Web Usability Testing

Videos

We decided to test the website: http://learn.uvm.edu

Top 5 Recommendations

  1. Clarify what Faculty-led Programs Abroad are:
    1. It's unclear whether study abroad programs were programs or classes.
    2. Number of credits aren't listed at http://learn.uvm.edu/study-abroad/study-abroad-programs/. Listing the credits would clarify.
    3. User noticed that the acronym "FLPA" was used in the drop-down menu on the inquiry form. (User did not know what this was). See http://screencast.com/t/EvqoqVIxytj. Use different language that avoids acronyms.
    4. Use "Study Abroad" instead of "Faculy Led Programs Abroad"
    5. There was some confusion around how long each of the study abroad programs were at http://learn.uvm.edu/study-abroad/study-abroad-programs/. I had asked the user to pick one that would last one week, but she wasn't sure of the program's duration. See http://screencast.com/t/IGln21b5XoF0. The program dates were inconsistent and confusing to this tester. Suggestion-- use a more standardized format for dates.
    6. There was confusion from this tester about the list of programs at http://learn.uvm.edu/study-abroad/study-abroad-programs/. She was unsure how long the programs lasted. Part of this confusion was due to the text on http://learn.uvm.edu/international/. It says: "Join UVM professors in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe. Travel for a week or the entire semester, during breaks or in the summer. Learn more.." However, 'Learn more' goes to a page that only lists short-term 1-2 week programs. See also: http://screencast.com/t/pH1h1OpxgtV. Suggestion: remove "entire semester" from the passage above.
  2. Simplify language and registration process for High School courses
    1. When registering for a high school course, tester became distracted by the description of the payment methods-- didn't realize that they would take her back to where she was before. Perhaps it's better to put these in context-- as a pop up div or tooltip. See http://screencast.com/t/pbdusgiAAqz
    2. When asked to find a summer course, there was a lot of confusion. Some of the questions raised by this tester could be answered by an FAQ, perhaps
      • What classes can Dual Enrollment be applied to
      • When can I take Dual Enrollment?
      • Who qualifies for Dual Enrollment vs High school Reduced tuition
    3. The term "High School Reduced Tuition" is used interchangeably with "Academically Talented". This creates confusion, and also raises question about what it takes to qualify for the "Academically Talented" program.
    4. Throughout http://www.uvm.edu/~summer/precollege/ use less text and use more lists, graphics, etc. (high schoolers don't read)
    5. Based on this tester's confusion, clarify that Dual Enrollment is generally used first since the courses are free. HSRT is used after Dual Enrollment has been applied because the discount is less.
  3. Make costs clear
    1. In addition to "Inquire" and "Apply" buttons on programs, include a "Costs" button.
  4. Clarify navigation
    1. Alphabetize the dropdown menus
    2. At http://learn.uvm.edu/full-course-listing/certificates-and-programs/ make the lists collapsible.
    3. On home page, rotating picture could have menu listing what it rotates through. One tester found that this rotating picture feature is what she noticed first on the site.
    4. Make website scale bigger for bigger monitors.
    5. Make the links on the left stand out more
    6. Make http://learn.uvm.edu/courselistsummer/ clear whether it's just for college students or can high schoolers take them too?
    7. Too busy looking at navigation links on the left, didn't see other buttons on the bottom
    8. Green doors are cool, incorporate more of them throughout the site
    9. Maybe make links on bottom alphabetical order
    10. When clicking the professional link at the bottom, kind of confusing when it jumps to a page that says "Special Interest"
    11. Confused what the "Lifelong Learning" link was at the bottom
  5. Clarify who can participate in the Healthcare Management program. When asked to find a course to help them advance in their nursing career, the tester was unsure whether Healthcare Management was for nurses, or was for those who had a B.A. Tester said she'd be reluctant to inquire to ask that. Suggestion-- be clear as to who the program is for.