During the study, we will first note what the user’s first impressions are of the mockups whether through observing facial expressions or user comments. After the user completes each task, we will collect the user’s feedback and suggestions. In order to tell whether we have achieved the test objectives, we will organize our data into categories of likes, dislikes, and suggestions. Within each category, our data will be organized by page or functionality. By separating our data, we will be able to easily identify the user’s overall moods and impressions for each functionality, leading us to ultimately determine whether our test objectives have been met.
Peer Test
30-minute peer tests were conducted in order to test the design of our prototype.
Test Subject #1 (by Christine)
The individual’s overall first impressions of the prototype were positive. The user expressed their love towards simplicity, organization, and personalization. The user paid attention to details that may seem little that helped her navigate through the site much easier. She mentioned, “I like how the home page provides quick access to the activity log. I can also go to my own profile section if I wanted to.” The user emphasized that more details should be shown to improve the overall user experience such as displaying a brief bio of each potential partner. It is much easier to find a partner and distinguish them from one another through unique captions. The user managed to complete each task successfully and quickly with no complications.
Pros:
The activity log shows twice in profile and home
Likes how you can personalize through the feature of saving favored activities
Health awareness
Simplicity
Easy to locate
Cons:
No warning to meeting strangers
Potential partners have no message or bio shown
Test Subject #2 (by Christine)
Test subject #2 emphasized his interest over the simple, non-cluttered layout of the application. The user mentioned, “I enjoy how the site feels and how its appearance is appealing to eyes.” Although the user was overall satisfied, he also mentioned how further organization and filtering in each page could substantially improve it. One suggestion is to add a sorting button to filter locations by distance and difficulty for example. The user also made the suggestion to separate the interactive map as its own section; this allows users to quickly view the map in a larger size while participating in a physical activity.
Pros:
Non-cluttered layout which is easy on the eyes
Simple and straightforward
Cons:
Lack of filtering
Other Suggestions:
Sort button to filter by difficulty
Background check
Interactive map as its own section considering the size of the map
Test Subject #3 (by Yuehan)
The user showed a favorable impression of the interface while they also suggested some potential changes to our design. They think the homepage can be richer in content. They also indicate that "Travel Guides" can be moved elsewhere because it is confusing that it is under the "Community" page, even if they know it's supposed to be created by other users. Also, the Travel Guides can be first classified by locations rather than be displayed directly on the "Community" page. Another suggestion is that there can be more community-related features, such as a forum and a feed to show other user's activities.
The user finished the first three tasks without any obstacles while they was confused when doing the last task. They said it was not because of the design but an issue with the interactive prototype. This helped us find a broken link in our prototype.
Pros:
User Interface
Cons:
The homepage lacks content
Travel Guide is placed in a confusing place
Other Suggestions:
More community-related feature, like:
Forum
Feed that shows other user's activities
Test Subject #4 (by Winston)
This subject shows a positive attitude towards the overall design. The home screen is attractive. All the information is included. He mentioned that he likes the app’s simplicity and fluency. However, there are some difficulties. He is used to searching the hiking trail manually. Thus, he said he preferred to move the search function in the home screen. That is just very personal advice. The organization of the prototype met his expectation of a modern design. He would love to try this app. He also believes that more hiking nerds would love to try this app if there’s enough advertisement on it.
Pros:
Home page
Simplicity and fluency
Other Suggestions:
Move the content of the Find page to the homepage
Test Subject #5 (by Winston)
This subject extremely likes this app. She is a hiking nerd. She likes the home screen very much, especially the function “Find a partner”. This simple layout makes easy connections and checks friends’ movements. Nothing feels overwhelmed. She mentioned that the prototype can include more features like booking a ticket or hotel. She would love to use the app because of its simplicity.
Pros:
Homepage
Other Suggestions:
Include more features like booking tickets or hotels
Postscript
Even though we obtained valuable evaluation result, not all of the users' feedbacks were "valid." Due to the limitations of the interactive prototype and time, we were unable to make a prototype for every page and interaction. Some features suggested by the users, such as filters, have been included in our design but they are not displayed in the prototype. However, we will still modify our design based on these "invalid" feedbacks to make the entries of their suggested features more visible.
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