obtained from the users in the interview as described in the above paragraphs. All comments are
summarized in the following table in respect of positive, negative feedback and the suggestions to the new system.
Positive Feedback Negative Feedback Suggestions
Filtering Many useful filtering options (e.g. pathway filtering)
Limitations (e.g. cannot search the projects by area of interests)
Supervisor filtering
Difficulties filtering
Keywords search functions
Information about projects
/ Project descriptions are too general, unclear and do not match with the actual project
More resources (e.g. link to past year dissertation and example of deliverables)
More details on skills involved and requirements of supervisors
Information about supervisor
/ Not enough information Background information (e.g. brief introduction, amount of research and interested area)
Photo
Link to supervisor’s webpage
Change the name to email link
timeslot Available for meeting
Communication / Cannot find supervisors since they seldom read or reply to the emails and even cannot find them in their offices
Add scheduling meeting function
Make it compulsory for the supervisors to read emails
Overall Simple
Fit for purpose
Unable to know the popularity of the project and its supervisor
Show filtering options in a dropdown list.
Table 6. Summary table of interview feedback
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4.2 List of functional and non-functional requirements
The students’ feedback from the survey and interview are summarized as a list of functional and non-functional requirements. As mentioned
before, the following analysis focuses on the browsing experience and presentation of information. The following requirements are the results
collected from the survey and interview and are classified as functional and non-functional requirements.
The risk, complexity and priority of each requirement for implementation are also listed below. Three levels of classification (low, medium and
high) are applied to describe the degree of risk, complexity and priority.
Functional Requirements
ID Requirement Descriptions Risk Complexity Priority
FR1 Students are able to filter projects by the following filtering options:
Keywords search, Skills filter, Programme filter, Theme filter, Supervisor filter, Difficulties filter
Low Low High
FR2 Students are able to order projects by the following ordering options:
Order by title, Order by supervisor, Order by theme, Order by programme
Low Low High
FR3 The main page with all the projects should contain the following information:
Title, Supervisor, A tweet-like summary with keywords, Name of supervisor which is also a hyperlink
to the supervisor’s email
Low Low High
FR4 The project details page of each project should contain the following information:
Title, Supervisor, Summary with keywords, Suitable theme(s), Required Skills, Restrictions, Pre-
Low Low High
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requisites, Related Projects, More resources (e.g. link to past year dissertations and example of
deliverables), Name, Photo, Link to supervisor’s email, Link to supervisor’s webpage,
FR4 Students are able to schedule a meeting with supervisors in the system by choosing the available
timeslot proposed by the supervisors.
Medium Medium Medium
FR5 Users are able to discuss the projects by using the discussion board. Medium High Medium
FR6 Include popularity information (the number of students who have selected this project and the
number of students who have shortlisted this project) on the project details page of each project and
include this information as ordering options.
Medium High Low
FR7 Showing the projects that other students have browsed while browsing this project on the project
details page of each project.
Medium High Low
Table 7. Table of functional requirements
Non-functional Requirements
ID Requirement Descriptions Risk Complexity Priority
NFR1 The system should be easy to use. Low Low High
NFR2 The system should be easy to get access to certain page (less page traversal). Low Medium High
NFR3 The interface of the system should be simple and clear. Low Low High
NFR4 The interface of the system should appear to be professional
Low Low High
Table 8. Table of non-functional requirements
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Chapter 5 Design
After the requirement gathering process, the system is then designed following the
list of requirements which is described in Chapter 4. The details of the design
including the overall design models, major functionalities for each type of user and
design model of the database are described in this chapter.
5.1 Use Case
The MSc Project Selection System serves three kinds of users (students, supervisors
and the administrator). Figure 13 describes the general interactions between the
users and the system. All of them are able to browse the projects which are
proposed by the supervisors and the administrators. Students can book the
timeslots which are suggested by the supervisors. Supervisors can also browse and
accept the self-proposed projects which are proposed by students. The details of
the interactions are explained in the following sections.
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Figure 13. Use case diagram of the MSc project selection system
5.2 Sequence Diagram
In this section, two situations which are commonly happened between students
and supervisors in using the MSc Project Selection System are explained with the
aid of Sequence Diagram.
Situation 1:
This situation described below simulates students to perform browsing of the
projects, use the “suggesting projects”, “discussion board” and “booking timeslot”
functions in the system (Figure 14).
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1. Students can start using the system by browsing all projects on the Main
Page.
2. Students are able to use filtering, searching and ordering functions to find
their interested projects.
3. To explore more projects, students can utilize the “suggesting projects”
function by first editing/creating/updating the personal profile on the My
Profile Page.
4. Then, students can browse again on the Main Page and get a list of
suggested projects which are generated according to their personal profile.
5. Students can click the title of an interested project and they will be directed
to the Project Details Page.
6. Students can browse the projects details on the Project Details Page.
7. To know more about the projects, students can browse the comments on
discussion board and leave comments as well.
8. If students are really interested in the projects, they can meet the potential
supervisors by using the “booking timeslot” function on the Project Details
Page.
Figure 14. Sequence diagram for situation 1
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Situation 2:
This situation described below simulates supervisors to propose a project, a
meeting timeslot and to use the discussion board (Figure 15)
1. Supervisors can start using the system by proposing a project on the
Manage Project Page.
2. In order to let the students arrange meetings easier, supervisors can add
their available meeting timeslots on the Arrange Timeslot Page.
3. Supervisors can also browse and reply comments from students on the
discussion board on Project Details Page.
Figure 15. Sequence diagram for situation 2
5.3 System Architecture of the System
Figure 16 illustrates the system architecture of the MSc project selection system.
The system is hosted on the Apache Web Server and it obtains requests from users
on the Internet via the browser. Requests are processed by the MSc project
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selection system and the system will then connect to the database if necessary.
Responses are then sent to the users via the Internet through browser.
To be more specific, Figure 17 describes the functionalities of the MSc project
selection system based on different pages. Three kinds of users (students,
supervisors, and the administrator) have three individual home pages. All of them
can browse the projects on both the Main Page and the Project Details Page.
Students and supervisors can also make comments on the projects on the Project
Details Page by using the discussion board.
Supervisors can add available meeting timeslots or edit the existing timeslots on the
Arrange Meeting Page.
Existing projects are proposed and edited by supervisors and the administrator on
the Manage Project Page. Instead of choosing the existing projects, students can
also propose a project on the Self-Proposed Project Page (Student). Then,
supervisors can browse and accept the project on the Self-Proposed Project Page
(Supervisor).
Figure 16. System architecture of the MSc project selection system
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Figure 17. System architecture of the MSc project selection system (extend)
5.4 Functions of the New System
Based on the system architecture which is explained in the above section, this
section explores the details of design for different major functionalities.
5.4.1 Browsing Projects
Main Page:
On the main page, students can browse all the projects with the information listed
in FR3 (4.2). Students can also find projects by filtering, searching and sorting. The
filtering and sorting options follow the user requirements mentioned in FR1 and
FR2 (4.2).
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Searching is a newly added function which can be achieved in two ways. Users can
search the projects by typing the title, keywords and supervisor names. On the
other hand, users can also use the tag cloud to search the projects.
Tag cloud is available on the main page and it shows the keywords in all projects in
order to visualize the popular content of the projects. The font size of the
keywords in the tag cloud is directly proportional to the frequency of the keywords
among all projects. By clicking the keywords in the tag cloud, it allows the system
to display all the projects which match with those keywords. Therefore, users can
perform a keywords search by this innovative option with reference to the
popularity of the keywords.
Project Details Page:
Students will be directed to Projects Details Page after they have selected a project
by clicking its title. All the details about the project and the supervisor which are
required by students are listed on this page according to the user requirements
stated in FR4 (4.2).
5.4.2 Suggesting Projects
In order to help students to explore the projects in which they are interested, the
system can suggest 5 projects according to the personal profile of students on the
main page under the students’ interface. The suggested projects are found through
the following means:
1. Students edit/create/update their personal profiles such as their
preferences for the projects, e.g. keywords, skills, themes and difficulties
2. The system compares the personal profiles of students with all the projects
to find the “Suggesting_Score”. To achieve this, for every project,
a. Set the Suggesting_Score as 0
b. Suggesting_Score is incremented by 1 for every matched supervisors,
keywords, skills, themes and difficulties
c. Update the Suggesting_Score in the table Suggesting_Projects for
corresponding student and project
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3. When the students browse the main page, the system will suggest 5 projects
which have the highest Suggesting_Score
5.4.3 Related Projects
Related Projects is a new feature which helps students to explore more relevant
projects by finding and providing links of related projects for each project. The
related projects are found by calculating the number of matched keywords among
all projects. The list of related projects is shown on the Project Details Page with
the link to those related projects. The related projects are found through the
following means:
1. The system compares the keywords of all the projects to find the
“Related_Score”. To achieve this, for every project,
a. Set the Related _Score as 0
b. Related_Score is incremented by 1 for every matched keyword
c. Update the Related_Score in the table Related _Projects for
corresponding student and project
2. When the students browse the Project Details Page, the system will
generate 3 projects which have the highest Related_Score
5.4.4 Booking Timeslot
The “scheduling meeting” function aims to assist students in scheduling a meeting
with their potential supervisors more easily and conveniently. Figure 18 describes
the steps for scheduling a meeting. Supervisors can first propose one or more
timeslots available for meeting. Each timeslot can accommodate more than one
student. Then students can browse the available meeting timeslots of each
supervisor on the Project Details page. If the students would like to meet with the
supervisors, they can select the suitable timeslots on the Project Details page.
Afterwards, supervisors can browse the names of all students who have registered
the meetings with them.
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Figure 18. Sequence Diagram for booking timeslot
5.4.5 Discussion Board
Discussion board is newly added to serve as a platform for students and supervisors
to discuss projects. Each project has a separate discussion board. Users can reply
to an existing post or create a new post.
In order to help users filter useful comments, the system enables users to show
support to the posts by clicking the “Like” button or show opposition by clicking the
“Dislike” button. Users can browse the rating of each post. They can also sort all
the posts by the rating of the post or by the posting time.
5.4.6 Propose Projects
Supervisors and the administrator can propose projects under their own interfaces.
Supervisors can only edit the projects which are proposed by them while the
administrator can edit all the projects. All the projects proposed by supervisors and
the administrator are listed on the main page.
5.4.7 Self-proposed Projects
If the students have other ideas on the MSc projects, they can propose a project.
As described in Figure 19, students can input the self-proposed project details
including project title, keywords, a tweet-like description and comprehensive
descriptions. Then, supervisors can browse the self-proposed projects which have
not been accepted by any supervisors. If the supervisor chooses to accept the
project, the student will receive a notification. Since the allocation of the self-
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proposed projects is based on a first-come-first-serve basis, the first supervisor who
accepts the projects will be supervising the projects. Therefore, the projects
accepted are no longer available for other supervisors to choose and cannot be
reached by others anymore.
Figure 19. Sequence diagram for self-proposed projects
5.5 Database Model
The following paragraphs explain how the database model is designed for the new
system. The whole database system is divided into three parts for ease of
explanation, including data about the projects, data about the students and data
about the users’ login information for students, supervisors and the administrator.
Figure 20 illustrates the relationships between the tables which store the data
about the projects. MScProjects is the major table for storing most of the project
details. As the result of normalization, MScProjects keeps the references of the
primary keys of the Difficulty and Supervisor tables in order to reference the data
about the difficulty level and the name of the supervisor of the project.
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SkillSet and ThemeGroup are the tables which save the relationships between the
projects, skills and themes. By adding these tables, it enables N:M relationships
between projects & skills and projects & themes. Therefore, one project can be
linked to more than one skills and themes.
Table forum stores the details for the discussion board of each project.
Projects_Relation keeps the Relation_Score between two projects for finding
related projects in future.
Figure 20. Database model for storing project details
Figure 21 includes the data related to students. SkillSet_Student,
ThemeGroup_Student and Timeslot_Student store the relationships between
students and skills, themes and timeslot. And the table Timeslot references
Supervisor_ID meaning the timeslots are under supervisors’ allocation.
Suggesting_Projects keeps the Suggesting_Score between projects and students for
referring the suggested projects to the students.
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Figure 21. Database Model for storing students related information
At last, Figure 22 demonstrates the storage of users’ details. Tables Student and
Supervisor include the details of students and supervisors. These tables are linked
to table UserGroup which stores the account details for the users. The account
details include the username and password for login and discussion board. It also
identifies the User_Type of the users.
Figure 22. Database Model for storing users’ details
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Chapter 6 Implementation
The system is implemented (see Appendix H for details) based on the design
explained in Chapter 5. The implementation methodologies of the most interesting
and significant part of the system are explained in this chapter. General ideas of all
other functionalities of the system can also be found in this chapter.
6.1 Selection of programming language and platform
The website and the database are hosted on the Linux server of The University of
Manchester (potnoodle.cs.man.ac.uk). The website uses Apache server and the
database works on the MySQL server. PHP is the major programming language for
coding the web pages. It also corporates with HTML, JavaScript (includes jQuery)
and CSS to serve various purposes such as decorticating the interface nicely and
allowing update of the page content without reloading the page (see 3.4 for more
details).
6.2 User access control
User access control is implemented in this new MSc Project Selection System for
separating the access privileges in respect of different kinds of users. The
username, password and user type are assigned to the user once the account is
created. Users have to login to the system (as shown in Figure 23) before use.
Then the system will cross check the login details with the database. If the details
are valid, the users can use the system and be directed to the homepage for that
user type. Username and user type are saved in session in PHP for further usage.
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Figure 23. Screenshot for the login process
6.3 Main Page
Figure 24. Screenshot for the main page
Figure 24 presents the main page which shows the project lists. This screenshot is
taken under the student interface. The main page of other users is similar except
the headings are different.
Result summary describes the number of projects shown in the projects list in
ascending order of project title. The Projects list consists of project titles, names of
the supervisors, short descriptions, keywords, difficulty, number of views and
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number of students who shortlisted the project shown in the right. Students can
send emails the supervisors directly by simply clicking their names. More
comprehensive project details can be found on the following page by clicking the
project title.
Other functionalities of the main page are explained in the following sections.
6.3.1 Searching
Users can search a project by typing the title, name of supervisor or keywords in the
searching box on the top of the page. System then matches the words given by the
users with the related data and retrieves all matching projects for the users. This is
achieved by using the “LIKE” function of the MySQL to compare the words given by
users with the project information (Code 1). “project_query” is a view in MySQL
which gathers all the information of different tables by using join (e.g. Left join
Supervisor on MScProjects.Supervisor_ID = Supervisor.Supervisor_ID). The view is
created or updated when the filtering options are applied.
1. SELECT * FROM project_query
2. WHERE (Title LIKE '%".$search_value."%') OR 3. (Keywords LIKE '%".$search_value."%') OR 4. (Supervisor_Name LIKE '%".$search_value."%')
Code 1. MySQL query for searching projects
Users can also search the project by using tag cloud on the top left of the page. As
shown in Code 2, the system first calculates the frequency of the keywords among
all projects and saves them in the array list. Then the lowest and highest
frequencies of the keywords are found for determining the spread of the font size
of the tag. Afterwards, the size of each tag is calculated by the comparison
between the frequency of the current keywords and the lowest frequency among
all keywords and further scale by the spread1. At last, the HTML tag (e.g. p) can be
generated by applying the keywords as the content and the size as the font size.
1 References: http://v2.scriptplayground.com/tutorials/php/Tag-Cloud/ and
http://snipplr.com/view/2225/
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1. FUNCTION generateCloud(array of keywords, minFontSize = 12,
maxFontSize = 30) 2. { 3. FOR EACH keywords as word 4. frequency_keywords[word] = frequency_keywords[word] + 1 5. lowest_frequencey = the minimum value in
frequency_keywords[word] 6. highest_frequencey = the maximum value in
frequency_keywords[word] 7. spread = highest_frequencey - lowest_frequencey 8.
9. cloudTags = new array() 10.
11. FOR EACH frequency_keywords[word] as count 12. size = minFontSize + (count - lowest_frequencey) *
(maxFontSize – minFontSize)/ spread 13. cloudTags[] = HTML TAG with
CONTENT as word and set the FONT-SIZE as 14. return cloudTag
15. } Code 2. Code for generating tag cloud
6.3.2 Filtering
Filtering is shown on the left and the options (see Appendix G Figure 31 for the
screenshot) are hidden by JavaScript after the page is loaded. Comparing with the
previous system which puts all the filtering options at the top of the page, the
current setting not only can keep the filtering options always visible even if the
users browse to the bottom of the page, but also squeeze more space for displaying
other contents such as project titles.
The names of the filtering options are saved in different tables in database (e.g.
“Skill_Name” in “Skill” table). All these options are dynamically retrieved from the
database whenever the page is loaded (Code 3). Hence there is greater flexibility
for editing, adding or deleting the filtering options via the database.
1. FOR EACH entry in Skill table 2. { 3. output checkbox using Skill_Name as the label 4. }
Code 3. Code for dynamically generate the filtering options
Each applied filtering options is added as a WHERE condition in the MySQL query.
For the filtering under the same category (e.g. Challenging and Flexible in
“Difficulties”), “OR” is used in the query separating two options thus the result
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contains the projects which meet either or both options. For the filtering under
different categories, “AND” is used in the query for joining two options so the result
contains the projects which meet both options. The WHERE conditions generated
in this part joins with the ORDER BY conditions which are mentioned below
together as a view named as “project_query”. As explained in 6.3.1, the
project_query is for retrieving the list of projects which match with the filtering
criteria in the user desired sorting options.
6.3.3 Sorting
The default presentation is to order the projects by project titles. Users can change
the ordering with these four sorting options including: title, supervisor, theme and
difficulty by using the dropdown list on the right side of the main page. The system
supports both ordering in ascending order or in descending order by using the
“ORDER BY” functions in MySQL.
6.3.4 Suggesting Projects
Suggesting projects is located on the left side of the main page. As mentioned in
5.4.2, Suggesting_Score is calculated by the number of matched keywords, skills,
themes and difficulties between student personal profiles and the projects.
However, it takes considerable amount of time to find the suggested projects if the
calculation is made every time when the main page is loaded especially if there are
a large number of projects. To solve this problem, the relationships between
students and projects are saved in the “Suggesting_Projects” in the database.
When the supervisors add or edit the projects, or when the students edit the
personal profile (see Appendix G Figure 33 for screenshot), the system will calculate
the suggesting scores of the projects and students concerned.
As a result, the Suggesting_Score can be calculated at the backend when changes
are made rather than recalculating the data every time when the main page is
loaded. Also, assuming there are N projects and M students, this method takes N
times (when the student profile is changed) or M times (when the project details
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are changed). However, it takes NxM times if the calculation is made whenever the
page is loaded. Therefore this can improve the response time of the system.
It is important to note that now every matching condition (supervisors, keywords,
skills, themes and difficulties) contributes the same score to the Suggesting_Score
(1). It is flexible for adding priorities among these conditions. For example, the
priorities of keywords can be increased by adding the Suggesting_Score by 5 if a
pair of keywords is matched. It can be done by changing the code in
db_student_profile_check_score.php to Code 4.
1. FUNCTION calculate_suggesting_score_keywords(student_ID)
2. {
3. current_keywords = get list of keywords from current student profile
4. FOR EACH project
5. other_keywords = get list of keywords of other project
6. Compare current_keywords with other_keywords
7. FOR EACH matched keywords
8. suggesting_score = suggesting_score + 5
9. }
Code 4. Example for adding priorities to the condition for suggesting projects
6.4 Project Details Page
Figure 25. Part of the screenshot for project details page
Figure 25 shows part of the Project Details Page under the student interface (see
Appendix Figure 32 for the full screenshot). Similar to the main page, all kinds of
users can get access to this page with the same content but different headings.
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“Add to shortlist” button is partially implemented here. The system can record the
number of students who shortlisted the projects as part of the project information.
However, it cannot really shortlist the projects as this is out of the scope of the
current project. The number of view of the projects is also incremented by 1 when
the Project Details Page is browsed.
All the project details including descriptions, skills and resources etc. are shown on
the right side of the page. Name of supervisor, photo, email link and other
information are presented on the top left corner. Since there is much information
about the projects and the information may vary from year to year, therefore the
columns in the “MScProjects” table are carefully named and ordered and their
names are same as the display name and order on the Project Details Page. Then
the system will retrieve the column names using MySQL query as shown in Code 5
when the project details page is loaded. This query excludes the column names
which contain “_ID” as these columns are not the project details for display.
1. SELECT `COLUMN_NAME` FROM `INFORMATION_SCHEMA`.`COLUMNS`
WHERE `TABLE_SCHEMA`='other_lamwx'
AND `TABLE_NAME`='MScProjects' AND NOT(`COLUMN_NAME` LIKE '%_ID%') Code 5. MySQL query for getting columns name from database
After getting the column name, the system can retrieve the data from
“MScProjects” by the column name and display the title and the data accordingly.
Hence, this method can ensure the system can retrieve all data saved in the
database regardless of the changes in table columns.
All other functionalities demonstrated on this page are explained in the following
section.
6.4.1 Booking Timeslot
Timeslots are first proposed by the supervisor and saved in the “Timeslot” table
(see Appendix G Figure 36 for screenshot). Then it is displayed as dropdown list on
the Project Details page in ascending order by date and time. When the student
selects the timeslot, the Student_ID of the student is saved at “Timeslot_Student”
in database. Supervisors can then retrieve the registration information from this
table.
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6.4.2 Related Projects
Similar to the suggesting projects, related projects are determined by the related
scores which are found by matching keywords between projects. Therefore, same
theory as described in 6.3.4 applies in related projects. As shown in Code 6, the
system retrieves keywords of the projects concerned and the rest of the projects
for comparison when the project is added or edited.
FUNCTION Calculate_Project_Related_Scores(current_project_ID)
{
current_keywords = get list of keywords for current project
FOR EACH project except the current project
other_keywords = get list of keywords of other project
Compare current_keywords with other_keywords
FOR EACH matching keywords
related_scores = related_scores + 1
}
Code 6. Calculating related scores among projects
Assuming there are N projects in total. It takes NxN/2 times to calculate the related
scores of all projects dynamically when the page is loaded. Therefore, this can
minimize the response time.
6.4.3 Discussion Board
Figure 26. Screenshot of Discussion Board
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The discussion board is displayed at the end of Project Details page. Users can sort
the post using the sorting options on the top right corner. Rating of the post can be
done by clicking the “Like” and “Dislike” buttons. Users can also reply to the
existing posts using the textbox below the post or create a new post using the
bottom textbox.
To identify the replying post from the heading post (first post in the thread),
column “Host” is added to the “Forum” table. If the Host is set as 0, the post is a
heading post. Otherwise, the Host indicates the Post ID of the heading post.
6.5 Self-proposed Projects
The implementation method of self-proposed projects is very similar to the normal
projects. The self-proposed projects inputted by students (see Appendix G Figure
34 for screenshot) are saved in “SelfProposed_Project” table. Figure 27 describes
how supervisors browse a self-proposed project. Supervisors can choose to
supervise the project by clicking “Supervisor this project” button on the right.
Supervisor_ID will then be saved in the record of this project in
“SelfProposed_Project” table.
Figure 27. Screenshot for self-proposed projects
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6.6 Supervisors’ Interface
Supervisors can perform two major tasks: scheduling timeslots and proposing
projects.
Supervisors can add new projects (see Appendix G Figure 37 for screenshot) or
update the existing projects (Figure 28) which are proposed by him / her.
Supervisors can also fill in all the details by using the explicit form of the system. As
stated above, skills, themes and difficulties are dynamically generated from the
database. Thus supervisors can input the above information under the system
setting.
Figure 28. Screenshot for supervisor interface
Supervisors can also schedule a new meeting timeslot or edit and delete the exiting
timeslot (see Appendix G Figure 36 for screenshot). For each scheduled timeslot,
supervisors can also browse the names of the students who have made the online
registration.
6.7 Administrator’s Interface
Similar to supervisors, administrator can edit all projects (Figure 29) and add project.
Figure 29. Screenshot for administrators’ home page
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6.8 Summary
The following tables summarize the functionalities of this system:
Aims Functions
Finding projects Filtering by: Skills Theme Difficulty
Sorting by: Title Supervisor Theme Difficulty
Searching by:
Keywords, Supervisors, Title (textbox) Keywords (tag cloud)
Inspired by: Suggesting projects Related projects
Communication Discussion board
Booking timeslot
Send emails to supervisors by clicking their names
Table 9. Summary table of the new system
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Chapter 7 Testing
The New MSc Project Selection System has been tested by the author using blackboard testing. The testing is based on the functional
requirements (4.2). The test plan and the results are described in this chapter.
7.1 Test Plan and Result
ID Page Testing Testing Descriptions Expected Results Pass/ Fail
Testing Date
TC1
login.php Login as student directed to the main page under student interface
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC2
student_index.php Click the “information” tag in the tag cloud Show the projects which contain “information” as keywords
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC3
student_index.php Enter “Goran” in the search box Show the projects which are supervised by Goran Nenadic
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC4
student_index.php Click the “No. of Views” under the sorting options Show the projects in ascending order of “No. of Views”
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC5
student_index.php Edit the profile under My Profile and then go back to the main page to see the suggested projects
Suggesting projects are refreshed according to the profile
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC6
project_details.php Click the project title named New MSc Project Selection System”. Then, select any of the timeslot and click “Book” button
A dialog is popped up showing “Booked”
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC7
project_details.php Enter “I want to ask a question” at the textbox at the end to create a new post and then click “Reply” button
The new post is created Pass 27th August, 2013
TC8
project_details.php Click the title “A GIS Support System for Police on the Beat” under related projects
The page is directed to the project details page of “A GIS Support
Pass 27th August, 2013
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System for Police on the Beat”
TC8
project_details.php Click the title “A GIS Support System for Police on the Beat” under related projects
The page is directed to the project details page of “A GIS Support System for Police on the Beat”
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC9
supervisor_self_proposed_project_list.php
Propose a project titled “Facial Feature Tracking on a Mobile Device” under Self Proposed Project Page. Then, login as supervisor and go to the Self Proposed page under supervisor interface
The newly added project is listed on this page
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC10
supervisor_self_proposed_project_list.php
Click on “Facial Feature Tracking on a Mobile Device” and click the “Supervisor this project” button
A dialog is popped up showing “You have chosen to supervisor this project"
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC11
self_proposed_project_details.php
Browse the Arrange Meeting page The student name is shown under the registered timeslot
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC12
supervisor_timeslot.php
Propose a new meeting timeslot New timeslot is shown on this page Pass 27th August, 2013
TC13
supervisor_input_form.php
Add a new project named “Numerical Cancer localisation” under Add Project page. Then browse the projects list under Project List Page
The newly added project is shown in the projects list
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC14
project_details.php Reply to the post “I want to ask a question” as “Here’s the answer”
The newly added post is shown right under the heading post
Pass 27th August, 2013
TC15
project_details.php Click the “Like” button on the post “I want to ask a question”
The number beside the “Like” button is incremented by 1
Pass 27th August, 2013
Table 10. Test plan and result table
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Chapter 8 Evaluation
The New MSc Project Selection System is evaluated by comparing with the current
system and through interviewing current users. Evaluation results are explained in
this chapter. In addition, conclusion of this project and the suggestions of future
works are also covered in this chapter.
8.1 Comparison between the current and the new system
Current System New System
Filtering Skills Theme Programme
Skills Theme Programme Difficulties Keywords
Sorting Project title Supervisor
Project title Supervisor Themes Difficulties Number of views Number of students who shortlisted that
project Searching Project titles
Keywords Supervisors
Discussion Board
Related Projects Suggesting Projects Booking Timeslots
Table 11. Comparison between the current and new systems
Table 11 makes comparison between the current and the new systems by listing the
functionalities of both systems. The new system supplements the functions of the
current system (filtering and sorting) through enhancement of current functions
and adding other new functions to the system (including searching, discussion
board, related projects, suggesting projects and booking timeslot). Other than the
functionalities, the new system also makes various changes to the interfaces such
81
as changing the information shown on the main page and the project details page
(Table 12).
Current System Common information
New System
Main Page
After clicking “Show suitabilities & restrictions”: Number of
participants Suitable themes Required Skills
Supervisor name Project title
Short Descriptions Keywords Difficulty Number of views Number of students who
shortlisted the project
Project Details Page
Project title Supervisor name Suitable themes Description Pre-requisites Required skills Background Deliverables Equipment Number of
participants
Short Descriptions Keywords Difficulty Number of views Number of students who
shortlisted the project Resources Supervisor’s photo Link to supervisor’s email Link to supervisor’s web page Supervisor’s room number
Table 12. Comparison of the information shown in the current and the new systems
8.2 Evaluation Interview
Evaluation of user experience was conducted by interviewing 5 users of the current
system using the interview questions which are shown in Appendix F. The
questions used in the evaluation interview are designed to be similar to the
questions in the previous interview which is carried out as part of the requirement
elicitation. This approach can help compare the results obtained in the two
interviews.
The evaluation interview consists of 15 questions which are under 7 different
sections. Most of the questions focus on identifying the differences between the
current and the new systems.Chapter 9Appendix F The results of the interviews are
summarized and analysed in the following paragraphs.
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Filtering, Searching & Ordering
All of the interviewees are supportive of the filtering, searching and ordering
functions of the new system. They think that the “filter by difficulty level” option in
the new system is practical and they are happy with the newly added searching tool
as well. They mentioned that since they will never go through the whole projects
list, the searching functions help them to search the interested projects by
supervisors and also by keywords. They also showed appreciation towards the two
new ordering options, including order by number of views and by the number of
students who shortlisted the projects. They opined that these options can help
them to sort the projects by popularity and can assist them in choosing the desired
projects.
However, one of the interviewees opined that there are too many ordering options
which are not necessary at all. That participant also responded that as users could
filter the themes or search the projects by title and supervisors, it is redundant to
have order by title, supervisor and theme options. In addition, he thought it did not
have any meaning to sort the projects by these options.
Moreover, one of the participants expressed disappointment that users cannot
search the projects by the projects details such as background and deliverables and
hence more efforts are needed to find more results through searching.
Information about projects
All of the participants appreciated the idea of adding extra information about
projects. They are delighted to see more information including short descriptions,
keywords, number of views and number of students who shortlisted the projects on
the main page. They agreed that this information is useful for assisting them in
gaining more details about the projects so as to help them to make a better choice.
Two of the interviewees in particular pointed out that adding short descriptions are
useful as this helps users to browse the projects more efficiently.
83
Information about supervisors
Every interviewee likes the idea of having information about supervisors in the new
system. They think that the email links and the room number of the supervisors’
offices included in the new system provide easier ways for students to contact with
the potential supervisors. They also think that the photos and web page links of the
supervisors allow the students to know more about the supervisors.
Communication (Booking timeslot)
“Booking timeslot” function is one of the favourite functions among all participants.
They recognized that this feature allowed them to schedule a meeting with
potential supervisors easily. One of the interviewees stated that this function helps
save time and efforts on emailing potential supervisors for cross checking the
available meeting time. He strongly thinks that this function helps eliminate many
difficulties encountered by the students especially when the supervisors are having
packed schedules.
Communication (Discussion board)
Most of the participants responded that the discussion board can help them to
communicate with the potential supervisors and other students more conveniently.
They pointed out that they may be able to find their desired information by just
browsing other discussions without the needs of asking the potential supervisors
individually. Two of the interviewees also stated that they can know more about
the project by reading other discussions, and other students may ask about some
details which they have never thought of.
However, one of the participants doubted whether the discussion board can fully
replace the current communication methods such as sending emails to potential
supervisors or meeting them in person students would like to approach the
potential supervisors in person especially when they want to discuss individual
situation with the potential supervisors.
84
Suggesting projects and related projects
Every participant appreciated that the system can suggest projects which suit
students’ needs and show the related projects for each project. They also think
that this can inspire them to explore more projects which may trigger their interests
as well. Three of the interviewees agreed that this serves as a good start in
choosing the projects especially when they have no ideas on the projects at the
very beginning of the choosing process.
Interface
One of the participants responded that the new interface looks clear and allows
users to find desired information easily. However, in general, most of the
participants think that the interface has room for improvement. One of them
opined his dislike towards the look and feel of the new system. Another one
mentioned that the colour and font makes him difficult to read the content. And
one interviewee responded that the interface is too fancy.
Overall
All of the participants think that the new system is better than the current one in
terms of its functionalities. They all enjoy using the new features. All of them
choose search function as their top three things that they like the most for the new
system. Four of them also choose short description, booking timeslot and
discussion board as their other favourite features. They think the newly added
functions enable them to find the projects more efficiently and communicate with
potential supervisors more quickly. However, they all dislike the interface of the
new system including the colour, font, look and feel. One of them does not want to
see the sorting function with too many sorting options. They also suggest lot of
improvement for the new system such as having a better interface, adding “upload
CV”, adding “upload student picture for the forum” functions, enabling students to
send private messages to supervisors, having email notification for the forum and
including “autocomplete” feature for the searching. For example, it allows auto
complete for searching.
85
Positive Feedback Negative Feedback Suggestions
Filtering,
Searching and
Ordering
Provide more useful filter, searching and ordering
options (especially filter by difficulties and
keywords)
Support searching
Help finding the project more quickly than before
Too many ordering options.
Do not support search by projects
details
Delete order by titles,
supervisors and themes
Add search by projects details
Information
about projects
Short description is extremely useful
Additional information especially difficulty level
and keywords assist users a lot in choosing the
desired projects
Information
about supervisor
Include more ways to contact supervisors (e.g.
room number and email)
Show more details about supervisors (e.g. photo
and personal web page)
Communication
(Booking
Timeslot)
Can arrange meeting more easily
Save time and efforts on cross checking the
available meeting time with potential supervisors
Communication
(Discussion
Board)
Easier to ask questions
Can browse the answers which other students
have already asked before
Can know more details by reading other
discussions
Cannot fully replace other
communication methods with the
potential supervisors as users may still
want to discuss with the potential
supervisors privately
The following table summarize the feedback from the participants in the evaluation interview:
86
Table 13. Summary table for results from evaluation interview
Suggesting
projects and
related
projects
Good start in finding desired projects
Help exploring projects which really suit users
Interface Clear
List all the essential information
Do not like the colour and the font
Do not like the look and feel
Overall Newly added functions are very useful
Better than the current system
The interface does not look good Better interface
Upload CV
Private message to supervisor
Upload student photos for the
forum
Email notification for the
forum
Auto complete for searching
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8.3 Conclusion
The aim of this project is to design and implement a new interactive web-based
MSc project selection system based on a comprehensive analysis of students’
feedback on the current system. Students’ feedback is obtained through a survey
and individual interviews.
From the feedback of the evaluation interview, it can be concluded that in general,
the new system has more advantages than the current system through enhancing
the existing functions and adding new features which can satisfy the user needs.
This project also accomplished the following objectives listed below.
Understand the current MSc selection process and the current MSc project
selection system
Design two sets of questionnaires for survey and interviews so as to collect
feedback on the current MSc project selection system
Collect feedback from MSc students through a survey and interviews in
order to identify the requirements through analysing students’ responses
Design and implement a prototype of a new MSc project selection system
focusing on the browsing experience and the presentation of the project
information
Evaluate the newly developed MSc project selection system
The major disadvantage of the new system is its imperfect interface. Despite the
disappointment to the interface, the users generally agree that the new system can
meet their requirements better than the current system.
8.4 Personal Reflection
From user requirements gathering, design, implementation to evaluation, it is the
first time for me to complete such a large-scale project. I enjoyed applying what I
learnt from my major studies in my master degree as well as software engineering
knowledge in this project. Now I understand more about the importance of every
single process in software engineering approach.
88
Requirement gathering by survey and interview is another lesson for me. I have
never realized how complicated it can be to design a questionnaire and interview
questions which should not be too long or complicated but still can acquire desired
information. Having enough sample size is another challenge. I am lucky to have so
many supportive colleagues who are willing to devote their time in this research.
Through this project, I have learnt the requirement gathering skills which I have
never known before from any textbooks or lectures.
PHP and MySQL are not new to me. However, this is the first time for me to build
such a complex website and I did find it difficult to organize the content when the
implementation was getting more complicated. I have learnt to use three-tier
architecture which separates the data tier, logic tier and application tier. Thus, the
programme can be more flexible and reusable in other situations.
8.5 Future Ideas
Since this is only the prototype of the MSc Project Selection System, it may not be
perfect. In future, the system can be improved by enhancing the matching
between the students and projects. It can be done by allowing students to upload
their CVs or add a short paragraph to describe them. Besides, the system can
retrieve the keywords, student experience and expertise from the student profile
and cross check with project profiles in order to enhance the degree of match
between the students and the projects. Further improvement on this idea can be
achieved in a way that the keywords can be matched not only by exact matching,
but also by using synonyms and by its meaning. For example, the system can be
able to match “MySQL” with “database” and match “notebook” with “computer”.
The system can also be polished by having the ability to match the programming
skills or other abilities with the projects. For example, when a project suggests
qualifications such as “need to be expert in Java” in the project details, it should be
matched with a student whose profile includes “5 years’ experience in Java”. By
retrieving and matching the skills requirements between students and projects,
students can get better suggested projects in the project selection process.
89
Chapter 9 References
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Appendix A Data types
Understanding different types of data can help identify the pros and cons of each
type of data. This can aid the design process of the usability study and facilitate
effective analysis of the data process. Common types of data are listed below [2].
Nominal Data
Simple unordered groups or categories are defined as nominal data. Examples of
nominal data in usability studies include the characteristics of different types of
users, such as males and females, Windows users versus Mac users. In statistics,
simple descriptive statistics such as counts and frequencies are considered as
nominal data. Comparison between nominal data is not possible. The only
conclusion can be made is declaring that the data is different.
Ordinal Data
In contrast to nominal data, ordered groups or categories are defined as ordinal
data. Responses such as “Better or worse”, “agree more or agree less” can be
considered as ordinal data. In usability studies, ordinal data usually occurs as self-
reported data in questionnaires. For example, the relative rankings given by the
participants such as excellent, fair or poor are ordinal data. Analysing ordinal data
is commonly achieved by looking at frequencies. However, calculating the average
ranking is statistically meaningless.
Interval Data
Continuous data is defined as interval data. For example, temperature is an interval
data where differences between the measurements are meaningful. The System
Usability Scale, which is “based on self-reported data from a series of questions
about the overall usability of any system” [2], is categorized as interval data.
Ratio Data
Ratio data is similar to interval data, but there is an absolute zero which implies
that the zero value is not arbitrary but has some assigned meanings to it. Time to
completion is a common example in usability. However, not much additional
analysis can be applied to ratio data.
93
Appendix B Technology
In this section, LAMP, a combination of software which is commonly used for web
development, is described. LAMP consists of Linux [25], Apache, MySQL and PHP
(or Perl in some situation) [26]. All of these software are popular because they are
free, open source and easy to adapt. And due to its popularity, plenty of online
resources such as sample code and tutorials are available. It is no doubt that all
these resources can help each developer (especially the beginners) to adopt this
platform more easily [27].
Figure 30 shows the architecture of LAMP. As shown in the diagram, different
software cooperates together by performing different roles. Linux as the Operation
System can be the coding environment for programmer, which can also be edited
to suit special needs. Apache is one of the most common open source web servers
for deploying the website. MySQL is a widely used open source relational database
management system which enables programmers to use the database to support
the website development [28]. At last, PHP is usually used to develop server-side
application software such as dynamic web pages.
LAMP works together to perform all the roles including developing, deploying and
hosting the website. Then, it can be accessed by clients through the Internet using
different kinds of browser [29].
Figure 30. Diagram for LAMP Architecture [30]
94
Appendix C Survey of the MSc project selection The paper version of the survey is included in this appendix. The questions on Google Survey are exactly the same as this version. The survey is divided into 5 sections which follow the chronological sequence of steps as mentioned earlier.
95
96
97
Appendix D Detailed Survey Results Analysis
This Appendix includes a complete analysis of the survey results. The results are
shown as different types of charts such as pie charts and bar charts. The responses
of the open-ended questions about the current system and the old system are also
described at the end of this Appendix.
The current system is fit for purpose
Do you think the flow of the current system is sufficient and useful? If not, what is
the suggested sequence of steps?
98
Filtering & Ordering
There are sufficient filtering options for me to find my desired projects
There is concise and informative filtering interface
Currently, the default display order for the projects (i.e. order by supervisor) is
practical
99
Which options of display order do you expect to see on the main page with all
projects?
What filter option(s) do you wish to have on the main browsing page with all
projects?
How many projects do you usually browse during project selection?
100
Information about the project
There is enough information about the project on the main browsing page with all
projects
In general, there is enough information about the project on the summary page of
the project that I browsed
101
Expected inforamtion about the project on the main browsing page with all projects and on summary page of each project
102
How long should the description be on the main browsing page with all projects?
How long should the description be on the summary page of each project?
Which new features do you want to add if there is a new MSc project selection
system?
103
Information about the supervisor
Expected inforamtion about the project on the main browsing page with all projects
and on summary page of each project
Which way do you prefer to contact your potential supervisor
Do you thinkg it is useful to have a new function called"Scheduling Meeting" in the
new MSc project selection system?
104
Interface
The current system provides easy to use interface
I like the look and feel of the current system
I can reach my desired web page within reasonable number of 'clicks' (page traversal)
105
Note: The comments from the students regarding the following questions are extracted
and grouped according to the functionalities of the sytem .
Questions: Do you have any other comments on the current system?
Students responses:
Interface:
The interface is simple and easy to use, but oit does not look very professional
Information:
Some project descriptions are missing,very short or vague. All the project
descriptions are different in terms of formats (It is suggested creating a
standard format for all professors to adopt when preparing and submitting the
relevant descriptions)
Some projects comprise clear and detailed descriptions.
Shortlist:
The new system can display the final project on the shortlisted page
It is impossible to remove any item from the “shortlist”
The last step after shortlisting the project is confusing. (One participant thinks
that shortlisting the project means the system has already accepted the
selection)
One participant responded that aftering clicking the “submit” button,there is
no pop up message to inform him/her if the submission is successfully
completed.
Others:
It is hard to match the projects with the participant’s interests. The
participants eventually find nothing interesting in the system. What is
important to the users is who the supervisor is and how good he/she is.It is not
flexible
106
Question: What other features do you want to add in the new system?
Students responses:
Information:
Links to web related pages
Communication:
Appointment Booking System Response or comments page for supervisor
Shortlist:
shortlist ranking
Submission reminder which should be sent the students’ emails to remind
them of the timely submission of project selection
Confirmation message after submission
Others:
Able to add projects for supervisors’acceptance/review
precentage of bidding, candidate people,project exchange
Question: Do you have any other suggestions for the new system?
Students responses:
It is easy to use,Simple but not overwhelmed with information
It can be more intuitive and easier to undersand
Ssubmission confirmation of the selected projects to the students’ emails for
record purpose is suggested.
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Appendix E Interview of the MSc project selection
Interview Question
Filtering
1. Do you think the current filtering function is useful? Why/ why not?
2. Do you want to add other filtering functions? If so what are they?
Information about projects
1. Have you ever encountered difficulties in finding the desired information about the
projects using the current system? If yes, what is that information? How did you
solve the problem?
2. Do you think there is too little information about the projects that you browsed? If
yes what additional information do you expect to obtain?
Information about supervisors
1. Have you ever encountered difficulties in finding the desired information about the
supervisors using the current system? If yes, what is that information? How did you
solve the problem?
2. Do you think there is too little information about the supervisors that you browsed?
If so what information do you expect to have?
Shortlist & Selection
1. Have you ever encountered any difficulties in the selection process?
2. Can you get your desired project successfully? Or you were not assigned to any
projects at the first round?
3. Do you think the selection interface is easy to use?
4. What is your motivation for choosing your project? Why?
5. Which way do you prefer to pass your CV to your potential supervisors?
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Interface
1. How would you rate the current system in terms of user-friendliness (1-4, Strongly
agree – Strongly disagree)? Why/ why not?
2. Do you think you can always obtain what you want? If not, what is missing?
3. Do you think there should be further improvement on the interface of current
system? If yes, what is it?
Communication
1. Have you ever encountered any problems or difficulties in contacting your
potential supervisor? If yes what’s that?
2. Which way do you prefer to contact your potential supervisor, for example by
email, forum or face to face and why?
3. (For students of Advanced Computer Science with IT Management only) Have you
ever encountered difficulties in communicating with the professors of business
school owing to various reasons? For example nearly all the business professors do
not attend the open-house meeting. If yes, how did you manage to contact them?
Current System
1. How do you think about the current system? Are there any advantages or
disadvantages of the current system?
New system
1. Do you have any expectation on the new system?
For example, regarding on:
- look & feel
- functionality
- flow (now is filtering -> shortlist -> selection)
- others
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Appendix F Evaluation Interview Questions
This interview aims to collect users’ feedback on the new MSc Project Selection System by providing comments on the new features and comparing the exiting features between the current and the new system.
Filtering, Searching and Ordering
3. Compared with the current system, do you think the new filtering functions are useful? Why/ why not? (Current system: Filter by programme, skills, themes New system: Filter by programme, skills, themes, difficulties, keywords)
4. Compared with the current system, do you think the new sorting functions are useful? Why/ why not? (Current system: Sort by title, supervisor New system: Sort by title, supervisor, themes, difficulties, number of views, number of students who shortlisted that project)
5. Do you think the newly add searching functions are useful (search by titles,
keywords and supervisors)?
6. Are there any missing filtering/ searching/ ordering functions? If so what are they?
Information about projects
3. A tweet-like summary with keywords is added to the new system and shown on the
main page. Do you think this can help select the project more effectively?
4. In general, do you think there is too little information about the projects that you
browsed on the new system? If so what information do you expect to have?
Information about supervisors
3. Do you think there is too little information about the supervisors that you browsed
on the new system? If so what information do you expect to have?
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Communication
4. Will you use the booking timeslot function if you would like to arrange a meeting
with the potential supervisor? Why/ why not?
5. Will you use the discussion board if you want to discuss the projects with
supervisors and other students? Why/ why not?
Other features
1. “Related projects” and “suggesting projects” are newly added to the new system.
Do you think these functions are useful for you to explore more projects?
Interface
4. How do you rate the new system in terms of user-friendliness (1-4, Strongly agree –
Strongly disagree)? Why/ why not?
Conclusion
2. What are the top 3 things that you like the most for the new system?
3. What are the top 3 things that you do not like the most for the new system?
4. How do you think about the new system? What are the advantages or
disadvantages of the new system if any compared with the current system?
5. Is there any further improvement on the new system?
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Appendix G Screenshots of the system
Figure 31. Screenshots for the filtering
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Figure 32. Full screenshot for the project details page
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Figure 33. Screenshot for My Profile Page
Figure 34. Screenshot for self-proposed project input form
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Figure 35. Screenshot for showing list of self-proposed projects
Figure 36. Screenshot for Arrange Meeting Page
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Figure 37. Screenshot for Add Project page
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Appendix H Login information
The link of the prototype of the new system: http://potnoodle.cs.man.ac.uk/~lamwx/login.php
The default usernames and passwords for different kinds of users:
Username Password User Type
lam lam Student
goran goran Supervisor
admin admin Administrator
