Collaboratory User Dashboard
B2C
Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation
Collaboratory is a software that helps higher education understand the landscape of their engagement – the who, what, where, when and why of activities designed with and for their community. This reframes the focus of reporting on work actually happening between the institution and the community, with data on collaborators, courses, research, and funding to support it.
Our team sought to address the main features and uses of the platform. Our usability testing method involves observing potential users as they interact with the Collaboratory platform, which helps us identify and create recommendations for problems as they arise.
Project Type
Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation
My Contribution
UX research
Usability Testing
Duration
Jan 2024 - April 2024
Business Goal
How might we make the platform more user-friendly and effective for new and potential users?
Discover
Interaction Map
To analyze the key features of the client's websites and how effectively they meet users' needs, we developed interaction maps for the Collaboratory's webpages. This approach enabled us to pinpoint potential user issues and breakdowns.
User Interview
The primary purpose of the interview session was to gather user goals and needs, understand user experiences, identify pain points, and gather insights on the usage and functionality of the Collaboratory website.
For recruitment, our client reached out to 10 professionals from four different universities across the nation that use the Collaboratory platform. We conducted the interviews online via Zoom.
Key Findings:
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Need for a unified, centralized system for managing community engagement data
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2. Users want to improve how data is used and shared with community members
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3. Usability and adaptability challenges with the Collaboratory platform ( User Experience Challenges , Technical Issues, Adoption Barriers )
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4. Desire for easier methods to handle community involvement data and show its effects
Competitor Analysis
To conduct a comprehensive competitive analysis to understand how various platforms facilitate community engagement, collaboration, and event management, we selected 4 products to analyze.
Survey
In order to enhance the user experience of the Collaboratory Platform, we employed a survey to ascertain user characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors. With the overarching objectives to identify the core needs of our target audience, we designed a survey with 18 primary questions and received answers from 30+ users across various roles in academic institutions.
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3 in 10 users are new to the Collaborotory platform and require guidance to navigate it effectively
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55% of users report that they primarily use Collaborotory for browsing activities and accessing resources
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40% of users enter their data on a weekly basis
Heuristics Evaluation
We utilize the Nielsen Norman’s 10 Usability Heuristics evaluation method to identify and prioritize usability issues without extensive user interaction data, emphasizing a swift, impactful approach to refinement. Key findings include the need for clearer system status visibility, error prevention, and improved user control and navigation.
User Control and Freedom
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Lack of a 'return' button on each page restricts user control.
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Users cannot easily navigate backward without using the browser’s back function.
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Users may get frustrated as they can become 'lost' and forget their navigation path.
Consistency and Standards
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Page designs and layouts, such as the dashboard, homepage, and help center, have different colors and designs.
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Inconsistencies in Collaboratory's design increase users' cognitive load.
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Internal inconsistencies within Collaboratory include variations in icons, font sizes, and design styles.
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Usability Test
Method
Create Tasks
4 Tasks (1 Backup) catered to potential users4
Recruit Users
4 participants - provided a tutorial and minimized bias in testing
Observe /Log data
Data logging sheet & testing via Zoom
Analyze Data
Finding patterns in the log
Finding
Users struggled with locating information using “Search”
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Challenging to use the search and filters
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Search page were either hard to find or not obvious to use (first intention)
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Click “update” again after applying the filter
Recommendations
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Redesign the interface to place search page in a more prominent location
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Fix the filters so that it automatically applies
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Consider a fixed position for the search bar so that it remains accessible as users scroll through pages
Finding
Multiple Layers of Navigation
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Essential features were not readily accessible
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Had to navigate through multiple pages or menus
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Increases the cognitive load, especially for new users
Recommendations
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Reduce the number of clicks required to reach essential functions.
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Make important features accessible within two clicks from home page
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Consider adding a “Search” function/filters on the activity page as well
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Finding
Help Center actions were not easily visible
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Difficult in finding the Help Center and specific articles
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Elements were either too small, poorly placed, or not sufficiently highlighted (Text, buttons, etc.)
Recommendations
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Increase the font size of crucial navigational elements
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Use higher contrast colors to make text and buttons stand out
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Consider the use of bold typography to draw attention to Help Center option
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Different types of support materials, such as FAQs, tutorials, and policy documents
Reflections
Crucial role of empathy in understanding users' needs and frustrations
Empathy allows me to put myself in the users' shoes, which helps me better identify pain points and inconsistencies that might not be immediately apparent. During testing and interviews, it is very importance to actively listen to users' feedback, observe their interactions, and ask open-ended questions that encourage users to share their thoughts and feelings.
Framing survey/interview questions in a way that invites users to express their genuine experiences
Survey and interview questions should be clear, concise, and focused on understanding the users' perspectives. For example, instead of asking, "Did you find the navigation easy?" asking, "Can you describe any difficulties you encountered while navigating the site?" helps me gather more in-depth insights and more helpful for me to improve user experience based on users' feedback.
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