Destination NSW

SYDNEY.COM EVENTSUSER TESTING

CONTENTWhat we testedFindings

InterviewsTasks to complete

RecommendationsNext steps

WHAT WE TESTED

Pusher conducted usability testing on the new IA for the events section of the Sydney.com website. A total of 6 users were tested from within the Destination NSW organisation.

Prototypes for the iPhone, iPad and Desktop were used for testing out specific goals.

Participants:- Were internet users- Familiar with an iPad/iPhone (or both)- Had travelled in the last two years- A range of age groups (20+, 30+, 50+ 60+) - Equal gender balance

About the sessions: - 6 one-on-one sessions - at DestNSW in Sydney - tasks to complete + questions answered- 50% tested ipad / 50% desktop - all tested phone

All users were able to complete the tasks except the 67 year-old user who was confused by the requirements. The testing was adjusted for this individual and tasks were not completed thus, she hasnt been included in the general results. Instead we reviewed her familiarity and preference for certain functionality which has been noted throughout the results.

FINDINGS

INTERVIEWS

We asked users a series of questions about how they use digital mediums to search for information relating to travel.

How have you used the internet for travel?Two users used specific sites they already knew while three users performed Google searches.

Some users chose their destination first and then chose other elements of the travel following that.

Two users reviewed their accommodation options while choosing their destination.

One user’s destination was chosen because she was traveling with friends.

Only one user had recently traveled in order to attend an event. Most users had not specifically looked up events in relation to their travel.

“We had this vision of the Hayman Islands but after looking at prices we scaled it back to Noosa - something a bit more affordable. “

When have you used for phone for travel?Generally agreed that users that are traveling for a short period of time will book all their travel before they leave while users traveling for longer periods are more likely to book travel on the road.

One user on a short trip was likely to use their phone to look up restaurants and transport on the road.

Two users who had done more extensive trips (multiple months) also reviewed accommodation options on their mobile phone.

“We’d just Google places to stay in Byron for example, then head over there and check them out.”

Business travelWhile all the users that had done some business travel (3 in total) all worked for the same organisation, they provided different responses for how travel for business was booked.

Two mentioned it was booked by an external agency but gave different names for that agency. The other user said that the group assistants completed the booking.

Believe that this confusion about business travel occurs on a wider scale. “I think there’s an agency that we have to make all our arrangements through.”

AnalysisOverall we were able to make some assumptions around users travel process:- Destination is always of primary importance when choosing where to travel.- Many users will start reviewing accommodation prior to finalising their destination. - The type of travel planning that is conducted on tablets and phones at the destination can vary depending on how long the user is traveling for.

RecommendationsThe interviews conducted here were opportunistic - given we were conducting user testing it seemed logical to ask users further questions about their digital usage in relation to travel. The circumstances did not allow for in-depth analysis however, and only top level insights and behaviour were observed.

Pusher recommends that Destination NSW digital properties would benefit from further analysis of their key user groups.

The development of an Experience Map that outlines how key users move through the travel experience (including digital and real-world properties) would be advantageous.

Sample experience map from Adaptive Path

Recommendations

In particular, Pusher recommends further analysis of the Business Travel experience would be of use.

For instance, further research into users that book their own travel, vs those that use an internal resource and those that use an external company map help to define the user experience of the business events and other business travel sections of the site.

TASKS TO COMPLETE

OVERVIEWAs can be expected, users had a variety of ways of doing things:For instance, people like different forms of navigation: some used a meganav, others like landing pages while others used the site search. The older user preferred to have less information on the screen.

All users were able to complete the general search and search refinements reasonably easily on all devices.

The user research provided some excellent results for how individual elements of the site can be improved and those results are presented over the following pages.

The results have been broken into two sections - general feedback that is applicable to all devices, and mobile specific feedback.

OVERALL

OVERALLEvents homepageHaving the search functionality further up the page was generally well received. As was the this week, next week and next month content section.

Users found the search straight forward to use.

One user suggested having the event categories, such as music, festivals, business etc. . . on the page itself as options to choose from.

OVERALLThis week, next week, next month on the homepageUsers did not understand what the “see all” button would do. Some thought it would show them all events or events for all months. The main issue occurred on mobile where the button is largest.

This is standard web functionality so recommend retaining the way it works.

Suggest the button is deprioritised (smaller) and the wording is changed to “See all events this week” or “See more”.

OverallDate fields in searchUsers were tested for a preference in the way date is displayed: This week, next week, next month or “from” date field and “to” date field

All users found the date fields east to use. However, when they were asked find an event next week, they all tried to work out the dates for “next week” in their head.

It was generally agreed that the date function is contextual. If you are based locally and doing the search, “next week” may be more useful. If you are based overseas and doing the search, you are more likely to use specific dates.

Including both options was suggested. Pusher will review IA again as to whether it is achievable to include both options.

OVERALLMap FunctionalityThere was a range of responses to map functionality, from someone who preferred it as search result display, to someone who didn’t like it, to someone who preferred using Google maps for transport routes.

Generally all users found the map functionality straight forward to use. - One user did not understand that the “List” button took him back to the list page. All other users found this fine. Recommend changing the wording on this button to be “list view”. - There was a recommendation to make the pop-up window from the maps larger and include more information including the full address.

OVERALLShort ListWe asked people to add an event to their shortlist and asked them if they would use the functionality.

Only one user regularly used functionality like a short list. All other users had other methods of retaining information, such as using a word document or their memory.

- All users found the short list functionality straight forward to use. - One user thought it should be on the search result page as well as the individual events. This is not a suitable solution for mobile but could be incorporated on the desktop.

OVERALLEvent PriceWhen we asked users to find free events, four users initially went to the “Event Category”. Pusher will review whether it is possible to have a category for free within the current drop down structure.

We also asked users to find events that were less than $150, an option that is not represented in the current price drop down. - Only one user understood that the selection “all” was the most suitable. - One user commented the decimal points were distracting. - Following the testing we recommend the following price options are more suitable: - $200 and under - $100 and under - $50 and under - $20 and under - Free

OVERALLEvents TypeOnce the user has chosen an Event Category, they will be able to choose an Event Type to refine the search further.

These labels were reasonably meaningless to users and they did not understand that they were related. Users did not mind looking in the drop down menu to see what the content was however.

We recommend that a more useful labeling convention could be: “Event Category” and “Event Subcategory”.

One user also suggested indenting the Event Subcategory on the page so that it looks related to “Event Category”.

Interestingly, two users used the keyword field when asked to filter by what was an event type.

Find Accommodation NearbyAs the Find Accommodation Nearby section was below the screen on the ipad, 2 out of 3 users had trouble locating it. There was no problem finding it on the desktop.

We recommend not making the main content of the page fit neatly into the iPad window as it did in the prototype. When content fits to the page, users don’t realise they need to scroll.

- Generally, this section was well received. Recommendations included having a “See more” option to see more accommodation near the location. - It was also suggested that proximity to the location and the price be included on this page. In regards to shopping, categorization of the types of shops and proximity was also suggested.

Renavigating the siteUsers were asked to perform another search from their current position on the site.

2 users went back to the refine search and wanted to adjust their previous search while 3 users used the navigation.

The refine search has been developed to allow users to complete a new search from this location.

The clear search button should be included to help with this.

DESKTOPSort functionalityThe sort functionality itself was not tested. However, when asked to refine their search by date, two users went to the “sort” drop down as its default state is “sort by date”.

Will review the display for these and see if there is a solution that makes it clearer.

NB. Currently, the sort functionality and the short list display has not been included on the mobile phone due to space availability.

MOBILE

MOBILEIn general, the mobile site performed well. The two older users were not familiar with the emerging mobile standards, such as the navigation in the top corner. However, this did not limit the mid50 year-olds ability to complete the tasks. We recommend adhering to the new standards as they do result in a superior user experience as space on the device is limited.

Search and refine search- In general, all users found the search functionality straight forward to use. - All younger users could find the refine search. The mid50s users was not familiar with the location of the refine search but had no problems using it. - One user expected the “action” button to say “search” rather than “done”

MOBILENavigation- Four users understood the navigation device and the search device- The two oldest users did not know what it was. The mid50s user was comfortable using it once they had looked inside it. - One user suggested including a home button within the navigation.

Homepage ContentFrom the homepage users were asked to find the events section. 3 people scrolled down the homepage and tried to click on the “events” heading. They did not read the content and were only interested in the events link.

Recommend it may be useful to create a simple homescreen that features minimal content and then links to the major sections of the site.

MOBILEFind events near meTwo users thought that the “find events near me” was related to the content underneath. They did not see it as a button.

Recommend addressing this in the design phase. Need to ensure there is enough space between the button and the search underneath and design the “Events near me” to clearly be a button.

- When users were asked to find events near them some of them went back to the homepage. - Others tried to find this functionality from within the destination drop down in the “refine search”. - Look to include “events near me” as an option in this drop down menu.

MOBILERoller Device- The older users were not familiar with the roller device. - The other users were all familiar with it but most of them thought if they clicked the date in the roller device that it would save - did not click the “done” button.

Breadcrumb- One user noted that on the mobile, there is no information about the search that was just completed or no breadcrumb. This will be reviewed to give the user more information about where they are on the site.

MOBILEIcons on event pageWe asked users if they knew what the icons on the event page were for.- The click to call, email and map icon were all recognised be the majority of users. - The website icon was not and this needs to be replaced.

MOBILEMapThe two older users did not know what the map icon was. All other users were familiar with it. This did not stop the Mid50s user clicking on it to find the map as expected.

One user who was very familiar with the mobile experience, started trying to zoom in and out on the map.

Need to consider user expectations here as our current recommendation is not to include pinch and zoom functionality on a mobile website due to a concern it will perform badly.

RECOMMENDATIONS

RECOMMENDATIONSOverall1. Make the action button on the “This week, next week” on the events homepage smaller and change the CTA to “See more”2. Review IA to determine whether we can include secondary option for dates in the events search. 3. On the map view change the “list” button to read “list view”4. On the map view make the pop-up windows bigger and include more information, particularly the full address. 5. Review IA and look to include shortlist button on search result pages if suitable6. Review the IA for whether it is possible to include “free” as an option in the category drop down menu. 7. Change price drop down menu to the new recommended layout. 8. Change event type to event subcategory and look to indent the subcategory on the design9. Include the “nearby” section slightly above the fold on the ipad10. Review IA and look to include the following on nearby accommodation: a see more button, proximity and price. 11. Review the “sort by” layout on the IA and see if there is a clearer solution so it does not get mistaken for the date

RECOMMENDATIONSMobile1. Include a home button in the navigation2. When updating the rest of the site to be responsive, look to include a simple homepage with links to all the main sections3. On the events homepage, ensure the “Events Near Me” button is clearly segregated from the search below. 4. Review IA and look to include “events near me” in the destination drop down menu. 5. Review functionality of roller device6. Review IA and look to include a breadcrumb and other information about the search that was just conducted. 7. Re-review the pinch and zoom functionality on the map. 8. Replace the website icon on the event page.

NEXT STEPS

NEXT STEPSDestination NSW to provide feedback on user testingPusher to update wireframes and deliver final wireframes to Destination NSW for the events section of both sites. Pusher to move into design