Identify opportunities to improve the proposed search functionality on a View & Pay Invoices page.
PROJECT SCOPE
Clients: Executive leadership; Finance department
Timeframe: 3 weeks
Role: UX Researcher
Methods: Usability testing (two rounds)
Tools: UserTesting
Project Overview
BACKGROUND
The eCommerce department created an updated search functionality for the View & Pay Invoices page, based on previous discovery research.
Given the high traffic of the page, both the Finance and eCommerce teams want to ensure the functionality matches customer expectations prior to launch.
OBJECTIVES
Are customers able to locate specific invoices on the page using the search functionality?
Are customers able to successfully filter results using the sort functionality?
Are there any changes that need to be made to the prototype to make it easier to use?
Methodology
Usability Testing
Based on the results of the initial round of usability testing, iterations were made to the designs and a second round of usability was conducted.
Note: Research was conducted on both desktop and mobile, but only desktop will be highlighted in this case study.
Usability Testing: Round 1
METHODOLOGY
Participants: Ten people who have paid an invoice on the company's website in the past month.
Test Design: The order of the two main tasks (searching and sorting) was randomized amongst the participants.
Usability Testing: Method was chosen because it provides insight into how users interact with the page, allowing us to identify any pain points they encounter.
ANALYSIS PROCESS
Participant interactions were both audio and video recorded, and I utilized a rainbow spreadsheet to identify patterns and themes.
Usability Testing: Round 1 Results
KEY FINDINGS
Overall, the search functionality functioned successfully.
SAMPLE SUPPORT
Success – All participants were able to search quickly and successfully.
Success Rate: 10/10
On First Try & Without Hesitation: 8/10
Ease: Average = 4.88/5; Median = 5/5
It is not clear to participants how to sort on the page.
SAMPLE SUPPORT
Moderate Issue – The column headers were not interpreted by participants as being clickable.
Task: "Reorder the invoices so that they're listed with the most expensive invoices at the top of the page, and the least expensive at the bottom."
Success Rate: 3/10
On First Try & Without Hesitation: 1/10
Ease: Average = 3.88/5; Median = 5/5
Adjustments to the wording of some filters could increase participants' understanding of their functionality.
SAMPLE SUPPORT
Moderate Issue – Some participants mentioned they didn't know what the "Ordered By: All Contacts" filter meant.
Moderate Issue – Two participants misused the "Start Date" and "End Date" functionality, assuming they were selecting month ranges instead of date ranges.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Revisit the location and visibility of the sort functionality.
Because the sorting functionality is not directly called out on the page, participants did not notice it was available to them.
Increasing it's visibility will better meet expectations for customers using the page to locate invoices.
Revisit the functionality of two filters: "Ordered By: All Contacts" and "Start Date" / "End Date".
Rewording the default setting of "Ordered By: All Contacts" to "All Buyers" will better clarify the filter's purpose.
In the "Start Date" and "End Date" filters, the dates in the calendar should be highlighted to emphasize that they can be selected. Additionally, we can give customers the option to filter by "months" instead of days by defaulting to the first or last day when only a month is selected.
Usability Testing: Round 2
Following the first round of usability testing, updates were made to the prototype. To verify the usability of the updates, it was decided that a second round of testing be conducted.
METHODOLOGY
The participant pool, test plan, and study design from the first round of testing were reused to ensure consistent findings.
The only difference was the prototype being tested, which featured updates to address the previously identified pain points.
ANALYSIS PROCESS
Similar to the first round of testing, participant interactions were both audio and video recorded, and I utilized a rainbow spreadsheet to identify patterns and themes.
Usability Testing: Round 2 Results
KEY FINDINGS
Similar to the first round of testing, the search functionality was viewed as easy-to-use and was quickly cleared.
SAMPLE SUPPORT
Success – All participants were able to search quickly and successfully.
Success Rate: 10/10
On First Try & Without Hesitation: 9/10
Ease: Average = 5/5; Median = 5/5
The sorting functionality was utilized more by participants when compared with the previous round of testing.
SAMPLE SUPPORT
Success – All participants identified how to sort the results.
Task: "Reorder the invoices so that they're listed with the most expensive invoices at the top of the page, and the least expensive at the bottom."
Success Rate: 10/10
On First Try & Without Hesitation: 9/10
Ease: Average = 5; Median = 5/5
Filters were used quickly and successfully by participants.
SAMPLE SUPPORT
Success – All participants used the "Ordered By: All Buyers" filter quickly and successfully.
Success – Most participants used the "Start Date" and "End Date" functionality successfully.
For the two participants who only selected a month, the updated functionality automatically selected a date that still provided their desired results.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Implement the proposed prototype.
Given that no obvious pain points were identified in user testing, the functionality in the revised prototype is ready to be implemented from a customer perspective.