Findings & Recommendations Report Prepared by Rebecca Silus • March 2, 2019
CONTENTS Introduction…3 Project Summary…4 Methods…5 Participants…5 Findings Summary…6 Findings + Recommendations…7 Security Issues…8 Homepage…10 Resources…12 Getting Involved…14 Event Registration…16 Conclusion…18 Thank You…19
INTRODUCTION UXPA Minnesota is the local chapter of the User Experience Professionals Association. MISSION
SITE GOALS
Provide opportunities for networking and learning for all UX professionals. uxpamn.org should communicate the UXPA-MN mission and promote membership.
PROJECT OVERVIEW GOALS OF USABILITY STUDY
Identify usability challenges in completing primary tasks. Understand how the website could better reflect UXPA-MN’s commitment to its professional values. Determine the extent to which the mission of UXPA is clear. Analyze the usefulness of current resources offered.
METHODS Usability Review Remote Testing
In-lab Usability Testing Wireframes
PARTICIPANTS 18 participants focusing mainly on UX professionals at various stages of their careers
Taxonomies
FINDINGS SUMMARY Members are the key to sustaining the community that is at the core of UXPA MN’s mission. New and renewing members want uxpamn.org to demonstrate the value of being a member and reflect the organization’s knowledge and understanding of fundamental user experience practices. Key usability issues are: - Compromising the security of user credit card data - Hindering membership sign up/renewal - Discouraging member involvement in events and board activities - Jeopardizing the legitimacy of the organization as an industry leader
FINDINGS + RECOMMENDATIONS HIGH PRIORITY SCALE
MEDIUM LOW
FINDING:
Major security issues are jeopardizing the credit card information of members. uxpamn.org uses http instead of https, which puts users at serious risk of having their credit card information stolen when paying for a membership or registering for an event. More information:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPS
No site encryption
RECOMMENDATION:
Add https certificate immediately. Https is standard practice and should be implemented as soon as possible to protect users and reinforce professional values.
FINDING:
Homepage is disorienting and doesn’t reflect mission or professional values. Almost all users expressed exasperation when arriving at the homepage—as well as doubts about UXPA-MN’s demonstrated knowledge of the user experience field. Wasted header space Lack of mission Unclear taxonomy in main menu Lack of photos feels impersonal and does not reflect the UXPA-MN community Too many upcoming events with no info No obvious call to action for membership Contact is hidden and doesn’t link to contact information Social media isn’t visible No footer
New menu RECOMMENDATION:
Redesign homepage to emphasize organization values and promote membership and community involvement.
Calls to action
Photo backgrounds
FINDING:
Improving the usability of current resources as well as adding additional resources will increase the perceived value of membership for new and renewing members.
Inefficient search options Member profiles don’t reflect community and are difficult to edit Events page doesn’t include upcoming events and shows a disproportionate number of past events
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Redesign Events page to reflect mission. Consider adding more resources including a job board, recommendations for continuing education, blog. Add options to member profiles that encourage networking and simplify editing.
Photo backgrounds Call to action Archive underscores established commitment to quality event programming
FINDING:
No way to get involved in the community. “I get involved by volunteering—it would be helpful to know how to do that here or who to contact about it.” – Beth "At this point I’d honestly probably give up. I'm not sure if they even need volunteers or if I really want to anymore." – Katie, after spending several minutes looking for someone to contact about volunteering only to finally find the Volunteer Director on the About page who has no email address or phone number associated with his name. Board members buried in About Us page No relevant information about board members
Board members have no contact information
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Add photos, bio, and contact info for board members. Create a dedicated Volunteer page with clear information and contact person. Redesign the About page so that it reflects the mission.
Board member photos Direct link to email address Link to dedicated bio page Call for new board members
FINDING:
Registering for events is confusing. "Am I joining UXPA or joining an event?” – Leslie “I’d like the events to be managed by Eventbrite—that’s how I manage all of my other events.” – Anna
Grayed out options are confusing
Redundant call to membership
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Separate membership from event sign up. Further research on using a platform like Eventbrite to sell and manage ticket sales.
CONCLUSION User experience designers in Minnesota are enthusiastic about the field and ready to be involved in the UX community if given the opportunity. With the recommended changes to its website, UXPA MN has the opportunity to leverage this active community into a stronger membership base and become a true leader in the field.
THANK YOU! Rebecca Silus