Usability Analysis of Macbook Pages 

May 17th , 2020 

 1

Table of Contents 
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...2 
Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3 

Test 

Environment………………………………………………………………………………………………………...3 

Evaluation Criteria……………………………………………………………………………………………………....4 

Tasks…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...5 

Results…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...6 

Task 1………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6 

Task 2………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6 

Task 3………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7 

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

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

Task 6………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8 

Task 7………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....9 

Task 8………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....9 

Task 9………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..10 

Task 10……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...10 

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...11 

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....12 

Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...13 

 
 2

Introduction 
This paper is a Usability Analysis of Macbook Pages, the document program that comes 
preinstalled on the Macbook Pro. It seeks to analyze the success it has in introducing new users to 
the program, and the usability of the options it gives when creating a document or paper. This 
includes different aspects such as editing, inserting images, and formatting.  
 
Pages is just one of several programs offered on iOS when purchasing a Macbook. It is offered 
alongside Garageband, Keynote, and Numbers and several others. Before September 1st, 2013, 
users were required to pay for these programs, but Macbook purchases after this date came with 
Pages and other programs for free.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3

Methodology 
Test Environment 
This Test was conducted using a mid 2017 Macbook Pro, with 8 GB of RAM and a 2.3 GHz core. 
A Macbook is required to run this program, as it is iOS exclusive, and an Apple product. The specs 
of the Macbook in particular should not be important, as all Macbooks released in the past decade 
should be able to download and run it.  
 
The version of Pages being analyzed in this test is version 10.0, with its last update having occurred 
on March 21st, 2020. Pages is compatible with macOS 10.14 or later. The macOS 10.14 update 
was released in 2018, so most modern Macbooks should already have it installed. Note that this is 
only required for the most recent version of pages, and that more outdated versions can be used on 
older models of Macbooks.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4

Evaluation Criteria 
Effective: ​Was I able to complete the task? 
Efficient: ​How long did it take to perform? 
Engaging: W
​ as my experience enhanced by the style? 
Error Tolerant: ​How often did an action not work? Did the product help fix this? 
Easy to Learn: H
​ ow quickly was the task learned? 
These criteria are being measured on a scale of 1-5 on the Likert scale. 1 is Strongly Disagree, and 5 
is Strongly Agree, with 3-4 being left blank and open to interpretation. Each Task will also be given 
a score out of 25, based on how much they got on the Likert scale. This is done to show the overall 
efficiency of each task, based on the average from the five charts.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5

Tasks 
1. Create a Template 
2. Insert Title or Heading 
3. Change Style of Text 
4. Change Layout of Document 
5. Edit Margins 
6. Insert Table 
7. Insert Page Number and Page Count 
8. Create a Chart or Graph 
9. Insert Media 
10. Insert Shapes and Icons 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6

Results 
Task 1: Create a Template 
In its design, Pages seeks to help 
out with a variety of projects, and 
gives templates for them. This task 
is very easy to complete, as you just 
click on the project format you 
would like to work with. It was 
also very efficient, as it only takes a 
couple of clicks to bring a template 
up. 25/25 
 
 
Task 2: Using the 
Outline 
Once the user starts with a 
blank document, the 
program also makes it very 
easy to format the paper. It 
presents the tab immediately 
to the right of your 
workspace, allowing you to 
easily see the results of your 
actions. 23/25 
 
 
 
 7

Task 3: Change Style of Text 

Once the user has clicked on the document, the right side of the window 
will have this box of options for editing text. As opposed to Google Docs 
or Microsoft Word, this box is constantly to the right of your work. It's 
very easy to find, making it simple to edit the style of text in whatever 
way you choose. 22/25 
 
 
 
 
 
Task 4: Change 
Layout 
This task includes indents, 
column sizes, and even 
spacing between words. 
The most difficult part of 
this task is finding out 
exactly what happens 
when you edit different 
parts of the drop boxes. 
11/25 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8

 
 
Task 5: Edit Margins 
The margine edits are less efficient to work with then other 
document programs. Google Docs has a very good visual 
representation for margins, with rulers on the top and side of the 
screen that show where the margins currently are. Page’s numerical 
values require you to test it out a bit, to get an idea of what a half 
inch difference really is on the document. 16/25 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Task 6: Insert a Table 
Tables can be found at the 
top of the window, in 
between Insert and chart. The 
user can decide exactly what 
shape of chart they want, in a 
manner that only takes a few 
clicks. 24/25 
 9

 
Task 7: Insert Page Number and Page Count 
To insert a page number, the user has to simply click on one of the three boxes at the top of the 
screen. This makes it easy to decide where and how you want to implement page numbers, as well 
as headers.  

 
Task 8: Insert Chart or Graph 
The option for charts is to the right of tables 
and offers a variety of choices for chart styles 
and graphs. Graphs can be edited on the spot, 
and the user can see each number inserted affect 
the graph differently. The graph is 
automatically color coded, enhancing the 
learning curve. 22/25 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10

 
Task 9:Insert Media 
Inserting Media in Pages can be anything from 
photos, to music, and to movies. Doing so just 
requires clicking on the Media box in-between 
Shape and Comment, and clicking on the 
relevant media type. 25/25 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Task 10:Insert Shapes or Icons 
Inserting different shapes and Icons is another simple 
task that Pages offers. Click on Shapes in between 
Text and Media, and the user will be greeted with 
dozens of options to insert. 25/25 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11

Conclusion 
Pages are mostly brought down by the way it presents itself. Many options for editing documents 
are just in plain white boxes, and represented by numerical values. This makes editing much more 
of a slog, and learning to do so is much more difficult. Once you’ve learned it, it can be very 
efficient however. Most tasks are only a click or two away, but can be dragged down by the way 
that they are listed. For example, it's easy to create a table, but the sheer number of editing options 
can feel crowded and daunting. Overall, its usability is very good, but it takes a time investment to 
learn it completely. I would suggest turning things with numerical values into sliders, with the 
default settings in the middle. This would help newcomers get an idea of how to use the systeem, 
and have a visual representation for what is being changed. Other than that, making it less crowded 
is a definite must. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12

Bibliography 

1.Chowdhry, A. (2017, April 20). Apple Now Offers iWork, iMovie And GarageBand Free For All 
iOS And Mac Devices. Retrieved May 18, 2020, from 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2017/04/19/iwork-imovie-garageband-free/ 

2.Icons made by <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/authors/freepik" 

title="Freepik">Freepik</a> from <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/" title="Flaticon"> 
www.flaticon.com​</a> 

3.Osborne, J. (2020, April 09). MacOS 10.14 Mojave release date, news and features. Retrieved 
May 18, 2020, from h ​ ttps://www.techradar.com/news/macos-1014 

4.Retrieved May 18, 2020, from 

https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords=A1708 

5.​http://pngimg.com/imgs/logos/apple_logo/ 

6.​https://www.vanillaarts.com/digital-stamps-in-mac-pages 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 13

Appendix 

Task 1  Create a Template 

Efficient  The Task was Completed 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Effective  The Task was Performed Quickly 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Engaging  The Style Enhanced the Experience 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Error  When Problems arose, the Program Helped 
Tolerant  Solve Them. 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Easy to  The Task Was Learned Quickly. 
Learn 
  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 
1 2 3 4 5 
 
Notes:  Templates are very easy to make, though the 
placeholder text can be a pain to remove. It 
does a great job of starting you off with any 
project. 
 
 14

Task 2  Using the Outline 

Efficient  The Task was Completed 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Effective  The Task was Performed Quickly 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Engaging  The Style Enhanced the Experience 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Error  When Problems arose, the Program Helped 
Tolerant  Solve Them. 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Easy to  The Task Was Learned Quickly. 
Learn 
  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 
1 2 3 4 5 
 
Notes:  Task was learned pretty quickly, though the 
format of a drop box can make it a little 
annoying to find what you need to mess 
with. 
 
 
 15

Task 3  Change Style of Text 

Efficient  The Task was Completed 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Effective  The Task was Performed Quickly 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Engaging  The Style Enhanced the Experience 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Error  When Problems arose, the Program Helped 
Tolerant  Solve Them. 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Easy to  The Task Was Learned Quickly. 
Learn 
  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 
1 2 3 4 5 
 
Notes:  Drop boxes are plain and can be grating on 
the eyes. They stop being engaging after a 
while, and don't make it easy to learn more. 
 
 
 16

Task 4  Change Layout 

Efficient  The Task was Completed 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Effective  The Task was Performed Quickly 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Engaging  The Style Enhanced the Experience 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Error  When Problems arose, the Program Helped 
Tolerant  Solve Them. 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Easy to  The Task Was Learned Quickly. 
Learn 
  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 
1 2 3 4 5 
 
Notes:  Numerical Values are tedious to deal with, 
and require a lot of trial and error. If you 
forget what the default number is, you may 
have to start over so things look like they 
normally should. 
 
 17

Task 5  Edit Margins 

Efficient  The Task was Completed 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Effective  The Task was Performed Quickly 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Engaging  The Style Enhanced the Experience 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Error  When Problems arose, the Program Helped 
Tolerant  Solve Them. 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Easy to  The Task Was Learned Quickly. 
Learn 
  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 
1 2 3 4 5 
 
Notes:  More Numerical Values that make it harder 
to work with. Page Orientation is simple, 
but the rest can end up being trial and error. 
 
 18

Task 6  Insert a Table 

Efficient  The Task was Completed 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Effective  The Task was Performed Quickly 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Engaging  The Style Enhanced the Experience 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Error  When Problems arose, the Program Helped 
Tolerant  Solve Them. 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Easy to  The Task Was Learned Quickly. 
Learn 
  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 
1 2 3 4 5 
 
Notes:  Tables have a lot of options that can make it 
easier to mess up. However the table insert 
option is very easy to locate, making it much 
more efficient than other tasks. 
 
 
 19

Task 7  Insert Page Number and Count 

Efficient  The Task was Completed 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Effective  The Task was Performed Quickly 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Engaging  The Style Enhanced the Experience 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Error  When Problems arose, the Program Helped 
Tolerant  Solve Them. 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Easy to  The Task Was Learned Quickly. 
Learn 
  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 
1 2 3 4 5 
 
 
 
 20

Task 8  Insert Chart or Graph 

Efficient  The Task was Completed 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Effective  The Task was Performed Quickly 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Engaging  The Style Enhanced the Experience 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Error  When Problems arose, the Program Helped 
Tolerant  Solve Them. 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Easy to  The Task Was Learned Quickly. 
Learn 
  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 
1 2 3 4 5 
 
Notes:  Task was simple at the start. Graphs are at 
the top of the page and easy to find, click on 
the type you want and edit it as needed. The 
options for editing it are kind of cluttered, 
but there is a separate box for the numbers 
so that makes it less so.  
 
 
 21

Task 9  Insert Media 

Efficient  The Task was Completed 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Effective  The Task was Performed Quickly 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Engaging  The Style Enhanced the Experience 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Error  When Problems arose, the Program Helped 
Tolerant  Solve Them. 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Easy to  How quickly was the task learned? 
Learn 
  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 
1 2 3 4 5 
 
Notes:  Program makes it easy to find files in your 
Macbook and insert them into the 
document. Easy to find at the top of the 
page. 
 
 
 
 22

Task 10  Insert Shapes or Icons 

Efficient  The Task was Completed 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Effective  The Task was Performed Quickly 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Engaging  The Style Enhanced the Experience 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Error  When Problems arose, the Program Helped 
Tolerant  Solve Them. 

  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 

1 2 3 4 5 
 
Easy to  The Task Was Learned Quickly. 
Learn 
  Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 
1 2 3 4 5 
 
Notes:  Offers a variety of shapes and icons that are 
easy to find. Also at the top of the page, 
ready to use whenever needed.