User Research Delivers for the U.S. Postal Service (UXDC 2017)
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Transcript of User Research Delivers for the U.S. Postal Service (UXDC 2017)
User Research Delivers for the U.S. Postal Service: The Impact of Customer Inputs on the Enhancement of USPS.comUXDC 2017, Washington DCMark Becker, UserWorks Inc.
Background• Started in 2013, still ongoing with 2-3 tests a year on
average• Part of an effort by USPS to update and modernize
their site and web presence• Multiple studies, various research methods• Many areas of USPS.com and a mobile app
What’s the IMPACT?• Influential impact• USPS improving using an incremental UCD approach may
inspire other large organizations• Business impact• An improved user experience can be a competitive
advantage• Innovation impact• USPS gains knowledge about its customers’ needs and
wants, and can develop new technology to serve that need• Visual impact• The changes to the site as a result of testing are highly
visible
METHODS
Methods• Moderated• Usability testing• Card sorting
• Unmoderated• Tree testing• First-click testing
Source: https://blog.prototypr.io/
Usability Testing• Moderated, one-on-
one• Participants perform
representative tasks• Note behaviors, ask
follow-up questions
A participant attempting a task during a session
Usability Testing: Pros And Cons• Pros• Directly observe participants• Easier to control the course of the session• Immediately follow up with questions or probes
• Cons• Unless willing and able to travel, participants from limited
geographic area • Less convenient for participants• Some may be uncomfortable in a lab setting
Remote Usability Testing• Can get same insights as in-person sessions• Remote participant controls our computer• Audio via phone or VoIP
• Wider geographic area• More convenient for participants• Technical considerations
(which software to use, Internet speed, etc.)
Card Sorting• Organize cards representing
site content into logical groups• Either physical cards
or online• In-person allows duplicates,
omissions, sub-groups, online does not
• Open• No limit to number of groups• Can name the groups
• Closed• Limited number of pre-named
groups
A card sort with physical cards An online card sort
Card Sorting: Pros And Cons• Pros• Develop a content organization scheme• See what content belongs together vs. what should be kept
separate• Group labels can inform how to label menu items in IA
• Cons• No insight into layout, visual design• Participants only see descriptions of content• Have to be careful how to label the cards
Unmoderated Methods• Tree testing, first-click testing• Researcher sends email with link to access the tool• Tool displays instructions, tasks to participant and
collects data
Tree Testing• Participants see only the hierarchy, or “tree” of topics
and subtopics that make up the site• Tasks based around finding items in the hierarchy• Can’t rely on visual design• Provides data about how many:• Successfully identified the correct location • Went to the correct location immediately versus spent time
exploring(direct success vs. indirect success)• Visited the correct location but didn’t select it• Etc.
Tree Testing
First-click Testing• Participants shown an image of a page, asked to click
where they would expect to find information• Only the first click is recorded• See heatmap of where participants clicked
First-click Testing
Unmoderated Pros And Cons•Pros•Larger sample size•Asynchronous, participant does on own time•Can get more data in less time•Usually less expensive
•Cons•Participant behavior may be ambiguous •Rushers, cheaters, the unmotivated •Help from others
•Cannot easily ask follow up questions
Testing On Mobile• More USPS customers
using mobile devices to access USPS.com and make purchases• USPS wants to ensure their
mobile site has the same functionality as their full site
A participant exploring the MyUSPS tool during a test session
Mobile Testing: Pros And Cons• Pros• Interact with the site on the device it was designed for• Test responsiveness of the design• Compare between mobile and desktop versions
• Cons• Additional technical considerations (stream screen or use
overhead cameras?)• Privacy concerns
STUDIES
Participants• Users of USPS.com, users of competitors, novices/first-
time/never used before• Those who mail/ship from desktop, tablet, phone• General public, business owners, mail marketers• Frequency, recency of visiting USPS.com• Reasons for visiting USPS.com (make purchases, print
labels, find information, etc.)• Age (“millennials”), gender, Internet proficiency, etc.
Research Focus Areas• Four main areas of USPS.com• Homepage
Homepage Usability Test (2016)
Homepage prototype for desktop
Homepage prototype for mobile
USPS.com Homepage
2014 2017
Research Focus Areas• Four main areas of USPS.com• Homepage• Global Navigation
Global Navigation Baseline Usability Test (2013)
Recommended changes to the content organization
Global Navigation Card Sort (2013)
Online card sort example Recommended top-level changes
Business Card Sort (2014)
Example of subgrouping,
in-person card sortRecommended changes to the second-level
content
Tree And First Click Tests (2014)
Examples of the recommended optimized IA
Tree And First Click Tests (2014)
Example results from a first-click test
Global Navigation
2013 2017
Research Focus Areas• Four main areas of USPS.com• Homepage• Global Navigation• Mailing, Shipping, and Tracking
Shipping Usability Test (2013)
Excerpt from the test report
Tracking Usability Test (2013)
Comparison between the 2013 tracking page and the redesign
Click-N-Ship (2014)
Excerpts from the test report
Pre-shipment Usability Test (2016)
Excerpts from the test report
Mailing, Shipping, And Tracking
2013 2017
Research Focus Areas• Four main areas of USPS.com• Homepage• Global Navigation• Mailing, Shipping, and Tracking• Postal Store
Postal Store Baseline Usability Test (2013)
Excerpt from the test report
Postal Store Card Sort (2013)
Recommended categorization and sub-
categorization
Postal Store Usability Test (2015)
Excerpts from the test report
Redesigned Postal Store Usability Test (2016)
Example results from testing the iconography
Redesigned Postal Store Usability Test (2016)
Excerpt from the test report
Postal Store
2014 2017
Research Focus Areas• Four main areas of USPS.com• Homepage• Global Navigation• Mailing, Shipping, and Tracking• Postal Store
• My USPS
MY USPS Prototype Usability Test (2016)
My USPS prototype on desktop
My USPS prototype on mobile
MY USPS Registration Process Usability Test (2016)
Stages in the My USPS registration process
Mocked up My USPS data used for testing Informed
Delivery
CONCLUSIONS
Conclusions• Many changes over the years• Today’s USPS more modern, better user experience• Challenges remain• Hopefully this work will inspire others
• UserWorks, Inc. performed the work described in this paper while acting as a subcontractor to Aquilent. We gratefully acknowledge their support and collaboration.
• Questions?
Thank You!
Mark BeckerUserWorks, [email protected]
(Now Booz Allen Hamilton)