Outdoor Retailer Usability Study
Working with a team from diverse backgrounds we recruited, tested and analyzed results of a target set of users for a Northwest Outdoor Retail and presented our findings to company stakeholders in an effort to improve their Classes And Events online registration experience.
My Role
- Testing Recruitment
- Study Preparation
- Research Synthesis
- Data Visualization
- Stakeholder Presentation
Tools
- Morae
- Software Usability Score (SUS)
- Adobe InDesign & Illustrator
- Slack
- Microsoft Office (Excel, Powerpoint)
Study Approach
We conducted a moderated usability study to evaluate the discoverability and usability of our client's Classes & Events registration experience.
- Participants: 8 current outdoor enthusiasts (ages 25–45) with active memberships
- Method: In-person, task-based usability testing using a think-aloud protocol
- Scope: Finding classes, searching/filtering events, registering individuals and groups, and locating cancellation policies
- Metrics: Task success rates, observed usability issues, ease-of-use ratings, word association, and SUS
- Data captured: Behavioral observations, task failures/delays, qualitative feedback, and participant quotes
- Reporting: Issues were prioritized using severity (level of impact on task completion) and scope (percentage of participants encountering the issue)
Study Overview
We designed tasks to reflect the most critical user goals and business risks in the Classes & Events experience:
Usability Study Task list
1
Find Classes & Events Section
2
Search for a Class
3
Register Multiple People
4
Search for a Specific Class
5
Learn about Cancellation Policy
Key Findings & Why It Mattered
- Limited visibility into class schedules made planning difficult
- Many participants wanted to compare multiple dates for a class or view events in a calendar format, but the search results page didn’t clearly indicate that additional options were available.
- Search and filtering did not match user expectationss
- Users expected to filter by location, skill level, and multiple interests at once, but current tools were too rigid or unclear.
- Location information caused confusion and uncertainty
- Users often couldn’t easily tell the difference between store locations and event locations, which created uncertainty about where an event would actually take place.
- Post-registration communication lacked clarity
-
After registering, users were unsure about next steps, logistics, or where to find key information.
- Cancellation and order management links were hard to find or broken
-
Users struggled to locate cancellation policies and encountered broken order-related links.
Stakeholder Communication
Working as a cross-functional team, we delivered actionable feedback that identified sources of user frustration and opportunities for improvement.
Key Takeaways
- Actionable insights surfaced clear sources of user frustration and opportunity
- Only 63% of participants successfully found the cancellation policy, revealing a discoverability issue driven by hidden content and broken links
- The registration flow tested well overall, with clear requirements and helpful error messaging that supported task completion
