Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Card Sorting Exercise - Summer 2011 - Adjunct Professor Alisan Atvur
Jeff Johnson
For my test involving the Whole Foods web site, there were a total of 130 cards to be sorted among 18 categories.
jwjohnsonatl@gmail.com
Company website reviewed: WHOLE FOODS
For this exercise, I went to the Whole Foods web site and navigated to the Site Map. I made a note of the number of categories and sub categories ( cards). Using a card counting website, these categories were entered into the exercise and all of the subcategories were placed in one large list. Users were asked to sort the "cards" into the proper categories. It seems simple on the surface -everything goes in its place. However, we all don't think alike or act alike and therefore we don't categorize thinks alike either. What seems obvious to me, may not make any sense to someone else. And what happens when the same information is repeated, presented three times or more? And where do you put a card that could possibly go in more than one category? The results are amazing and interesting and reveal that while there items we can generally agree to group together, there are also items we all categories differently.
For my test involving the Whole Foods web site, there were a total of 130 cards to be sorted among 18 categories.
The results of the test can be viewed at the following link:
websort.net/r/4BB9E2/30fd9048faf8/
The following are some trends that I noticed as a result of this exercise:
1. Users were able to link together all blog and podcast cards almost every time. These terms are not mistakable with other terms and having a category heading BLOGS & PODCASTS
made this sorting selection almost a no brainer. These results reflect this opinion.
One anomaly that did arise in this section involved blogs or podcasts that had titles but did not identify the specific blog or podcast as such. Therefore, these items - like "Secret Ingredient" were often mis-categorized because users did not understand what it was.
2. Users were also very successful at sorting the recipe related cards together most every time they attempted the test. The actual RECIPE category only had two cards, and these two made it into the right stack every time. However, other cards that seemed related were also included in the RECIPE category. What was exposed was user confusion over the content included in the HEALTH STARTS HERE category. These cards - including Meal Planning and Cooking were often included in the RECIPES category. This is a logical mistake - most people would like recipes with cooking - like medicine with doctors or music with singers.
3. Users also had a very high success rate when sorting the STORES cards. These included national and international locations and Stores in Development. However, the success rate for this category fell to almost zero when you realize that cards like Gift Cards, Order Gift Cards, and Find Cooking Classes also fell under the STORES category. I don't find either of these to be a logical fit with this very defined category involving geography and location, Keep the focus on "where" and move "what" items like Gift Cards and Cooking Classes to a more appropriate category.
4. STORE DEPARTMENTS - this category was an easy one for users to sort cards for - but only when they were familiar with the department names. As you might expect, cards like Meat & Poultry, Produce, Bakery, Seafood, and Wine were sorted to this category successfully almost every time. Cards like Coffee & Tea, Whole Body, and Pets were not always sorted correctly. There is a fairly uniform set of departments we expect to see in a grocery store and these common names were often sorted properly. Newer or less familair names like Whole Body tended to be sorted incorrectly because they were unfamiliar, unclear in meaning, or misunderstood.
5. The most confusing category to sort cards into was the PRODUCTS category. What do you think of when you think of products in a Whole Foods store? Food? Meat? Produce? Bakery items? Prepared Foods? Each of those could be sorted into this category for one reason or another - but what about cards with names like 365 Everyday Value, Whole Trade, Premium Body Care, or Gift Boxes? These are the actual cards belonging to this category and I think they are wildly open for interpretation and as such, were often improperly sorted.
Usability Testing Exercise - Summer 2011 - Adjunct Professor Alisan Atvur
Part I - Remote User Testing
For this exercise, I created a three question test and posted it on the FiveSecondTest.com site. Users were asked to view a screenshot of the Whole Foods Home Page with all references to Whole Foods removed or blacked out. After viewing the altered home page for a few seconds, the users were asked the following questions:
- What is this website/application about?
- What would you do at this website/application?
- Who would use this website/application?
Here is a link to the results of this test.
http://fivesecondtest.com/test/share/qY8XjsIHZ6l87du4
1. What trends and anomalies did I notice in peoples' answers to test question 1?
Most users thought the web site was about smartphones or food related smart phone apps. On the home page, there is a graphic screen that alternates between three different visuals - one happens to be a cell phone/email graphic. When I took the screen shot, I captures this technological looking graphic and it has a huge impression on the testers, especially considering they were given 5 seconds to look at the home page. The image of communication technology tended to crowd out any competing food related images in the minds of most of my 52 testers. As far as anomalies, I noticed a few testers said they didn't have enough time to gauge a response and a few who said the text size and lack of color made it too difficult to read. Most testers, however, were able to choose an answer and proceed.
2. What trends and anomalies did I notice in peoples' answers to Question 2?
Most testers felt that people who used this site would be getting smart phone information or equipment, reading or sharing recipes, or they weren't sure due to readability issues. An anomaly I noticed involved a user who was convinced the site would be used by people wanting to Skype to others through this site. This in not related to the purpose of the Whole Foods website, but clearly, having that technology related graphic dominated users thinking.
3. What trends and anomalies did I notice in peoples' answers to Question 3?
By question three, it seemed to be dawning on more users that the site was related to cooking and food and not technology. While there were still many smartphone and tech related answers to this question, more seemed to understand that people who had come to this site were looking for food related information.
Part II - Observational Usability Testing
In this section, I watched as five people performed the same task at the Whole Foods website. All started at the home page and were asked to find coupons for their local Whole Foods store.
4. Name 3 behaviors or interactions you noticed in at least 3/5 users" (100-150 words)
I noticed that two of the users went to the search bar first and typed in the word "coupons".
When they hit enter, they were taken to a page displaying coupons for Whole Foods products and they started clicking on the check boxes for the items they wanted the coupons for.
After selecting a number of coupons, users then went to the bottom of the page and hit print. At this point, they completed the test successfully.
5. Name at least one behavior or interaction that one of the users performed differently." (~50 words)
One user went to the bottom of the home page and clicked on Site Map. Once on the Site Map, he located a button for "Coupons" and clicked it. It also took him to the selectable coupon page.
6. For your answer to question (5), indicate why you think that user may have performed that behavior differently." (<50 words)
I believe this was the behavior of a more savvy computer user who did not want to waste time running all around a website when he felt he could look at the Site Map and use it as a directory.
For this exercise, I created a three question test and posted it on the FiveSecondTest.com site. Users were asked to view a screenshot of the Whole Foods Home Page with all references to Whole Foods removed or blacked out. After viewing the altered home page for a few seconds, the users were asked the following questions:
- What is this website/application about?
- What would you do at this website/application?
- Who would use this website/application?
Here is a link to the results of this test.
http://fivesecondtest.com/test/share/qY8XjsIHZ6l87du4
1. What trends and anomalies did I notice in peoples' answers to test question 1?
Most users thought the web site was about smartphones or food related smart phone apps. On the home page, there is a graphic screen that alternates between three different visuals - one happens to be a cell phone/email graphic. When I took the screen shot, I captures this technological looking graphic and it has a huge impression on the testers, especially considering they were given 5 seconds to look at the home page. The image of communication technology tended to crowd out any competing food related images in the minds of most of my 52 testers. As far as anomalies, I noticed a few testers said they didn't have enough time to gauge a response and a few who said the text size and lack of color made it too difficult to read. Most testers, however, were able to choose an answer and proceed.
2. What trends and anomalies did I notice in peoples' answers to Question 2?
Most testers felt that people who used this site would be getting smart phone information or equipment, reading or sharing recipes, or they weren't sure due to readability issues. An anomaly I noticed involved a user who was convinced the site would be used by people wanting to Skype to others through this site. This in not related to the purpose of the Whole Foods website, but clearly, having that technology related graphic dominated users thinking.
3. What trends and anomalies did I notice in peoples' answers to Question 3?
By question three, it seemed to be dawning on more users that the site was related to cooking and food and not technology. While there were still many smartphone and tech related answers to this question, more seemed to understand that people who had come to this site were looking for food related information.
Part II - Observational Usability Testing
In this section, I watched as five people performed the same task at the Whole Foods website. All started at the home page and were asked to find coupons for their local Whole Foods store.
4. Name 3 behaviors or interactions you noticed in at least 3/5 users" (100-150 words)
I noticed that two of the users went to the search bar first and typed in the word "coupons".
When they hit enter, they were taken to a page displaying coupons for Whole Foods products and they started clicking on the check boxes for the items they wanted the coupons for.
After selecting a number of coupons, users then went to the bottom of the page and hit print. At this point, they completed the test successfully.
5. Name at least one behavior or interaction that one of the users performed differently." (~50 words)
One user went to the bottom of the home page and clicked on Site Map. Once on the Site Map, he located a button for "Coupons" and clicked it. It also took him to the selectable coupon page.
6. For your answer to question (5), indicate why you think that user may have performed that behavior differently." (<50 words)
I believe this was the behavior of a more savvy computer user who did not want to waste time running all around a website when he felt he could look at the Site Map and use it as a directory.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Psychoanalytical Exercise - Reed Knauth, Judith Prays, Jeff J
Focusing on the Ego, Id, and Superego we selected the three following concepts: Income, Loyalty, and Hugs.
We decided to try and create a conceptual "hug" experience for a group of people known to be facing a very emotional, anxiety -filled time in their lives - first time expectant mothers.
With our program, Babies-R-Us would create a loyalty program dedicated to first time expectant mothers based on the amount of money they spend at the store. For each specified dollar level spent, the expectant mother would earn hours of time with a "Pregnancy Concierge" - who would be personally available to address the expectant mother's unique concerns, help her shop for the items she wants and needs - and to help assure her about her level of preparation for the baby to come.
We decided to try and create a conceptual "hug" experience for a group of people known to be facing a very emotional, anxiety -filled time in their lives - first time expectant mothers.
With our program, Babies-R-Us would create a loyalty program dedicated to first time expectant mothers based on the amount of money they spend at the store. For each specified dollar level spent, the expectant mother would earn hours of time with a "Pregnancy Concierge" - who would be personally available to address the expectant mother's unique concerns, help her shop for the items she wants and needs - and to help assure her about her level of preparation for the baby to come.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Recall vs Precision
In class, I ego-surfed Google to find information about myself online. In the first 20 entires - there were no items relevant to me. There is nothing about this Jeff Johnson information void that would make a design/marketing/advertising agency hire me. I am glad there's nothing bad - but the lack of anything useful, interesting, or good is equally negative. There were 0 entries in the first 20 for a score of 0.
IA- TAO Journal Update - A Sampling of Samples
On August 17, I was in the Whole Foods on Ponce De Leon Avenue in Atlanta and noticed an unusually large number of food samples being offered for customer consumption. These samples were mainly offered in self server displays with small blocks of cheese, spoons for sampling salsa, or fresh produce. There were also small sample displays - like the one in the chilled seafood salad section where customers could grab a sampling spoon and choose from five different prepared seafood salads. Finally, there were also people serving samples to customers one at a time and interacting with them. I thought it would be interesting to observe how people behaved with each different type of sample offering and see what trends, observations, and anomalies I noticed.
Trends
Whole Foods has introduced beer "growlers" - a growler is sort of like a "box of beer." Customers select the vairety of beer they want and an employee fills the growler in the store from a tapped keg.
As part of the growler introduction, Whole Foods was handing out small beer samples. I was surprised to see that 5 out of the 9 people I watched sample beer also purchased a growler. Those results made me think that people who were interested and excited about the beer samples were avid enough consumers that they were mostly willing to make a growler purchase. I imagine that 5 out of 9 is a tremendously successful sales rate when gauging purchases resulting from or encouraged by free samples.
Another growler trend I noticed is that the interaction customers had with another human being seemed to create more of an impact than the self serve sample stations. I believe the human connection contributed to growler sales.
There was also someone offering samples of premium marinara sauce - and the product was made and named after the person handing out the samples. I listened to her share her story, inspire customers and engage them in conversations about marinara sauce and pasta, and all four people I saw speak with her walked away with jars of her marinara sauce - including me. When the product was brought to life by someone with a real stake in its success and with an obvious pride of ownership, in my view, customers were connecting with the person, then the product and because the product was good - it created an added value - a face to go with the name on the jar and the sense of encouraging an entreprenuer.
Observations
I observed some different behavior in the produce and cheese sections of the store. Let's begin with produce. All of the produce samples were in self serve stations and included items like grapes, cherries, grape tomatoes, fresh salsa, and orange segments.
First, I observed that a number of people took samples of everything that was offered in the produce section. Sampling also appears to be an activity people feel shy or slightly hesitant about as most people would mill about if someone else was taking a sample and wait until they had the sample station to themselves - or as private as it could be in a public grocery store setting.
Next, I noticed that almost half of the 8 people I watched sample cherries came back and got another sample and in 5 of the 8 repeaters, the second sample was larger than the first. Of those 8 double dip samplers, I did not observe any of them pick up a container of cherries to purchase. There were people purchasing bags of cherries, but I did not observe any of them sampling the cherries from the area where free samples were offered.
I also noticed that small children who could reach the samples were not only excited to see them, but had none of the adult hesitation to take a sample and often took more than one piece and shared with the adult they were with.
Anomalies
I was very surprised to see some behavior that I think came very close to stealing. Obviously, free samples are free and a cost of doing business for those organizations that choose to offer them. There are definitely shoppers who view samples as free merchandise and don't actually sample - but do something I can only describe as closer to snacking.
I watched one woman actually take a handful of paper towels from her purse and fill the towels with handfuls of cherries. She did not make any purchase in the store at all.
Next, I watched as 4 employees from departments other than the produce department come and take some samples and go back to their assigned tasks.
And finally, I noticed that the steady stream of produce samplers did not translate to the prepared seafood salad station. Even though the seafood salads were nicely displayed and clearly on ice, shoppers would glance at them, ignore them, or even avoid them. It's likely food safety concerns regarding cold salads, seafood, and open containers that can be accessed by the public made these samples much less appealing.
In conclusion, it seems that sampling is more an act of goodwill on the part of the retailer than a chance to "try it before you buy it." The exception seems to be in the beer aisle. Beer drinkers were happy, assertive samplers who by and large made immediate purchases. The more I think about it, I would be much more excited to sample and buy beer than say, smoked shrimp and orzo salad too.
Trends
Whole Foods has introduced beer "growlers" - a growler is sort of like a "box of beer." Customers select the vairety of beer they want and an employee fills the growler in the store from a tapped keg.
As part of the growler introduction, Whole Foods was handing out small beer samples. I was surprised to see that 5 out of the 9 people I watched sample beer also purchased a growler. Those results made me think that people who were interested and excited about the beer samples were avid enough consumers that they were mostly willing to make a growler purchase. I imagine that 5 out of 9 is a tremendously successful sales rate when gauging purchases resulting from or encouraged by free samples.
Another growler trend I noticed is that the interaction customers had with another human being seemed to create more of an impact than the self serve sample stations. I believe the human connection contributed to growler sales.
There was also someone offering samples of premium marinara sauce - and the product was made and named after the person handing out the samples. I listened to her share her story, inspire customers and engage them in conversations about marinara sauce and pasta, and all four people I saw speak with her walked away with jars of her marinara sauce - including me. When the product was brought to life by someone with a real stake in its success and with an obvious pride of ownership, in my view, customers were connecting with the person, then the product and because the product was good - it created an added value - a face to go with the name on the jar and the sense of encouraging an entreprenuer.
Observations
I observed some different behavior in the produce and cheese sections of the store. Let's begin with produce. All of the produce samples were in self serve stations and included items like grapes, cherries, grape tomatoes, fresh salsa, and orange segments.
First, I observed that a number of people took samples of everything that was offered in the produce section. Sampling also appears to be an activity people feel shy or slightly hesitant about as most people would mill about if someone else was taking a sample and wait until they had the sample station to themselves - or as private as it could be in a public grocery store setting.
Next, I noticed that almost half of the 8 people I watched sample cherries came back and got another sample and in 5 of the 8 repeaters, the second sample was larger than the first. Of those 8 double dip samplers, I did not observe any of them pick up a container of cherries to purchase. There were people purchasing bags of cherries, but I did not observe any of them sampling the cherries from the area where free samples were offered.
I also noticed that small children who could reach the samples were not only excited to see them, but had none of the adult hesitation to take a sample and often took more than one piece and shared with the adult they were with.
Anomalies
I was very surprised to see some behavior that I think came very close to stealing. Obviously, free samples are free and a cost of doing business for those organizations that choose to offer them. There are definitely shoppers who view samples as free merchandise and don't actually sample - but do something I can only describe as closer to snacking.
I watched one woman actually take a handful of paper towels from her purse and fill the towels with handfuls of cherries. She did not make any purchase in the store at all.
Next, I watched as 4 employees from departments other than the produce department come and take some samples and go back to their assigned tasks.
And finally, I noticed that the steady stream of produce samplers did not translate to the prepared seafood salad station. Even though the seafood salads were nicely displayed and clearly on ice, shoppers would glance at them, ignore them, or even avoid them. It's likely food safety concerns regarding cold salads, seafood, and open containers that can be accessed by the public made these samples much less appealing.
In conclusion, it seems that sampling is more an act of goodwill on the part of the retailer than a chance to "try it before you buy it." The exception seems to be in the beer aisle. Beer drinkers were happy, assertive samplers who by and large made immediate purchases. The more I think about it, I would be much more excited to sample and buy beer than say, smoked shrimp and orzo salad too.
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