St. Paul Public Works
This case study examined the St. Paul Public Works website, observing how a variety of user groups interacted with the site. These groups included residents living in houses and apartments, as well as community event planners. The goal was to understand the diverse ways these users navigate the site, identify common challenges, and assess the overall user experience to inform recommendations for improving accessibility and functionality across the site.
Team 5 designers
Role Researcher
Note Taker
Timeline Duration 5 Days
Methodology Used: Heuristic Analysis
Think aloud Protocol
Deliverables:
High fidelity Wireframes
Prototyping
Usability Report
Problem
The St. Paul Public Works website faces challenges related to layout and usability, with users experiencing difficulty in locating key information and services. Improving the design and structure of the page is essential to enhance user experience, ensuring that all visitors can easily navigate the site and access the information they need in a timely and efficient manner.
Results:
After navigating the St. Paul Public Works website, users were able to find the page detailing how to dispose of holiday trash. However, many expressed that the process could be more intuitive. They suggested that the information could be more easily accessible if the page were better organized and designed to streamline the user experience.
Key Findings:
Mismatch with Mental Model: The current layout and structure does not align with the users expectations or mental models, making it harder for them to find information quickly.
Results:
Task Completion Time: Users took longer to complete tasks, indicating inefficiencies in the site’s design.
Information Overload: The page presented too much information at once, overwhelming users. One participant specifically noted that the excessive scrolling required made it harder to find the desired content.
Process
Initial Researcher:
This project came with information gathered by the St Paul. Public Works Department. There was information about when the scheduled day of collection was, and looking through the page we found where tobegint. As a team, we tested the function and overall usability of the website with 5 participants.
We used the think-aloud protocol and heuristic method as we continued working on understanding the page design and functions.
Usability Testing:
To assess the functionality and user experience of the St. Paul Public Works page, we conducted interviews with community members to gather insights on how they navigate the site. The goals of the testing were to:
Collect user feedback: Understand how users feel while navigating the website and gather their opinions on the overall usability.
Identify pain points: Observe where users struggle, particularly with tasks like disposing of large amounts of garbage.
Evaluate information retrieval: Assess how easily users can locate specific information.
During the test, participants were asked to complete five tasks while using the think-aloud protocol, allowing us to capture their thoughts and challenges in real-time:
Find information about city-related updates.
Locate details about upcoming events and how to attend.
Use the collection schedule to find trash pick-up times.
Determine which plastics are accepted for recycling.
Find information about the city’s electronic waste disposal options.
Recommendation:
1. Reduce Text Size on Screen
Collapsible Sections: Let users expand content as needed.
Avoid Repetition: Don’t repeat the same text across the page.
2. Better Navigation
Hamburger Menus: Use compact menus on mobile.
Progressive Disclosure: Show key info first, reveal more as needed.
Tabs: Organize content into tabs for easy switching.
Breadcrumbs: Help users track their location on the site.
Search Bar: Provide a prominent, easy-to-use search function.
What I Learned:
Participants indicated that when they struggled to find information on the Public Works page, they often resorted to using search engines like Google as an alternative. Despite this, all participants reported that using the page itself was not overly difficult. However, this suggests that while the website may not be technically challenging, its structure could benefit from improvements to help users find information more efficiently without needing to turn to external search tools.
Next Steps:
Due to time constraints, I was unable to gather sufficient data to create a comprehensive recommendation report based on the interview findings. However, if I moved forward, I would use the insights from the usability testing to develop wireframes that reflect the proposed design improvements. These wireframes will illustrate the updates needed to enhance the page's usability and address the issues identified during testing.