Week 15\16 - Usability Tests Session (24\03-07\04)

After the energetic work on the apartment profile screen, we went out for usability tests in order to test our work on the users and get feedback accordingly.

First, we have defined three scenarios that we will present to users to perform the usability tests properly (attached to the scenarios in the link). Next, we compiled the table of performance metrics (KPIs) we did last week, which will help us define and track our progress towards goals related to interface design while reflecting user behavior into practical insights that will enhance the product usability experience.

We conducted about 15 usability tests in total this week.

Each group member has a tab in the table where he can fill in the insights that came up in his tests. Attach a Google Sheets file for user testing details:

It should be noted that after a long period of working on MVP screens, it was nice and refreshing to meet people and share the product with them.

The general impression we got from the users is positive and even many testified that they are excited to be able to use the app. Aside from the group satisfaction, the tests made us realize that we are on the right path and that the problem is true as acute as we believe.

To summarize the process, we met to discuss findings and insights accordingly. We will now note what the the most common insights that came up and how we corrected them accordingly:

• Micro-copy: Despite the research we conducted and the attempt to adapt the language to the target audience, many users testified that there are problems and are unable to understand the intent, such as CTA buttons or the titles of the various sects. For example: "must-see pictures" - many did not understand where the pictures came from, why they were presented to them.

How we fixed that? Before:

After:

• Navigation menu: Another common problem was the duplication we chose to display the apartment save function in favorites. On the one hand, we used the "heart" sign in the top menu to save the apartment and on the other hand, we used the navigation bar with the "saved" icon. This has confused users and a misunderstanding about the save option.

How we fixed that?

Before:

After:

** As you can see, we noticed that the location of the icons was typical of the interface written in English so we changed that too. Also, we decided that the main button in the bottom menu should be the "Add" function.

• Period of stay in a tenant's apartment - many testified that the important detail for them is to know the length of time the tenants stayed in the apartment (from entry to exit), term of the contract - an indication that is currently missing.

How we fixed that?

Before:

After:

• Additional comments from the tenants - in addition to the tags, there is an option for tenants to enter a message in free text (limited in characters) to strengthen the feedback on the apartment. Users have testified that it is not clear whether the text is a quote or who wrote it.

How we fixed that?

Before (on the right)

After (on the left)

• Rating of the apartment - the users lacked a mirror about how much each tenant rated the apartment and even how much they rated each parameter individually (apartment owner, maintenance, around) and not just the overall rating.

How we fixed that?

After clicking on the star at the top of the screen, a pop-up will open containing the data:

• Conclusion - Many users testified that they lacked a "bottom line", detailed information that would justify or disqualify the choice of apartment based on the given information. That is, after reading the information they are interested in getting an intention or summary of what has been said so far, in a simplicity that will help them make the right decision for them.

** This conclusion is based on the number of tags marked positive and the number of tags marked negative by the tenant

Overall view of the screen design

Week 14 - Improving Our MVP (17-24\03)

Before Passover, we held a meeting with several mentors from the lab in order to receive professional feedback on the design of the interface. As a result, we have concluded that there are several critical issues.

1. First, our goal in the pilot, as mentioned, is to appeal to a very specific target audience - apartment renters in the city of Beer Sheva. Thus, one can see the problem when it is in English, which is not the native language of potential users. This may deter users and create a certain misunderstanding when they first meet.

Therefore, our first mission was a bit challenging. We designed the app from the beginning in the Hebrew language. It should be noted that we conducted in-depth research and search for inspiration regarding the style of the language, before making the changes.

Some relevant links that helped us as follows:

- https://www.microcopy.co.il/what-is-microcopy

- https://www.microcopy.co.il/

- https://www.microcopim.co.il/

Then, we realized that there would be problems in the way we chose to display the cards (which show the information about the apartment history). As you can see in the"before" picture attached above, there is a separation between the cards, which confused the users, although we thought that the timeline that passes through them strengthens the connectivity between them. This was not understood by the users.

Moreover, the cards are designed with a certain shadow that on the surface seems aesthetic and attractive but on the other hand, impairs the understanding of the interface because it looks clickable - which is not true in practice.

Shadow Example:

Therefore, we made several significant changes to the interface view. We first looked for many inspirations, which user interfaces are accustomed from well-known and successful apps and which is consistent with the way we want to present the data. We have concluded that the most correct and intuitive to display the cards as they were at first, but the information contained in each card will be displayed on a separate screen.

Also, you can see that we have chosen to make a change in terms of the colors displayed. First, the main color of the app is changed to dark blue. Besides, in the cards on the apartment profile page, we chose to use colors more smartly and understandably than they were. As you can see we removed the red and green colors from the tabs, give all the cards the same color, and only when the user enters a specific card can it be seen that it has been given a green color- indicating that it was seen by the user - a check sign.

The new interface of the apartment profile

What happened when we select one of the cards:

After completing the card reading:

Also, the writing was done in a way that directly addresses both sexes in a way that does not pretend to be academic but in everyday language as is common in a conversation between people, with an emphasis on a young, fresh and attractive micro-copy which in our opinion will encourage a stronger connection with the user audience.

After:

Before:

More After:

Moreover, we chose to strengthen the young and experienced design line by designing icons from the same family with the same color pallete we chose (# 003050, # 1AD769) which will contribute to presenting the information and conveying the message more enjoyably.

Some examples to illustrate:

Lastly, we created an initial prototype with basic and relevant interactions that would allow us to test the above on potential users.

For illustration, a video sent to team members during the week is attached to update everyone on the latest changes made:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YCPqduvrmXVpFGqUhbWKfS7Z0ijZ8GqA/view

You know what ... If you're already here, why not try it for yourself ? Attach a link to the prototype, feel free to leave your opinion in the comments

https://www.figma.com/proto/qshVgQg9EIHrMaHKeVSRQU/Apt.-Profile---MVP-(Prototype)?node-id=0%3A1

Any opinion can help (;

Week 13 - MVP Beta Version (10-17\03)

Most of the work this week focused on re-design the apartment history profile screen. As is well known, in previous weeks we performed user tests and received professional feedback from some mentors in the field and concluded that there are problems with the interface and experience of this screen. One of the challenges presented to us is to bridge this gap and find a solution.

During the group thinking process, many ideas were raised. the most prominent was focusing on the pros and cons model when requiring to make a fateful decision. Our goal is to try and understand how our users think, what is the way they tend to act, for example in the real world in order to make a decision. Thus, we understand that the user needs simplicity and efficiency so we want to provide them with this through a friendly interface that simplifies this model.

From Sketches:

Therefore, we first tried to understand what we need to display on this screen, based on the information that users entered into the system (on the onboarding stage). Accordingly, we designed an interface that displays cards. Each card represents the information entered by a past tenant. However, there will not always be information from a number of tenants. So we designed the screen for two scenarios:

1. In the case of single feedback to the apartment, we will present it as follows:

2. At best, there are several feedbacks from previous tenants, so we will use the information in the following cards:

To sum up the week, we decided that it is too early to go out for the usability tests and we will complete this in the coming days to come up with a satisfactory MVP that will yield our value from the users' feedback.