User Experience Research
In spring 2006 I worked in a team of four analysts to evaluate the overall user experience of BlueStream, a digital media asset repository system built at the University of Michigan. We were brought into the project to help the project developers and director better understand their audience's technical expertise and needs, and to uncover major usability issues that may limit the adoption of the application across the University.
During the three month project engagement, the team conducted a variety of qualitative and quantitative research:
Generalized transition network
- What are the major pathways in the application?
Stakeholder and user interviews
- Who are the intended users of this application?
Surveys
- How experienced are users with managing digital media?
- What functionality do users need to store, manage, find, and view digital media?
- Are users familiar with any similar or competing applications? If so, which?
Competitive analysis
- What major features and functionality do competitor applications offer?
Heuristic and visual evaluation
- Identify "low hanging fruit" problem areas
- Identify complicated problem areas that need to be further evaluated in usability testing
Usability test
- Do users understand what this application is for?
- Are users able to upload and edit content to the appropriate repository?
- Are users able to find, view, and download content stored in the application?
- Do users understand the metadata definitions available? Which do they need?
Sample deliverables
The following sample deliverables were part of the complete set of materials my team developed during our research with BlueStream. All deliverables are in PDF format.
- Personas and scenarios
- Visual evaluation report
- Usability evaluation report (includes test plan, screener, and consent form)
- Final presentation given to stakeholders