Clickable Wireframe Usability Test

The user thought it was a good format and had generally positive feedback. However, throughout the usability test, a few improvements could be seen. It was clear that it was a course review website for Fisher College of Business students.

1. Too many sections in the navigation bar

2. "Account" was confused with "Login"

3. It was not intuitive to find the Buckeyelink through the "links" heading

Usability Test #2 - Clickable (b&w) Prototype

The user was very receptive of how the website work and said she found it very "intuitive and familiar."  Below are some possible suggestions she offered.

1)  If the user could not understand what the website was based on the name, we should consider changing the name

2)  If the user said she felt overwhelmed by how much was in the navbar, we should consider condensing the options

3)  If the user needs to log in to write a review, we should consider making the login form more prevalent 

Usability Testing

[Offer the opportunity to use bathroom facilities.]

INTRO

Thank you for coming today.

My name is [name]. We’re working on the design for [product], and as part

of the process we’re asking a variety of people to attempt various tasks

using it to see what elements of the design need to be changed.

I’d like to stress that we’re testing the product, and not your abilities - you can not be wrong today. If you find parts of the product difficult to use or understand, so will other people, and it will be our job to make sure we make the appropriate changes to

improve it.

As you use the product, there will be other people observing, and I’ll

introduce you to them now.

[Introduce participant to observers – even if they are in another room].

Today’s session will last for approximately one hour. If you want to stop for

a break at any time, just say so.

“I encourage you to think out loud. This helps me understand your thought process – The beauty of usability tests is you can actually learn something if they didn’t talk at all (by watching them), however, expressing internal dialog is good at helping understand why a decision was made.”

We have a total of 5 tasks, and I’ll give them to you one at a time.

I’ll be asking you to ‘think aloud’ as you work. For example, if you don’t

know what something is for, please say ‘I don’t know what this is for’, or

something similar.

I may also prompt you from time to time to ask you what you are thinking.

Do you have any questions before we begin?

MAIN TESTING

“Here’s the home page. Just by looking at it, without clicking on anything yet, what would you say is the purpose of this site? What would you say are the main sections of the site?”

1) How would you find reviews for “Professor b1”?

2) How would you find Professor b1's course 1 Review Page?

3) How would you write and submit a review?

4) How would you create a profile?

5) How would you get to actually scheduling your class?

CONCLUSION

Thank you. This completes the tasks. We would now like to ask you a few questions about the decisions you made during the testing.

Why did you do certain things such as...?

Was it clear what you needed to do in order to complete a review?

How do you feel about the design or branding?

Do you have any more comments or suggestions about how this site can be more navigable and intuitive?

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

Tagline needs to be bigger, to solidify what the function of the site is for

Too much in navigation, we can make the logo the home button, combine login and account, change the name of the links to something more catchy

Consider changing specialization button to course name buttons

Buttons should be bigger

SUMMARY 
If the user was confused about creating an account, then we should consolidate the Login and Account links. The account page is a sort of Profile page, which could be included in the footer instead or just as part of the login page.

If the user didn't know what the purpose of the site is, then we need to make the tagline larger. (Your custom course catalogue). We could also use branding in the next stage of the web development process to show that it is a course review site.

If the user thought the navigation bar was too small, then we should consider making it larger.

If the user couldn't find the link to Buckeyelink, we should make it more clear that these are links to external sites. This might be better placed in the footer of the webiste.

Second Usability Testing Plan

Now that we have completed our clickable wireframes, we will conduct a usability test with 3-5 individuals meeting our target demographic.  We will be able to find 3-5 Fisher students through our business classes.  We most likely will not need to send out an email or flyer as our target market is accessible through our classes.  We can ask classmates and group members for our other business projects.

Our site hasn't changed much since our paper prototypes.  We did add a navigation bar to the home page, as our previous user test revealed that it was confusing as to where to log-in from the home page.  We considered changing the name of the site and omitting the GPA option as they, too, came up as potential usability problems during the initial test.  Ultimately, we decided that the name was fine, so long as, we kept the tagline "Your Custom Course Catalog" under it on the home page.  As well, we felt as though making GPA an optional form would alleviate pressure for users to put down their GPA, though those who felt comfortable could.

Since there was very little changed on the clickable wireframes, we probably wont change the script to the testing much at all.  We will take another look at the script and consider any fine-tuning that needs addressed.

Wire Frames

Site Map

Wireframe Paper Prototypes

Sitemap Diagram

Personas

Competitor Analysis

After completing As Is Analyses for 3 competitors (ratemyprofessor.com, koofers.com, studentsreview.com), we were able to have an overview of what areas our competitors are strong/weak in.

One of the competitor sites did not date the posts, so users did not know how relevent the post was though, all competitor sites confirmed immediately when the user's post was submitted.  We will ensure to stay competitive by putting dates on posts and by confirming the user that their post has been submitted.

All of the competitor sites use language that is appropriate and up-to-date with the college student demographic.  We will be sure to use language that is appropriate, as well.  Additionally, we could use smiley faces for rating as www.ratemyprofessors,com did, or we could allow the use of smiley faces in writing the posts since emoticons are extremely applicable to how college students express themselves via social media.

We will be sure to have back button support, as this is a site where users will most likely be browsing different areas of the site and going back to different sections.  To allow even more ease of use, we will establish "bread crumb" links so the user will be able to see their activity trail and easily go back to any specific section they were on before.

We will be sure to keep terms consistent throughout the site, as our all our competitors did so, as well.  Two of the competitor sites had poor error prevention, in such that they did not notify the user preemptively.  One site did not tell the user that their username was already taken until the last step, and the other site did not have a "confirm submission" pop-up before submitting the user's post.  We will be sure to not follow suit within these certain instances, and apply strong error prevention in all areas of the site.

All of the sites were fast, though one was redundant as side bars were the same as the top drop down bars.  We will provide a concise layout with fast loading times.  We will also provide a clean, minimalist layout to avoid overwhelming the user.

We will be sure to have error notifications if an error does occur that tell the user why the particular error occurred, as well, we will offer a button to the help page that gives the user more information on recovering from their error.  Additionally, we will provide a FAQ page that users can go to for any questions.

As Is Analysis - Ratemyprofessors.com

Visibility of system statusThe posts by users are dated according to when the user wrote on the site. Feedback is confirmed after it is written. Copyright is 2014.

Match between system and the real worldRateMyProfessors relies on college students' involvement, therefore the language is very up-to-date and relatable. The site even has a "hot tomali" rating that rates how attractive a professor is. The rating scales use smiley faces and frowney faces as gauge, which is extremely popular in a world of emoticons. The site is very accessible and relatable for its target audience, with its informal manner.

User control and freedomStrong support for "back" or redo. After creating an account with a username that had already been taken, I clicked the Back button, and it had saved all the data I had just entered.

However, there are dropdown menus with far too many options. The user is forced to endlessly scroll down the dropdown menu. The sheer amount of data can be overwhelming, because it is only categorized by academic institution. Ohio State University has so many professors that it is a lot of professors to scroll through.

Consistency and standardsThe site is consistent with most website. There is fine print at the bottom of the page and the titles at the top.

Error preventionThe website did not alert my preemptively that the username was already taken. It could have told me as I was typing, rather than sending me to the next page.

Recognition rather than recallThe objects are very clear, and it is easy to understand how to operate. The advertisements can be distracting because they are so loud and distinctive.

Flexibility and efficiency of useThe site is fast with no wait time.

Aesthetic and minimalist design
The design is a bit too loud and does not take up the entire screen. Looks more "fun" that academic.

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errorsError messages are clear and concise. 

Help and documentation
FAQ section can help users.

As Is Analysis - www.Koofers.com

Visibility of System Status
The site seems adequate in telling the user if a rating/review has been made yet.  As well, when you write a review/rating it immediately thanks you and confirms your submission of the specific professor and course.

Match between System and the Real World
The site uses appropriate language that is familiar to the user.  Information is logically displayed as a user is able to search a broad category (course name) and then to a more specific option (professor).

User Control and Freedom
User's choices are displayed in a linear fashion so the user can click to backtrack their broader searches.  Allows user's to easily go back to the course page and look at the different professors if they clicked on a professor and wants to review another after doing so.

Consistency and Standards
There is consistency within terms.  No confusion of what means what and if two phrases mean the same thing.

Error Prevention
Could not trigger error.

Recognition rather than Recall
The user is not forced to really recall information that has already been processed as the site shows a clickable stream of consciousness.  The user pretty much knows where they are in the website at all times.

Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
System could improve efficiency by condensing information and options.  Sidebar options are a bit redundant of the top banner options of the page.

Aesthetic and Minimalist Design

Aesthetic is pretty clean, but again, options can be condensed as they are a bit repetitive.

Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors
Could not prompt errors

Help and Documentation 
There is an "About Us" page as well as contact information of the contributors and social media connection.

Team Charter

Goals:
1.  Provide a forum for Fisher students to discuss their past business classes as an anonymous user.
2.  Provide information for prospective students to gain knowledge from other students about the class structure, textbook usage, and caliber of class.
3.  To maintain recent and relevant information on the site i.e. expiring old posts.

Research Plan:
1. Interview 6 Fisher students from different specializations about their preferences in how they go about choosing a class to enroll in.  These interviews can be one on one or in a focus group setting.  The interviews will take place in a closed area, as to eliminate any distractions.
2.  Administer a Qualtrics survey to FCOB students.  The survey should be 12 - 15 questions long asking students about their processes and preferences in choosing a class.  The survey will be organized by basic questions first, then complex and long-answer questions in the middle, while simple questions involving demographics should be last.  The survey will be administered online.

Business problem: There are a number of classes, teaching styles, and learning styles to choose from at the Fisher College of Business. Some students excel in large lectures and online classes, while others prefer project-based or Socratic style courses. The same course could be completely different, depending on the professor teaching it, and sites such as ratemyprofessor.com, where angry students go to vent, just aren’t cutting it. Students need a site that will provide objective and thorough information to help them choose which class to take and which textbooks to buy.

Mission: Our mission is to help students choose the right class for their learning styles and ambitions. Our site will provide FCOB students primarily with objective course information based on past syllabi. A secondary function would include student testimonials that will be monitored and updated.  Our hopes are that students who use this resource will be compelled to contribute to the course descriptions for classes they have taken recently.

Our team came to this idea after discovering that we were all Fisher Business students in different specializations and that we have all felt this need while deciding which classes to take and which professor to take it with. We also noticed that other sites that attempt to provide students with information (such as ratemyprofessor.com, koofers.com, studentsreview.com) are not very secure sources of information. We also wanted to focus our website on Fisher classes so that we can be as thorough and as accurate as possible.

Web-related strategies: Visually simple & appealing to college students, easy to navigate and use.

Maintenance:  Maintenance of the finished site will include the expiration/deletion of posts that are older than 1 year.  As well, any irrelevant or inappropriate content posted about a class will be deleted.