This project was produced to analyze usability data conducted through the creation and completion of tasks on the Desert Vista High School website by actual users of varying demographics. Based on usability data, I thought it necessary to redesign the website’s homepage to remedy the issues mentioned by the users.
Users reported issues with the Home page, specifically: finding links, necessary information and announcements, and the calendar events.
To enhance user experience, I made recommendations to the layout of the main page and navigation bar to clear confusion and frustration. In the final design, the principle of less is more is applied to the navigation bar and the homepage showcases essential information while maintaining a compact and simple design.
I did not assume any user needs as they could all differ. Thus, in order to create, I needed to define. This started with identifying who was going to be using this page the most and for what. The original website belongs to a local high school so it can be concluded that the majority of users are prior, current, or prospective students or parents.
Users were sought out as students or parents of students at the school. I developed a hypothesis that the biggest need was information displayed in a format they could easily understand and navigate. The interviews findings validated the hypothesis.
Issues from the task scenarios and interviews:
Emphasize the information found on the website and demonstrate a sense of unity and school values
Attract users and show that the site has reputability and encourages trust
My recommendations were extracted from user interviews and UX principles. The recommendations are found below.
A difficult question is what is considered “important” information. My thought process here was to ask users since they ultimately decide what information they are looking for on the site.
I also found by looking at the already existing navigation and headings on the main page, I perceived the most used information to be the Activities, Athletics, and Announcements pages related to the school.
Though, not inherently a design issue, a functionality issue contributes to poor usability.When links are not working, they lead people to lack trust in the site and the information being presented.
With these ideas in mind, I developed two low fidelity wireframes to showcase the announcements and overall layout of the main page and documented the pros and cons.
I showcased available links and placed key information in a visual hierarchical format dedicated to increasing usability and overall satisfaction. Because of the nature of this project, the final design lacked real user structured feedback at the end to determine if the new design is more user friendly.
Although I did quite a bit of reflection and evaluation of the interviews, asking for feedback from users is essential in concluding if the design was successful. Moreover, through the absence of a team, I realized the significance of having designers and developers contribute and provide their ideas and feedback.
Gathering data is incredibly influential in design decisions. With all data, it is dependent on who and where you receive feedback to drive many design decisions. In order to get a more expansive view of users, a larger pool and greater representation of users according to the site analytics would allow for a more accurate depiction.
This redesign was helpful in communicating the “why” and “how” users used this specific site and the differences in needs from parents, students, and faculty. It brought up a thought-provoking question: “When we design, which users do we design for?” And going forward, I'd like to note that while we design for some, there are others who will interact with the product even if they were unaccounted for.
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