Art Auction App: Usability Study & Design Responses

Art Auction App Usability Study & Design Responses 12/08/2021

Team Alexandra Ziemba

Table of Contents

Section 1 Usability Study Review Section 2 Design Responses Section 3 Recommendations & Next Steps

Usability Study Review

Project Background The project is to design a new app to help people find, view, and bid on artwork in local galleries.

The goal is to find out if the main user experience, finding and bidding on artwork, is easy for users to complete.

Prototype / Design Tested https://www.figma.com/file/P5wGayGU2ZvivL4cGi2uJ3/ART-A UCTION-APP-SCREENS-(SHARED)?node-id=0%3A1

Full Usability Study Presentation https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1r3fzb6bQpkzwg482l6 vpoOZjtt6pZvYtZ8cB7SnMTEA/edit?usp=sharing

Study Details Research Questions

How easy is it for a user to sign up and set up a profile?

How long does it take users to find a local gallery & artwork?

How long does it take a user to place specified min & max bids on specific artwork?

Are there parts of the user flow where users get stuck?

Participants

Methodology

5 Participants

10 minutes per participant

2 Men, 3 Women

USA and Denmark, remote

Between ages 24-54

Unmoderated Usability Study Users were asked to complete 4 tasks in a clickable low-fidelity prototype

Themes & Insights

a

"This payment and bid section is congested looking... new apps break down the process more or are one task per page" (Participant A)

"Do you have to have payment type selected now? Or can I change that if I win the bid?"

(Participant E)

“I wish I could sign in via other social media accounts like Google or Facebook” (Participant B)

"I was a bit confused if I had to enter all of my information the first time" (Participant E)

Research insights & Recommendations

Quick Bidding is Confusing

In general, users won’t use portions of the app they are uncertain of, such as the quick bid.

Provide Guidance & Cues for Process

The Bid Page is Overwhelming

The Sign Up Process Needs Flexibility

Users Want to Instantly Browse

Users are used to cleaner interfaces, and had issues completing tasks on text & image heavy pages

Many users prefer to Sign Up by linking to existing social media accounts (e.g. Gmail & FaceBook)

Most users wanted to browse the art before committing to completing an extensive sign up or user profile process.

Provide Alternate Sign Up Options

Add Guest Browsing & Minimal Set Up

Simplify the Bid Page Layout

Design Responses

Before

a

Priority P1

Priority P1

Priority P2

Priority P2

"This payment and bid section is congested looking... new apps break down the process more or are one task per page" (Participant A)

"Do you have to have payment type selected now? Or can I change that if I win the bid?"

(Participant E)

“I wish I could sign in via other social media accounts like Google or Facebook” (Participant B)

"I was a bit confused if I had to enter all of my information the first time" (Participant E)

After

a

● Lightning Bid has been moved to its own page ● Bid Increment is used ● Your current bid is shown

● Manual Bid has been moved to its own page ● Bids have confirm button ● Payment is set to default (per profile settings) ● You can change payment info after winning the bid

● Sign up and sign in have been moved to their own page - accessible via a top page tab ● Social media account buttons have been added for sign up and sign in

● Profile page will come auto-filled with input from sign up process ● Profile sections are divided into smaller editable sections

Before: The Bid Page is overwhelming to users Supporting evidence from the usability study. ●

4 out of 5 users took longer on the task to fill out the bid page.

●

It was observed that 5 out of 5 participants did not use the quick bid button or fully understand what it did.

●

Multiple users reported the bid page as being confusing & crowded with information

A: "This payment and bid section is congested looking... new apps break down the process more or are one task per page". (Participant A) "Do you have to have payment type selected now?

Or can I change that if I win the bid?" (Participant E)

2 1

After: The Bid Page is overwhelming to users Revisions to the Design: ●

Lightning Bid has been moved to its own page

●

“Lightning Bid Increment” is used to increase the lightning bid amount

●

Your current bid is shown for reference

●

A tutorial screen will pop up the first time this page is accessed

1

1

Before: The Bid Page is overwhelming to users Supporting evidence from the usability study. ●

4 out of 5 users took longer on the task to fill out the bid page.

●

It was observed that 5 out of 5 participants did not use the quick bid button or fully understand what it did.

●

Multiple users reported the bid page as being confusing & crowded with information

A: "This payment and bid section is congested looking... new apps break down the process more or are one task per page". (Participant A) "Do you have to have payment type selected now?

Or can I change that if I win the bid?" (Participant E)

2 1

After: The Bid Page is overwhelming to users Revisions to the Design: ●

Manual Bid has been moved to its own page

●

Bids have confirm button

●

Payment is set to default (per profile settings)

●

You can change your payment method and delivery details after within 24 hours of winning the bid

●

A tutorial screen will pop up the first time this page is accessed

2

2

Before: Most users require a more flexible Sign Up Supporting evidence from the usability study. ●

It was observed that 4 out of 5 participants verbally requested more options or guidance on sign up.

●

Some participants would like additional guidance on sign up a

“I wish there was an option for browsing before signing up" (Participant A)

“I wish I could sign in via other social media accounts like Google or Facebook” (Participant B)

3

After: Most users require a more flexible Sign Up Revisions to the Design: ●

●

Sign Up and Sign In have been moved to their own page - accessible via a top page tab

3

Social media account buttons have been added to sign up and sign in

a

3

Before: Users desire the ability to browse immediately Supporting evidence from the usability study. ●

●

4 out of 5 users filled in the profile settings page without visiting the wallet portion Most users filled out the profile section as minimally and quickly as possible, prioritizing browsing the art

"I was a bit confused if I had to enter all my information the first time." (Participant E)

4

After: Users desire the ability to browse immediately Revisions to the Design: ●

Profile page will come auto-filled with input from Sign Up Process

●

Profile Page is divided into smaller editable sections

4

4 4

Recommendations & Next Steps

Recommendation: Research Moving Forward ●

Undergo a new usability study to compare Before & After Digital Prototype Designs

●

Keep testing conditions the same and measure time for tasks and error rates

●

Collect data in the same manner via a note spreadsheet for easy comparison

Next Steps ●

Perform Usability Study #2

●

Analyze Usability Study #2 Results

●

Compare Usability Study #1 & #2

●

Revise App Design Based on Results

●

Move on to Higher Fidelity Prototype & Polished Design

Thank you!

Please let us know if you have any questions