Groupon UX study: 2011

Click to edit Master title style

INFM 605 | Spring 2011

University of Maryland, College Park


Groupon Usability Analysis

A study of Groupon’s

usability, investigated

through five research

methodologies for

graduate coursework at

the University of

Maryland


Why Groupon?

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• 50 million subscribers in 40 countries and 500 total markets

• Surpassed $500 million in annual sales faster than Amazon or Google

• All within 2.5 years

Sources: Bloomberg, Businesswire


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Objectives

• To understand how users use Groupon (user profile)

• What has Groupon done better than everyone else?

• Determine users’ patterns of behavior

• To identify flaws, frustrations, bad design, inaccessibility matters, technical compatibility

• Make recommendations based on findings


Methodologies Employed

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• Interviews (3)• Focus Group (4)• Usability Lab (3)• Survey (24)• Contextual Inquiry (“Usability II” - 2)


Findings

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Q: What do you think of the payment process?A: Through my phone, it is too easy.“Bonnie,” 32 year-old female Groupon userFebruary 22, 2011

• Varied responses between methodologies

• Easy to navigate interface

• Clear graphics and calls to action

• Trustworthiness

• Accessibility issues very minor

10Cloud created using Wordle.net


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I like the overall looks of the page.

It is easy to navigate through the website.

I can easily and quickly find what I'm looking for.

I get enough information to finalize the purchase.

I think there is just too much stuff on the webpage.

Overall, I think it is a very user-friendly website.

-1.0 -0.8 -0.5 -0.3 0.0 0.3 0.5 0.8 1.0

Weighted average score


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Sharing deals via mail / twitter / facebookButton to refer friends to GrouponThe "More deals nearby" sectionViewing deals from other citiesThe "Groupon Says" sectionDiscussions / Comments"My Groupons" section"My profile" section

0%20%40%60%80%Respondents%

Sharing deals via mail / twitter / facebookButton to refer friends to Groupon

The "More deals nearby" sectionViewing deals from other cities

The "Groupon Says" sectionDiscussions / Comments"My Groupons" section

"My profile" section

-0.2 -0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2Weighted average score


Strengths

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clicks to transaction


ease of use

information clarity

payment system

visual appeal

customizability

troubleshooting


• Unclear / Hard to locate policies

• Typographic style

• Page length

• Mobile interface

• “Groupon Says”

• No brand loyalty

Weaknesses


Weaknesses

• Unclear / Hard to locate policies

How do you cancel a transaction at Groupon.com?

The website does not clarify its return policy on its FAQ page, nor does it provide any direct answer on its main blog.

• Typographic style


Weaknesses

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Why page length matters

Jakob Nielsen’s study on how much users scroll revealed that only 23% of visitors scroll on their first visit to a website. This means that 77% of visitors will only view the content that’s above the fold

Use of page footer for content navigation

Groupon Home Page Privacy Policy Page


Weaknesses

23

Mobile interface

• Visually appealing but heavy on images.• No separate page for smartphones with lower Internet speeds.


Weaknesses

24

What Groupon says about “Groupon Says”

Groupon Says is a treasure trove of treasure—mind treasure. In addition to featuring a daily deal, Groupon provides a daily hyper-factual insight that enlightens and entertains.

What users say about “Groupon Says”

User X: SillyUser Y: I don’t like to read this section


Weaknesses

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No brand loyalty

“Groupon’s best customers users are young, female city-dwellers, who tend be avid followers of fashion; but fashions change,” (“Groupon anxiety, 2011” Economist).

“I guess daily it’s gotten to the point where I get so many emails that I now don’t even really look at them and I just delete them.”-User Interview

• Two of the three users interviewed also subscribed to LivingSocial deals

• Their purchases depend on the deals offered

Groupon fatigue


Recommendations

• Internal search engine

• Breadcrumb navigation

• Payment methods

• Larger or contrasting font colors


Recommendations

27

• Product description formatting

• Location-specific and/or location-free offers

• Past deals (LivingSocial)

• Wish / To-do list


Recommendations

28

• Refer-a-friend = enhanced

• Rich media instructions

• Customized mobile website

• Continue targeting to female demographic


Questions & Wrap-up

Groupon UX study: 2011

Technology

Transcript of Groupon UX study: 2011