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aakhan10 edited this page Apr 14, 2026 · 15 revisions

Arch Vim

A basic tutorial app for Vim that teaches beginners how to use its keyboard-based controls, including switching between modes and navigating text efficiently.

UX Team Members

  • Bogachan Karabiyik - Phase1 introduction and methods, Wireframes
  • Anwaar Khan - Phase I executive summary, Wireframes, Wireframes Page, Phase II report, and Phase II executive summary
  • [!!!Person C name!!!](!!!URL to Person C's published UX journal!!!) - !!!List of Person C's primary contributions!!!

User-Centered Design Artifacts

Phase I: Analyzing Users, Competitors, and Initial Designs

Executive Summary

Competitive analysis and testing revealed several key user challenges:

Initial research and design focused on understanding how beginner students learn Vim and identifying ways to make the learning process less frustrating and more approachable.

Key Findings

Competitive analysis and testing revealed several user challenges:

  • Existing tools like OpenVim do not clearly show what mode the user is in, leading to confusion
  • Lack of feedback when mistakes are made, making it hard for users to understand what went wrong
  • Fear of losing work or getting stuck, causing users to avoid efficient Vim commands

Heuristic Evaluation

Heuristic evaluation highlighted both strengths and weaknesses:

  • Strength: Interactive tutorials provide guided practice for beginners
  • Weakness: Poor visibility of system status and limited error recovery support

User Insights

New personas and scenarios reflect these user experience needs:

  • Beginners who feel overwhelmed by Vim’s modes and commands
  • Users who need a safe, low-pressure environment to practice without fear of failure
  • Learners who benefit from repetition and guided feedback to build confidence

Design Direction

Design ideas and early concepts were influenced by these findings:

  • Clear visual mode indicators to reduce confusion
  • Adaptive drill-based practice similar to typing tutors
  • A sandbox-style environment that feels like a real terminal but provides guidance and support

Full phase I report

Phase II: Refining interaction and designing wireframes

Executive Summary

This phase focused on refining the Arch Vim platform based on insights from cognitive walkthroughs and informal feedback.

Cognitive walkthroughs revealed several usability issues:

  • Users struggled with understanding what to do next during tasks
  • Confusion around Vim modes and how to switch between them
  • Lack of feedback made it difficult to know if actions were successful

Informal feedback from students highlighted additional concerns:

  • The interface did not provide enough guidance for beginners
  • Some features were unclear or not intuitive
  • Technical setup issues could discourage users early

New insights influenced updates to design artifacts:

  • Emphasis on clearer navigation and step-by-step task flow
  • Addition of visual indicators to improve mode awareness
  • Improved feedback to help users understand their actions
  • Wireframes updated to better reflect user flow and reduce confusion

Full phase II report

Phase III: Prototypes and User Testing

Executive Summary

!!!Put phase II Executive Summary here!!!

Full phase III report

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