Usability Test Study of AASRA.AB.CAAmy Rederburg, Student, COMS 363

November 2014

• Understand purpose of website• Examine key findings • Review recommendations for

improvement

OUTLINE & PURPOSE

Website GoalsUsability Lab Study

Recommendations

AASRA WEBSITE GOALS

Personal support groupsRehabilitating leisure & social events

Showcase member profilesProvide prosthetic training & research

Offer fundraising packages & guidelines

Inform public about latest activities

Image from AASRA Facebook Page

IN-PERSON USABILITY LAB STUDY

Image from http://blogs.tib.eu/

• 5 participants• 5 part test package• 50 minutes• SUS appraisal

IN-PERSON USABILITY LAB STUDY

Image from http://blogs.tib.eu/

• Design• Content• Navigability• Responsiveness• Satisfaction

USABILITY RESULTS

• Gradient background jarring• Webpages do not auto-fit• Comments on layout:

• “looks chunky”• “cumbersome”• “not formatted”• “cluttered”

Design: 1.4/5

Current AASRA Home Page Design

USABILITY RESULTS

• Mission on homepage should not be main focus• Participants want to see more pictures• Useful information available, but not findable • Comments on events:

• “They don’t have any links to the events”• “Outdated”• “It doesn’t seem like anything is happening”

Content: 2.36/5

USABILITY RESULTS

• Participants encountered several broken links• 5/5 clicked AASRA logo expecting to go Home• 3/5 consulted site map• Comments:

• “Fundraising guidelines are easy to find”• “Support groups are not easy to find from Home”• “It took too long to find contact or email”

Navigability: 2.04/5

USABILITY RESULTS

• 5/5 participants found downloads easy • Pages were quick to load• Several links were broken

• Need for basic design elements• Lack of organization • Simple tasks difficult & time-consuming

Responsiveness: 2.5/5

Satisfaction: 1.4/5

RECOMMENDATIONS

Systems Usability Scale (SUS) score1. Average website = 682. AASRA = 46

Clip from the AASRA SUS Survey

1. Conventionalize layout2. Re-write content for

web3. Improve aesthetic

design4. Update outdated &

missing content 5. Patch all broken links

RECOMMENDATIONS

Image from www.desismartgrid.com

H O M E E V E N T S G A L L E R Y F A Q s A B O U T N E W S C O N T A C T

AASRAmember: STEFAN DANIEL sport: CANAM PARALYMPIC SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

FEATURED MEMBERS RECENT EVENTS

EXAMPLE ONLY

Image from www.netcomposites.com

CONCLUSION

Change the AASRA’s “unusable” status by implementing the recommended changes. • Keep users in mind • Develop rich content• Simplify the process

Questions & Comments?

• AASRA Main Web Page. (2014). AASRA Main Web Page. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.aasra.ab.ca/

• Carughi, G. T., Rizzo, F., & Matera, M. (2006). Web usability: Principles and evaluation methods. Web engineering (pp. 143-180). Berlin: Springer.

• Courage, C., & Baxter, K. (2005). Understanding your users: A practical guide to user requirements methods, tools, and techniques. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. Retrieved from http://library.books24x7.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/assetviewer.aspx?bookid=28258&chunkid=548529107

• Ewald, T. (2013). Writing in the technical fields: A practical guide. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

• Kyrnin, J. (n.d.). 10 Tips for Web Writing. Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://webdesign.about.com/od/writing/tp/10-tips-for-web-writing.htm

• Palmer, J. W. (2002). Web Site Usability, Design, and Performance Metrics. Information systems research, 13(2), 151-167.

REFERENCES