Usability Evaluation and Site Redesign
In this challenge I will pick
- a specific user type
- and a travel app
to evaluate usability and to redesign the site according to my target group and their behaviour.
User type and Benchmarking
I will go for a young couple as my user type, aged between 20–40 who plan to visit one of the 7 World Wonders Petra, Jordan.
There are some app options given, however I will pick one app that’s suitable for the users to plan their trip.
In order to find the most suitable app, I will implement the usability heuristics evaluation according to the principles of Jakob Nielsen.
The 10 Principles:
- Visibility of system status
The system should always keep users informed about current state and actions through appropriate visual cues and feedback within reasonable time.
2. Match between system and the real world
The system should speak the users’ language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user.
3. User control and freedom
Going backward to undo an error should be made possible for the user without having to go through an extended dialogue.
4. Error prevention
Prevent the occurence of the errors or any situation that leads the user to make a faöse or any unwanted decision
5. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
6. Consistency and standards
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.
7. Recognition rather than recall
Minimize the user’s memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
8. Flexibility and efficiency of use
Speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions e.g. ‘’Recently Viewed’’ ‘’Quick Links’’.
9. Aesthetic and minimalist design
Keep simple. Do not clutter.
10. Help and Documentation
Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user’s task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.
After looking at Tripadvisor, Kayak, Hopper and Skyscanner I have decided to stick to Skyscanner.
Testing
I targeted 3 users of my selected user type and asked them what some of their main criterias are when booking a trip:
- Ideally a direct flight but are open to suggestions (with layovers) that might result in getting a cheaper flight
- booking comfortable hotel rooms that are not too far off from the main attractions
- They have also mentioned an ACTIVITY option for buying or ordering entrance tickets for example to visit the site Petra or any other attractions for that matter
First things first — the 5 second test
Five second tests are a method of user research that help you measure what information users take away and what impression they get within the first five seconds of viewing a design.
One of the first comments from the users were that the app is very clear, and all of them could remember everything on the landing page such as the icons for Flights, Hotels, Car Rentals.
When asked to search for a flight to Jordan, they all did it rather quickly saying it was an easy task, especially when they were transferred to the actual website of the airline.
When booking a hotel they liked the fact that there is a map that shows all of the hotels and prices — this gave them a sense of orientation.
One of the users has mentioned that when he selected Flights or Car Rentals the page that they land on has a small header with the selection. However, this does not apply when you select Hotels — there is no header whatsoever.
Also, two of the users really liked the idea of having an extra option for Activities e.g. booking tickets to enter the site Petra.
Even though I should just redesign the app, I will also add an option for activity, because why not?
Solution:
As you can read above there are some minor pain points. I will focus on adding small things and also add an option for Activities, as 2 of the users kept mentioning this.
Below is the wireframe of the Skyscanner landing page, with a new option for Activities on the right. Once selected it will then take the user to review or book activities from a selected Category — similar user flow when booking hotels or flights.
In this challenge I dived in deeper and realized that there is so much more to learn and that there is even more that goes on in the background of an app/product. Nevertheless, I had fun applying everything that I have learned from the previous lessons and challenges.
