Usability Testing

Usability Testing

In late May 2022, I (Arica Conrad) conducted in-person usability testing with one user and later showed the app to my client. I utilized the UX Design and Research methods of usability testing, critical incident technique, and Likert scales for confidence metrics.

The overall impressions of the app were favorable. They thought the app generally had clear navigation, helpful tutorials, and promising accessibility features.

Insights

In addition to the positive feedback, I also received some constructive feedback, as outlined below:

• The transition between the TechEase tutorials and using the associated iPhone app was not intuitive at first. The user thought that by tapping the tutorial’s screenshots, they were tapping the actual iPhone app’s buttons. In reality, it was just a picture on the screen.
• Information is best learned in small increments and real-world examples are helpful.
• Vision problems affect around 10% of Wider Horizons members, which can impact how they use their smartphones.

Recommendations

Based on the insights listed in the previous section, I created the following recommendations:

• Add text at the top of each written tutorial that instructs users on how to switch between the tutorial and the associated iPhone app to follow along.
• Create additional written tutorials with common examples of using the associated iPhone app. For instance, create a mini tutorial on adding a doctor’s appointment to the Calendar app.
• To be accessible for vision problems, continue developing the dark mode design and Listen button, and also possibly explain how to magnify text. I noticed the user and my client made a pinch-and-zoom motion with their fingers a few times for the screenshots, so the screenshots might need to be magnified.

These recommendations have been added to the Product Backlog on the Development page.

Final Note

I highly recommend that more usability testing should be conducted in person with the TechEase app on a physical iPhone device. I was only able to show the app to two target audience members, so their opinions may not be representative of a wider population of the target audience. More usability testing would allow more feedback to be gathered, which can then help direct TechEase in addressing the target audience's pain points and needs.