A Usability Study for a College Prep Website

User Research, Project Management and Reporting

Client: Washington Student Achievement Council, ReadySetGrad Website
Project Duration: 3 months

Survey report on research, assessments, and analysis for ReadySetGrad.org with sections on user behavior, site recommendations, and site navigation insights.

Research Components

  • Ready Set Grad home page

    Heuristics Study

    The study started with a site analysis that evaluated ReadySetGrad.org in three main areas: web development, user interface and user experience.

  • UX matrix comparing similar websites

    Landscape Study

    The research included a review of other college and career readiness websites to show where the Ready Set Grad site stood in terms of usability best practices against its peers.

  • Survey outreach graphic

    Social Promotions

    To encourage participation in the study an outreach campaign through email, social media, and statewide communications targeted students, caretakers and educators across Washington state.

  • Screenshot of the Landing Page for the Study

    AB Testing

    The study wanted to address how users navigated the website using the existing site navigation (which was organized by grade level) compared to a new content-focused navigation. Additionally we wanted to see if the UI impacted navigation at all. The survey launched participants into the different tests randomly, separated by persona.

  • Existing site map vs experimental

    Tree Testing

    Here is a side by side comparison of the existing site navigation and the experiment. The original repeated parent/child labels yet pointed to all of the same content pages seen in the experimental site navigation.

  • Map of Washington state showing locations of Ready Set Grad assessment participants with dots indicating survey responses: small dots for 1 respondent, medium for 2-3, and large for over 4, spread across various cities including Seattle, Spokane, and Vancouver.

    Survey

    A survey at the end of the tree test allowed our team to address participant opinions on the user interface, navigation, and content. It also allowed for a collection of demographics to ensure that the survey was well represented across various attributes.

Analysis & Reporting

The experimental site navigation outperformed the existing across all user groups by 15%. Our team concluded that the experimental navigation was a viable proof of concept to further explore a content-forward site navigation.

Comparison of task completion success and failure rates across two navigation methods, 'Existing Site' and 'Experimental Site', with colored bars representing direct success, indirect success, direct failure, indirect failure, direct skip, and indirect skip.
Bar chart titled 'Exhibit E-1. Average Users who Succeeded, Failed, or Abandoned Tasks by Platform, 2017' showing percentages of respondents for UI, Nav 1, and Nav 2 platforms. The chart indicates percentages for task success, failure, and abandonment with corresponding colors: green for success, orange for failure, and gray for abandoned. The data sources are Loop11; Optimal Workshop; Community Attributes Inc., 2017.

Participants also expressed a very strong desire to change both the site navigation and design.

Horizontal bar chart titled "Exhibit E-2. What Users Would Change about ReadySetGrad.org." It shows three categories of responses: 74% of respondents want changes in site navigation and design, 13% want more content and information, and 14% seek help and language support. The data source is listed as Loop11; Optimal Workshop; Community Attributes Inc, 2017.

Recommendations

Infographic detailing research, assessments, and analysis for a site evaluation. It includes project background, outcomes, user navigation behaviors, site organization, user feedback, and recommendations for improving site content, design, navigation, and web development.

    1. Move away from an audience-focused site and towards a content- driven site

    2. Keep promoting diversity through inclusive photography

    3. Consider adding a language translation feature

    1. Incorporate a visible and connected navigation system

    2. Omit the Ready Set Grad labels from the navigation

    1. Improve navigation by creating a visual hierarchy

    2. Allow more screen space for content

    3. Consider an updated color palette

    1. Leverage conventional Content Management Systems patterns to streamline administrator workflow

    2. Incorporate UI Patterns that are established and intuitive for users to follow