Usability study conducted for a mobile app start-up client

1. UX Project Example
Genevieve Linchangco
Freelance User Experience Researcher

2. Usability Study
New User Experience prototype 1
April 2014

3. create and send collaborative video greeting cards on iOS
www.getcelebrate.com

4. identify current greeting
behaviors and pain points:
one-on-one interviews
validate finding generalizability:
online survey
review social media accounts
test prototype:
usability tasks
test next prototype:
usability tasks
Research Plan Context

5. Initial Consult
Request: test our prototype
general impressions
will they will use it?
do they like the colors?
do they like the emojis?
does the intro make them excited?
how often would they use it?
Revised Questions:
understand what it is?
see why they should use it?
create a montage, invite, gift easily?
general impressions

6. Method: Usability Tasks
moderated
first study, many unknowns
one-on-one
first study, many unknowns
“realistic” first session is solo
in-person
first study, many unknowns
catch session details
experience environment
on-campus
participant recruitment ease
casual setting
experience environment
real context of use
participant’s iPhone
real context of use
task based
specific questions

7. Session Outline
5-10 minutes
paperwork and rapport building
40-45 minutes
usability tasks
5 minutes
participant questions

8. 5 Participants in study
Selection Criteria*:
1. social media power user
2. recent greeting post/message
3. female
4. age 18-22
5. local college student
6. iPhone 5s or higher
Participants
Recruitment method:
surveymonkey screener
on campus flyers
craigslist
campusjob.com (wayup.com)
* 1-5 validated in previous studies

9. Introduction

10. Task 1.1:
Take a look and let me know when
you get to the register screen

11. screen 1
animation

12. Introduction Screens

13. Task 1.2:
what can you tell me about the app?

14. Goals of Introduction
User goals:
Quickly judge
What does it do/is it for?
How much time, effort, $?
Something I would use?
Should I sign-up?
Product team goals:
Get sign-ups
Explain app
Communicate value prop

15. Introduction Screen Findings
Quickly judge
✔ screenshots look cool
✖ dated vs current
✖ itching to start
✖ wouldn’t read IRL
What does it do/is it for?
✔ videos, group, montage
✖ unsure, hesitant
✖ gift focus not clear
✖ miss screen 1 animation

16. Introduction Screen Findings
What do I have to do?
✖ “easy” how?
How much time, effort, $?
✔ free
✖ “we do all the work for you” huh?
Something I would use?
✖ not sure
Should I sign-up?
✖ not sure

17. Introduction Recommendations
1. Let them start!
skip button, fast, easy, cheap, testable
1. Edit content
less is more
no meaningless words e.g. “easy”
nix animation
3. Rethink info location
before download, appstore or landing page
4. Visual Design
current, continuity

18. Montage Creation

19. Task 2:
create a montage for something
coming up

20. Interest user in coming back
✔ emojis feel casual and relatable
✔ colors feel fun and updated
✖ “These big events don’t apply to me”
age appropriate and general events
⚖ if keeping list: re-order occasions
Select Occasion

21. Task 3:
record your first video

22. Record video
Give ideas to encourage recording
✖ didn’t notice idea button
not essential, nix & revisit later
⚖ if keeping: point out first time through

23. Record video
Indicate time left and recording
✖ expected near record button
group with record
✖ “Wait, am I recording?”
responsive button: integrate progress bar

24. Preview, upload, re-record
✖ “Will I lose this one?”
replace arrow with “x”
✖ “Who am I sending it to?”
replace “SEND” with “ADD”, “USE”, “UPLOAD”
Preview Video

25. Event Home
view all montage videos
✖ “Can I post it on my friend's Facebook?”
options to download/share final product
✖ “Who sees my videos?”
indicate privacy level before camera
continued interaction with likes
✖ “what’s this for?”
not essential- nix for now

26. Invite Friends

27. Task 4.1:
invite “Tim Jones” to your montage

28. Task 4.2:
invite me to your montage

29. Invite Friends
Easily select friends to invite
✖ “How do I invite people that aren’t in my contacts?”
ability to send link
build in invite via FB most salient for population
✖ “Oh no! I didn’t mean to send it!”
nix 1-tap invite for Celebrate users
⚖ if keeping separate user invite: add user symbol
and step to confirm

30. Invite Friends
indicate participation
✖ icons confusing
nix! see on main screen
status of invite in confirmation only
send to recipient
✖ “But it’s not done yet”
devote screen for non-celebrant invites

31. Invite Message
get friends to download app and leave video
✖ canned message seems “spammy”
clear, short, casual, easily editable
easy default to iMessage
✖ “I don’t use iMessage”
give options
do not set default

32. Gift Montage

33. Gift Montage
special way of inviting celebrant
✖ “How do I send it?”
“So you’re just inviting them like everyone else?
devote screen for non-celebrant invites
separate “host” gifting experience

34. Recurring
Themes/Concerns

35. GIFTING
let me feel important
highlight host (e.g. longer video)
separate gift giving experience
only host can send gift
SHARING
let me show it off
download & sharing options
DELETE
let me mess up
delete videos
INVITE OPTIONS
let me invite without #’s
invite with link, with FB, suggestions
CLOSED INVITES
let me choose who’s important
only host can invite
Recurring themes/concerns

36. End! Any Questions?