soc-se-bot
commented
3 days ago Team's Response
Thank you for your feedback regarding the potential confusion with day-related commands, specifically findday and addstudent.
The current implementation is by design: Since the addstudent command takes in multiple inputs, we decided to shorten the DAY input to only three characters to facilitate speed of entering commands. On the other hand, we decided to mandate that the full DAY be specified for the findday command for consistency with the UI, which specifies the full day.
For your reference, the input format for both commands can be found in the User Guide.
Thank you once again for your feedback and support for GOATS.
Regards, GOATS Development Team
Items for the Tester to Verify
:question: Issue response
Team chose [response.Rejected]
- [x] I disagree
Reason for disagreement: The core problem lies in the inconsistency of using abbreviations (tue) for the addstudent command while requiring full names (Tuesday) for the findday command. This inconsistency creates a significant usability issue as users are likely to assume that the same format is required across commands. The user experience is further worsened when valid inputs like (findday tue) do not return the expected results which show no person is listed by there's a student with a lecture on Tuesday. Users may assume that no lessons are scheduled on Tuesday when, in fact, this is due to an unexpected format mismatch.
For private tutors, the target audience as defined in the UG/DG, the mismatch adds cognitive load and introduces unnecessary confusion, particularly for non-tech-savvy users. The app claims to simplify data management, but this inconsistency contradicts that goal. This issue undermines the reliability of the findday command. A tutor may miss important lesson details, leading to scheduling errors or inefficiencies. For example, a tutor using "tue" in findday believes no lessons are scheduled, misses a session, and subsequently causes scheduling conflicts.
To align with the app's purpose of enhancing efficiency, the findday command should be updated to support the same abbreviation format as the addstudent command. This change ensures consistency and improves usability, especially for users accustomed to entering abbreviated day formats.
While the developer justifies using "tue" in addstudent to save time due to the number of fields, this same principle should apply to findday. By forcing users to switch to "Tuesday" for findday, the app introduces inconsistency between commands, causing confusion and frustration. Command consistency is critical for usability. Users naturally expect the same input format (e.g., "tue") across similar commands. Breaking this consistency significantly increases the cognitive load, especially for non-tech-savvy users, and contradicts the app’s purpose of simplifying contact management.
While aligning the findday command with the UI format ("Tuesday") may seem logical, command consistency should take precedence over UI consistency in a command-line-driven app. The primary user interaction is through commands, not the UI labels. Forcing users to adapt to different formats for similar operations disrupts the intuitive workflow.
The developer's claim that both formats are documented in the User Guide does not mitigate the inconsistency. A User Guide should clarify functionality, not justify design flaws. Users should not need to consult the guide for basic expectations like consistent input formats across commands. The discrepancy itself introduces unnecessary complexity and confusion, even if documented.
According to the definition of medium severity, issues classified as medium "cause occasional inconvenience to users and make it harder to use the application but do not cause significant loss of functionality." This issue fits the medium severity definition because:
- The inconsistency creates confusion that leads to occasional command failures (e.g., using "tue" in findday results in zero results).
- Users may mistakenly believe the app is broken or that no matching data exists, which could deter them from further use.
- Although not causing data loss, it significantly disrupts the efficiency and intuitive use of the app, particularly for users who rely on streamlined workflows for productivity.
Therefore, the inconsistency between addstudent and findday commands is not a minor inconvenience but a medium-severity issue. It disrupts the intuitive workflow, creates unnecessary confusion, and diminishes the app’s usability. Aligning the input formats across these commands would directly address these issues, enhancing user experience without compromising efficiency.
Adding a lesson time by using (mon, tue, wed) but finding a specific day using (monday, tuesday, wednesday) can be improved by implementing the commands consistently to reduce confusion for users
As shown, there is a student with lesson on tuesday but entering findday tue will show 0 person listed. So the user may think there is nobody has lesson on Tuesday.