Improve product usability
Administration page, before
Administration page, after
Business Need: CTB/McGraw-Hill is one of the top educational testing companies, and is committed to rapid innovation of its products. The company came to Adaptive Path with a specific need: to create a great user experience for the teachers and administrators who would use a new online testing system. Neither of these user groups has a lot of time, fast computers, or deep technological knowledge, but both would be using the system regularly and in-depth, so it was critical that the system support their needs.
Process and Solution: After an initial discussion with stakeholders, we evaluated the working prototype. We conducted combination interviews and usability tests with participants from a range of target user groups.
The interviews revealed several large differences in interests and needs between the user groups. Knowledge of these differences was critical later in the development process when we were prioritizing features and functionality to highlight in the final design.
The results of the usability test revealed a number of problems with the prototype. Several key functions were named such that potential users could not understand them, others were presented in a way that confused and prevented participants from completing given tasks.
Working closely with CTB's information architecture, design, and technical staff, Adaptive Path used these results to identify several key task flows. Continuing to work closely with CTB staff, we created detailed interaction designs, often working together with technical staff to make sure that everything designed was feasible and made best use of available technology.
Benefits: Designing from research results helped Adaptive Path and CTB create interaction designs that were:
- technologically feasible,
- focused on people's needs and abilities,
- linked to corporate needs and desires,
- and consistent with CTB's other products.
Furthermore, the research and iterative design processes allowed for a flexibility that would have been absent in a traditional specify-design-build model. When new requirements became apparent midway through the project, the team was able to adjust quickly and incorporate changes much more thoroughly.
Finally, the process taught CTB a lot about its users--knowledge that is useful long after project completion, as it affects the design of other products.
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