DECODING THE USER EXPERIENCE
Overview:
Code Championship offers a fun and welcoming way to learn coding for 3rd - 9th graders while also offering resources for students, parents, and teachers; however, there seems to be slight disconnects between the program's website content and those who use it.
Role: User Researcher, Prototyping, User Evaluation, Client Findings & Recommendation Report 2020
Tools & Methods: Shneiderman’s 8 Golden Rules of Interface, Remote Usability Test Plan, Script & analysis, Website Prototype, Infinity Mapping, Zoom, Keynote, Otter, Miro
The Process
To fully understand the gaps between Code Championship’s website and user needs, a website evaluation was conducted that lent insights for developing a usability test and script. Keep reading to see how this led to key findings and overall recommendations.
EVALUATING SITE STRUCTURE & CONTENT WITH FRESH EYES
Methodology: Shneiderman’s 8 Golden Rules of Interface
Sometimes we all experience oversight due to being too close to the subject matter; therefore, reviewing the current website with a fresh pair of eyes was vital to understanding any gaps between user experience and Code Championship site goals. Using the 8 Golden Rules of Interface by Shneideman allowed our team to gain valuable insights on functionality, consistency, and overall user experience.
List of tasks evaluated based on Project Overview:
Practice building a bot
Register for Tournament Series
Sign in to the tournament event
Join the mailing list
Find where you would find the meaning or intent of Championship
Where would you go to learn what to expect at the event?
Understand where teachers would go to find information
Does the website scale to fit mobile screens?
UnderstandING The USER
METHODOLOGY: USABILIty Plan & Script
After website review and evaluation, a user-focused test plan and script were created. This usability test tailored itself to unique user groups, such as teachers, parents, general users, and students, while incorporating Code Championship goals and website evaluation insights.
USABILITY TESTING GOALS:
Evaluate the find-ability and clarity of information and key tasks
To investigate the level of prior knowledge users have about this topic
To measure the level of interest shown by evaluating where the user clicks, how long they stay on each page, and complete their task
USER LAB TESTING INSIGHTS
The team developed a script with task-based scenarios that gained valuable insight from 4 key user groups, general users, students, parents, and STEM teachers. A total of 14 users were tested via Zoom remote calls. Data was captured and recorded with Quicktime, internal note-taking, and Otter recording app. The below image shows the top 3 pain points discovered.
Across all 4 user groups, navigation, content, and registration form confusion were clear user pain points. Thankfully, the website already had many of these elements users wanted, but it became clear reorganization would be imperative to help solve users' needs.
Positive themes were also found. All user groups liked the connection between coding tournaments and its relation to sports, which they felt kids would enjoy. They also liked the site's inclusivity when providing more avenues to get students involved in STEM learning.
CODE CHAMPIONSHIP CLIENT FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATION REPORT
Findings from the key user pain-points led to recommendations based on navigation layout, content, and registration forms that addressed each user's unique goals, and better communication tools to capture critical data. Below you can see each key recommendation included in the Code Championships client report.
Need a closer look? Click the image to enlarge.
Want to see more? Click the image to enlarge OR download the full report above.