Heuristic Usability Analysis

Usability Test Plan

User Scenarios and Tasks

Scenario 1: Your Company asked you to return back to the D.C. office Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, but you’ve only ever worked remotely. You want to search and plan for parking beforehand on the Park Me DC app.

Task 1: Go on the Park Me DC app and search parking availability for Tuesday, October 12th at 8:30am.

Scenario 2: It’s Saturday night and you just arrived at a local bar in D.C., but you are not sure where you’re able to park. You want to quickly find available parking on 14th Street in D.C. and pay on the Park Me DC app.

Task 2: Go on Park Me DC app, see available parking at your current location, and pay for parking for 3 hours.

Goals:

· Create an account or login.

· Searching current for parking spaces with ease

· If going later, easily find ‘Go Later’ button

· Select an arrival and departure time

· View parking options and pricing

· Lists parking restrictions (permit parking, time limit)

· Pay for parking space through the app without confusion.

· Utilize the bottom navigation bar to park, add favorites, and view history as needed

Potential Observations:

· Users will express non-verbal cues through facial expressions (ie. if they are confused or the task is easy on the interface)

· Users will narrate their thoughts and actions with the ‘think-aloud method’.

· Users may spend unnecessary time clicking between pages to complete the task

· Users may repeat certain behaviors, showing difficulty completing the task

Qualitative Measurement List:

Users will score satisfaction on a 1-5 scale following performance of the designated tasks. 1 being strongly disagree, 5 being strongly agree.

Usability	Score (1-5)
This app makes finding and paying for parking easier
This app cuts down the time I would take to plan out parking
Showing the price and distance is helpful for me
The app layout and design is clear and not confusing
The payment system through the app is easy and straightforward
The app clearly shows any parking restrictions or time limits
I felt confused completing the task on the interface
The task was straightforward and easy to complete on the interface
The app functions were consistent and well integrated
This app is better than the other parking apps I’ve used
I would use this app again in the future

Post-Interview Questionnaire:

1. Was everything comprehensible on the app?

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2. Were you able to navigate easily to complete the task you were given? Explain.

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3. Did you find the way the app is structured too complex? Why or why not?

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4. What difficulties did you find? Be specific what page or step of the task.

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5. What did you like about the mobile app?

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6. How could we improve the mobile app?

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Usability Data

Participant 1:

Task 1: Go on the Park Me DC app and search parking availability for Tuesday, October 12th at 8:30am.

Task	Completed?	Comments/Observations
Sign-in	Yes	User filled in username and password. Asked if they needed an actual account
Navigate to ‘find parking later’ page	Yes, but navigated between 3 different pages before finding the page.	User was overwhelmed by ‘find parking now’ page. He clicked on the Park Now icon on the bottom, clicked Go Back, clicked Settings, then Search Address. He was focused and mumbled “what” and mentioned that the ‘Park Now’ icon should be labeled ‘Payment’.
Search for parking on specific day/time	Yes	User filled out the address, time, and date with no issues. He was visibly confused when he had to fill out the ‘Distance’. Said he did not know how far, but chose 1 mile
View and browse availability	Yes but has concerns	User spends a few moments on this page. Then asks if he has completed the task. He is visibly confused, and he asks if there is a way to reserve a parking spot. He proceeds to click Settings, but he realizes that there is no capability.

Participant 2:

Task 2: Go on Park Me DC app, see available parking at your current location, and pay for parking for 3 hours.

Task	Completed?	Comments/Observations
Sign-in	Yes but took longer	User clicked sign-up, had difficulties getting back to sign-in after ‘creating’ an account. The sign-up option has no way to submit, so she returned to the sign-in and filled out what she could.
View current parking availability	Yes	User moved around the map and said she liked how the price and rating was visible. User still tried to search current location, but realized after about 20 seconds that the map was live for her location. She attempted to ‘favorite’ a location, but this feature does not work in prototype.
Pay for parking	Yes	User fills out all required fields and clicks ‘Park Now’. User is taken to Active Parking and asks if the payment went through. Her eyebrows are raised and he seems concerned.

Users will score satisfaction on a 1-5 scale following performance of the designated tasks. 1 being strongly disagree, 5 being strongly agree. Participant 1: Purple Participant 2: Red

Usability	Participant 1	Participant 2
This app makes finding and paying for parking easier	3	4
This app cuts down time I would take to plan out parking	4	5
Showing the price and distance was helpful for me	5	4
The app layout and design is clear and not confusing	2	3
Paying for parking is easy and straightforward	N/A	5
I felt confused completing the task on the interface	2	3
The task was straightforward and easy to complete	3	3
The app functions were consistent and well integrated	3	4
This app is better than the other parking apps I’ve used	3	3
I would use this app again in the future	4	5

Post-Interview Questionnaire:

1. Was everything comprehensible on the app? Yes. Everything made sense.

I was a bit confused on the flow of the app at times. It made sense with some trial and error.

2. Were you able to navigate easily to complete the task you were given? Explain. Challenge with finding where to search for parking on specific date. Needed to go through settings, took longer than expected. Later realized there was ‘Go Later’ on the first page. All else was clear.

Navigating was easy! The pages flowed very smoothly.

3. Did you find the way the app is structured too complex? Concept is simple/easy to follow.

No! Very simple!

4. What difficulties did you find? Difficult to find search page from main page.

My biggest concern was if my payment went through or not. I was taken to the active parking page but wasn’t given any confirmation of the processed payment.

5. What did you like about the mobile app? Able to favorite locations, see active parking and history, parking location shown on map and in list with ratings. Simple design.

I never really know where to park when I go into the city. I like that this app instantly shows you parking nearby your location. As long as the payment is confirmed, I think that process was super easy too!

6. How could we improve the mobile app?

Make the ‘Find Parking Later’ page easier to access. Page is cluttered. Add ability to reserve a spot for a future date.

I mentioned it before, but a payment confirmation would be helpful. I also think the Park Now icon should be renamed to Pay Now.

Recommendations

Usability Problem	Severity	Solutions
Confusing sign-in/sign-up process (users MUST sign-in and the sign-up option has no submit form button)	Major	Need to add ‘continue as guest’ option and add a ‘sign-up final button for when users fill out their information. Could also add instructions for how the app and process works so users understand why having an account is helpful.
No payment confirmation	Major	Have the active parking page update as soon as the payment is processed. Could also have a confirmation email sent, and have the app give the option to set a reminder 30 minutes before the parking expires? Give the option to extend parking.
Unclear navigation to ‘Find Parking Later’ page	Minor	Add a navigation bar on the home page (‘Find Parking Now’) that gives users the option to search now or search later. There’s no easy way to navigate back to this page other than going through settings, or if the user clicks on the ‘Go Later’ button on the home page. However, that can be missed.
Inconsistent ability to ‘Go Back’	Minor	Some pages link back or allow users to ‘Go Back’, while other do not. I should add a go-back button at the top left of every page, or have a clearer, simpler page flow so users do feel the need to jump between pages.
Advanced payments for parking	Minor	User expressed desire to be able to reserve a parking space for future dates. This would be extremely helpful for people who know what day/time they need to park for. Therefore, I would also need to add an ‘Upcoming Parking’ tab to the History page. Users would be able to see current, past, and upcoming parking.
No instructions or introduction for user	Minor	Would be helpful to add an introduction explaining the step-by-step process of how the app works. This would be extremely helpful for users to more easily navigate the interface and cause less confusion.
Busy screen and lack of white space	Cosmetic	Give frame generous margins and give more white space area. For example, the ‘Find Parking Now’ page lacks white space, and it feels extremely crowded. Need to have it similar to the ‘Find Parking Later’ page.