Section 2.1 Login
You have addressed the login issue twice in your document and at this point it is still a little unclear. We definitely like that from the buyers point of view the system will appear always to be running. The question is how the realtor or the administrator will turn off the system. We assume that the user must first log in to the system under a realtor or administrator mode, and then exit. This will be acceptable. The next question is: How does the user get to the login screen? In your login process you state that the realtor is presented with the login window. Is this window reached with a button press or a special key combintion?
When a realtor is using the system to view properties, how do they change their mode to see their own personal listings? Can the realtor gain access to their listings while viewing in buyer mode? A special button or key that brings up a login screen will be necessary.
If the realtor was able to log in at any particular point it would be easier for us. Going back to the initial start up screen and finding their way back to the listing seems to be a tedious way to get around.
Section 2.2.2.3 Input, Buyer Search Screen
According to your plan only the realtor can enter the reference number to find a house. We would like a field to be available to our customers that allows them to find a house by just entering the reference number. If a customer wants to see a house that he has previously found he can access it more quickly if he can type in its reference number. This would also be easier for our realtors if the option was always visible.
Section 2.2.2.4 Output, Buyer Search Screen
When the listings are displayed on a successfull search you have the community followed by the address. We feel that price would be more informative. For example instead of:
Section 2.2.4 Clear Search Options/ Start New Search
The clear listing option seems clear enough. By having a pop-up dialogue box appear after pressing this button seems confusing. Can we eliminate this extra window? If the customer realizes that he did not want to clear his options could he not just hit the previous listing button at the bottom of the screen to put him back where he was?
Section 2.5 Inserting a New Listing
When a realtor adds a new listing, a window appears that lets him enter the new listing's information. After the pop-up menu has been closed with an `OK' would it be possible that the realtor is returned to the new listing he created? Mainly we just want the realtor to see that every thing is in the correct place. If this approach is taken then your approach of having a box appear telling us whether the listing was succesfully added is not neccessary.
If the realtor presses `Cancel' then just putting them back where they were is fine.
Section 2.12 Help
In your document you have outlined two different kinds of help that is available on the system. One is in the form of a dynamic help and the other is a "help glossary" reached by a button press. We like that the customer is being informed as they go along, but does the customer need to have access to the help button? We thought that this table of contents would provide assistance to the realtors only since, for example, it would contain such things as how to add new listings. These things the customer does not need to know. We realize that this adds some complexity to the help system, however we feel that the context-sensitive help that the user is provided with will enable them to use the system with ease. This would decrease the amount of windows that our customers are presented with.
Thank you for your time. We look forward to hearing your presentation on Tuesday February 20.