Macmillan Coffee Morning
Design Task
To plan, conduct and report usability and user experience (UX) evaluation for the microsite of the Macmillan Cancer Support charity.
Project Background
Every year Macmillan holds a major fundraising event called the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning (WBCM). In order to drive more people to the site, I investigated the usability and UX of the host section of the site, what people thought of the homepage and the usability and UX of the recipes section.
TOOLS
Pen/Paper
Screen Capture
Audio Recording
DURATION
3 months
MY ROLE
Summarised the goals of my evaluation, my approach, main findings and recommendations.
Conducted user interviews and analysed data.
Produced a user evaluation with recommendations.
INTRODUCTION
I planned and conducted a usability and user experience (UX) evaluation. I evaluated the microsite of the Macmillan Cancer Support charity, which is called the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning (WBCM). A major annual fundraiser for the charity. I evaluated the usability and UX of the; Homepage, Signing in, Paying in Donation and Recipes Page.
To discover valuable insights directly from users, I performed a usability test on the microsite. To get the most out of the observations I audio and screen recorded the session. This enabled me to see their navigation, task completion as well as conversation. I then evaluated the qualitative data, taking the most critical issues with the website and offered four recommendations to solve the problems with the site.
METHOD
Rubin and Chisnell mention that “the overall goal of usability testing is to inform design by gathering data from which to identify and rectify usability deficiencies”. The methodology for this research was qualitative. The usability evaluation focused on in-person user testing, helping identify usability problems and measured the usability & UX.
APPROACH
Initially I had to scope what I was testing. Covering the usability and the UX. Having set my goals. I customised Steve Krug’s script to meet my needs. this helped to the testing consistent. I made sure to have a consent form, covering the ethics and enabling me to share the data that is required so the necessary improvements could be made.
PARTICIPANTS
I recruited five participants, my demographic was between the ages of 18-28. They all have donated to a charity event but never hosted one.
I held two sessions per day, lasting just under 30 minutes. The sessions were screen captured to observe their method of actions and conversations. Also I took notes on their behaviour, physical and facial expressions.
PILOT STUDY
Conducting a pilot study helped to ensure that the full study goes as smoothly as possible. This allowed me to test the tasks, timing and to make the necessary changes that are required.
TASK SCERNARIOS
Nielsen mentions, “avoid participants feeling like they are being tested”. So, I made a scenario which would set the scene, enabling me to get more explanation and context on why the user is doing a certain task. The predefined tasks were designed to allow for exploration within certain areas of the site that may need improvement.
DATA ANALYSIS
Thematic Analysis
After completion, all observations were reviewed and respectfully arranged in a thematic analysis.
Having this kind of visual representations helped me have a clear perspective of different participants, highlighting similarities and differences. It also forces the researcher to take a well-structured approach to handling data, helping to produce a clear and organised final report.
Severity Ratings for Usability Problems
I categorised the problems by severity. I measured the severity on a measure of scale, with each problem ranked. The next phase would be to rank the problem by estimated frequency of occurrence.
Nielsen’s Severity Rating Scale
I chose to adapt Nielsen’s Severity Rating Nielsen (1994) as its been used within the industry for decades and it’s a quick way to address possible changes within the time scale.
Just to avoid any bias on my ratings, I got another researcher to look at my issues and explained which severity rating I was using to scale my findings without seeing my scores and compared them.
RESULTS
In my report I have detailed the major findings for improving the Macmillan website, including quotes from the participants.
In general, the website got positive feedback regarding the colours being bold and images being vibrant. Through the thematic analysis the website eventually got its purpose across in regards to hosting a fundraiser and sharing recipe ideas to potential hosts.
Not all issues are included, only the four major ones. The rest can be found in the report.
LEARNINGS
Never make assumptions. Always recognise assumptions that are being made, then question and clarify them with your target users.
Be patient with people. Don’t expect people to get it the first time you tell them, instead, expect that you will need to repeat your instructions. People will see and hear what they want to. Human cognitive bias is so strong that it often overpowers reality. So if needed just repeat yourself.