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Uncovering User Pain Points

Discovering usability problems and recommending design solutions for a Fortune 100 company's marketing platform

**NOTE: Due to NDAs, I am unable to provide full details of the findings and results of this project. I have included what I am legally allowed to disclose.

OBJECTIVE

 

  • Conduct minimum N=60 remote user tests

  • Provide design recommendations to Fortune 100 client

  • Train six new hires in a remote environment

RESULTS

 

  • Completed N=62 user interviews, each 75+ minutes long

  • A findings report 100+ slides long, including...

    • User testing insights

    • Key quotes from user tests

    • Design recommendations for the marketing platform​

  • Compressing of training cycle for new hires from 4-6 months to 2 months

Background

- Fortune 100 client in the consumer technology space

​

- Request to run minimum of N=60 fully remote user tests

​

- Client wanted:

  • Times-on-tasks
  • Likert scores (1 to 5) for...
    • Enjoyment of tasks
    • Relative ease of tasks
  • Scores of user testing (Success, Difficulty, Failure, Test Artifact)
  • Qualitative user feedback​​

- My Team

  • Eight people, all remote, including me
  • Six new hires in need of training

  • I serve as project lead, research designer, session moderator, and new hire trainer​

Strategy

- Creating test plan:

  • Constant communication between me and client

  • Reference previous studies conducted by research firm

  • ​Careful writing of discussion guide to eliminate bias

  • Creation of data collection sheet for note takers viewing sessions

  • Pilot sessions in-house to ensure smooth use of testing materials before user sessions

- For training new hires​, servant leadership was key​

  • Creation of psychologically safe space
    • Extra time taken to answer questions and address concerns
  • Clear communication
    • Spoke with new hires on video calls to eliminate possible confusion​
  • Provided tasks for new hires to complete, small at first then gradually larger and more important:
    • Practice helped grow trainee confidence​
    • ​Checking of work provided teaching moments on why certain choices were being made
  • Provided encouraging feedback and positive reinforcement​
    • Inclusive teamwork made new hires feel welcome and included​

Testing Methods

- Divided into two groups:

  • Group One

    • Session moderator (me)​

    • One notetaker

    • Two observing new hires

  • Group Two​

    • Second session moderator​

    • One notetaker

    • Two other observing new hires

A person writes notes in a notepad during a video call on a laptop.

- 75-minute test sessions​

  • Two sessions always running at the same time​

  • Users asked to complete tasks using the marketing platform and were timed and scored

    • "Find marketing campaign X"​

    • "Using the statistics available to you, what was your ROI on this campaign during [month]?"

  • Users were asked for their feedback on the marketing platform before, during and after testing

High-Level Findings

1. Labeling and visual design were major obstacles to user success​

  • Users said all the platform's pages looked identical no matter what campaign they were viewing
  • Specific data about specific campaigns proved impossible to find for some users
    • Since all graphs and campaigns looked like, lots of users became lost and referred to the wrong data
The old design for the online marketing platform. Its menus were so voluminous that navigation was very difficult.

A typical campaign page in the old design of the marketing platform.

The old design for the online marketing platform. Despite being a new screen, it looks identical to the first one.

A second, totally different campaign in the old design of the platform.

2. The information architecture proved too complex for many​

  • The site's menus had so many options that users became lost trying to navigate them
  • Many users failed tasks for the following reasons:
    • They could not find specific campaigns​
    • They became lost in the many menu options available to them
    • They gave up searching for things due to the high volume of options available
The old design for the online marketing platform. Its many menu options and similar UI across screens made navigation hard.

The old menu design in the platform before recent updates.

Results

- Delivery of a 100+ long slide deck for clients

  • The slide deck provided:
    • A background on the study and its objectives​
    • Insights and quotes from qualitative user data
    • Scores and analyses of user tasks that were tested
    • Design recommendations to mitigate navigation and information architecture issues

- Marketing platform redesign released Summer 2024

  • The new site sees the following improvements:
    • Collapsible and simplified menu options​
    • A campaign label at the top of each page
    • A clearer search option
    • A new "Goals" menu so users can track campaign successes
The new design for the online marketing platform, with simplified menus and a clearer information architecture hierarchy.

The latest version of the marketing platform, released August 2024.

-New hires received high praise during new projects

  • Company expected most new hires to need 4-6 months of training to grasp UX research work – mine only needed two
  • I received reports that my trainees performed above and beyond expectations​
    • Managers at the company told me they often argued over who got to work with my trainees next!​
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