User experience testing projects

Working with the design team at Digital agency LBI, Janet carried out two user experience studies using remote testing to check out the validity of design pages for the National Grid's intranet site. Tests were carried out using a mix of wireframe prototype and scamps (sketched) protoype.

Activities included:

• remote user experience testing with users over online meeting
• user experience testing page labels and terminology
• reporting results to the Agile team
• suggesting solutions to interaction problems
• final Powerpoint presentation

Janet has carried out numerous usability testing projects for bit10, setting up and moderating user experience tests and producing reports for clients.

Sites include:

• the Carbon Trust website
• the Links of London Jewellery retail site
• Information sites in the education sector:
  • Becta Learning Skills Web portal
  • National College School Leadership Website
• Kingston Council's community website builder - users tried building a website with the prototype tool

Activities included:

• scenario design
• liaising with fieldwork agency
• user experience testing
• using Morae analysis tool
• Preparing report and presentation
• Consultancy

(Undertaken and managed by bit10, and formerly Usermetrics)

Working with Yahoo! interaction designers, Janet carried out three separate user experience studies to test prototypes and improve user interaction on the Yahoo! Mobile and Yahoo! Personals site.

• Yahoo! mobile registration process
• Yahoo! mobile purchase of ringtones
• Yahoo! Personals interaction and user behaviour

In the registration project, the goal was to make it easy for users to register their phone to the site, involving interacting with the screen and the phone. The test recommendations led to succesful take-up and improved user trust.

In the ringtones project, the goal was to improve online sales of ringtones and other mobile products.These all involved the user understanding online web instructions, combined with reading texts on their handset. Following test recommendations the products sold well, and users returned to buy more.

In the project with Yahoo Personals onine dating, the goal of the user testing was to discover user wants and needs, and also their attitudes and trust. It helped with fine tuning site navigation and interaction.

Activities included:

• Design and moderation of user experience tests
• Quick report-back of Key findings
• Presenting Report and recommendations to development team

Cheapflights is a price comparison site in the travel industry. Userwyse carried out several user experience studies of flight search and accommodation search.

In a follow-on project, We used 'personas' and scenarios to structure competitive evaluation against other sites. Our reports enabled clients to move forward with increased knowledge about user needs and behaviour on travel sites.

Activities included:

• User experience testing
• Competitive Evaluation
• Personas and Scenarios
• Infrastructure for Usability testing
• Camtasia analysis tool

Working freelance for Userfocus, Janet carried out two projects into usability of Interactive Voice Recorded (IVR) systems for Orange mobile phone customer service.

This included test design, making the test calls with mobile phone users, using the 'Morae' analysis tool and providing new designs for the IVR.

Services included:

• User experience testing
• Scenario design
• Information Design for IVR
• Script design improvements for IVR

(Undertaken and managed by Userfocus)

In this project for Becta, a government agency in the education field, Janet analysed usability test recordings to understand how school-leaders actually used Becta's Schools site. Our report, video clips and presentation recommended improvements to the site and suggestions for future design strategy.

Activities included:

• User experience testing
• Analysis and report
• Consultancy and advice
• Using Morae analysis tool

Symbiosis was developing an interactive training tool for Golden Wonder's staff, and usability was crucial to take-up. Userwyse provided HCI advice to the development team and used metrics to benchmark usability in user experience testing. In the final tests, user satisfaction scored high, reflecting the emphasis placed on Usability throughout the project.

Services included:

• User experience testing
• Consultancy and advice
• User Centred Design