User research was conducted from 2012-2016 to enhance the US Postal Service website. Iterative user testing using methods like usability testing, tree testing, card sorting and first click testing helped optimize sections, navigation, task flows and the responsive design. Both moderated and unmoderated methods with hundreds of participants provided insights to modernize the site and improve the user experience on desktop, mobile and tablet. The evolution of the site from 2013 to 2016 showed design and functionality improvements based on the user research findings.

1. User Research to Enhance the US Postal Service Website
mbecker@userworks.com  jbevitt@userworks.com  dhorst@userworks.com
Mark Becker  Jake Bevitt  Dick Horst
HFES Annual Meeting, Washington DC
September 22, 2016

2. Overview of Work
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
 Iterative user-centered design approach, started in 2012 and still ongoing
 Collaboration between UserWorks, Inc. and Aquilent
 Overview of work; see conference proceedings paper for more details
 Example of USPS’ commitment to improving the user experience
 Expand web services (especially mobile), modernize, stay relevant and profitable
 Hope to inspire other large organizations/agencies to do the same

3. Sections of USPS.com
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
 Homepage
 Global navigation
 Postal Store
 Making labels (Click-n-Ship)
 Global address book
 Tracking mail and packages
 Information sections
‣ Descriptions of services
‣ Special services for businesses
‣ Shipping requirements/restrictions
‣ Help and FAQ sections
 Companion sites and tools Some of the many
features of USPS.com

4. Goals
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
 Test new functionality
 Assess new layouts, visual designs
 Optimize the navigation
 Improve task flows
 Increase comprehension of concepts
 Modernize older sections of the site
 Evaluate the responsive design
 Address any known usability issues
 Overall, improve the user experience

5. Participants
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
 Users of USPS.com, competitors, novices/first-time/never used before
 Those who mail/ship from desktop, tablet, phone
 General public, business owners, mail marketers
 Frequency, recency of visiting USPS.com
 Reasons for visiting USPS.com (make purchases, print labels, find information, etc.)
 Age (“millennials”), gender, Internet proficiency, etc.

6. Research Methods Used
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
 Moderated methods
‣ Traditional one-on-one
‣ In-person and remote
‣ Desktop, mobile, and tablet
 Unmoderated methods
‣ Tree tests
‣ First-click tests
 Card sorts
‣ In-person with physical cards
‣ Remote with online tools Source: https://blog.prototypr.io/

7. Types of Data Collected
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
 Success rates
‣ Accomplishing tasks
‣ Locating content
 Time on task
 Clickpaths
 Errors
 Ratings
‣ Perceived difficulty
‣ Confidence
 Open-ended feedback
‣ Expectations
‣ Preferences
 Comprehension
‣ Terms
‣ Data tables, visualizations
 User-created content groupings
 Heat maps of where people click

8. Moderated Usability Tests
 Typically one-on-one
 Representative users perform representative tasks
 Follow up with ratings, probing questions
 Multiple rounds of moderated usability tests on the
Postal Store
‣ Consumers and business users
‣ In-person and remote
‣ Locate and purchase stamps, decide which type
and how many stamps to purchase
‣ Insights regarding navigation, amount and type
of product information to include, how to
categorize products
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
A participant attempting
a task during a session

9. Moderated Usability Tests – Pros and Cons
 Pros
‣ Ability to direct the course of a session
‣ Direct observation
‣ Can follow up with questions
 Cons
‣ Can be time consuming
‣ Sometimes difficult to accommodate busy schedules
‣ Typically smaller sample sizes
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016

10. Unmoderated User Research – Tree Testing
 Link sent to participant
 Participant accesses application through
link
 Application
‣ Displays instructions, tasks
‣ Collects data
 Tree test of USPS.com global navigation
‣ General public, hundreds of respondents
‣ Information location tasks
‣ Insights regarding whether architecture
was logical, labels were clear, and what
content belonged together
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
An example of a
USPS.com tree test

11. Unmoderated User Research – First Click Testing
 First click test of USPS.com visual update
‣ General public, hundreds of respondents
‣ Information location tasks
‣ Insights regarding
 Whether new design gave enough visual
clues that an area was clickable
 Whether labels, menu items were clear
 Where participants focused on in the
navigation
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
Results from a
USPS.com first click test

12. Unmoderated User Research – Pros and Cons
 Pros
‣ Larger sample size
‣ Asynchronous, participant does on own time
‣ Can get more data in less time
 Cons
‣ Participant behavior may be ambiguous
 Rushers
 Unmotivated
 Help from others
 Cheating
‣ Cannot easily ask follow up questions
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016

13. Card Sorts
 Organize cards representing content into
logical groups
 Either open (participant decides how many
groups and how to label each group) or
closed (number of groups and their labels
are predetermined)
 Can be in-person or online
 In-person open card sort of the Business
section of USPS.com
‣ Business users and mail marketers
‣ Validated the current information
architecture while identifying areas for
improvement
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
USPS.com Business
Section card sort

14. Card Sorts – Pros and Cons
 Pros
‣ How content is organized helps inform development of the information architecture
‣ Labels given to groups helps inform menu and navigation wording
‣ Can identify content that belongs together, belongs in multiple places, or does not
belong
 Cons
‣ Useful for developing the information architecture, but does not provide insights on
layout, visual design, functionality
‣ Participants do not actually see the content they are organizing, just titles or
explanations
‣ Online tools allow for only limited sub-grouping and cannot put the same card in
multiple categories
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016

15. Testing on Mobile Devices
 More customers purchasing products using mobile
devices
 USPS working to improve user experience of their
mobile site, ensure it has same functionality as the
full site
 Usability test of MyUSPS.com tool
‣ Consumers and business users
‣ Obtain expectations and impressions of the tool’s
functionality, comprehension of mailing/shipping
statuses, ability to set account preferences
‣ Insights regarding the tool’s perceived usefulness,
whether it raised privacy concerns, most liked
features, ideas for interface improvements
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
A participant exploring
the MyUSPS tool

16. Testing on Mobile Devices – Pros and Cons
 Pros
‣ Observe participants interacting with the site on the
device(s) it was designed for
‣ Can test responsive design
‣ Can compare usability between mobile and desktop
versions
 Cons
‣ Additional technical concerns
‣ May raise privacy concerns if participants use their
own devices
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
An example mobile test setup
using an overhead camera

17. The Evolution of USPS.com
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
USPS.com
September 2013
USPS.com
September 2016

18. Thanks for Listening!
User Research to Enhance the US Postal
Service Website
September 22, 2016
Mark Becker
mbecker@userworks.com
Jake Bevitt
jbevitt@userworks.com
Dick Horst
dhorst@userworks.com
UserWorks, Inc. performed the work described in
this paper while acting as a subcontractor to
Aquilent. We gratefully acknowledge their support
and collaboration.