Table of Contents

Usability Testing
Comparing Microsoft Word 2010 and Google Docs

Jackson Taylor

April 16, 2017

Introduction........................................................................................................ 2

Methodology....................................................................................................... 2

Equipment....................................................................................................... 2

Environment.................................................................................................... 2

Metrics............................................................................................................. 3

Likert Scale...................................................................................................... 3

Results................................................................................................................ 4

Task 1.............................................................................................................. 4

Task 2.............................................................................................................. 5

Task 3.............................................................................................................. 5

Task 4.............................................................................................................. 7

Task 5.............................................................................................................. 8

Task 6.............................................................................................................. 9

Task 7.............................................................................................................. 10

Task 8 ............................................................................................................. 10

Task 9.............................................................................................................. 11

Task 10............................................................................................................ 12

Analysis........................................................................................................... 14

Recommendations.............................................................................................. 14

Bibliography....................................................................................................... 15

Appendix: Raw Likert Scale Data........................................................................16

Introduction
This white paper is an evaluation of a comparison between Word Processors,
specifically how Microsoft Word fares against Google Docs. The usability test was

1 | Page
conducted from the perspective of a college student who has some experience with
word processors in the context of completing assignments.

Methodology
Equipment
This usability test was completed exclusively on my personal laptop computer hosting Windows
7, and web browsing was conducted via Google Chrome. However, this white paper and
screencast were created using my desktop computer hosting Windows 7 after my laptop was
damaged beyond repair.

Environment
This usability test was conducted from my home workspace which is a quiet and focused
environment. I minimized outside sources of distraction with noise canceling headphones and
disabling my phone for the duration of the test.

Tasks
1. Changing the Default Font
2. Adding Headers , Footers, and Page Numbers
3. Creating a Bulleted or Numbered List
4. Importing a Picture
5. Creating a Table
6. Creating a Graph
7. Editing the Colors, Borders, or styles of Pictures Tables or Graphs.
8. Find and Replace
9. Uploading or Sharing a Document
10. Creating and Inserting a Citation

Metrics
The previously mentioned tasks were evaluated using a five point Likert Scale analyzing the five
criterions listed below.

1. Effective

2 | Page
 Was the task completed successfully?
2. Efficient
How long did the task take to complete?
3. Engaging
Was the completion of the task aided by the programs layout or appearance?
4. Error Tolerant
How many attempts were made before completing the task, when an incorrect
attempt was made did the program provide adequate feedback?
5. Easy To Learn
Was completing the task intuitive or easy to learn?

Likert Scale
The aforementioned metrics were evaluated using the following five point Likert Scale. Note that
for this scale, the lower a cumulative score is for a given task, the better the evaluation. A perfect
score for any given task would be a five while the worst case scenario is a twenty-five.

Results
Task 1 - Changing the Default Font

3 | Page
To change the default font in MS Word, I
simply expanded the font dialog box,
selected my options and clicked the
clearly visible set as default button. It took
about two clicks depending on the options
selected and very intuitive process overall.
The user interface presents all the relevant
options for font and text style in one
convenient window.

For Google Docs I had to open the format

drop down menu, select paragraph styles,
then options and finally save as my
default style. This updated the default
font and style with whatever was currently selected. Figure 1
Unintuitive and longwinded in comparison to MS Words
method. It did work but was a bit of a learning experience.
The drops down menus are straightforward but lack
interactivity.

Task
2

Figure 3 MS Words Font Menu

Adding Headers, Footers, and

Figure 2 Google Docs Drop Down Menus Page Numbers
For Word the sequence was: Insert then there is a category for headers, footers and page
numbers. Clicking on one of them presents the user with a multitude of options as far as preset
placements and styles. Once a style is selected the contents can be edited or tweaked as normal.

4 | Page
When editing headers and footers
the rest of the document is not
modifiable creating a very focused
experience.

Likewise for Google Docs the Figure 4

sequence was: Insert, and then
drop down menu select header, or
footer, or page number. Pretty
intuitive and very quick but it lacks
the robust features present in MS
Word. There are no easily
selectable preset header or footer
styles. Once you are editing a
header or footer the rest of the document is inaccessible until you finish your edits, which makes
it focused. The Effective score suffers because only the most basic headers can be created in this
style.

All things considered this was a fairly competitive comparison and Google only really lost out
because it lacked some of the convenient features present in Microsoft product. However, some
may argue that by removing these features Google has made their product more lightweight and
focused.

Task 3 Creating A Bulleted or Numbered List

This was the first task that saw a definitive edge for Google Docs. Google seems to have
improved upon Microsofts design and implementation for this task.

In Word under the home tab and within the unexpanded paragraph box, there are three small
symbols that represent; bulleted, numbered, and multilevel lists respectively. This layout is
extremely fast but this comes at the cost of a slight learning curve caused by unintuitive
placement. The symbols can be expanded to select predefined stylistic options. However, once a
list has been started it can damage the formatting of lines to come after it with its sometimes
pesky auto indentation. And it can be difficult to determine what exactly the program will
consider to be a part of the list.

The process is much the same in Google Docs; first select Format then Lists which displays the
inbuilt options for bullets and numbered lists. This can be applied to selected test or with nothing
selected to start a new list. Carriage returns will then add elements to the list in the style selected.
Intuitive that it would be under format and I liked that lists received their own section. Fast and
efficient, with a simpler approach to auto indentation than Word.

5 | Page

Figure 5
Figure 6 Accessing the Lists Menu in Google Docs

Task 4 Importing a Picture

6 | Page
 Figure 7 The Multitude of Import options for Images in Google Docs

In word you must first go to the Insert tab, and then select the labeled picture icon. This opens
the default windows file explorer, which you can navigate to your desired image file. This is
quick easy and intuitive but somewhat limited. It also limits the files you can see to be valid
image files by default to protect you from errors.

For Google Docs go to Insert then drag down to image, the user is then presented with a menu
and a plethora of options to select an image from: the users computer, the internet, google drive,
or even a snapshot from a connected webcam. It is just as fast, far more feature rich, and slightly
more engaging than MS WORD.

This task was quite close as both programs excelled at this feature; the slight edge definitely goes
to Google for creating a more satisfying and engaging interface for importing images. But both
implementations are excellent.

Task 5 Creating a Table

7 | Page
In Word Insert contains a tab for
tables which when selected displays a
10x10 grid you can mouse over to get
the desired starting length for your
table. Tables are a bit tricky and it can
be easy to mess up the format of the
rest of your document when inserting
them. When this happens there is very
little feedback from the program.

Tables have their own tab on Google

Docs which when selected displays a Figure 8
5x5 grid you can mouse over to get
the desired starting length for your table. However, this table grows dynamically up to 20x20 as
you move the cursor which is extremely engaging. However, moving beyond the most basic
table designs Google Docs tables begin to lag behind MS Words, this was reflected in their
effectiveness scoring. On the bright side Google Docs limits the user interaction with the table to
prevent some formatting errors from cropping
up. This makes it more error tolerant but the
lost functionality once again hurts its efficacy.

Task 6 Creating a
Graph

Figure 10 Google Doc Table Creation

Figure 9 MS Word Table Creation

8 | Page
Creating a graph within Word is
a complicated and messy
business. The features are
limited and confusing. It is
extremely difficult to achieve
the desired results or to make
seemingly simple
modifications. When you select
chart from the insert tab you
can pick what type of chart you
would like but you have almost
no control over the style and
presentation of the chart. As
well as having to enter the data
Figure 11
in a specially created field. You are much better
off importing your graphs from another source entirely.

In Google Docs the chart creation tool is located under the insert tab and is easy enough to
locate. However, if you want to make any real modification to the chart you will need to open it
in Google Sheets. There is a button that appears on the chart to do just that but it is not apparent
that this is necessary. There are virtually no options to modify the chart from within Google Docs
itself. However, once you overcome this error and open the sheets utility. You are presented with
some very straightforward options to create your graph as you see fit.

Figure 12 MS Words Default Chart Figure 13 Creating a Chart in Google Docs

via the linked Sheet Utility

9 | Page

Figure 14
Task 7 Editing the
Colors, Borders, or styles
of Pictures Tables or
Graphs.
When you select a picture or table
another section of tools become
available to edit the colors, style
and format of your selected
object. These context sensitive
menus have a plethora of options
available within them. It might not be as clean as the Google Docs interface but it is far more
engaging and robust. The options well laid out and make learning a breeze.

In Google Docs the menus and icons for image or chart editing are not clear at first glance and
take some experimentation to get used to. But once you learn what is available you can actually
make very precise alterations to the style or colors of your charts. However, picture editing and
effects is miles behind Word.

Task 8 Find and Replace

Effective and powerful search and
replace functionality can be accessed
using Ctrl-F. However, from here
there are several complicated and
unintuitive menus that clutter up the
process and take a while to learn.
Errors are pretty much impossible to
generate here.

Google Docs has the same access via

Ctrl-F which is default hotkey setup. Figure 15
Very robust can even match patterns using Regular Expressions. Overall a comprehensive search
and replace functionality. Learning curve may be a bit high if you havent used search and
replace functionalities before, but the basic functions are very intuitive. No errors are really
possible.

10 | P a g e
Figure 16 The Complicated Search and Replace Menu in MS Word

Task 9 Uploading or Sharing a

Document
Under the File Menu in Word there is a save and send option, which contains numerous options
for sharing your documents with others. Included are webhosting, file conversion, direct
emailing, and Microsoft cloud hosting. The menu is engaging and modern. However, it does lose
out on the efficiency as it is rather slow compared to Google Docs. It makes up for this in part
with clear and effective usage of icons to make the process easier.

Since Google Docs are by default hosted on the cloud they are extremely easy to share with
others. You can invite collaborators to access your google document directly, or send direct
emails, or publish it somewhere else. It is extremely quick and efficient. But the options are
spread out under the file drop down menu which is not very engaging when compared to Words
ability to group similar actions under a single option.

11 | P a g e
 Task 10
Inserting a
Citation
Figure 17 MS Words Symbolic Menu for File Operations Figure 18 Google Docs Menu for File Sharing
The insert citation tab was easy to
locate under the references tab. Once opened the menu was engaging and helped to create a
complete citation. Being able to generate citations this way saves a lot of time and headache. The
only error possible here is creating a bad or partially incomplete citation, because the menu
doesnt check if you have completed the requested fields with valid input. These errors can be
especially frightening because they may go unnoticed until it is too late.

It was difficult for me to figure out how to insert citations using google docs as it is under a
poorly named option called explore located in the tools menu. However, once I was able to locate
it I quickly realize that so long as I can find the source I would like to cite with the side menus
google search I can create citations almost effortlessly. However, these citations need to be
double checked as they can easily contain scrambled or incorrect information. But when it works
correctly there is no faster Figure 19
way to insert a citation.
However the format of the citations is difficult to modify, and there is limited support for offline
materials.

12 | P a g e

Figure 20 Google Docs Explore and Citation Interface

Analysis

13 | P a g e
Overall MS Word performed marginally better on the usability test than Google Docs. This is
primarily a result of Microsoft Words more verbose menu design, which resulted in poor scores
on the efficiency criteria when compared to Google Docs paired down ultra-light menus.
However, these verbose menus rewarded the user with more control over their tasks as well as
remaining more engaging throughout.

Stepping back from an overall comparison it is worth noting that while the two programs scored
equally for many criteria sections, most notably the easy to learn criteria. They did this by
succeeding on some tasks and failing on others, for example inserting citations was much easier
to learn in MS Word, but Google Docs had a superior interface for search and replace
functionality. It seems that both programs excel at some tasks while struggling with others.

Recommendation
It is difficult to make a clear recommendation advocating for one program over the other. They
both have their strengths and weaknesses so it is unfair to declare one as being the superior
choice in all circumstances. As such, I will recommend each program for the projects or
circumstances for which they are most capable.

I would recommend working with Google Docs for collaborative products and easier access to
online materials. But this test has demonstrated to me that Microsoft Word is the superior choice
for most individual projects or tasks. I make an important distinction for projects that will require
charts or graphs to be created. I would under no circumstances recommend creating these charts

14 | P a g e
or graphs within MS Word. As such, it may be beneficial to develop a familiarity with either
Microsofts Excel, or to instead rely on Google Docs and Google Slides linked in chart creation.

Bibliography
Microsoft Office 2010

Google Docs - https://www.google.com/docs/about/

15 | P a g e
Appendix Raw Likert Scales

MS Effective Efficien Engagin Error Easy Google Effectiv Efficien Engagin Error Easy to
WORD t g Tolerant to Docs e t g Tolerant Learn
Learn
Task 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 5 1 4
Expanded the font dialog box, selected my options and Open the format drop down menu, select paragraph styles, then
clicked the set as default button. options and finally save as my default style.
Two clicks depending on options selected. Menus are not very engaging and tend to hide information.
Notes Very intuitive and convenient grouping of text settings. Steep learning curve for such a rudimentary task.
No complaints perfect score. Would suggest grouping text functions in one menu to simplify
the process.
MS Effective Efficien Engagin Error Easy Google Effectiv Efficien Engagin Error Easy to
WORD t g Tolerant to Docs e t g Tolerant Learn
Learn
Task 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 1 1
Insert, then there is a category for headers, footers and Insert, and then drop down menu select header, or footer, or page
page numbers, each contains options as far as preset number.
placements and styles. Intuitive and quick.
Notes Editing headers and footers is separate from the rest of Somewhat light on presets and features.
the document.
Very good implementation.

16
 MS Effective Efficien Engagin Error Easy Google Effectiv Efficien Engagin Error Easy to
WORD t g Tolerant to Docs e t g Tolerant Learn
Learn
Task 3 1 1 1 4 4 1 1 1 1 1
Home tab and within the unexpanded paragraph box, Format then Lists which displays the inbuilt options for bullets
there are three small symbols that represent; bulleted, and numbered lists.
numbered, and multilevel lists respectively. Carriage returns will then add elements to the list automatically.
Notes Very efficient Good that lists have their own menu section.
Bit unintuitive. Fast and efficient, no complaints a perfect score.
Formatting lists within lists is unclear and frustrating.
MS Effective Efficien Engagin Error Easy Google Effectiv Efficien Engagin Error Easy to
WORD t g Tolerant to Docs e t g Tolerant Learn
Learn
Task 4 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Insert, and then select the labeled picture icon. Insert then drag down to image, there are a lot of options.
This opens the default windows file explorer. Computer, internet search, google drive, etc.
Quick easy and intuitive but somewhat limited. Just as fast, and slightly more engaging than MS WORD.
Notes Limits the files you can see to be valid image files to
protect from errors.

17
 MS Effective Efficien Engagin Error Easy Google Effectiv Efficien Engagin Error Easy to
WORD t g Tolerant to Docs e t g Tolerant Learn
Learn
Task 5 1 1 2 5 4 5 2 4 1 1
Insert contains a tab for tables. Tables have their own tab on Google Docs.
Quick to create and then edit on the fly. Similar grid structure to MS Word but more dynamic.
Could use more feedback or documentation for More limited options.
Notes formatting.

MS Effective Efficien Engagin Error Easy Google Effectiv Efficien Engagin Error Easy to
WORD t g Tolerant to Docs e t g Tolerant Learn
Learn
Task 6 4 5 5 5 5 2 4 2 5 4
Feels terrible. Chart creation within Google Docs is awful.
Much better off importing from excel or similar. Links to Google Sheets similar to excel superior interface.
Even hard to edit colors or labels of the graph. Steep learning curve.
Notes Should suggest opening Google Sheets when creating a chart.

18
 MS Effective Efficien Engagin Error Easy Google Effectiv Efficien Engagin Error Easy to
WORD t g Tolerant to Docs e t g Tolerant Learn
Learn
Task 7 1 3 1 1 1 3 2 4 1 4
Context sensitive menus appear when clicking on Menus are small symbols.
object. Significant Learning curve.
Engaging and well laid out toolbars. Feature starved.
Notes Bit slow and unwieldy. Context Sensitive Menu would be an improvement.

MS Effective Efficien Engagin Error Easy Google Effectiv Efficien Engagin Error Easy to
WORD t g Tolerant to Docs e t g Tolerant Learn
Learn
Task 8 1 4 4 1 4 1 1 1 1 2
One hotkey press to bring up the find meu. Some small learning curve.
Some awkward menu navigation to access replace But more powerful than words and faster to use.
functions. Regular Expression matching is a huge plus.
Notes RegEx matching would be a great addition.

19
 MS Effective Efficien Engagin Error Easy Google Effectiv Efficien Engagin Error Easy to
WORD t g Tolerant to Docs e t g Tolerant Learn
Learn
Task 9 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1
Under the File Menu in Word there is a save and send Google Doc is by default hosted on a cloud service.
option. Makes inviting others to view or edit your work trivial.
Opens an informative and useful menu with several Group the options in one menu box instead of spreading them
Notes options for sharing document. throughout a drop down list.
Little bit slower than it needs to be.

MS Effective Efficien Engagin Error Easy Google Effectiv Efficien Engagin Error Easy to
WORD t g Tolerant to Docs e t g Tolerant Learn
Learn
Task 10 1 1 1 4 1 4 1 2 5 4
Insert citation located under reference tab. Difficult to locate the insert citations tool.
Menu guides the user through citation creation. Can pull citation information directly from google search.
A citation checker tool would be great. Prone to producing incorrect citations.
Notes Tool should be renamed.

20