Usability Study:

7/30/2019 Usability Study: www.MassageCafeLTD.com

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Usability Study:www.MassageCafeLTD.com

Report Written by:Alanna McBride

Mike NigroChristina Turner

Cassandra Twoey


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Table o ContentsExecutive Summary .......................................................................... 1

Study Summary ..........................................................................................1

Participant Proles .................................................................................... 1

Moderators ........................................................................................ 2

Detailed Findings ............................................................................. 3Content ....................................................................................................... 3

What Works with Content ................................................................... 3

Suggestions or Content ..................................................................... 3

Design ......................................................................................................... 5

What Works with Design ..................................................................... 5

Suggestions or Design .......................................................................5

Usability and Functionality .......................................................................7What Works with Usability and Functionality ................................... 7

Suggestions or Usability and Functionality ..................................... 8

Overall Suggestions ............................................................................ 8

Mobile Compatibility .......................................................................... 9

Appendix ........................................................................................ 12Sample TestUsability Study Test ........................................................12

Works Cited .................................................................................... 14


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Study Summary

15 participants

Study focus:

Can clients nd all information easily?

Do clients enjoy the overall appearance of the website?

Are all aspects of the website functional and easy to use?

Average test time of 14.5 minutes

All tests were conducted on a desktop PC using Mozilla Firefox

Each test was done in person and followed a script We offered no compensation for the study

Participants were encouraged to speak aloud through the whole process

Participant Proles

9 male and 6 female

Average age: 37

Average hours online in a normal day: 5.3

8 participants have had a massage before 1 participant has been to Massage Caf

Participants included teachers, retirees, students at Youngstown State University, ITspecialists, and district managers

Executive SummaryIn March 2013, we conducted 15 usability studies on Massage Cafs website, www.MassageCafeLTD.com. A copy of the study questionnaire is included in this report in theappendix. We asked our participants to speak through their thought process while taking

the test. All of our test subjects spoke freely during the test. We will share their thoughtsthroughout this report.

Participants found www.MassageCafeLTD.com easy to navigate and had no difculty ndingthe information when prompted. The overall concern with the site centers around the designpotential customers need to nd the website usable and aesthetically pleasing. In this report,we will study the website and its content, design, and functionality. We will describe the resultsof the tests and aspects that participants enjoyed, and we will offer suggestions to help makeyour website generate business through an engaging experience for potential customers.


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Moderators

Alanna McBride

Alanna McBride is a freelance writer/editor in her senior year at Youngstown StateUniversity. She currently works part-time as a copywriter for Park Interactive, LLCaninteractive marketing rm in Youngstown, Ohio. As a copywriter, she helps write andedit website content, proposals, and marketing materials. Alanna will graduate fromYoungstown State University in fall 2013. As a student, she received the OutstandingProfessional Writing and Editing Senior Award in 2012. She participates in severalgroups on campus, including Women in Communication and The Penguin Reviewstaff. You can contact her at [email protected].

Mike Nigro

Michael Nigro is a junior in the Professional Writing and Editing program atYoungstown State University. He is a beginning professional writing student and heis currently searching for a summer internship to get some outside experience in theeld. Michael is expected to graduate with a bachelors degree in professional writingin the spring of 2014. He enjoys reading sports magazines such as ESPN and SportsIllustrated to keep up with the current events and takes notice on how the articles arewritten from a journalistic standpoint. He hopes to get a job in sports writing somedaywherever that may take him. You can contact Michael at [email protected]

Christina Turner

Christina Turner is a college student trying to become a published romance author.For the last few years she has been writing all the time. She graduates with a bachelorsdegree in General Studies spring of 2013 and will be furthering her research in theromance genre. She is an avid reader of romance and other genres to keep up withwhat is hot in the business. She has nished one manuscript and is working on hersecond. In college, she has taken a variety of classes so she can learn about writing andbits and pieces of the world. You can contact her at [email protected].

Cassandra Twoey

Cassandra Twoey is a technical writer and editor looking to nd a career in thepublishing industry. She is in her third year as a professional writing and editing majorwith a minor in advertising and public relations. She has worked at Youngstown StateUniversitys award-winning student newspaper The Jambar as a copy editor and willbe the editor-in-chief for the 2013-2014 academic year. Cassandra is procient withthe Associated Press Stylebook and has experience with content editing. She is familiarwith InDesign and Photoshop, and knows the basics of newspaper layout design. Youcan contact Cassandra at [email protected].


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Detailed Findings

Content

In this section, we will cover the basics of the information provided throughout the websiteand how the test participants interacted with it. Content includes the information providedon the website, how it is worded, how it is organized, and its grammatical aspects. We willcover what works with the content and how to optimize it for better website trafc.

What Works with Content

The content provided on the homepage is goodwhen people read it. Only two of the testparticipants took the time to read all the content on the homepage. All of the test participantswere able to nd contact information for Massage Caf: location, phone numbers, and hoursof operation from the homepage.

While all the information on the homepage is useful, only two of our participants took thetime to read it. According to an excerpt from Eyetracking Web Usability by Jakob Nielsenand Kara Pernice, there are certain areas of websites that users are drawn to initially. Theauthors tracked where different users eyes spent the most time on different web pages.

The Benets of Massage page provides usefulinformation and is presented in a user-friendlyway with different pages and headings for thedifferent sections. All of the information is clear andconcise. (http://MassageCafeLTD.com/benets-of-massage/)

TheFAQ page does a good job at addressing commonconcerns associated with getting a massage, such asthe process of the massage and the clients differentoptions as far as clothing and picking their therapist.(http://MassageCafeLTD.com/faqs/)

Suggestions or Content

1. Even though the content provided on thehomepage is useful, most users will not take the

time to read it. Photo 1 shows that users do notread all of the content on the website. Insteadthey skim the rst few words of each line and focus on the bullet points. We do notsuggest changing any content on the homepage, but restating some of the informationelsewhere would prove as a great help to users.

2. The Products page has the potential to be a great outlet to market Massage Cafsproducts. When asked to buy products, our test subjects found the tab easily; however,eight participants stated that they were confused by theProducts page, three subjects

Photo 1 shows a typical eyetracking

map


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said they assume they need to go into the store to purchase products, and sevencommented that the picture was very difcult to read. We suggest adding descriptionsof the products and if possible, prices. It should also be made clear that in order to buythe products, the customer would have to go into Massage Caf. Another suggestionwould be to reconsider if the page is necessary.

3. Without prompting, three participants mentioned they wanted to see customer

feedback somewhere on the website. We suggest connecting the website to your Twitterand Facebook feed to automatically update when clients are posting on your socialmedia pages. We also suggest creating a Customer Feedback section to the website.

4. TheStaffpage is well organized with prole pictures and links to biographies. However,the top of the staff page would be a prime place to mention that all of the staff membersare certied. When we asked participants to nd out which staff members are certied,it took the participants an average of two minutes and six seconds. While it is clearlystated on the homepage, we recommend restating it on the staff page.

5. Because there is a lot of information in each biography, we recommend organizingthe staffs information using bullet points and headings, so it is easier to nd theircertication and so the formatting throughout the pages is consistent.

6. As professional writing and editing majors, we recommend having an editor thoroughlyedit the content of the entire website for grammatical errors. None of our test subjectscommented on it; however, we noticed several issues, including comma errors, otherpunctuation errors, and general clarity mistakes.


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Design

In this section, we will present the design portion of the website. Design involves how thepage looks to the eye. It includes the color scheme, various page elements (such as the designof drop-down menus), and pictures.

What Works with Design

All of our test subjects found the website easy to use and navigate. Many of them enjoyed thebrown background. One test subject said that the color ts with the caf theme. Having thelogo in the upper left hand side of the page makes sense because peoples eyes are naturallydrawn there. Using a san serif font (a style of font that does not have tails on the ends ofletters) makes sense online. It is standard for readability.

Suggestions or Design

1. Seven test subjects stated that the picture quality was low or that the pictures weredifcult to see. We suggest using a higher-resolution camera and making sure thatpictures are cropped and not stretched to t a frame. When they are stretched, theytend to lose their resolution and appear to be blurry. We visited your Facebook pageand many of the pictures on it are great and would add an inviting atmosphere to therst impression of the website and to the clients. (See Photo 2)

*

Photo 2 shows thehomepage with a picturetaken from Massage

Cafs Facebook page.We cropped the pictureinstead of fitting it to the

frame. We suggest otherpictures like this for thehomepage.

* The navigationarrows are boxed tohighlight a functionalityissue addressed in thehomepage functionalitysuggestions section of thereport.

Photo 2


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Photo 4

2. Without being prompted, six test participants commented on the color combinationson the page. Most found the brown nice, but the combination of the yellowish text,the brown background, and the various blue elements was distracting and not verypleasing. We recommend using an online resource for creating color schemes. Twoexamples are colorschemedesigner.com and www.kuler.adobe.com. (See Photo 3)

3. The map on the homepage is very useful. We recommend showing a slightly broaderarea on the map to help clients and customers nd the shop easily. The scope of themap is limited. (See Photo 4)

Photo 3 shows a color scheme example from www.kuler.adobe.com based on thebackground color from www.MassageCafeLTD.com. When you first enter the site, youcan click Create to create your own color scheme. From there, you can select a base

color and then view various rules, such as this compound color scheme.


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Usability and Functionality

In this section, we will present the results of the usability study based on the websitesfunctionality and usability. Simply explained, functionality studies if the pages and ele-ments work, and usability studies how well they work based on test-subject feedback. Wewill examine elements of the pages that work well and address possible solutions and rec-ommendations to help improve the functionality and usability of the site to maximize theexperience for your customers.

What Works with Usability and Functionality

Homepage

The homepage functions well. All of the elements are linked properly and lead the user wherethey were intended. The pictures scroll correctly and stay on the screen for the appropriate

length of time. One hundred percent of our test subjects were able to scroll and explore thehomepage with ease.

Benets o Massage Page

TheBenets of Massagepage is well organized and works well. The links to the subcategoriesall function properly and help to keep the data organized and approachable. The multiplelinks to the other categories work properly and offer different navigation options. The linksallow customers to scroll through the information easily.

FAQ Page

The FAQ page functions properly. Customers can easily nd additional information toanswer their questions.

Pricing Page

During the test, we asked participants to nd the pricing for Massage Caf. Sixty percent ofour volunteers found thePricing & Services page in less than 15 seconds. All of our vol-unteers found thePricing & Services page in less than a minute. They found the price of amassage quickly. One of the volunteers said that it was very easy to navigate.

All participants who specically commented on the price of a massage found it to be inex-pensive.

Staf Page

When asked to nd theStaffpage, all participants found it quickly. They were able to get tothe page without trouble. Two participants specically commented that the pictures of thestaff are helpful without being prompted.


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Products Page

When asked to locate the products, 100 percent of test participants found it in less than oneminute.

Contact Us Page

The volunteers were asked what they would do if they wanted to make an appointment toget a massage. One hundred percent of test subjects found a way to make an appointment;Eleven volunteers found where they would contact Massage Caf for an appointment in aminute or less. Some volunteers looked for an appointment link. Seven volunteers said theywould call the number listed rather than ll out the contact us form.

Suggestions or Usability and Functionality

Overall Suggestions

One hundred percent of the people surveyed felt that the entire site was easy to navigate.They were all able to nd information based on our questions. However, there are someopportunities to improve the overall functionality of the website.

1. Twelve out of 15 participants wanted pricing information rst when consideringmaking an appointment. Even though all of these participants found the pricingeasily, we recommend having pricing in the rst tab position in the navigation bar.

2. Several of our participants had trouble navigating back to the homepage after clickingon different pages. After several seconds, they either tried clicking on the logo or usedthe back arrow. None of our participants noticed the breadcrumb trail (See Photo 6)on the individual pages because the color is too close to the background color. W3.org

denes a breadcrumb trail:A breadcrumb trail helps the user to visualize how content has been structuredand how to navigate back to previous Web pages, and may identify the currentlocation within a series of Web pages. A breadcrumb trail either displayslocations in the path the user took to reach the Web page, or it displays thelocation of the current Web page within the organization of the site. To helpimprove navigation back to the homepage, we recommend adding a home tab tothe navigation bar and changing the font color of the breadcrumb trail to whiteor another color that offers better contrast to the background.

To help improve navigation back to the homepage, we recommend adding a home

tab to the navigation bar and changing the font color of the breadcrumb trail towhite or another color that offers better contrast to the background.

Photo 6 is a screen shot of the breadcrumb trail found on the Benefits of Massage page on www.MassageCafeLTD.com. None of the test subjects saw this content without being specifically asked to find it.


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3. We recommend reading the online article 5 Painless Usability Fixes for tips toincrease the overall usability of the entire site (http://www.usereffect.com/topic/5-painless-usability-xes). The main concern that participants voiced about MassageCafs website centers around the readability of the text. Two very easy xes are toincrease the font size and to increase font vs. background contrast. The most effectivecontrast is black text on white background, but for design appeal, that standard lacks

attractiveness. We recommend nding a lighter color text that compliments the dark-brown background.

Mobile Compatibility

Statistics show that 11 percent of Internet use comes from mobile devices, and that numberis steadily increasing. Mobile Internet usage has gone up 26 percent and tablet Internetuse has increased 19 percent. In fact, this trend shows a signicant decrease of desktopcomputer usage. Its safe to say that mobile Internet usage is the future. But what does thatmean for companies that have websites?

Only 7 percent of websites are currently optimized for mobile usage. That means thatcustomers can view the most important parts of a website from any mobile device. In ourusability test, we asked participants what mediums they use to surf the Internet. Nine of ourparticipants use a smartphone or tablet for the Internet.

As part of our research, we checked www.MassageCafeLTD.com for mobile devicecompatibility on an Android phone and iPad. Photo 7 shows Massage Cafs website asviewed on the cell phone. Photos 8 and 9 show a website that has been optimized for mobilecompatibility. Because the iPad screen is much larger, we were able to view most of thewebsite without much issue.

Photo 7 shows Massage Caf's website on an Android phone. As you can see, it is extremely difcultto read any of the content. When customers zoom in, they only see a very small portion of text andhave to move back and forth to read.

Photos 8 and 9 show a website on the same phone that has been optimized for mobile compatibility.

Photo 7 Photo 9Photo 8


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4. We recommend Massage Caf optimize its website for mobile compatibility. There aremany tools online for easy tips on how to accomplish this. One blog post that is usefulis http://www.mybloggertricks.com/2012/11/optimize-website-for-tablets.html.

Homepage

5. Test subjects were able to navigate to different pages easily with the navigation bar. Tohelp the navigation bar stand out more, we recommend increasing the font size andbolding the text.

6. Several test subjects notice text under two of the pictures that do not link to anythingand disappear when the picture changes. We recommend removing this text becauseit may confuse clients trying to navigate through the pages.

7. The arrows under the pictures did not function properly during three of our tests.Clients were confused as to the arrows function. We recommend moving the arrowsto either side of the photographs because that is the typical location for them. (Seearrows under the picture in Photo 2.)

8. The links to the social media accounts function well, but the two test subjects whoclicked on them noticed that the accounts have not been regularly updated. Werecommend updating those accounts at least once a week in order to ensure thatcustomers viewing your site feel condent that you are current and operating.

Benets o Massage Page

We have no recommendations to help improve the functionality and usability of theBenetsof Massage page. It is well organized and offers customers a variety of navigation optionsthat all function properly.

FAQ Page

9. Only two of our test subjects took time to read theFAQ page. We recommend creatingsubsections for this page (like the subsections on theBenets of Massage page). Byorganizing the FAQs into three or four subsections, customers will be able to navigatethe FAQ page to nd their specic questions more efciently instead of trying to readthrough thirteen questions looking for their answer.

Pricing Page

At this time, we have no suggestions for increasing usability or functionality for thePricing

page. Test subjects were able to nd that information quickly and easily.For pricing in general, one participant did say it would be nice to see some package deals.Two of our participants booked massages in the past because they were given a gift certicate.We suggest offering gift certicate information online to help increase sales.


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Staf Page

During the testing, we asked participants to nd out which staff members at Massage Cafare certied. All but two subjects went to theStaffpage to locate this information quickly;however, it took more than half of the volunteers over a minute to locate certicationinformation. Only two of the 15 volunteers found the information on the homepage. Two out

of 15 volunteers gave up. One volunteer spent over 10 minutes searching for the information.Eight-seven percent of volunteers found that the staff was certied by clicking the staff pageand searching through the staff biographies.

10.There are several ways to make this information stand out easily. We recommendhighlighting the staff certication at the top of homepage and the Staff page byenlarging the font or making it bold.

Products Page

We asked the volunteers to see if they could buy products. Forty percent of the volunteersspent more than one minute trying to nd out if they could buy products online. They were

unable to view and click on products in the photograph. Five volunteers wanted to know whatkind of products Massage Caf uses, but couldnt nd detailed information. Two volunteerswere intrigued in the products and wanted to purchase some online.

11.If you are not planning on selling products through your website, we recommendremoving the page to help increase functionality and usability for your clients. Eightparticipants felt confused by the function of this page.

12.If this page was intended to inform clients about the products that Massage Caf uses,we recommend creating a bulleted list to explain each product and its benets in detail.

Contact Us Page

We have no recommendations to help improve the functionality and usability of theContactUs page. It is well organized and offers customers a variety of navigation options that allfunction properly.


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Appendix

Sample TestUsability Study Test

Hi! My name is

We are conducting this usability test to gather information about how usable the site is.We are all students at Youngstown State University.

We want to stress that we are testing the website, not you. If you cant find somethingor stumble over a question, it is not your fault. We are hoping to compile information onhow to make this website better and give the visitor a more pleasant experience.

We will be recording your actions. This is for professional purposes only. We will notrelease these recordings to the public; this is strictly for note-taking purposes. We areasking you to speak aloud as you go through the website.

For example, if you see a picture that you like, say, I like that picture, and if you are

planning to click on the photo, say that you are going to do so.

This test will take roughly 15 minutes. If you feel like you need more time, dont hesitateto tell us. If you finish early, thats acceptable, too.

HIT RECORD

For the record, could you spell your name for me?

Your age?

Whats your occupation?

How much time do you spend online in a normal day?

Through which medium do you usually use the Internet?

Our client is a massage clinic, have you ever had a massage before?

(If so,) When?

(If so,) Where?

How did you decide that was where you would get your massage?

MAXIMIZE THE WEB PAGE

Go ahead and take a minute to browse the website.

OK, please navigate back to the homepage

What was your rst impression of the website?

So, if you wanted to get a massage here, what is the rst thing that you would want to know?


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Please nd out how much a massage costs.

TIME: _______ Pricing

Please return to the homepage

Please nd out which staf members are certied.

TIME: _______ Staff


Say you wanted to make an appointment, what would you do now?

TIME: _______ Appointment


Now pretend that you want to buy products. How would you do that?

TIME: _______ Products

Thank you! The testing is complete!

Total test time: _________


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Works CitedG65: Providing a Breadcrumb Trail. World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Massachusetts

Institute of Technology, European Research Consortium for Informatics andMathematics, Keio University, 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2013. .Meyers, Peter J., Dr. 5 Painless Usability Fixes. 5 Painless Usability Fixes. N.p., 2012.

Web. 21 Mar. 2013. .

Nielsen, Jakob, and Kara Pernice. Chapter 6. Eyetracking Web Usability. Berkeley, CA:New Riders, 2010. N. pag. Print.

Zaib, Qasim. Why Should You Optimize Your Site for Mobile Devices? | My BloggerTricks. My Blogger Tricks. N.p., 08 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2013. .

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