Challenge 3: Usability Evaluation & Site Redesign
On this challenge, I have been asked to do a usability evaluation and from it, a site redesign. This time, this will be based on the Trip Advisor app.
Where to?
Part of the seven wonders of the new millennium, the chosen destination will be the Inca trail, which leads up to Machu Picchu, in Cusco, Peru. A truly stunning destination that attracts over a half million visitors a year.
“(Machu Picchu) is among the greatest artistic, architectural and land use achievements anywhere, and the most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilization”.(Telegraph.co.uk, 2017)
Machu Picchu is a great destination that not only offers a dive into the rich Peruvian — Inca culture, history, and tradition but is full of mystery and adventure.
The lost city of the Incas ranks highly on the bucket list of many backpackers as there are many options to suit every budget. A little research online will provide a wide range of options and tips whether one is looking for an exciting trekking adventure on a budget or have some more comfort aboard a classy train.
Who & What’s the plan?
This time is a group of 4 young friends ( between 20–40 ) who have been planning this trip for over a year and need it to fit everyone’s tight schedule.
They are all up for an adventure and that’s why they will be doing the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, but they also want to have some comfort when it comes to accommodation, and of course, are very keen on enjoying Cusco’s famous nightlife.
The trip is planned to be at the beginning of March, wintertime in Germany and end of summer in Peru, and also, end of the rainy season in the Cusco area. They all plan to have 3 weeks off of work from March 10th. They want to save the most on the flight tickets, and about the date, they have all decided the flight to Peru could be a little flexible but they all have to be back before April 5th.
Is also important to mention, as this is a well-researched trip, they know they will have to travel to Lima, and from there take another flight to Cusco. However they would like to spend at least one night in Peru’s capital, as they have read online is important to recover, eat delicious food and get to know a little more about Lima before heading up to the Andes.
Kayak, Skyscanner, Hopper, or Trip Advisor?
After conducting Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics Evaluation between the mentioned three options, I have chosen Trip Advisor for the more “social” compound of features it offers, as it shows apart from flight options, activities, interesting places, restaurants, etc. All elements that interest our users in this case, and give them a wider overall view in one place.
The interviews
Interviews with four people inside of our user type were conducted.
The participants were asked to use the Trip Advisor mobile app and then interviewed about their experience.
What do you see?
To start and have an overall idea of what the users think about the app, at first sight, I asked the participants to look at the home screen on the app for five seconds, then covered the screen and ask them some questions which answers summarize as follows :
- The tool was primarily seen as a travel destination and touristic activities finder/planner, only after that, a flight booking app.
- The many options on the top part might be a little overwhelming, and in combination with the search input button above, it results confusing, which to use first.
- Participants liked the overall look of the home screen. Find it simple and clear. One thing, they all mentioned was the size of the bottom map, they thought it was too big in comparison to the top part containing the main menu.
The tasks
To run these usability tests, I thought of two tasks that I then asked my participants to perform on the app. These tasks are based on our previous user’s description and their trip to Machu Picchu.
- Look for the cheapest flight to get you to Lima and from Lima to Cuzco between March 11 — April 5 to Lima, Peru.
Some of the main pain points the users came across when doing this task are the following:
FLIGHT SEARCH
Users went directly to Flights and found the next screen layout too small. Almost didn't notice the “Multi-Stopp” (multi-stop) option, and also, they were not sure if that is what they were looking for in order to look for a flight from Berlin to Lima and then from Lima to Cusco.
Because of this lack of info, they didn’t try the option and stayed looking for the first flight, to begin with.
Proposed Solution
- Using the space. Search input boxes and fonts are bigger and clearer.
- The menu above has two colors to differentiate which is active at the moment. Those have also a bigger size.
- The Multi-Stopp option has an info (?) button that responds to the user’s need to know what it exactly means. When clicked, an informative text pill opens right underneath.
- The white space that used to be white and gave the impression of a bug, is now lightly colored and shows an informative text and icon.
2. Look for a maximum 2 days trekking Inca Trail guided tour for 4 people.
Pain points found:
SEARCH RESULTS
Users went directly to the activities main menu, which seem to be pretty clear, but on the next screen seemed overwhelmed by the many options.
When scrolling through the options, users were overwhelmed because of the high number of options with no apparent difference beyond the names. It took them a long time to find something and were not very sure whether it was the right one or not.
Here the reviews seemed to be an important issue. Users thought they should be shown clearly and somehow pop up more.
Proposed Solution
- A search bar is added to give the user the opportunity to type and choose by category and give an overall tidier look to the search results. Categories are also displayed in a dropdown menu. This is important because it might change depending on the destination or activity and the user may not exactly know what to search for exactly.
- Also, the three top categories are shown above the search bar, and a sort button is added on the right corner. When clicked it shows a dropdown menu with possible sorting options like recommended, best reviewed, etc.
- The reviews punctuation has also a bigger size.
TOUR DESCRIPTION
After choosing one option, users were sent to a different screen with the tour description. As they were still not very sure of what of excursion the selected option was about, in this case, a proper trekking tour or a train trip, they thought that amount of text was more confusing than clarifying and having to scroll and open a new menu (“Höhepunkte”) was a waste of time.
Proposed Solution
- To keep the user sure he is looking at the right option at all times, the name of the category is added in a small but clear orange pill right under the title.
- The two folding sections “Überblick”(overview) and “Höhepunkte” (highest points) that contain relevant information about the tour are moved at the top, only after them, the date and participants section will be placed and will be shown unfolded at all times.
- In the participants section and to avoid too much scrolling, only “Erwachsener”(adult) and “Kind”(kid) are directly shown, to show the other options, a “more options” button is added on the right corner.
My experience
One more time, this challenge has shown me how interesting it is seeing how the users interact with the product. There were so many comments and small details that I had not thought about by using the app myself.
It is very important trying to be open and think about the best way to make the interactions better, there can be many options— even in such a known app like Trip Advisor — but knowing how to prioritize and putting myself in the user’s shoes and not mine, is a difficult process that I know will get better with a lot of practice.
