Word Processing

Application Comparison

Usability Test
White Paper By: Matthew Daniel
June 21, 2015

INTRODUCTION
Document and word processing are staples of modern personal and business communication. This white
paper examines the usability of two popular word processing applications: Microsoft Word and Apples
Pages. The target user for testing is college age or older who has some experience creating professional
looking documents. I assume that the user has basic knowledge of frequently used word processing
features. I am the evaluator of these applications. I fall within the aforementioned demographic, and am
testing the products for a technical writing course.

METHODOLOGY
Test Environment

The usability test will be completed on a MacBook Pro with a 15 inch Retina Display (Early 2013) running OS
X Yosemite, Version 10.10.4. Pages is a part of the iWork suite of applications by Apple. The version was
5.5.3. Pages is a free program which I downloaded from the Mac App Store. Microsoft Word 2011 is an
application by the Microsoft Corporation. The version was 14.5.0. I dowloaded the application using a license
from the University of Idaho. The test will be completed in one sitting, uninterrupted in an office at my home.
Tasks

I selected tasks commonly performed by users of word processing applications. The tasks I chose were
attempted in one application followed by the other. I determined the order of the application I used first for
each task with a coin flip. The ten tasks were:
1. Consult the documentation to discover how to hide the footer on the first page of a document
2. Align an object with the center of the document by dragging the object
3. Group object together using the toolbars
4. Change the page margins to .5 inches on all sides
5. Export the document to a high resolution PDF file
6. Open a document from the other word processing application
7. Share a document via email
8. Print a document in black and white
9. Print multiple names in the greeting of a letter from a spreadsheet
10. Create a 3x3 table with a basic addition formula in the first cell

Page !2

Evaluative Criteria

I will use a Likert Scale to rank responses to each of the following criteria:
The task was completed quickly.
The user interface for this task was appropriate and appealing.
I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.
The responses to these criteria will be ranked on a scale with a five representing strongly agree and a one
representing strongly disagree.

RESULTS
1. CONSULT THE DOCUMENTATION TO DISCOVER HOW TO HIDE THE FOOTER ON
THE FIRST PAGE OF A DOCUMENT

PAGES
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree

The user interface for this task was appropriate

Strongly
Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree

A search for the Pages documentation

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree

The documentation for Pages

Analysis

The information for the method to hide the first page

footer was easily accessible. The help page contained
helpful graphics to guide me to the proper icon to
change the setting.

Page !3

WORD
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

A search for the Word documentation

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Analysis

The information for the method to hide the first page

footer was complicated. The documentation contained
long lines of text, but possessed images to assist me
when hiding the first page footer.

The documentation for Word

2. ALIGN AN OBJECT WITH THE CENTER OF THE DOCUMENT BY DRAGGING THE

OBJECT

PAGES
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree

The image snaps to the center of the page

with guidelines
Page !4

Analysis

Pages provided helpful guides to help me align objects. Placing an object in the center of the document
was easy and did not require advanced knowledge of object arrangement.

WORD
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Text wrap selection menu

Analysis

In order to move the image around the page in World, I

had to change the text wrap setting from the default.
This took time time to discover, and was frustrating.
Word did not provide a way to center the image directly
using the drag and drop feature. It provided an outline of
the new image placement with a faint shadow on the
ruler showing the new image location. I could not find a
way to center the image exactly.

The outline of the new image with

corresponding outline on the ruler

Page !5

3. GROUP OBJECT TOGETHER USING THE TOOLBARS

PAGES
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Analysis

Formatting is handled on the righthand toolbar in Pages.

I had to navigate away from the default Style tab to get
to the grouping settings, but the label for the tab was
intuitive. The group button on the menu did not have an
associated icon, but it was well labeled and easy to spot.

Pages has a toolbar to the right of the

document pane for formatting

WORD
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Word has a menu associated with its grouping

and ungrouping features

Strongly
Disagree
1

Page !6

Analysis

In order to group objects in Word, both had to have their text wrap setting changed from the default (see
the figure from task two). This was frustrating and not immediately evident. The Word image menu
contained a button to group images whose function was not obvious, as it had no text label.

4. CHANGE THE PAGE MARGINS TO .5 INCHES ON ALL SIDES

PAGES
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Analysis

Pages provided a document tab next to the format tab

that enabled easy access to the margin settings. I had to
enter all of the margin values manually however, either by
typing the value or clicking the arrows.

Pages makes use of the right hand

toolbar for document elements as well

Page !7

WORD
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Analysis

Word had a Layout tab at the top of the screen with a

large margins button. Selecting the button gave me a
quick way to change the margins to one half inch on all
sides.

0.5 margins are a custom setting in Word

5. EXPORT THE DOCUMENT TO A HIGH RESOLUTION PDF FILE

PAGES
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Pages has an Export To menu

Page !8

Analysis

Pages had an Export To menu that enabled me to

convert my document to PDFs and other formats. While
I could not specify an exact PDF resolution, there was a
basic quality metric.

Export settings, including a quality modifier

WORD
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The save menu used to change the document

extension in Word

Analysis

Word did not have the capability to export the document

to a PDF. I had to search for the feature and found the
ability to Save As a PDF. There was no option
regarding PDF quality. If I had wished to save my original
document again, I would have had to respecify the
document name.

Page !9

6. OPEN A DOCUMENT FROM THE OTHER WORD PROCESSING APPLICATION

PAGES
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Analysis

Pages treats Word documents in the same

manner it treats Pages documents

I opened Word documents with the Pages application

without issue. The document appeared the same way
that it did in Word, with the same elements.

WORD
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The error screen displayed when attempting to

open a Pages document in Word

Analysis

I could not open a Pages document in Word. I received

an error message.

Page !10

7. SHARE A DOCUMENT VIA EMAIL

PAGES
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The easy accessible Share button and mail

settings

Analysis

I was able to access a Share menu from the Pages

main toolbar. Sending an email copy required navigating
both the initial menu and another settings screen before
creating a message. This prolonged the experience.

WORD
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Analysis

Word has a Share menu embedded in the

main File menu

I navigated to the File menu, finding the share option

after a brief search. The email option quickly created a
new email in the native Mac Mail application with the
document attached.
Page !11

8. PRINT A DOCUMENT IN BLACK AND WHITE

PAGES
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

The Black & White checkbox

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Analysis

I immediately found the black and white setting and

printed my document without issue.

WORD
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Black and white option found under Presets

Analysis

After some searching, I found the black and white print

setting listed under Presets. This label has nothing to
do with document color, so the feature was not very easy
to locate or use.

Page !12

9. PRINT MULTIPLE NAMES IN THE GREETING OF A LETTER FROM A SPREADSHEET

PAGES
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Analysis

After extensively searching the application, an Internet search revealed that additional software or scripting
knowledge was required to complete this action. I stopped my attempt after learning this, as the version of
Pages that I was using did not support the action natively.

WORD
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Analysis

Word has a feature called Mail Merge to create multiple

instances of a document with placeholder text. This
feature did not use a modern user interface, but the
action was completed to full satisfaction.

A letter with placeholder text for the

recipients first name

Page !13

10. CREATE A 3X3 TABLE WITH A BASIC ADDITION FORMULA IN THE FIRST CELL

PAGES
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The table insertion button on the main toolbar

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

A Pages table with a formula view open

Analysis

Table creation in Pages was accomplished with a quick

click of a button on the main toolbar. Resizing the table
required dragging the handles on the edges of the table.
The addition formula employed the same familiar process
as writing an Excel formula.

WORD
The task was completed quickly.
Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

The user interface for this task was appropriate

appealing.
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
5

I was able to fully complete this task to my satisfaction.

Strongly
Agree
5

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree
1

Word table creation

Page !14

Analysis

Table creation in Word was easy, with a well-designed

interface that allowed me to select my table size. Formula
insertion was cumbersome, however. I had to navigate to
a separate menu in the toolbar to bring up a tool that
prompted me to enter a formula. This formula was in
plain text, with no features from modern spreadsheet
applications such as autocomplete. This made the
interface feel archaic.

Table formula writing in a separate menu

RECOMMENDATIONS
Average Likert Scale Scores
Pages

Word

Task Speed

4.1

3.2

User Interface

4.2

2.8

Task Completion

4.5

3.7

Summary

Pages is a Word processor designed for Apple operating systems. It may outperform Word on an Apple
Macintosh in the above categories for this reason. Pages handled graphic design issues more proficiently,
and often made use of an easier to use or more intuitive interface. Word handled the most complex task, the
mail merge. Although its user interface could have been cleaner, it completed the task while Pages could not.
Word is the industry standard, which may explain why it lacks compatibility features while Pages is filled with
them. For a Macintosh, I would recommend Pages over Microsoft Word because of its clean, simple design.

Page !15