(Floe) UI Options user testing report (April 2012)

This report gathers results and suggestions coming from UI Options user testing.
See also: 

• (Floe) UI Options user testing protocol (February 2012)
• (Floe) UI Options user testing results (March 2012)

Summary of results

Design issues found in testing

• On the landing screen
  • Most users see first the options at the right (Display preferences with preview / without preview). 
  • Most users don't see the Show Display Preferences option (panel) until the moderator makes them notice.
  • Most users prefer the Show Display Preferences option (panel) when they compare to the other options, because they can see directly the modifications. 
  • Some users take some time to find the options because in high resolutions, they appear faraway from the contents area, in which their attention is focused.
• On the Display Preferences With Preview screen
  • Most users understand clearly the options to customize appearance (at the left of the screen).
  • All users appreciate having a preview of the changes.
  • Most users have problems to find the Return to Site option (a user eventually clicked on the back button in the browser).
  • Most users are confused by the Save and Apply option. They mainly expect to be back to the modified site immediately. 
  • A user comments that the preview window is too small.
  • A user found problems to see the changes applied in the preview window (specifically, she didn't find the Table of Contents). 
  • A user clicked Return to Site without saving changes, and was stunned when saw that all changes were lost.
• On the Display Preferences Without Preview screen
  • No users have entered this option by themselves (just when requested by the moderator).
  • Most users don't find this screen useful. 
  • Just a user comments that he prefers this screen for being more clean than "With Preview", but he would use it only for screen customization ("For printing I would use the With Preview option"). 
• On the Show Display Preferences option (panel)
  • Only highly expert users have seen this option immediately and have selected it in the first place.
  • All the users prefer this option over the other ones, because they can see the results of their modifications.
  • A lot of users don't see the Reset All option, at the top bar. 
  • Most users understand the function of Hide.  
  • Most users understand the function of Reset All.
  • Some users don't see the tabs (they only play with the Text and Display options). 
  • Some users loose some options (tabs and Reset All) because they have scrolled the page.
  • A user clicked on Reset All to hide the panel, loosing all the changes. 
• About the options
  • All users find easy to understand and control the options for Text and Display. 
  • In Text and Display, Colour&Contrast option is the most appreciated by users without visual disabilities. 
  • Most users understand the function of "Table of Contents". 
  • Most users understand the funtion of "Emphasize links".
  • Some of the users have to check the page to see the results of selecting "Make inputs larger".
  • A user had problems with the jargon (Links, Inputs and Table of Contents).

Design issues found in post-test interview

• Describing the overall experience
  • All users find it useful. 
  • Most users find it easy. 
• Find confusing or frustrating...
  • Some users say that they haven't noticed the Show Display Preferences option (panel)
  • A user says that he was unable to find the Return to Site option (this happened to several users)
  • A user says that the change for Color & Contrast is too drastic. 
• Add some option or functionality... 
  • A user says to add an internal search (to search a word in the page)
  • A user says to add an option to hide images. 
  • A user says to add an option to change the page layout (number of columns)
• Integration of UI Options with the document
  • All users say it's comfortable
  • Almost all users (except one) say to prefer the Show Display Preferences option (panel)
• To improve the application... 
  • Make the top option more visible 
  • Add more text styles
  • Make the user able to gather his favorite options, or to customize shortcuts.

Detailed user testing notes

The complete notes from user testing are available at (Floe) UI Options user testing results.

Design suggestions

General issues

• Make the Show Display Preferences option (panel) more visible. 
• The Show Display Preferences option (panel) must be visible even when the page is scrolled. 
• Make all the area of the Display Preferences (with or without preview) buttons clicable (now only the text is active).

Display Preferences (with or whitout preview) screen

• In DP with preview
  • make the preview window larger, or make it resizable. 
  • make the preview draggable
  • if the modified item is not visible, drag automatically the preview to show it
• The Save and Apply button should head to the site.
• Get rid of the Return to Site button, to avoid mistakes resulting in the lost of changes. 
• Move the Reset button away from the Save and Cancel buttons, to avoid mistakes resulting in the lost of changes.

Display Preferences panel

• Ensure that the Show Display Preferences and the Hide buttons are not far from the focus of the page, even at high screen resolution. 
• Increase the visibility of the tabs. 
• Make the tabs visible even if the page is scrolled.
• Make the Reset All button visible even if the page is scrolled. 
• In Colour & Contrast, make the appearance change smoother. 

User interface options

• In Text Style, let the user add new fonts. 
• In Colour & Contrast, let the user customize the color combination. 
• For Table of Contents and Inputs, review the nomenclature to avoid technical jargon if possible. 
• Let the users create shortcuts or gather their favorite options.