Joyful Research
Interaction Design Theory Seminar 20 || Session 9
Observation Exercise
Context
The topic that I would want to tackle for my BA revolves around the UX of an on-demand tool rental Service by Bosch. However, since this service currently is only available in Bern as a pilot I couldn’t observe the renting process “in action”. Therefore, I conducted a Think-aloud using the app alongside an interview with a person that is within the target audience.
Observation
I’ve opened the website on my smartphone and gave the user the task to try and borrow a specific tool. While they would navigate through, I’d ask them to tell me what they are thinking, in order to gain a better understanding of their feeling towards the site and the experience. On the landing page, their initial reaction was that in the viewport there was nothing that would invite or call for action. This showed me already that even on the onboarding there was some level of frustration. The user, therefore, had to scroll further down in order to see the borrowing button but scrolled past it initially. They were confused by the layout on the page, that for the important information (such as, how it works) if further down than the map and testimonials from past users only increased their frustration level even more. After that and scrolling back up, they found the call to action button, bringing them to the overview of the tools that were available to rent. Since the user was given the task to look for a specific tool, they initially wanted to use a search, or at least a filter option, which unfortunately was unavailable. However, this wasn’t received too negatively, since they assumed the list wouldn’t be too long. While scrolling down, the user used the section titles to orient themselves and see whether or not they needed to look further. Moreover, they’ve commented on how compared to the landing page, this was their favourite, despite the bad design because it actually displayed the information needed and was somewhat logically structured. After finding and clicking on the tool, they again had the same frustration as with the landing page where there was no call to action visible in the viewport. Also, they noted that they didn’t see the price of renting the tool anywhere, which made them a little suspicious. After scrolling down a bit, they did see the price, however, the wording confused them initially. For them, at it first, seemed it would be a free trial but then still cost something. They had to think about it for a while until it made sense. This signalled to me that wording might be a bigger issue than initially thought. Furthermore, when they did get to the renting button, a pop up appeared which was loaded with text and prompted the user to give their credit card information but without the check digits. At this point, the user didn’t feel comfortable enough to continue as the page felt increasingly sketchy and unprofessional. They had security concerns as to how their information would be stored as well as didn’t want CHF 200 to be blocked from his credit card to borrow a tool. They decided to abandon the page and look at everything again. Their verdict was that while the page offers an interesting service, there were all in all too many issues that have accumulated during their user journey which lead them to not be comfortable using the service in the end. There were too many inconsistencies as well as pieces of information and wording that lead them to abandon the site.
Interview questions:
Q: How would you describe your abilities with using tools?
A: I would say above average. I have a pretty good understanding of what I’m doing.
Q: How often do you find yourself using tools?
A: In the last month roughly every third day.
Q: What sort of tools were you using then?
A: A drill, cordless screwdriver and normal screwdrivers.
Q: Do you own any of these tools yourself, if not where did you get them from?
A: No, I didn’t own all of the tools, just some normal screwdrivers. I’ve borrowed the other tools from my dad.
Q: Do you know how often he uses the tools? (rough estimate)
A: Maybe once every 6 months.
Q: Did you ever think of buying a bigger tool yourself?
A: Not, really since how it is now it’s very convenient for me. But if the need arises and my dad wouldn’t have the tool I’d need then I think so.
Recap:
This interview has shown me the importance of first impressions, coupled with wording and a red thread through a process. Though Bosch currently is browser-based, there is still a lot of room to improve the overall experience without the app. Moreover, even if the service itself is an attractive option for users, it highlights, even more, the importance of design.
