UX Research

CHI 311: Usability Testing

Two classmates and I conducted a series of usability tests for CHI 311, an application created by the City of Chicago to help residents submit and track requests to the city.

This analysis was later shared with Jason Kunesh, the Director of Design for the City of Chicago, as well as the architect behind the application.

Click here to see the full report.

My Role

UX Researcher

Team

Sumra Iqbal

Duration

5 weeks

Shelby Robinson

Adam Babin

PART I: USER- CENTERED EVALUATION

1. We began our user research by developing screener questions to ensure the people we interviewed were a good representation of the app’s target audience.

2. In total, we interviewed 6 Chicago residents who are active in their community.

3. My group and I translated insights from our interviews and showcased our findings in an affinity map.

PART II: USER PERSONAS

After conducting interviews, we organized our findings in an affinity diagram and found key pain points our users shared in common.

1. Using our affinity maps as a guide, we created user personas on Chicago residents likely to use CHI 311.

* Click to zoom

PART III: USABILITY TESTS

1. My team and I created a usability testing plan comprising of:

test objectives
target users
protocols
a task list

2. We recruited 6 participants and utilized DePaul University's Software Observation and Usability Lab (SOUL) to run our tests.

3. To capture, visualize, and eventually analyze our findings, we used Morae Usability Software.

The final task list that we used to interview our six participants.

After conducting our tests with 6 participants, we used Morae Manager to compile our notes, videos, and audio into one file.

Using the data from Morae Manager, we visualized which tasks users struggled/prospered with. Task 3 had an error rate of .5, suggesting that the app's design with tracking submissions needs improvement.

PART IV: FINDINGS

PROS

Overall aesthetic of the app
Strong feedback users receive after submitting a request to the City of Chicago

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

Language barrier: 24% of Chicagoans are native Spanish speakers. The app doesn't have a Spanish language option.
Nielsen's Match between System & Real World: users are expected to remember their ID requests off hand

UX Research

CHI 311: Usability Testing

Two classmates and I conducted a series of usability tests for CHI 311, an application created by the City of Chicago to help residents submit and track requests to the city.

​

This analysis was later shared with Jason Kunesh, the Director of Design for the City of Chicago, as well as the architect behind the application.

Click here to see the full report.

My Role

UX Researcher

Team

Sumra Iqbal

Duration

5 weeks

Shelby Robinson

Adam Babin

PART I: USER- CENTERED EVALUATION

​

1. We began our user research by developing screener questions to ensure the people we interviewed were a good representation of the app’s target audience.

2. In total, we interviewed 6 Chicago residents who are active in their community.

3. My group and I translated insights from our interviews and showcased our findings in an affinity map.

PART II: USER PERSONAS

After conducting interviews, we organized our findings in an affinity diagram and found key pain points our users shared in common.

1. Using our affinity maps as a guide, we created user personas on Chicago residents likely to use CHI 311.

* Click to zoom

PART III: USABILITY TESTS

1. My team and I created a usability testing plan comprising of:

test objectives

target users

protocols

a task list

2. We recruited 6 participants and utilized DePaul University's Software Observation and Usability Lab (SOUL) to run our tests.

3. To capture, visualize, and eventually analyze our findings, we used Morae Usability Software.

The final task list that we used to interview our six participants.

After conducting our tests with 6 participants, we used Morae Manager to compile our notes, videos, and audio into one file.

Using the data from Morae Manager, we visualized which tasks users struggled/prospered with. Task 3 had an error rate of .5, suggesting that the app's design with tracking submissions needs improvement.

PART IV: FINDINGS

PROS

Overall aesthetic of the app

Strong feedback users receive after submitting a request to the City of Chicago

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

Language barrier: 24% of Chicagoans are native Spanish speakers. The app doesn't have a Spanish language option.

Nielsen's Match between System & Real World: users are expected to remember their ID requests off hand