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Unlocking the Power of Usability Testing
Conducted usability testing, heuristic evaluation, and affinity mapping to identify pain points and gather insights, providing actionable recommendations to enhance the user experience and solidify Amazon Prime Video's leadership in user satisfaction.
What did this signify for our team?An excellent chance to identify some Amazon Prime mistakes and brainstorm what Amazon Prime may look like while testing and sharpening design and having fun with the team.
Problem Statement
This usability testing initiative covers the entirety of the Amazon Prime Video platform, specifically its web interface. The objectives of this study are broad, aiming to assess the platform's usability, effectiveness, and overall user satisfaction.
The primary areas of interest encompass navigation, content discovery, watchlist management, and the playback experience on the website interface.
Solution
Conducted usability testing, heuristic evaluation, and affinity mapping to identify pain points and gather insights, providing actionable recommendations to enhance the user experience and solidify Amazon Prime Video's leadership in user satisfaction.
Heuristic Evaluation
Task given to New users
User intends to sign up for Amazon Prime Video.
User opts to rent a movie to avoid yearly subscription fees.
Task given to Existing users
User seeks out new or fresh content.
User explores content based on mood.
User adds movies/series to watchlist for later viewing.
User plans to watch content with friends.
User considers canceling subscription.
User adjusts content quality settings.
User seeks out new or fresh content
Issue: If a user seeks recently released or upcoming content, there isn't a distinct section or menu for easy navigation to access these options.
Severity: Major usability problem
Heuristics: Flexibility and efficiency of use
User seeks out new or fresh content
Issue: Users anticipate receiving notifications for "New Releases" based on their viewing preferences, yet there is no available option for this feature.
Severity: Minor usability problem
Heuristics: Recognition rather than recall
User explores content based on mood
Issue: Once a search is completed successfully, the search bar, upon collapsing, does not retain the previous search history, rendering it difficult for users to rediscover their previously sought items.
Severity: Major usability problem
Heuristics: Recognition rather than Recall
User explores content based on mood
Issue: Users encounter difficulty when attempting to search for their favorite content as they are unable to select specific genres according to their preferences.
Severity: Cosmetic problem
Heuristics: Flexibility and efficiency of use
Task 4
Review personalized recommendations tailored to your viewing history and preferences.
Task 3
Adjust streaming quality settings, including resolution and subtitles, to optimize the viewing experience.
Task 2
Add a movie or TV show to your wishlist and then remove it to evaluate the functionality.
Task 1
Navigate to the "New Releases" section on Amazon Prime Video to discover the latest movies and TV shows.
Task and Scenarios
During usability testing, we create scenarios that mimic real-life situations to guide users in interacting with the product. These scenarios are like scripts that help users understand what tasks they need to perform. By doing this, we can observe how well the product works for them and whether it meets their needs. This process helps us gather valuable feedback to improve the product and make it more user-friendly.
Usability Testing Procedure
Screen Recording Software: We employed screen recording software, such as the built-in tools in laptops, to capture participants' interactions with Amazon Prime Video. This facilitated in-depth analysis of navigation, content discovery, and playback behaviors.
Observational Documentation: During usability testing interviews, we documented observational notes. These notes, recorded by the moderator while conducting the interviews, documented participants' verbal and non-verbal expressions, offering supplementary insights to complement quantitative data.
Line cook - Socially active
Student - Content Hungry
Student - Tech Friendly
Designer - Tech Savvy
Participants that were Interviewed
Through usability testing interviews, our objective is to uncover pain points, gather insightful data, and provide actionable recommendations to enhance the user experience, thereby cementing Amazon Prime Video's position as a frontrunner in user satisfaction.
Engaging in such sessions for the first time provided insights into structured testing methods, fostering skills in designing, conducting, and analyzing tests, essential for any designer.
Usability Testing
1
Acquiring skills in applying Jakob Nielsen's usability heuristics enabled systematic platform assessment, identifying and prioritizing usability issues for effective solutions.
Heuristic Evaluation
2
Usability testing highlights areas for improvement, emphasizing the iterative nature of design, facilitating continuous refinement and optimization of user experiences.
Iterative Design
3
Key Findings
Recommendations
Creating Watchlist
To streamline adding movies to watchlists, I integrated a new feature into the watchlist layout. A dedicated button now directs users to a page with a comprehensive list of recommendations, allowing them to add multiple movies to their watchlist simultaneously. This enhancement reduces time and effort, improving user convenience and optimizing the watchlist creation experience.
Watchlist Management
Usability testing revealed difficulties in managing watchlists. To resolve this, I added separate buttons for deleting entire watchlists and editing individual items. This solution simplifies watchlist management, enhancing control and overall user experience.
Recommendations
Prime Video struggled with tailored recommendations, often showing repetitive or irrelevant content. To address this, we introduced recommendation lists based on actors and genres, offering a more refined and diverse selection. This enhances the user experience by aligning suggestions with individual tastes and interests.
Affinity Mapping
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Create categories to group insights.
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Compile data from all participants, noting positive and negative insights and recommendations.
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Analyze insights to identify recurring themes and patterns.
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Highlight common user experiences and pain points.
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Group issues by severity and impact on user experience.
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Prioritize critical issues for resolution.
Next Project
My Role
UI/UX Designer and Researcher
Methodologies
User Research, Usability Testing, Hueristic Evalution