Heuristic Evaluation, Usability Testing
Evaluating EagleView's Property Report Checkout Flow
Overview
This case study highlights the usability research conducted on EagleView’s property report checkout flow. The objective was to identify usability issues hindering users from successfully completing their transactions and provide actionable recommendations for an improved user experience.
My Role
I led a team of five MS HCI students who conducted the usability research for this project. I was responsible for overseeing the research process, executing the heuristic evaluation and usability testing, and communicating the results to stakeholders. I served as the primary point of contact, bridging communication between stakeholders, my research team, and our academic advisor, ensuring alignment between research findings and business goals.
Problem Statement
EagleView's website offers property reports for homeowners, architects, and real estate professionals. However, usability issues in the checkout flow were affecting user satisfaction and completion rates.
This study aimed to answer the following questions:
What usability problems exist in the checkout flow?
How can the checkout process be optimized to better meet user expectations?
Heuristic Evaluation
We evaluated the website based on Jakob Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics to identify and focus on key usability issues before engaging with users. Every team member individually conducted a Heuristic Evaluation of the selected application to identify usability issues. We mapped the identified usability issues under the identified usability principles. We compiled our individual evaluations to create a report and generate usability issues under high, medium, or low priority.
View Report
Defining Usability Testing Goals
We collaborated with the stakeholders to develop a test plan that helped us define the objective of the entire project and underline the methodologies we would use to conduct usability evaluation. It also served as a mode of communication between the stakeholders and the evaluators for the roadmap of the evaluation plan.
Navigation & Findability:
Are users able to locate essential elements such as the order button and checkout process?
Information Clarity:
Do users understand the product descriptions, pricing, and options available?
Checkout Flow:
Are users encountering any friction while completing their orders?
Error Prevention & Feedback:
Are system responses clear when users make errors or require guidance?
Methodology
We conducted usability testing with 7 participants (6 actual studies, 1 pilot) to validate our heuristic evaluation findings and uncover additional usability pain points. Each session had 1 moderator and 1 note-taker. Participants were given a short introduction on the application and be asked to complete a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) as well as a background questionnaire before proceeding to the formal evaluation. We also asked for their consent to record the session. After the participant went through different scenarios presented by the moderator, s/he was asked to complete a post-study questionnaire and a debriefing session to share additional thoughts about the system. Information regarding their preferred method of compensation was also be gathered at the end of the evaluation.
Tasks
Login/signup
Enter property address
—>
Review and select a plan
Complete the checkout process
—>
Navigate and Explore Dashboard
Review the generated reports
Data Collection
Think-aloud protocol
Participants verbalized their thoughts while completing tasks.
Observation
Researchers noted pain points and confusion in real time.
Post-task interviews
Participants provided qualitative feedback about their experience.
Results and Recommendations
Currently under NDA. Contact me to know more!
Learnings
Stakeholder engagement was key: Regular communication with the client and professor ensured that findings were actionable and aligned with business goals.
The study emphasized the importance of aligning usability heuristics with real user behaviors, demonstrating the value of combining expert evaluation with hands-on usability testing.
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