Evaluation Report about "Thread" website

Sujith Kumar Anand U3 1

Evaluation of a novel

website “Thread”

By, Sujith Kumar Anand


INTRODUCTION: ..................................................................................................................... 2

BACKGROUND:........................................................................................................................ 2

EVALUATION FRAMEWORK: ............................................................................................... 3 Research Method and Approaches ......................................................................................... 3 Evaluation Methods .............................................................................................................. 3

DATA COLLECTION: .............................................................................................................. 4

DATA ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................... 4 Interview: ............................................................................................................................ 5 Observation: ....................................................................................................................... 6 Heuristic Evaluation: .......................................................................................................... 7 Usability Test:..................................................................................................................... 9

CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 9

APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 9 References ......................................................................................................................... 9 Appendices A (PRET A Rapporter Checklist) ................................................................. 10 Appendices B (Email Interview Transcript) ..................................................................... 11 Appendices C (Interview Transcript) ............................................................................... 12 Appendices D (Heuristic Evaluation result with severity ratings).................................... 15 Appendices E (User Testing: Audio and Video Recording) ............................................ 19 Appendices F (User Testing: Observation) ..................................................................... 19 Appendices G (for Portfolio) ............................................................................................ 22 Appendices H (NVivo)...................................................................................................... 23

Introduction:

Overview: The purpose of this report is to evaluate a novel wardrobe website, i.e., Thread.

Due to the timescale and academic coursework capacity, two questions related to the website

will be evaluated through Interviews, observations, Heuristic Evaluation, and Usability

Testing. The interview data was coded in three stages, i.e., open, axial and selective[1]. Later,

recommendations will be suggested based on the usability problems.

Background:

Thread is a start-up from London, limited to UK, attempting to solve the problem amongst

machine and men, with the help of intelligent algorithms to men’s wear stylists to be more

efficient and convey personalized fashion suggestions. Their focus is towards fast-growing

menswear market. Their service is free for customers. A customer during signing, will be

prompted to answer a thorough, multi-part questionnaire, that is about their personal style,

size, brand preferences, typical spend per product category, preferred fits, dressing habits and

income. Later, a human stylist is assigned according to their preference over questionnaire.


Based over their profiles, seven new outfits will be sent for first three days. After the three

days, seven outfits will be emailed every week. [2][3].

Evaluation Framework:

The two questions addressed about the website are:

Question 1. How well does the website support the way people think about their wardrobe and choosing outfits?

Question 2. How well does the Questionnaire support the way people think about their outfits?

Research Method and Approaches

A qualitative method is chosen because this investigation is concerned with people’s

opinions. Thus the quantitative method is not considered. Deductive Approach was followed since a hypothesis was developed in the form of questions, with the help of existing theory

i.e., thread website, and then an evaluation strategy was designed to test the hypothesis[3]. The whole process was initially addressed through PRET A Rapporter checklist.[4] (See Appendices A)

Evaluation Methods

Due to the recommendations of the design qualities, this report acts as a summative

evaluation[5]. For Question 1, methodological triangulation approach[6] is used to gather

multiple data, i.e., interviews and observations was considered as data sources, since user’s

perception and their behavior was needed to understand how they think about their wardrobe

and choosing outfits. An interview was opted to obtain personal feelings, perceptions and

opinions from target users. Furthermore, observations to understand the users shopping

behavior inside the clothing store. However, due to very small number of samples, the result

can have limited impact. It is always difficult to rely on people feelings and their opinions,

which could change in due period. [4]

It was noted that only 65% of the users finish questionnaire, which is very important, from

the email Interview with Kieran, Thread CEO and Co-Founder (See Appendices B). With

that response there raised questions, why 35% of the users do not finish, when the

information is important? Is the questionnaire to long? , Is it too time consuming? Is it

Boring? is the content accurate?. These raised doubts led the arrival of the second question.

As suggested by Nielsen[7], Heuristic Evaluation was considered to find out cost-effective

usability problems in the questionnaire interface and usability testing to check the findings is

consistent with equally informing.


Data Collection: Informal Interview: Six participants participated in the informal interview. According to the Kieran, the target users would be “all types of men. The clothes and budgets tailor

themselves to the individual” (See Appendices B). However, I would like to disagree on that term, since there are men (i.e., myself) who prefer low-budget clothing from Primark and

other similar clothing store, which is not considered by Thread at the moment. So the participants were carefully considered on the merits of their profession with income and their location i.e., London. The location was also necessary since Thread operates only to UK

customers. The interviews were accomplished by taking prior appointments with informed consent and audio recorded with permission. All the participants were interviewed in

Camden, London except one i.e., software engineer, which was conducted through Skype video session due to the time constraints.

Short-Term Observation: This technique was performed at Urban Outfitters for over a 3-day period with a maximum of 2 hours divided between morning and evening on each day.

The aim for the technique was to observe men’s behavior towards selection pattern of outfits; Will men consider help from staff or their companion; Do they buy a complete or a multiple or a single outfit.

Heuristic Evaluation: As mentioned by Nielsen[7][8], five evaluators examined the

heuristic evaluation. The evaluators can be considered as experts since they were from HCI background with a mix of male and female. Due to different location of the evaluators, a

document with scenarios and an explanation about thread was emailed. The evaluators performed the evaluation individually and later severity rating was provided through a shared Google document.

Usability Testing: Three participants, i.e., students, performed this evaluation at Camden,

London. Participants were considered based on their previous experience towards online shopping. During the session, they were briefed about thread and later asked to perform one scenario involved answering the questionnaire. Due to technical problem and individuality,

screen capture and audio recording were collected separately. One person performed the role of the facilitator and observers. (See Appendices E &F)


Data Analysis

For Question 1:

Interview: Initially the audio recording was transformed into a transcript (See Appendices

C). This was coded using the three stages advised by Strauss and Corbin[1]. There are three stages i.e., open coding, axial coding and selective coding. With the open coding, the

transcript was coded line-by- line were the information was categorized using keywords such as selection pattern, outfits preferred and so on. Later, with the help of axial coding the

categories were interconnected and few of them were neglected (See figure 1). Finally with the help of selective coding, the categories were connected into a group to produce a story line. The coding was performed manually at first and later with the use of NVivo (a platform

for analyzing all forms of unstructured data) for categorizing of keywords [9]. (See Appendices H)

Figure 1: Open Coding (Top and lower right) and Axial coding (lower left).

Selective Coding: The individuality is present in every male were they express their own feelings, behavior and reasoning about outfits. Outfits are bought according to their

occasions, i.e., work, weekend, dinner, and activities, i.e., gym cycling and with their preferred choice of colors. The clothes are bought individually rather than whole outfits from their preferred outfits stores. The outfits are purchased based on a weekly or monthly basis

with limited budget according to their salary income. Majority of the men have online


shopping experience. Similarly, men have considered advice from friends and companions and are in need for a personal stylist.

Observation:

Over the span of three days, 50 men were observed regarding their movements and pattern of

buying outfits. Three main activities, i.e., Purchase Clothes, Assistance, No Purchase, were considered and observed carefully. This resulted in, 30 men purchasing clothes, with 3 people

purchasing 2 or more outfits, remaining 27 men with single piece from the outfit. Additionally, 15 men took assistance from staff or from their companion. Lastly, 20 men didn’t purchase any clothes. (See figure 2).

Figure 2: Result of the observation method.

Recommendations:

This two evaluation methods results in similarity over certain concepts from the Thread, i.e., men’s looking for personal stylist for suggestions, thinking of whole outfit when they are

purchasing a part of outfit, purchase outfits based on occasions. However, there are some suggestions, which could be pointed out based on the two

evaluations, i.e., men’s buy clothes on a fixed budget. So it will be good to send outfits within their spending limit. Also, selecting their outfits based on their favorite colors, which

is not considered while sending outfits.


For Question 2:

Heuristic Evaluation:

Figure 3: The table summarizes the total amount of encountered usability problems and the severity of every single one.

In this task, five usability experts heuristically evaluated the Questionnaire part of the thread website. All the evaluators followed the Nielsen Norman Group guidelines[10]. The

evaluators resulted in a documentation of 49 usability problems (Figure 3). After rating the severity of problems, 13 Usability Catastrophes, 10 Major Usability problems, 19 Minor

Usability problems and 7 Cosmetic problems were found. (See Appendices D) The most of the usability problems were found in the ‘heuristics’ of “Match between system

and the real world” and “User control and freedom”. In these two ‘heuristics’, the most serious usability problems found were, no action at the final page (See Figure 6), confused

over trousers size (See Figure 4), restricted back and skip access (See Figure 5). To solve these problems, an exit button at the end page, a universal trousers size measurement option and back & skip button to access questionnaire easily, is needed.

Another serious usability problems were found in the ‘heuristic’ of “Error Prevention”. The

team found, there was information about the questionnaire status and the inappropriate use of “I don’t know” option is hindering the users journey. To solve this problem, a progress bar with remaining stages or questions will the users and use of back and skip button at

appropriate stages will enhance experience of users. After fixing the aforementioned problems the overall usability of the questionnaire will be

improved tremendously and in the next stage designers can focus on the details and the smaller problems afterwards.


Figure 4: Usability problem: Users confused over size in inches.

Figure 5: Usability problem: Restricted use of Next and Sk ip button.

Figure 6: Usability problem: Users confused over no action at the final page.


Usability Test:

At this task, three users were interviewed one-to-one to completed three tasks. But only one task information was considered i.e., as a new user to start and complete the questionnaire.

The summary from the test yielded the same problems, which usability experts had pointed in their heuristic evaluation. Users didn’t know what to do after finishing the questionnaire (See

Figure 6). Also, had problems selecting the trouser size and demanded a size guide to assist them (See Figure 4). Later, mistakes were purposely done due to the excessive questions and they were getting bored due to the excessive time spent on questionnaire (See Appendices E

and F).

Conclusion

This coursework goals was to address two questions related to thread website using

appropriate evaluation techniques with proper reasoning. The results from the used

evaluation techniques has resulted in substantial information addressing the required

questions and highlighting the usability problems from the Thread website. It is likely to

achieve greater user interaction if the designers addressed the provided recommendations.

Appendices

References

[1] A. Strauss and J. M. Corbin, Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc, 1990.

[2] “A Personal Stylist for Every Shopper - The Business of Fashion.” [Online]. Available: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/12/thread-kieran-oneill-offers-a-personal-stylist-for-every-shopper.html. [Accessed: 15-Jan-2015].

[3] A. Håkansson, “Portal of Research Methods and Methodologies for Research Projects and Degree Projects,” in FECS’13 - The 2013 International Conference on Frontiers in

Education: Computer Science and Computer Engineering, 2013. [4] A. Blandford, A. Adams, S. Attfield, G. Buchanan, J. Gow, S. Makri, J. Rimmer, and C.

Warwick, “The PRET A Rapporter Framework: Evaluating Digital Libraries from the

Perspective of Information Work,” Inf Process Manage, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 4–21, Jan. 2008.

[5] “Types of evaluation.” [Online]. Available: http://evaluationtoolbox.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15:types-of-evaluation&catid=6:what- is-evaluation&Itemid=19. [Accessed: 18-Jan-2015].

[6] P. Kennedy, “How to combine multiple research methods: Practical Triangulation | Johnny Holland.” .

[7] J. Nielsen, “Finding Usability Problems Through Heuristic Evaluation,” in Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New York, NY, USA, 1992, pp. 373–380.


[8] “Heuristic Evaluation: How-To: Article by Jakob Nielsen.” [Online]. Available: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-to-conduct-a-heuristic-evaluation/. [Accessed: 17-

Jan-2015]. [9] “Qualitative Data Analysis Software | Mixed Methods Research | NVivo.” [Online].

Available: http://www.qsrinternational.com/products_nvivo.aspx. [Accessed: 19-Jan-2015].

[10] “10 Heuristics for User Interface Design: Article by Jakob Nielsen.” [Online].

Available: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/. [Accessed: 19-Jan-2015].

Appendices A (PRET A Rapporter Checklist)

Purpose of the evaluation:

1) Evaluate two questions

2) Need to find users experience.

3) Usability problems.

4) Improvements.

Resources and Constraints:

1) Cost effective

2) Less Time

3) Target Users from Camden, London

4) Students as Potential Users

5) MacBook for Screen Capture and data analysis software

6) Mobile for audio recordings.

Ethics

1) Informed consent.

2) Privacy and Confidentiality.

Techniques for data collection

1) Qualitative.

2) Summative.

3) Deductive.

4) Interview.

5) Observation.

6) Heuristic Evaluation


7) User Testing

8) Think aloud.

9) Audio, Video recordings.

Analysis of Data

1) Grounded theory

2) Coding

3) Severity ratings

Reporting

1) Recommendations.

Appendices B (Email Interview Transcript)

1. Do they need to go through a long list of pre-set questionnaire? Is it been effective?

Yes. 65% finish and the information is essential for us.

2. Have you considered a alternative way of approach, like shortening questions or different

way to present the questionnaire?

Conceptually yes, but in practice the conversion rate is high enough for us not to

prioritise this right now.

3. Have you considered showing the same outfits on the picture referred to “WEAR IT LIKE

THIS” instead of different outfits with similar fashion. i.e., a model with same clothes which are suggested.

We try to make it similar, but it's impossible to find the exact same things always

4. Do you consider advising through live chat or video chat for fashion stylists to help customers?

We may do in the future, but right now it would cost too much in stylist time.

5. Is it effective, by keeping user restricted to only his wardrobe of outfits which is selected by stylist?


We haven't tried other options yet, so we don't know.

6. Will there be considerations to see what my friends outfits are like or what they bought recently?

Potentially, but most men aren't *that* sociable around clothes, so while some men

will like it, I don't think it will be a killer feature.

7. As a customer of Thread, I believe the target users are working class people. It it true?

No, we target all types of people. The clothes and budgets tailor themselves to the

individual.

8. Are you thinking to broadening the target users towards students or elderly people?

Students and elderly people do use Thread, though they're not big segments right

now. They probably won't be a priority due to less disposable income.

9. In future, will you consider users who are buying low cost outfits from Primark?

Yes, as long as we can make the economics work.

10. Is there any reason for considering email contact over direct number? It's the way we've built our systems. It's the most cost effective

Appendices C (Interview Transcript)

Name : Ricky Ahmed. Profession: Estate Agent.

Because I don't have much time. I work 6 days a week, I always bulk stuffs, couple suits. When shopping on jeans, I will bring couple of jeans. Same way to Tops, Jumpers, T-Shirts.

I don’t do one item and come home and think of other items. Either, Online I order in bulk and get it delivered to the work place or at the store. Online shopping is better for me because by the time I finish shops are closed by 7 or 8 o clock at night. By the time if i travel to high

street shops in oxford circus like that, shops are closed. so i rather do it online, its better. I used ASOS, ZARA, Louise phillips. High Street brands really. Because I already know my

size. It saves and my colleagues in buying suit. I already know my size. I can go online to order it and it gets… its really quick instead of going to the store. I like casual clothes on the weekend. So I can wear jeans and t-shirts, things like that. If going to the gym its tracksuits

and bums. Otherwise in the weekend need to be casual clothes because suits are worn over the week. So I prefer casual clothes on weekend. Yes, it would the same for party, drinks or

evenings it would more casual move. if going out for a meeting of course its a suits and even for business related. But during the weekend casual wear like shirt, jumper, jeans, shoes like that. I prefer wearing suits, i’m used to it. So i rather wear a suits, to somewhere its easier for

me because its got a selection, wearing jeans. I hardly wear jeans to business events because i don’t have time really. so i think formal wear is more easier for me, just something and go

outside. Time depends in buying an item then online is really quick. I don't browse, Im not kind a person who browse the shopping for discounts or something like that. If i need buy


something, i go online and quickly order something and get back to work. I don’t sit there and check if there any new deals going on or not. Formal wear would be something like ZARA. I

do not designer clothes for work on six days a week, i would be tractional in a week. I wouldn't really wear expensive clothes to work. There is a set bracket upto 150 to 200£ per

suit but anything more is not worth for me. There are lot of casual clothes I don't have to wear it just sitting out home in my bags. so really just on the weekends probably here and

there i will wear somethings but majority of my casual clothes are still in my bags, I haven’t used them. In my work I have certain time bracket we have for breaks to go through any websites and stuffs but on the weekends maybe yeah of course If somebody helps me get

selective about what i’m gonna wear any suggestions i will take on board. If it doesn't really apply to me necessarily it will apply to so me people, obviously people who have time on

their hand who works 9 to 4 then maybe for them visiting clothes store will be better because we work so late in the evening we don’t have much time to browse so whenever it does come

across i will have a look definitely i wouldn’t say no or forget it, i would try to think about it Name: Alex

Profession: Mens Floor Manager at Urban Outfitters in Camden Branch.

It select clothes if i’m in the stock room i would wear jumpers, comfortable trainers. if I'm on shop floor mainly in terms presentation i would wear bit more smart. I got split wardrobe so kinda have casual, street wear like sweaters, denim and trainers and i got shirts roll necks

dark martin shirts monkey boots, i would like black denim so its kind got split wardrobe. It probably be the same clothes in the weekends. it would depend on if I'm going to a party i

would bit more formal but if going to a cinema or just for drink or for a dinner. I don't want to be sloppy food on my clothes. I feel i can wear bit more smarter. These mornings when i wake up on 7am shift i need to get at 5 o clock i don't want to set something i would just grab

some basic tees and got a lot of denim. I don't lot of shirts so kinda. so i need some smarted clothes. I like carlhar which is comfortable fit, so they got nice shirts, t-shits and all of them.

then there is denim jeans and stop martins. I wear according to the seasons. There are some shirts i wouldn't wear but i do regular clean up of wardrobe. I leave in one room i don't want it to the overfilled , sometimes i give them to charity or just to the people who like them, like

kinds my flatmates. Earlier i used have suitcases suitcases filled with clothes. Now i have managed to fill on one cupboard. I would shopping online if its kinda on sales. I use

newcastle based independent store which really has nice brands on it, if they are going to sale i would get discounts in the store as well so i kinda get the price as the high street because our clothes are bit higher and high in the quality compared to H&M. I would buy a vintage

shirt for 20£ if its was for 50£ in the store. Again it only depend on the whats coming to the store collection. For start i i f would buy everything i like straight away it would affect my

bank balance. I worked with urban for 5 years now so i have seen lot of development, urban are making mens wear bit stronger now, its been a lot of graphic shirts before which is been

twine down a bit. I have a girl friend who i ask for some help. Sometimes when I'm own, i need some help if this goes with this or not, so i would ask someone by taking a photo. In store i wouldn't expect that kinda service but i would expect staff to know little bit of each

brand. but in hardy nickels, they sell higher product similar product to urban based in Edinburgh where i am from, that where i get person shopper assistance because its not busy, its kinda department store for high end clothing. it would depend on the store i go in to shop.

thats where i expect assistance. If i went into size i would expect assistance from them. I do like for a personal assistance in online. I do like some inspiration to wear some clothes and it

always depends on my bank balance. I would like to know or get an idea of what would go with it, like denim jeans and shirt rom H&M and a belt from somewhere i would look at it.


Name: Tom

Profession: Visual Manager at GAP in Camden

For work, i have to wear clothes something that is current and we have in store. thats in the current collections, as i’m part of the management team, i need to wear quite smart and professional but also needs to represent the GAP brand. if a customer says woo where can i

find this clothes it will easy for me to share them my style. I'm more of a sporty casual kinda person . i like lot of baseball inspired, sports inspired and fashionable at same time. if there is

one piece i want to buy, i work around that as to know which top i wanna wear and i need to get something it has to match that top if i know which bottoms i have to wear hen i pick something that has to match that. I mainly shop high street and obviously i need to buy from

GAP, I like urban outfitters, TOP MAN. I spend 100£ a month thats like personal and for work uniform i spend 50 a month on GAP clothes. I tend not to follow trends, i like to be a

bit different and at the same time i wear what everyone is wearing. If i’m wearing something which is worn by everyone i like to had some of my own twist to it. I get inspired when i see

shop windows, its part of my work which is shop windows, mannequin thats were i get lot of inspiration. There is lot of stuff which i was bought when i was younger, which i still have and never have again. there are lot of stuff which i had to buy for work which isn't me but i

have to wear it sometimes. I shop online only because its easier but the it also there a downside if i have to return it. i like to trying clothes on store and then buy it online or take it

in store. if it matches my style and budget i would try personal assistance. I had always thought of having assistance but could afford one.

Name: Alex Garner

Profession: Receptionist at University Halls I normally wear a suit for work. I do think before hand what to wear for next day. I do

cycling in the weekend so i have lot of clothes related to that depending on summer or winter. it depends on occasion but i wear canals for dinners or drink in the evening. it would jeans

and shirt. I try to link my outfits according to my work. so my previous job i worked i didn't wear suits because it involved lot of walkings upto 10miles a day, so i had wear shoes that allow me to walk, simultaneously shifting and moving but i still i had to look smart but have

to deal with the situation and different outfit for travelling. I don't regularly spend on clothes because i don't really get paid that much. In my work team i’m in the junior role but i’m older

to all of them except one. so in-terms of what I'm paid its less. so u had to look for bargains because i’m at the office i get paid less. I try to match clothes with what i have. if i’m buying shirt, i ill try with the trouser and jackets i have and also depends on the look i’m trying to

have. Im trying usual black, grey suit because thats not the job what i’m doing. since i’m working in reception i got to look smart. i prefer to work in greens and browns or dark

yellow. The waist coat is from NEXT, the trousers from DOCKERS and shirt is from FRED BEAR, so i’m not going to one shop for buying. I mix and match clothes because lot of times

i use TKMAX, thats the place i get most. it got mixture and its cheap. I do less shopping online. I had bought one jacket which was tried in store and didn't had the size. For some security reason i don't like to spend online. if some clothes are not fitting me i will give it to

charity or my dad who has similar fitting like myself. I like to levis in online because its looks section to check what is trendy at the moment so that helps me how much fashionable i

am or not and look for it and try and buy them cheaper. If a costume i like to high price then i look for similar ones. In All SAINTS, the clothes from last season go to TKMAX so i see this


season styles wait for one or two season, i would wait until it comes to TKMAX. I might be not be wearing clothes at moment but i m not completely out of fashion. Its just at time or

maybe 3 or 4 months i get 40% less. There are some looks i follow but its on small budget and i try charity shops like OXFAM where high street clothes are given out in very less price.

Name: Nick Bezokious.

Profession Software Engineer in Capgemini

As i work in IT there is no like dress code but normally its formal thing. we don't need to wear suits but smart casuals. Usually i select clothes which i wear for next day the night before but sometimes if i woke in the morning there is that early morning crises what i’m

going to wear. I usually have clothes read waiting, the night before. I have lot black and grey clothes but i’m trying to get few more colours some red, blue. During weekend i try to bring

down from casuals if i’m going for a club or something like that. It i got out with company friends it will formal but if its with friends then it will casuals. I like the ones which i have for

work but i’m thinking of changing the casual wardrobe. So i looking for new styles. I’m changing because it felt i need to update since i have bought casual clothes for sometime now. i try to limit my spendings according to the salary. i cant spend thousands of pounds. I

try to buy once a month but some clothes i know i could use for long time like a year. I’m not keen on specify brand, if its looks nice on me and the quality is good i don't mind much I

have some casual shoes for work and few to outdoors. I don't buy clothes in bilk, but i buy few pieces but them i think what outfit i need to wear but i buy then in separate pieces. I try

to think of my wardrobe and match some trousers when i buy shirt. I have so many clothes which i haven't used. I might have look at online to check what kinds clothes are there and then visit store to buy it. I get suggestions from friends and sometimes i go with friends

together for shopping and sometimes i go on by myself. If there is some one who can mix and match and suggest, i would like that. I had some problems with sizes when i buy online.

because one brand sizes is different from other brands. Sometimes if i try on clothes and the size is not available in store then i buy from online.

Name: Chris Profession: MA in Linguistics

I don't select my clothes randomly. If i stay in home i like wear something its easy. when i got out i like formal. I usually prefer my clothes beforehand. During evenings i wear formal

which i use in the morning. but maybe in the evening i like to some suits too. I try to pattern interns of what i’m wearing. Normally i like to follow new trend. i spend 50£ every month

for clothes. I like UNIQLO, ZARA and TOPSHOP. I prefer to go to store and haven't try them on. I haven't bought clothes online, never tried it. I use my clothes and and constantly rotate them so i don't have clothes which are not used. I like dark colour, blue or black,

maybe sometimes white. I buy single piece at a time, normally i try to look at the clothes i have first then i of to shop to buy something that match. I gets inspired to try some clothes

when i see on other men while commuting. I try to find similar clothes to what i had seen. for men , there is less selection to choose compared to females. I used to have lot of shoes back in my country but not here.

Appendices D (Heuristic Evaluation result with severity ratings)


Scenario 1: Questionnaire Visibility of system status

Questions keep appearing after answering them, but there is no indicator of how many

steps or questions are still missing. (Severity= 4)

“Which of these styles do you like for the weekend?” I didn’t understand if they are asking

me: what I currently like or what I would like to wear as my “new style”. Because they do not

know what could be my current style I will assume that they are asking for my new style

(Severity= 2)

“Which of these styles do you like for work?” I found repeated images from the previous

step and I don’t understand why it is relevant the weekend and my work. In my case, I could

dress exactly the same for my work and my weekend. Same for “Which of these styles do

you like for a date, a dinner, or evening drinks?” (Severity= 3)

Why did I need to select women in the first page, if the questionnaire asks that anyway? The system already had that information. (Severity= 2)

Match between system and the real world

There is only one element that could be compared to a real world element which is the

button. There are buttons to move to the next step in the questionnaire. (Severity= 1)

In general, sometimes I like part of the outfit so I don’t know if I should choose it or not

(model). (Severity= 2)

“Are there any occasions you're particularly looking for?” I think the options has a lot of

overlap. Weekend, Work, Date/Dinner/Drinks - I could work on weekends or have a date on

workdays. (Severity= 2)

Now they ask “How much do you usually spend?” I’m one of the guys that the site

mentioned in the beginning - I don’t like shopping so as a consequence I don’t have any idea

about prices. (Severity= 2)

“What brands do you wear?” Maybe step 7 should be before step 6? That could provide

some information to the system in terms of prices. (Severity= 1)

“Upload photos of you” I skipped this step but it was not clear to me how the stylists will use

my picture (when they say stylists is a metaphor for an algorithm or they really have manual

work?) (Severity= 1)

(shoes) was similar, I couldn’t find the converse that I use but I assumed that those are from

the type family Plimsolls. (Severity= 2)

“Are there any of these clothing items you’d never consider wearing?”, there is a big

difference between styles and clothing?. If I wasn’t copy-pasting the titles I would think that

step13 and 14 are the same. (Severity= 2)

Step 16 “How Thread works” really? Very Less information. (Severity= 1)

The field "Your country" maybe is a bit ambiguous, as I chose Argentina and I should have

chosen UK. Maybe a more direct question as "Where do you live" would be better.

(Severity= 4)


What if I am a women interested in getting advice for my boyfriend? Instead of asking if I am

a woman or a man, the system should ask if I'm looking for styles for women or men.

(Severity= 3)

What if I don't spend money on T-shirts and polo shirts? There's no option for that.

(Severity= 2)

No action available after the last page of the questionnaire. I was expecting to start using

the system right away. (Severity= 4)

I don't know the measurement of my waist in inches (but I do know my trousers size)

(Severity= 4)

User control and freedom

It is difficult to go back, while I can select next button there is no back button to go back and

change my selections. (Severity= 4)

in the sliders, the value is too high ---> 40 pounds for shoes is a lot, if compared to H&M or

Primark prices --> and same thing for all the rest (Severity= 1)

there is no easy way to skip the choice of pics --> next appears clickable but it isnt since you

dont pick something. (Severity= 3)

The landing page included an option for choosing male or female but the first question in

the questionnaire is again my gender (I understand that it should be confirmed but then

what is the point on having the option in the landing page?). Maybe this is a way of helping

the user to correct from a mistake? Ger) (Severity= 3)

Sometimes I would like to zoom in and check the details or see the outfit in a different

context that the one presented in the image or maybe even with a different model or with

my own body measures (Severity= 3)

“Congratulations - Brooke is your new stylist!” FINALLY. Another problem with this step is

that it does not have any link to return to the main site or do anything! (Severity= 4)

Once I could start selecting clothes I like for the weekend, when I was ready to press next, I

found the list of styles I had selected at the bottom of the page. Which I like, because it

helps me review my choices and delete mistakes without going through the long list again.

Nevertheless, I wanted to open one instead of deleting one, and just clicking on the picture

deletes. I couldn't undo. It didn't prompt for (Severity= 2)

Consistency and standards

Step (2) I think is pointless, the email should be confirming by the common process of

clicking a link that I receive in the mailbox (Severity= 2)

Step (2) another problem of this questionnaire is the date picker, I was navigation the form

by using the keyboard (pressing tab and the first key of my desired option) while this process

worked for the country, it didn’t work for the day - I typed the number of my birthday’s day

and nothing happened. Then I realized that the order of the fields was not dd-mm-yyyy but

mm-dd-yyyy and that the month was not a number but a string. (Severity= 2)

In the second picture selection page, the skip button should be at the beginning. (Severity=

1)

Some pages have a SKIP button and some don't, but I can't recognize why some pages are skip-able and others aren't. (Severity= 4)

Error prevention


There is no error prevention mechanism, when I choose nothing there is no mechanism

telling me that. When I click next I end up in the same page. Then I somehow understand I

have to choose something mandatory. (Severity= 4)

It should be told that its necessary to pick at least one photo what if a user does not identify

with this classy style? Cannot skip this part or add extra images. (Severity= 4)

Step (2b) after selecting my current country (Sweden) I got a message saying that is not

available. Why the offer Sweden as a country in the first place? (Severity= 4)

Step 12 “How open are you to trying more daring fashion styles?” in step 3 I already say that

I’m open (mix) so why they have the option “Not really into that” (Severity= 3)

I specified being a woman twice (in the home page and when asked in the questionnaire).

Nevertheless, it wasn't possible for the website to offer stylists for women, which appears as

a kind of error (Not live yet for women). So why did they let me fill the second part of the

questionnaire if I was a women? I understand that it might be because the business has

interest in knowing if there is a market for women. But form a UX point of view, as a first

time user, I would have rather recognized from the start that it was only for men and go

away. (Severity= 4)

If it's mandatory, the option "I don't know" shouldn't be available. (Severity= 4)

Recognition rather than recall

Now they ask “How much do you usually spend?” I’m one of the guys that the site

mentioned in the beginning - I don’t like shopping so as a consequence I don’t remember

them (Severity= 2)

Despite the wizard supports the back button of the browser, probably some users won't think of using it to go back on their steps. (Severity= 2)

Flexibility and efficiency of use

There is no “expert mode” for the user while creating an account. Every step is the same for

people new to the site than frequent visitors. (Severity= 2)

Step 13 “Are there any of these styles you’d never consider wearing?” again, limited options

(Severity= 2)

There is no easy way of starting with a very basic profile and improve it later. For example:

all the mandatory pages of the questionnaire could be together at the beginning, then the

system could ask the user "Would you prefer to continue building your profile with more

details or start shopping?", and if the user accepts, put the "skip-able" pages then. If the user doesn't accept, he should be able to add that information later. (Severity= 3)

Aesthetic and minimalist design

The landing page-- I found excessive to use a whole step on the questionnaire to only select

your gender (Severity= 3)

“Tell us a couple things about yourself”. On the question “WHICH INCOME BRACKET ARE YOU

IN? (100% PRIVATE)”, I don’t like that they are saying private/private/private all the time. I

should assume that the amounts are per year, right? (Severity= 2)

Step 16. “Select Your Sizes” The last text box “Message” is white as the background without

border. so it is really difficult to spot. (Severity= 2)


Step 17 “Congratulations - Brooke is your new stylist!” FINALLY. This screen has too much

text. (Severity= 1)

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

I faced (not available in ur country) screen with no option to go back or change countries.

(Severity= 3)

I went back with the back button of the web browser, changed to UK and then I found the

same "nowhere to go" problem with this screen: (Women still under consideration)

(Severity= 3)

Help and documentation

There is no help or documentation. (Severity= 4)

Now they ask “How much do you usually spend?” This is the worst step, no assistance in

terms of examples or anything (Severity= 2)

Step 9 “Which trouser fits do you prefer?” (THIS IS GETTING TOO LONG!). The images were

clear. (Severity= 2)

Appendices E (User Testing: Audio and Video Recording)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPMPCLWDJIM&feature=em-upload_owner

Appendices F (User Testing: Observation)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPMPCLWDJIM&feature=em-upload_owner




Appendices G (for Portfolio)

Lab activities as performed in papers, which was destroyed after class.

Serco Slide:


Appendices H (NVivo)


Word Count: 249 + 1765 + 349 = 2363

END

Technology

Evaluation Report about "Thread" website