This is an expert evaluation by Kern for mVaayoo. It illustrates the usability issues and the exits points form where the potential user will quit the site, which results in significant business loss.
2. In this expert usability evaluation Kern identified 6 Exit points 12 Critical 18 Major 8 Medium & 11 Low usability issues (from where user will quit the service) User cannot send bulk SMS “ ”
3. Which users are you attracting ??? I have to send Ugadi greetings to my relatives and friends…….. Sending SMS will cost me 20 Rs. Its Holi tomorrow, just need to register as new user…….. Freebie 20 SMS Free!!!!!!
4. Which users are you attracting ??? I have to send Ugadi greetings to my relatives and friends…….. Sending SMS will cost me 20 Rs. Its Holi tomorrow, just need to register as new user…….. I have to SMS product update information to 10,000 users….let me try mVaayoo Need to learn Excel !!! How would it look on a mobile?? Can I introduce my companies branding in messages sent ???? Demos do not show how to actually use the features? How do I explain its working to my boss?. Freebie Business User 20 SMS Free!!!!!!
5. Kêrn Communications The Freebie Gaurav studies in 12 th standard. He owns a Nokia xxxx. He is well acquainted with mobile phones and internet. He knows all the features in his phone. He regularly browses internet and shares that knowledge with his friends and also learns from them. He keeps in touch with his friends and relatives with the help of internet. Personae – Student The Business User Ms. Seema is a Asst. Manager at a media house. She is currently working on a brand promotion for her new client and seeking ways to promote this using mobiles. She has a large database of her clients customers and wishes to announce the product launch through SMS. Seema has a deadline to meet in next 2 days and is in search of a quick and cost effective SMS service.
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8. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS services available Task 1: Choose a bulk SMS service to start with User clicks here Typically a user begins his search for bulk SMS service through Google
9. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS services available Task 1: Choose a bulk SMS service to start with Website not in the first page of the results
10. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS services available Task 1: Choose a bulk SMS service to start with ‘ mVaayoo’ website appears on the second page of the result User clicks here Issue: The appears on the second page of the result (Medium) The users do not tend to look beyond the first page of the results
11. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS services available Task 2: Learn about the service Is this a bulk SMS service? The sequence of focus area where the users is looking for to understand about the service. 1
12. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS services available Task 2: Learn about the service Is this a bulk SMS service? The sequence of focus area where the users is looking for to understand about the service. 1 2 Issue: Overload of information (Major) The content on the homepage does not let the users know that its for bulk SMS. The user will have to spend a lot of efforts to learn this. 3
13. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS services available Task 2: Learn about the service Is this a bulk SMS service? The sequence of focus area where the users is looking for to understand about the service. 1 2 Issue: Different font sizes and colour hampers readability (Major) In the four sentences there are three font sizes and three different colours used. This makes it very difficult for the user to read it. They usually leave it unread. Issue: Overload of information (Major) The content on the homepage does not let the users know that its for bulk SMS. The user will have to spend a lot of efforts to learn this. 3 Issue: This is very lengthy and non-interactive (Medium) The demo is very lengthy and does not give user any control to pause, skip or rewind any particular sections.
14. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS services available Task 2: Learn about the service Is this a bulk SMS service? The sequence of focus area where the users is looking for to understand about the service. 1 2 4 Issue: Different font sizes and colour hampers readability (Major) In the four sentences there are three font sizes and three different colours used. This makes it very difficult for the user to read it. They usually leave it unread. Issue: Overload of information (Major) The content on the homepage does not let the users know that its for bulk SMS. The user will have to spend a lot of efforts to learn this. 3 5 6 Issue: User does not read the content (Medium) Users only read the headings and hop to the next topic. Its very rare that a user will read all the presented content. Issue: This is very lengthy and non-interactive (Medium) The demo is very lengthy and does not give user any control to pause, skip or rewind any particular sections.
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16. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS services available Task 2: Learn about the service User clicks here Issue: The link that can help the user to instantly start using service is listed last in order (Major) This is the only link which suggests the user to start doing something or learn about the service. It being located at the current location is likely to be missed by the user. What do I click to try/use the service immediately? Design Direction : Move this to a better accessible location on screen Provide this link at a place where the user is most likely to rest his eyes first on screen. Also provide a way by which he can start SMSing instantly to see how it works
17. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 2: Learn about the service I cannot fill this form. How do I register? Issue: The text is cluttered and sentences are long (Major) The font (color and size) makes it difficult to read. Lines have more than 8-10 words. This makes scanning difficult
18. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 2: Learn about the service I cannot fill this form. How do I register? Issue: The text is cluttered and sentences are long (Major) The font (color and size) makes it difficult to read. Lines have more than 8-10 words. This makes scanning difficult Issue: Important information lost (critical) This looks like a form to be filled. It misguides and confuses the user.
19. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 2: Learn about the service I cannot fill this form. How do I register? Design Direction: provide a direct access to fill the form There is no need to show the picture of a form. Showing a clear link to ‘Register’ will serve the purpose Issue: The looks like an interactive form. (critical) This looks like a form to be filled. It misguides and confuses the user. Issue: The text is cluttered and sentences are long (Major) The font (color and size) makes it difficult to read. Lines have more than 8-10 words. This makes scanning difficult Issue: Important information lost (critical) This looks like a form to be filled. It misguides and confuses the user.
20. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 2: Learn about the service Fold 1 Issue: This does not guide the user to learn about the service (critical) The information presented is very verbose and does not take user step-by-step. It is very cluttered. Showing the lengthy form as the most important starting requirement will ensure that most of the prospective users drop out from here. Design Direction: Present end to end service information. What is the service , its advantages. About the different packages, reply number, branding and premium short codes. It SHOULD help the user make a decision here. What is the service about? Exit point 2 Issue : Most important information is lost (High) The user at this point is interested to lean about the service and its packages. Does it suits his requirements etc. The presented information only him to get started once he has decide to use the service.
21. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 2: Learn about the service User clicks here Task 2 Partial Success: It does not help user learn about other SMS services and packages.
22. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 3: Send a few trial SMS User clicks here Issue: Text in the button doesn't use the right verb.(low) Use of ‘Login’ in place of ‘Submit’ is appropriate.
23. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 3: Send a few trial SMS Issue: The concept of reply number is not familiar (Major) The user is not familiar with ‘Reply number’ but it is one of the important features of this service Issue: Important information is buried in the text.(Major) A user SHOULD know about his free credits. This information is lost in this text.
24. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 3: Send a few trial SMS Issue: Cluttered text (low) It is difficult for the user to scan through the text because of its font. Users typically do not read introduction text in forms. Issue: All text fields of same size(low) The length of text fields is same and doesn't reflect the length of the data to be typed in the field Issue: The concept of reply number is not familiar (Major) The user is not familiar with ‘Reply number’ but it is one of the important features of this service User scrolls down Issue: Important information is buried in the text.(Major) A user SHOULD know about his free credits. This information is lost in this text.
25. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 3: Send a few trial SMS Why do you ask for information which is not necessary? User clicks here Exit point 3 Issue: Form consists unnecessary field (low) If the information is not required then why is user asked to fill it. This usually ensures that people drop out from here, as they have been asked to fill lengthy forms
26. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 3: Send a few trial SMS I don’t need to get my password, I can directly start messaging? Issue: Difficult to scan the text (Major) The user ignores the text as it is difficult to scan. The message contains important information of ‘reply number’ which the user fails to notice.
27. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 3: Send a few trial SMS Issue: Decision making dilemma for user. (critical) What is user supposed to do, get his password form his email or start messaging instantly. I don’t need to get my password, I can directly start messaging? Issue: Difficult to scan the text (Major) The user ignores the text as it is difficult to scan. The message contains important information of ‘reply number’ which the user fails to notice. User clicks here even before checking his email for the password. Issue: This looks like a button (low) This looks like a button and invites the user to click it. There is no difference between the info text and the button Exit point 4
28. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 3: Send a few trial SMS Issue: Feedback not noticed by user (Major) The feedback doesn't grab user attention and goes unnoticed. This can confuse the user Why can’t I Log in? User types in email and types the desired password and clicks ‘Submit’ Exit point 5 Issue: The text field is not sufficient to type the details. (Medium) The complete username cannot be viewed as the text box is very small. It is critical that the user checks the details he has typed.
29. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 3: Send a few trial SMS User clicks here to send the message User types the numbers User types the message Wow! That was pretty easy. Shall come back next to ask my friends for movie plans. Mvaayoo is gaining loyalty from undesired user group
30. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 3: Send a few trial SMS Task 3 Success: User can send SMS but with some effort Issue: What is the balance (Medium) Once the user has sent his first trial SMS, this pages looks like a dead end. It does not lures the user to send another SMS Selling Point By now the user has sent the first SMS and his motivation is high. This is a good point to sell the service and its advantages.
31. Goal 1: I would like to check the bulk SMS service available Task 3: Send a few trial SMS Issue: What's TA(Medium) Why does the brand appear along with TA?
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33. Goal 2: Send SMS to a group Task 1: Compose a SMS User logs in
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36. Goal 2: Send SMS to a group Task 1: Compose a SMS Task 1 Partial Success: User able to type text. However, the “delete” button is unresponsive in the text box provided. Also, there is no feedback of the exceeded character limit. Issue: User most likely to click “Cancel” (Medium) User is most likely to click on cancel because it is in line with positive actionable strokes like “Message” “To” etc. Issue: Unimportant functions easily accessible! (Medium) Most bulk message senders will not want to forward their business cards, not would he want to send a picture message Issue: Insufficient information to perform action (Major) What is a flash message. How do I add it? Would my message appear as a flash message. Do I have to pay for it? Nothing is answered here. Issue: Inactive spell check(Major) The red squiggly doesn’t provide the right spelling. Task 1 Failed .
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38. Goal 2: Send SMS to a group Task 2: Add the contact details of recipients Issue: Message Deleted!. (Critical) Not knowing what to do, the user clicks a few things a couple of times, and his message disappears. Darn it! Where did my message go! I have to type it again!? Issue : Conflicting Messages. When I didn’t upload anything, what do I download? (Major) While the drop down says I can upload a file, the link below says download. What do I download? User is left clueless. Not knowing what else to do, user clicks on “download” I clicked on “Upload File,” now where did my message go? Exit point 6
39. Goal 2: Send SMS to a group Task 2: Add the contact details of recipients Why did I take the effort to download this useless file! Task 1 : Cannot upload file. (Critical) Having clicked on “upload file” the user is unable to upload his contact file. There is no visual feedback of any action. Issue : Titles not Intuitive(Major) Assuming this is the format of mobile numbers to be saved, it isn’t the natural way people save contacts. It is usually the name followed by mobile number and/or email-id. Issue : “Message” is confusing (Major) The purpose of “message” is not clear. One cannot even guess what this is because in the web form, user has already typed/pasted his message. Issue : No Information provided. (Critical) No Information of what to do with this document. User downloads this excel and finds very little, useless information.
40. Goal 2: Send SMS to a group Task 2: Add the contact details of recipients User uploads a file and clicks send. User uploads a file and clicks “send.”
41. Goal 2: Send SMS to a group Task 2: Add the contact details of recipients Issue: Feedback not useful (Critical) The feedback provided makes no sense to the user. User doesn’t understand what “formatted” means, nor how should he rectify it. Task 2 Failed . What does “No formatted data” mean?
42. Goal 2: Send SMS to a group Task 3: Send SMS Task 3 FAILED (Critical): Cannot Send SMS. No support provided to the user to rectify the website’s inability to send message. User unable to send bulk messages. Goal 2 Failed . Now I have to find another better service to send bulk messages!
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44. Goal 1: I want to check the records of SMS I sent Task 1: Select a sent SMS to view details Where is ‘messages sent’ or ‘sent messages’? Issue: Is this the heading?(Medium) The colored bar with bold font at the top lets the user know it’s the heading for all the below listed items. This is not true and hence misleads the user OK let me try ‘sent items’ as that suggests something sent. Click 1 User clicks here as he wants to check his sent messages Where is ‘Sent Messages’? Or may be ‘SMS Sent’?
45. Goal 1: I want to check the records of SMS I sent Task 1: Select a sent SMS to view details What is my balance credit? Issue: Very lengthy sentence (low) The sentence is very lengthy and spread across the page. The user looses the motivation to read once he reaches the “for viewing later’. He forces himself to read further and make sense of the sentence. On an average the user will have to read this two times to understand its meaning. Issue: What is the balance (low) This does not displays the balance credits here. A user will be more interested in knowing the balance along with used. Click 1 User clicks on the hyperlinked message title to view the complete message.
46. Goal 1: I want to check the records of SMS I sent Task 1: Select a sent SMS to view details Why cant I read the sent message? Task 1 FAILED (Critical) : Cannot open the message to read. The application throws a error message, which does not make any sense to the end user.
47. Goal 1: I want to check the records of SMS I sent Task 1: Select a sent SMS to view details Where is sender name and reply number? Issue (Critical) : There is no information about the recipient of the message. The most important information while checking a sent message is to see whom was it sent to then the message content. Issue (Critical) : Where is sender name or reply number? The instruction indicates to click the sender name or the reply number, its clueless where one should SEARCH for this in the complete application as it is not present on this page. Issue: This is lost in the UI (low) This is out of focus area and needs efforts to be searched. Replace this to an appropriate location.
48. Goal 1: I want to check the records of SMS I sent Task 1: Select a sent SMS to view details Wrong location of error message Issue: Difficult to locate the error message (low) This is almost ignorable. User will have to search for this. Issue: Why let choose a future date? (low) The calendar allows the user to select a future date to pull the sent message data. Task 1 Failed .
49. Goal 1: I want to check the records of SMS I sent Task 1: Edit the same message to compose a new message Wrong location of error message Task 2 Failed . Task 2 failed as it was dependent on letting the user view the sent message. AS task 1 failed, this one too fails Goal 3 Failed .
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51. Kern Communications Usability Testing in India User Research in India User Interface Design 210 B, Swapnalok Complex Sarojini Devi Road, Secunderabad 500 003 INDIA p +91 40 40171313 m +91 99 597 77427 e [email_address] w www.kern-comm.com
