Soft Softer Sopho
Utformning av ett användbart användargränssnitt för mjukvarutelefoner
Internet is the future and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is growing in use. Companies are starting to realise the benefits with VoIP. Skype is the number one soft phone on the market but it doesn't satisfy the needs of companies (e.g. transfer calls, redirects calls and so forth) and leaves therefore a gap. The purpose of this master thesis is to provide Objektor AB (thesis initiator) with tips on how to design a usable soft phone that they know is based on relevant human computer interaction research.The method used in the thesis has been iterative development. Interviews with end users have been conducted where they have evaluated the usability in three lo-fi (papper mock ups) and one hi-fi (a clickable version designed in Adobe Flash) prototype of a soft phone. During the interviews the users executed 14 different work tasks in the prototypes and graded their usability on a 1 to 10 scale. During the second iteration the users also performed the 14 tasks in Skype in order to be able to compare the usability between Skype and the hi-fi prototype.The result shows that Skype isn't optimally designed to meet the needs of companies. From the final prototype Objektor can gather tips on design that is founded on principles from Jakob Nielsen and other names in the field of human computer interaction. The tips will help Objektor to design their own soft phone and thereby fill the gap on the market left by Skype.