Heuristic Evaluation Report of Microsoft Windows Live Mail

Windows Live is the collective brand name for a set of services and software products from Microsoft that offers several applications like calendar, photo, write, drive etc. Microsoft Windows Live Mail is one of the applications of Windows Live Family. It is a new free mail application that comes with Vista operating system. It is also known as the new Hotmail. In 1998 Microsoft bought Hotmail. Since then Microsoft has been trying to change the brand name to Windows family. The ture transformation of Hotmail becoming Windows Live Mail started back in 2004 and was finished by 2007. The Hotmail/Live Mail developer team has spent 5 and continuing years to enhance the application. It has gone through many beta phases and many feedbacks from customers. The new Live Mail application supposes to be the best free mail application. Has the application reached the peak where it has everything that a mail application need? Does it follow the Fitts’ principle of interaction design? Does it have good qualities of a Sovereign application? Does it uses good constrain method? Does it have good error prevention method? Or does it still new some improvement?

A traditional email application is used simply to send and receive emails. The scope of new email application is more than to send and receiving emails, it is more like an organizer, it is a contact book it is a news feeder, it is an advertising tool, it is a picture viewer, it is a video player and more. To included all these features it has to be a sovereign application that exploits rich input, outputs rich visual feedback, navigates easily and generous towards screen real estate. The application must have robust features that does not break an expert users "flow" and constrains a new user. Windows Live Mail is packed with all the bells and whistles that a mailing application should have, this evaluation is done mainly on the email feature.

Microsoft has rebranded the popular Hotmail with its own brand name as Windows Live Mail. The main users of the Windows Live mail are the hotmail users. It also gives opportunities to be able to sync Gmail, Yahoo mail or any POP3 mails. As hotmail users are the main targeted users of the application it has done a good job on interface design. It is consistent with any other Windows Live application and Hotmail. A hotmail user will have no problem using the desktop based Windows Live Mail application. The hotmail live and Windows Live Mail desktop uses that same design features. It has the same flow where the message folders start form left, message list on the middle and the reading pane on the right.

Once the application starts, it pops up a window with animation "Signing In". The animation shows that it is working on some process. Here the application does a good on use of status mechanisms to keep users aware and informed. By showing animated "Signing In" sign it does not abandon the user. The autonomy work great by not displaying a message that it is con¬necting to the server, it is checking the username and password, and it has been approved. Once singed in, it gives message by displaying the number of new message on status bar and in inbox folder. Here application does another good use of status mechanism to keep users aware and informed.

The application uses both Idiomatic and Metaphoric icons. Mail, calendar and contact function use metaphoric icons (figure 2a). These icons are mostly appreciated by a beginner or intermediate user. Whereas the functions those are used by experts as changing the layout and customizing the theme have Idiomatic interface (figure 2b). The application uses the universal terminology for naming the folder as Inbox, Drafts, Sent Items, Junk E-mail and Deleted Items that giving consistency with user expectations.

A user can know more information about the email message just by looking at the message list pane. Like if the email has been checked or not, if there is any attachment with the email, if it has been replied or forwarded, figure 3. Here the application has done a good job by choosing metaphors that enables users to instantly grasp the finest details of the conceptual model.
　
Windows Live Mail application does a good job on interface design and affordance. The buttons are used mostly are clearly marked what it suppose to do (fig 2.a). The buttons that are used seldom aren’t marked (fig2.b). More information about the button can be displayed when "mouse overed". It would be better if the buttons were labeled as there is enough screen real estate.

The three pane navigation for email works like a charm. The first pane has all the main folders as "Inbox", "Drafts", "Junk". Once the appropriate folder is selected it shows the message list that the folder consists. And once the message is selected it shows the full message on the third pane. The panes are adjustable if needed; a user can increase or decrease the size. Adjustable pane gives flexibility to the user to customize the application. The three pane design lets a user know where the user is, where he has been and where he has not been by showing the new message on bold type face.

One thing that could be improved on navigation feature is the "reply" and "forward" buttons. These buttons are the first thing on the navigation bar. After reading a message if a user wants to reply or forward the message, he/she has navigate all the way to top. It seems that the application is applying Fitt’s law, which states that the four corners are the fastest to pin point. However, when a user is reading an email, majority of the time the mouse pointer is in the reading pane scrolling the message. It is lot faster to click the button those are in the reading pane than go all the way up to the top menu. The change in reply and forward button also breaks the rule of consistency. Hotmail and web Windows Live mail has the reply and forward button on the reading pane. This is also true on most of the major email application like Gmail and Yahoo. Any new user who uses the Windows Live Mail for the first time will have trouble finding the reply and forward button. The most important consistency is consistency of users’ expectations.

The application is focused on intermediates and experts. It has options to customize the tool bar for expert users. Customize the layout and even pane. As the users are already familiar with Hotmail or Windows Live interface they can easily navigate the application for core functions. Once installed it ask for the username and password after that everything is automated. Between Five to Thirty minutes, depending on your mail size, it automatically configures all the necessary things; as downloading all the email to hard disk, downloading contacts, downloading the calendar events and downloading all the folders on set up. It shows all the process with message on the status bar. The message on the status bar helps on keeping the status information up to date and within easy viewing. One thing it misses is the email signature. An email signature needs to be same weather a mail is sent from web based mail or desktop application. Why the email signature isn’t automatically downloaded?

Windows Live Mail turns in to Daemonic Posture application from Sovereign Posture application when minimized, hence taking less memory and screen real estate. The Daemonic Posture application gives a good feedback by changing the icon from regular envelope to bright Orange envelope when ever new message is received. This type of feedback helps on users "flow".

The applcaiton does a good job on reducing the burden on human memory. If a user want to send an email to a recipient that is on the contact address all they need to do is type his/her first name and it shows the list of emails that begins what that letter and name. The good attribute of this feature that it shows the list of the email address that starts with the letter as well as the contact name. If a person’s name is Tom but his email address is dontknow@hotmail.com it shows the email address when we put "T" in the email address with contact name. The process of automation helps in reducing burden on human memory. Another good feature that the mail application has to reduce burden on human memory is keeping track of user that are in contact. If an email is sent from a user that is not on the contact list it adds a new button "Add Contact" on the reading pane.

There are several good feedback features in Windows Live Mail. But it misses feedback on one of the main function, sending email. Sending mail is done in a new popup window in this application. Once the send button is hit, the popup window closes. There is no feedback. When there is no feedback, users will not know if the email went through or not. Users may think, did the application crash? Did I hit the right button? Did it really go through? The only way to find it out is check the sent folder. There should be some kind of feedback saying that the email has been sent. A good way to feedback is to display a small message that shows for a second stating "sending" and closes itself. That way a user knows that right action has taken place.

Error happens all the time. A good application is the one that prevents from error to happen and if a human error occurred than one should be able to undo the error. Windows Live Mail does a good job on undoing errors. If a user marks a regular mail as a junk mail, the application gives an option to mark it as a safe mail. If a user deletes an email by mistake it can be retrieve by going to "deleted items" folder.

Windows Live Mail lacks forcing functions. If a user forgets to put email address before sending a message it shows a popup window with a message "The message couldn’t be sent. You must specify some recipients for the message", figure 5b. At the same time if a user puts some a random word it gives two error messages. First message is "No matches found" with a contact book icon on left. Once the "Ok" is clicked it gives a second popup message saying that the message couldn’t be send. These issues can be easily fixed with forcing function.

Another error that applcation shows is, "Windows Live Mail did not shutdown correctly. The last time you ran Windows Live Mail it did not exit correctly. In case this was due to a problem with the last message you were viewing, the message is not being shown. To view this message anyway: Click here.", fig 6. If the message can be shown anyways shouldn’t it take it directly to the message and show a message on the status bar that it wasn’t shut properly if the user really wants to know.
Windows Live Mail gives good customization feature to expert users. But it fails to do an undo feature. If a user in not satisfied with his customized pane and wantst to go back to the initial setting there is no "Restore the initial set up button". One has to manually make all the changes. That is if the user still remembers all the default setting. It is a burden to a user’s memory and waist of a user’s time.

The application is a Sovereign application takes the good use of screen real estate. Application is used on computer hence it gives a good clear visual appearance. The application consists of three panes. First pane occupies the least space which shows the main folder like Inbox, Drafts, Sent Items, Junk e-mail and Deleted folder. The second pane shows the list of message in folder that is selected on first pane. It shows the main attributes that I critical to the message like sender, subject and date when it was sent. Moreover, it also gives other information if applicable like if there is any attachment, if the email has been forwarded or replied. Once the email is selected it shows the details about the email on third pane which takes a big chunk of the screen real estate.

The application follows a good logical path based on the Western Language Style. The main folder starts from the top left and follows towards right and downwards. What makes it a good application is that an expert user can changes the layout pane to his favor like putting the message underneath the message list. However, it does not change the pane reading style from right to left. Hence it isn’t targeted to all users who are use to right to left reading style.

The application uses a good color schema which goes with other products like Vista and other Windows Live Application. The color and the visual appearance bind it together and show it to be the part of a same family. The application does good job on the use of typography and color. The color scheme is cool and soft. It uses the cool hue which is recommended for Sovereign application. It has different color theme available if need for color blindness. It utilizes the rich input which is necessary for a sovereign application without cluttering it and scaring the first time users. However this application does not have keyboard shortcut that an expert user expects.

Application uses the typography to its full extend. Like the unread message are on bold typeface as they requires more attention, fig 7. Is also gives quick clue on folder pane by displaying the number of new messages on blue colored text. Same way the color of the envelopes of unread message is yellow and the icon shows a sealed envelope. The messages that are marked with high priority as shown with Red exclamation sign that stands out the most on the email. Any text that has link has different color and is underlined showing the users that it has a hyperlink.

Windows Live Mail has lots of good features that a user expects. It does a very good job on its core application. However, there are few things that it can improve on.

An email application is used is for sending and receiving email. Once an email is read chances are it is mostly replied and sometimes forwarded to a different recipient. Windows Live Mail fails here by putting the reply and forward button on top on the window. It should be in the reading pane when a message starts and after the message is finished.

Windows Live Mail, being a sovereign application needs to have good features for expert users. One of the most useful tools to an expert user is shortcuts. Windows Live Mail lacks shortcuts. It should have shortcuts for its core features as replying message or checking new emails.

Feedback is very important on an application, especially if it’s on its core function. Windows Live Mail needs to improve on sent feedback. To send a new message a new window opens one the message the send button is clicked the popup window closes. The only way to know if the email was sent is to go and check the sent folder. The application can do a better job here by giving quick feedback stating that the message was sent. A quick message on the status bar will work.

The application can improve on naming some of its function. Like "new" and "sync" button can be improved. To compose a mail one has to click "new" button. The button could be renamed as "compose" which is more consistent with used terminology. If a Yahoo or Gmail user switches to Live mail the will have trouble understanding the term "new", are we looking for a new mail or are we opening a new window? In the same way the "sync" button can be renamed as send and receive email. The button does sync with the web based email and updates all the email, contacts and calendar events but a user does not need to know what happens in the background. Simply send receive or update would be better.

Windows Live Mail can use some constrains. A user is able to hit send button without a valid email address. Once the sent button is clicked it pops up two error message windows. This can be easily avoided by checking the email address at first. If the typed email address has @ and then only make the send button active or else deactivate it.

Windows Live Mail is a very good email application. It has lots of good features like contact, calendar, rss feed, auto sync that make it appealing to a user. However, it fails in some basic constrain functions. By fixing mentioned issues it can be one of the top email application.