International Usability Testing Reveals A Need For User-Centered Design

I was asked to help the team responsible for one of Cisco's network inventory tools determine why their product was receiving negative feedback during the pilot.

Approach

I started investigating this problem by conducting a brief heuristic analysis of the tool's interface. I uncovered many usability problems. While these insights were welcome, executives and stakeholders wanted to see direct user data. They also wanted an international perspective.

I recognized this as an opportunity to take an even more holistic approach to the problem analysis. I created a usability test plan that gave users a chance to work through the major functions of the tool and discuss its use. In particular I sought to:

A task from my usability discussion guide.

  • gauge their comprehension of the tool's abilities
  • gauge how well they could use the tool
  • test the terminology used in the tool
  • understand how the tool fit into their overall workflows

I recruited 15 users for this test, including domestic customers, international customers, and internal Cisco users. With each participant, I conducted a remote usability test session using Cisco WebEx. WebEx enabled me to see the participant's screen and record it, as well as record our phone conversation. I then analyzed the data in order to understand users' displeasure with the inventory tool.

Impact

I presented the findings from the usability study and my own expert analysis to the tool's stakeholders and executives. The report clearly illustrated that users were getting stuck on even the most basic functions as a result of engineering-centered design. The report also offered corrective user-centered design suggestions and broader insight into how the tool ought to adapt to fit into users' workflows.

The results of the usability study were eye opening for the tool team. Several design suggestions were adopted immediately and others were placed on the roadmap for future development. The team also walked away with a newfound appreciation for user-centered research.

Sample Usability Report Slides