Human and Information Interaction

Evaluation of User Interfaces of Computer Science Q&A Websites

Document Type : Research

Authors

Yaghoub Norouzi 1
Hamidreza Radfar 2
Nayereh Jafari-Far 3

1 Professor, Department of Knowledge and Information Science, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Asian cultural documentation center, Institute for humanities and cultural studies, Tehran, Iran

3 MSc in Knowledge and Information Science; Department of Knowledge and Information Science; Qom University of Medical Sciences; Qom. Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/hii.2026.11715
Abstract
Purpose: Given the increasing importance of online Q&A websites in scientific and technical communities, a thorough evaluation of their user interface usability is of high significance. The main objective of this research was to measure the compliance of the user interfaces of 14 computer science Q&A websites with Nielsen’s Ten Usability Heuristics (1993) and to compare their performance in order to identify design strengths and weaknesses and provide suggestions for improving user experience.
Methodology: The user interfaces of the following websites were reviewed and ranked by 3 evaluators: Stack Overflow, Stack Exchange, Quora, Reddit, Chegg, CodeProject, Coderanch, Google Groups, Super User, Server Fault, Cross Validated, Ask Ubuntu, Software Engineering, and Computer Science. Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk normality tests, along with Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman non-parametric tests, were employed for data analysis using SPSS version 27 software.
Findings: the studied websites generally possess a good level of usability (overall mean score of 3.41 out of 4.00). However, significant differences in website performance were observed. The heuristics “Match Between System and the Real World” and “Recognition Rather Than Recall” (mean score of 3.86) achieved the highest ratings. The user interfaces of CodeProject (10.15), Software Engineering (10), Cross Validated (9.90), Ask Ubuntu, and Stack Overflow (both 9.50) demonstrated the best performancey.
Conclusion: Despite the generally good level of usability, many websites require improvement in key aspects such as error management and the provision of effective user assistance. Successful websites serve as benchmarks for others. It is recommended that designers and developers place greater focus on Nielsen’s usability heuristics, particularly in the areas of error handling and recovery, to provide a more comprehensive and effective user experience.

Keywords

Usability
User interface
Nielsen principles
Q&‌‌‌‌‌‌A Website
Computer science
Agarwal, R., & Venkatesh, V. (2002).Assessing a firm’s web presence: A heuristic evaluation procedure for the measurement of usability.Information Systems Research, 13(2), 168–186. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.13.2.168.84
Alambo, A., Gaur, M., Lokala, U., Kursuncu, U., Thirunarayan, K., Gyrard, A., ... & Pathak, J. (2019, January). Question answering for suicide risk assessment using reddit. In 2019 IEEE 13th International Conference on Semantic Computing (ICSC) (pp. 468-473). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICOSC.2019.8665525
Alnanih, R., Orji, R., & El Saddik, A. (2015).Evaluating the usability of web-based learning management systems using Nielsen’s heuristics.Procedia Computer Science, 72, 554–561.
Asad, A., & Momtazi, S. (2024). Knowledge graph embedding to improve Persian question-answering systems. Language and Linguistics, 40, 135–152 . [In Persian]
Batista, J., & Sampaio, P. (2021).Applying Nielsen’s heuristics to the evaluation of e-government portals: A comparative study.Government Information Quarterly, 38(4), 101583.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2021.101583
Dahiya, Y., & Talukdar, P. (2016). Discovering response-eliciting factors in social question answering: A reddit inspired study. In Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, 10(1), 82-91. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v10i1.14752
Fahimnia F, Goodarzian P. Review and comparison of User Interface Characteristics of (Springer, Elsevier, Ebsco, ISI(WOS) and Ovid) as Perceived by University of Tehran Users. Human Information Interaction 2014; 1 (1),68-76. [In Persian]
Ghaffari, S., & Bakhtiari, M. (2024). Examining the user interface on the web pages of digital libraries: proposed criteria for the libraries of Payam Noor University. Human Information Interaction, 11(1), 94-112. [In Persian]
Gholami, T. (2019). -. Sciences and Techniques of Information Management, 5(3), 9-29. doi: 10.22091/stim.2019.1487. [In Persian]
Grigorescu, T. (2024). Identify discussions on a topic: An analysis of CodeProject messages regarding workplace fairness issues related to software developers (Doctoral dissertation).
 Hartawan, A., & Suhartono, D. (2015). Using Vector Space Model in Question Answering System. Procedia Computer Science, 58, 305–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2015.07.570
Hosseini, M. M., & Zahedi, M. (2018). A probabilistic model for determining text coherence in interactive question-answering systems. Journal of Information Processing and Management, 33(4), 1737–1760. [In Persian] https://doi.org/10.35050/JIPM010.2018.032
Hosseini, M. M., Zahedi, M., & Hasanpour, H. (2019). A set of new statistical features for evaluating interactive question-answering systems. Electrical Engineering (Faculty of Engineering, University of Tabriz), 49(3), 1045–1054. [In Persian] https://doi.org/10.29252/jsdp.16.3.48
Hosseini, M. M., Zahedi, M., & Hasanpour, H. (2019). A statistical model for evaluating interactive question-answering systems using regression. Signal and Data Processing, 16(3), 37–48. [In Persian] https://doi.org/10.29252/jsdp.16.3.48
Kelly, D., Kantor, P. B., Morse, E. L., Scholtz, J., & Sun, Y. (2009). Questionnaires for eliciting evaluation data from users of interactive question answering systems. Natural Language Engineering, 15(1), 119–141. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1351324908004932
Kumar, N., & Bhardwaj, A. (2019).Usability evaluation of educational websites based on Nielsen’s heuristics.International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications (IJACSA), 10(2), 150–157.https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2019.0100220
Marefat, R., Bazzi, F., & Azadi, G. (2025). Evaluation of user experience in symbols and visual signs in the graphics of websites and applications. Human Information Interaction, 11(4), 20-41. [In Persian]
Masoudifard, F. (2026). Analysis of information-seeking behavior of computer engineering students at Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) using the Information Foraging Theory (IFT) on Stack Overflow (Unpublished master's thesis). Alzahra University. [In Persian]
Mir Roshandel, S., & Bershban, Y. (2017). A novel religious question-answering system in Persian. Journal of Electronic Industries, 8(2), 73–88. [In Persian]
Mustafa, S., Zhang, W., & Naveed, M. M. (2024). How to mend the dormant user in Q&A communities? A social cognitive theory-based study of consistent geeks of StackOverflow. Behaviour & Information Technology, 43(10), 2024-2043. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2023.2237604
Nielsen, J. (1993). Usability engineering. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-052029-2.50007-3
Norouzi Y., Radfar, H., & Jafari Far, N. (2025). Evaluation of the user interface of international publishers' websites based on the innovative business model. Human Information Interaction, 12(2), 71-93. [In Persian] http://hii.khu.ac.ir/article-1-3207-fa.html
Norouzi, Y. (2013). User interface of digital library. University of Qom. [In Persian]
Norouzi, Y., Tarashi, S., & Jafarifar, N. (2024). Evaluation of the user interface of Persian web pages of Iranian museums. Human Information Interaction, 11(2), 100-122. [In Persian]
Oyero, O., & Olojede, O. (2020).Heuristic evaluation of mobile health applications using Nielsen’s usability principles.International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 36(18), 1734–1745. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2020.1785151
Rambe, P. (2015). Technology for Interactive Engagement or Tools for Differential Academic Participation? Using Google Groups for Collaborative Learning at a South African University. 44 TH ANNUAL SOUTHERN AFRICAN COMPUTER LECTURERS ASSOCIATION 2015 (SACLA 2015), 57.
Reis, J. P. D., Abreu, F. B. E., & Carneiro, G. D. F. (2022). Crowdsmelling: A preliminary study on using collective knowledge in code smells detection. Empirical Software Engineering, 27(3), 69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-021-10110-5
Rodrigo, A., & Penas, A. (2017). A study about the future evaluation of Question-Answering systems. Knowledge-Based Systems, 137, 83–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.knosys.2017.09.015
Schug, D. (2020). Flipped classrooms: Using Google Groups to facilitate in-class communication. ASp. la revue du GERAS, (78), 129-144. https://doi.org/10.4000/asp.6882
Tavosi, M., Naghshineh, N., Zerehsaz, M., Mahboub, S. (2024). Proposing a conceptual framework for the aesthetics of images on the web: Meta-synthesis and ranking components identified. Human Information Interaction, 11(3), 40-70.
 Wacholder, N., Small, S. G., Bai, B., Kelly, D., Trittman, R., Ryan, S., Salkin, R. (2004). Designing a Realistic Evaluation of an End-to-end Interactive Question Answering System. In LREC. https://doi.org/10.63317/3k5b3a369uwc
Ying, S., Kantor, P. B., & Morse, E. L. (2011). Using cross-evaluation to evaluate interactive QA systems. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 62(9), 1653–1665. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.21585
Zahedi Nooghabi, M., Fattahi, R., Salehi Fadardi, J., & Nowkarizi, M. (2022). The User Interface Elements and Their Impact on Website Usage. Library and Information Sciences, 25(3), 86-114. [In Persian]
Human and Information Interaction
Volume 13, Issue 1
Winter 2026
Pages 26-49