Towards Meaningful Breaks – Results from our Usability Study
Problem 1: User confusion over “Multi-select” vs. “Single-Select” of Options
Issue: On the “Choose Activity Category” and “Choose Activity” screens, the users are presented with a couple of options to choose from. Both of our Usability testers remarked that they were unsure whether or not clicking on an option would result in advancement, or if it was a multi-select.
Solution: A visually evident way to fix this would be to turn the button on the “Choose Activity Category” screen into a multi-select (since both of our participants wanted to multi-select anyway, and because it makes sense to multi select on the prompt “Choose which categories energize you”). Then, on the Choose Activity Screen, instead of being presented with the same bubbles that the user is shown in the Choose Activity Category screen, here they might be presented with a list. On this list, they’d choose just one, and we’d add cues to make this obvious, such as greying out all other options once an activity is chosen.
Severity: Moderate
Problem 2: User unclear on previous decisions, their location in the task flow
Issue: On the Choose Activity Screens, users were unsure of what they clicked last. For example, a user clicked “Meditative Activities,” but once they were brought into the Meditative Activities screen, they were unsure which screen they were in.
Solution: This would be a simple fix by just adding a title that tells the user where they clicked last and where they are in the flow. For example, if they clicked “Meditative Activities”, the next page, which shows a list of Meditative Activities, would have a title that reads “Meditative Activities.”
Severity: Moderate
Problem 3: Inability to go back through Create Activity Flow
Issue: As the user progresses through the Choose/Create Activity Flow, they are unable to go back and reverse a decision that they made. For example, once a user is specifying their activity, they have no option to go back and choose a different activity.
Solution: Add back buttons to every screen and make sure it’s possible to reverse any action that the user might take.
Severity: Severe
Problem 4: Confusion about “Prep” and “Setup” Time
Issue: When presented with the final screen of the Create Activity Flow, the user is prompted to enter details surrounding the activity, such as how long it takes, as well as how long it takes to set up and prepare for. When presented with these categories, both of our user testers expressed confusion, unsure of what that number meant and where it would be used.
Solution: Two solutions can be taken there. First, we could add information icons to the right of each of these fields, where the user can tap on this icon to learn more. The second option is to really reconsider whether these fields are really necessary, or if they make the flow longer than it needs to be. If this is the case, we can just get rid of the fields altogether.
Severity: Moderate
Problem 5: Navigating the Search Activity Screen
Issue: When we designed our Choose Activity Screen, we designed it around someone choosing or creating their first activity. And thus, it is very “handholdy,” and takes quite a few steps to actually choose that activity. One of our usability testers rightly brought up the point that after a few days of using the app, he could see himself wanting to add an activity relatively quickly.
Solution: To enable quick searching and finding of activities, we can introduce a search bar to the top of the chosen activity flow, such that someone can be a maximum of 2 or 3 clicks away from any activity. The user can still go through the hierarchy, but if they know what they’re looking for, they can go straight to the search bar.
Severity: Trivial
Problem 6: Confusion about the Home Screen
Issue: When the user tester was taken to the home screen, it mostly made sense to them, but they had to spend a few seconds exploring to really figure out what was going on.
Solution: A quick onboarding or tutorial would help solve this, and give a high-level overview of the different components of the home screen.
Severity: Moderate
Problem 7: Confusion about the Home Menu
Issue: When the user tester looked at the icons on the bottom of the screen, they were completely confused as to what each of them did. The icons are generic such that they recognized them, but the tester was unsure as to what the icons actually meant in the context of our app.
Solution: This issue can be solved twofold. The first is to label the icons with the screens/flows that they take you to. Second, Once the user is taken to that flow, the screen can be clearly labeled based on what button they clicked. For example, if they click the profile button, the profile screen that they’re taken to clearly shows the word “Profile” up at the top.
Severity: Sever
Problem 7: Pausing Breaks
Issue: While actually doing a break, there currently is no way to pause the break – the timer just keeps counting down until you’re done.
Solution: Add a pause button! This way, if people get distracted or something genuine comes up in the middle of their break, they can take a quick break, and not feel as though their timer is counting down, or that they’re “cheating” since they’re not completing their break time activity.
Severity: Moderate
Problem 8: Visual Confirmation of Shared Post
Issue: When the user goes to share a picture of their break and goes to post that picture, they are simply taken to their friends’ feeds. There is no indication that their picture was successfully posted, or where it went. One tester thought that they were sharing their post with a single friend, instead of all of their friends.
Solution: Here, a few things should be done. First, there should be some sort of popup or confirmation screen showing that your picture was posted. Additionally, there should be text to show that this is being shared to your “story” for all of your friends to see (since we don’t plan on implementing functionality to share with just one friend or two).
Severity: Moderate
