Harmony Cricket Farm
Usability Testing + Recomendations
Improving on a Public-Facing Website
While many projects start from scratch, some are designed to improve on what already exists. Our design team was presented with a website looking to expand and improve on its existing design. Our objective was to gain in-depth insights from potential users, synthesize that data, and present actionable findings to our client.
Methods + Programs Used
Trello
Heuristic Analysis
Usability Testing Script Writing
Remote Usability Testing
Keynote
Conducting a Usability Review
Initially, our team research team split up to conduct our own heuristic analysis of the website. By doing this, we utilized our different skillsets and eyes for design to sniff out possible design flaws on the website. However, we all unified under a single type of Heuristic Analysis so that our observations would fall under the same parameters.
See how a Usability Review under Shneiderman's Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design works:
Creating a Script That Generates Meaningful Feedback
Before our team dove into usability testing, we needed to create a strict script to follow. Our users were all new to the website itself, but we had to ensure our lines of questioning did not lead the user to any particular conclusion. By using the most neutral language, our research team was able to gather the most useful data from guided usability testing.
Conducting Remote Testing During COVID-19
COVID-19 certainly had its fair share of challenges, one of those being forced to do our testing virutally. Through zoom, a well-controlled script and use of Zoom’s waiting room features, our team was able to conduct 12 usability testing sessions both as a group and individually to gain more insights into how to improve upon the Harmony website.
Synthesizing Usability Testing Data
With 12 different usability testing sessions, our team was given a wealth of information—that information needed to be organized in a manner that allowed for patterns to emerge in the data. Using the categories and questions we established in our script, we could synthesize our data using Trello.
Presenting Findings Effectively
After data synthesis, our team was tasked with assembling a presentation for our client. The document had to be comprehensive while striking a balance of being critical but also constructive. There is a big difference in demeanor when interacting with your design team vs. a client.
See the Findings & Recommendations Report:
Helping a Website Take Its Next Steps
With Harmony Cricket Farm ready to take the next step in its expansion, we were more than happy to use usability testing to make their message clearer and their site more user-friendly.