A paper that goes over usability tests and recommends fixes for the company.

1. Makenzie​ ​Dockerty
Usability​ ​Test​ ​for​ ​MuckBootCompany.com
Test​ ​Preparation
In​ ​preparing​ ​for​ ​this​ ​test​ ​I​ ​went​ ​through​ ​a​ ​few​ ​preparations.​ ​There​ ​were​ ​not​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​to​ ​go
through,​ ​but​ ​there​ ​were​ ​still​ ​some.​ ​The​ ​first​ ​thing​ ​I​ ​did​ ​was​ ​run​ ​through​ ​the​ ​tasks​ ​myself​ ​in​ ​order
to​ ​get​ ​a​ ​feel​ ​for​ ​how​ ​they​ ​could​ ​go​ ​and​ ​make​ ​sure​ ​that​ ​I​ ​could​ ​do​ ​them​ ​and​ ​that​ ​I​ ​understood
them.​ ​When​ ​going​ ​through​ ​the​ ​tasks​ ​I​ ​did​ ​not​ ​find​ ​huge​ ​problems,​ ​but​ ​there​ ​were​ ​some​ ​that
hindered​ ​my​ ​finding​ ​of​ ​what​ ​I​ ​needed​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​finish​ ​the​ ​task.​ ​I​ ​was​ ​able​ ​to​ ​finish​ ​each​ ​task​ ​in
a​ ​relatively​ ​short​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​time.​ ​When​ ​I​ ​did​ ​the​ ​tasks​ ​I​ ​performed​ ​them​ ​in​ ​my​ ​normal
environment,​ ​sitting​ ​on​ ​my​ ​bed​ ​in​ ​my​ ​room,​ ​with​ ​occasional​ ​distractions​ ​from​ ​my​ ​cat​ ​and​ ​text’s,
with​ ​the​ ​light​ ​on​ ​and​ ​some​ ​YouTube​ ​playing​ ​in​ ​the​ ​background.
Task​ ​One
Task​ ​one​ ​was​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​find​ ​boots​ ​that​ ​were​ ​under​ ​$140.​ ​While​ ​there​ ​were​ ​several
options,​ ​a​ ​few​ ​of​ ​them​ ​would​ ​have​ ​taken​ ​me​ ​out​ ​of​ ​the​ ​$140​ ​set​ ​budget​ ​with​ ​tax​ ​and​ ​shipping,​ ​so
there​ ​were​ ​less​ ​options​ ​when​ ​it​ ​came​ ​down​ ​to​ ​finally​ ​choosing.
I​ ​started​ ​off​ ​my​ ​search​ ​by​ ​going​ ​to​ ​the​ ​women’s​ ​boots​ ​section​ ​of​ ​the​ ​website.​ ​After​ ​that​ ​I
went​ ​and​ ​filtered​ ​the​ ​price​ ​so​ ​it​ ​showed​ ​boots​ ​that​ ​were​ ​in​ ​the​ ​$100-$140​ ​price​ ​range.​ ​Once​ ​that
filter​ ​was​ ​in​ ​place​ ​I​ ​then​ ​sorted​ ​them​ ​by​ ​low-high​ ​price​ ​point​ ​wise.​ ​It​ ​was​ ​difficult​ ​trying​ ​to
decipher​ ​what​ ​boots​ ​were​ ​in​ ​the​ ​range​ ​because​ ​when​ ​doing​ ​the​ ​pricing​ ​options​ ​they​ ​went​ ​by​ ​the
original​ ​price​ ​and​ ​not​ ​the​ ​sale​ ​price​ ​if​ ​there​ ​was​ ​a​ ​boot​ ​on​ ​sale.​ ​I​ ​found​ ​three​ ​pairs​ ​of​ ​boots​ ​that
would​ ​give​ ​me​ ​room​ ​in​ ​my​ ​price​ ​range​ ​for​ ​tax​ ​and​ ​shipping​ ​and​ ​added​ ​them​ ​to​ ​my​ ​bag​ ​so​ ​I​ ​could
go​ ​back​ ​to​ ​them​ ​later​ ​and​ ​compare.

2. Task​ ​Two
Task​ ​two​ ​was​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​find​ ​steel-toe​ ​boots,​ ​preferably​ ​from​ ​the​ ​options​ ​I​ ​had​ ​already
chosen,​ ​but​ ​that​ ​was​ ​not​ ​possible​ ​with​ ​what​ ​I​ ​had​ ​found​ ​and​ ​what​ ​I​ ​had​ ​put​ ​in​ ​my​ ​bag​ ​to​ ​save​ ​for
later​ ​comparison.​ ​In​ ​order​ ​to​ ​find​ ​boots​ ​that​ ​had​ ​a​ ​steel-toe​ ​I​ ​went​ ​up​ ​to​ ​the​ ​search​ ​bar​ ​and​ ​typed
in​ ​‘steel-toe​ ​women’​ ​and​ ​got​ ​results​ ​from​ ​that.​ ​After​ ​that​ ​I​ ​did​ ​the​ ​same​ ​steps​ ​as​ ​before​ ​with
putting​ ​the​ ​price​ ​range​ ​from​ ​$100-$150​ ​and​ ​then​ ​sorting​ ​them​ ​from​ ​low-high.​ ​I​ ​did​ ​find​ ​the​ ​same
problem​ ​as​ ​before​ ​with​ ​sorting​ ​the​ ​prices,​ ​but​ ​I​ ​was​ ​able​ ​to​ ​immediately​ ​find​ ​a​ ​nice​ ​pair​ ​of
steel-toe​ ​boots​ ​that​ ​were​ ​also​ ​waterproof.​ ​I​ ​went​ ​to​ ​my​ ​bag​ ​and​ ​deleted​ ​the​ ​other​ ​boots​ ​that​ ​I​ ​was
not​ ​going​ ​to​ ​get​ ​because​ ​they​ ​did​ ​not​ ​match​ ​all​ ​the​ ​criteria.
Task​ ​Three
Task​ ​three​ ​was​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​determine​ ​the​ ​cheapest​ ​shipping​ ​options​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​receive​ ​the
boots​ ​on​ ​time.​ ​For​ ​this​ ​task​ ​I​ ​ended​ ​up​ ​going​ ​to​ ​the​ ​checkout​ ​and​ ​using​ ​the​ ​tab​ ​that​ ​gave​ ​shipping
costs​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​a​ ​final​ ​tax​ ​cost​ ​so​ ​that​ ​I​ ​could​ ​see​ ​what​ ​my​ ​best​ ​option​ ​would​ ​be.​ ​While​ ​there
were​ ​several​ ​options​ ​that​ ​cost​ ​money,​ ​there​ ​was​ ​one​ ​option​ ​that​ ​was​ ​free.​ ​USPS​ ​Ground​ ​was​ ​the
free​ ​option,​ ​but​ ​there​ ​was​ ​no​ ​guarantee​ ​that​ ​it​ ​would​ ​be​ ​in​ ​on​ ​time,​ ​so​ ​the​ ​best​ ​option​ ​found​ ​is​ ​the
UPS​ ​3​ ​day​ ​shipping​ ​which​ ​was​ ​$13.
Task​ ​Four
For​ ​the​ ​last​ ​task,​ ​I​ ​had​ ​to​ ​pick​ ​the​ ​best​ ​boot​ ​option​ ​along​ ​with​ ​the​ ​best​ ​shipping​ ​and​ ​tax
option​ ​that​ ​would​ ​keep​ ​me​ ​within​ ​my​ ​budget.​ ​The​ ​steel-toe​ ​boots​ ​that​ ​I​ ​found​ ​were​ ​on​ ​sale​ ​and
with​ ​shipping​ ​and​ ​tax​ ​the​ ​grand​ ​total​ ​came​ ​out​ ​to​ ​be​ ​$108.14.
Final​ ​Thoughts

3. I​ ​did​ ​not​ ​have​ ​a​ ​whole​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​issues​ ​when​ ​I​ ​was​ ​going​ ​through​ ​these​ ​tasks,​ ​but​ ​there​ ​were
some​ ​annoyances​ ​with​ ​the​ ​filtering​ ​not​ ​working​ ​properly.​ ​Going​ ​through​ ​and​ ​finding​ ​everything
was​ ​not​ ​that​ ​hard​ ​and​ ​in​ ​the​ ​end,​ ​I​ ​found​ ​a​ ​great​ ​pair​ ​of​ ​boots​ ​that​ ​would​ ​work​ ​great​ ​for​ ​my​ ​tasks
that​ ​were​ ​also​ ​under​ ​budget.​ ​There​ ​were​ ​some​ ​issues​ ​with​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​find​ ​the​ ​right​ ​boots​ ​within​ ​the
categories​ ​though.
Choosing​ ​Participants
Tester​ ​1:​ ​​Andy​ ​Johnson
Andy​ ​is​ ​a​ ​26-year-old​ ​mass​ ​media​ ​broadcast​ ​production​ ​student.​ ​I​ ​think​ ​he​ ​is​ ​a​ ​reasonable
tester​ ​because​ ​he​ ​has​ ​a​ ​pretty​ ​decent​ ​knowledge​ ​of​ ​the​ ​internet.​ ​He​ ​spends​ ​about​ ​4-5​ ​hours​ ​on​ ​the
internet​ ​a​ ​day,​ ​not​ ​including​ ​the​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​time​ ​he​ ​plays​ ​video​ ​games.​ ​During​ ​that​ ​time​ ​80%​ ​of
the​ ​time​ ​is​ ​spent​ ​on​ ​the​ ​internet​ ​on​ ​social​ ​media​ ​sites​ ​while​ ​the​ ​other​ ​20%​ ​is​ ​spent​ ​using​ ​other
internet​ ​sites.​ ​He​ ​believes​ ​himself​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​high-experience​ ​user.
Environment​ ​for​ ​tester​ ​1
Location​ ​for​ ​test​:​ ​The​ ​location​ ​for​ ​this​ ​test​ ​was​ ​in​ ​the​ ​television​ ​studio​ ​on​ ​a​ ​Tuesday
night.​ ​The​ ​reason​ ​this​ ​was​ ​the​ ​place​ ​chosen​ ​for​ ​testing​ ​is​ ​because​ ​he​ ​spends​ ​a​ ​big​ ​majority​ ​of​ ​his
time​ ​in​ ​that​ ​area.
Physical​ ​environment​:​ ​It​ ​was​ ​semi​ ​bright​ ​inside​ ​and​ ​there​ ​was​ ​faint​ ​music​ ​playing​ ​in​ ​the
background​ ​with​ ​the​ ​TV’s​ ​showing​ ​what​ ​the​ ​cameras​ ​were​ ​showing​ ​in​ ​the​ ​studio,​ ​but​ ​it​ ​was​ ​an
environment​ ​that​ ​he​ ​was​ ​used​ ​to​ ​and​ ​worked​ ​in​ ​constantly.
Technical​ ​environment​:​ ​The​ ​type​ ​of​ ​computer​ ​that​ ​Andy​ ​was​ ​using​ ​was​ ​a​ ​school​ ​issued
laptop​ ​and​ ​he​ ​was​ ​using​ ​Chrome​ ​as​ ​his​ ​browser.
Tester​ ​2​:​ ​Shawn​ ​Dockerty

4. Shawn​ ​is​ ​a​ ​43-year-old​ ​financial​ ​accountant.​ ​I​ ​think​ ​she​ ​is​ ​a​ ​reasonable​ ​tester​ ​because​ ​she
is​ ​older​ ​than​ ​me,​ ​so​ ​she​ ​uses​ ​the​ ​internet​ ​different​ ​than​ ​I​ ​do,​ ​but​ ​she​ ​also​ ​spends​ ​a​ ​decent​ ​amount
of​ ​time​ ​there​ ​as​ ​well.​ ​She​ ​spends​ ​about​ ​40​ ​hours​ ​a​ ​week​ ​on​ ​the​ ​internet​ ​with​ ​the​ ​split​ ​of​ ​that
being​ ​10%​ ​social​ ​media​ ​and​ ​90%​ ​is​ ​for​ ​browsing/work​ ​and​ ​she​ ​believes​ ​herself​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a
high-experience​ ​user.
Environment​ ​for​ ​tester​ ​2​:
Location​ ​of​ ​test​:​ ​The​ ​location​ ​of​ ​the​ ​test​ ​was​ ​at​ ​the​ ​kitchen​ ​table​ ​in​ ​the​ ​house.​ ​This​ ​is
where​ ​she​ ​spends​ ​most​ ​of​ ​her​ ​time​ ​at​ ​home​ ​on​ ​the​ ​internet​ ​for​ ​uses​ ​that​ ​are​ ​not​ ​work​ ​related.
Physical​ ​environment​:​ ​The​ ​blinds​ ​by​ ​the​ ​table​ ​were​ ​closed,​ ​but​ ​there​ ​was​ ​natural​ ​light
from​ ​the​ ​other​ ​windows​ ​in​ ​the​ ​house​ ​happening.​ ​There​ ​were​ ​people​ ​having​ ​a​ ​conversation​ ​in​ ​the
living​ ​room​ ​having​ ​their​ ​own​ ​conversations​ ​and​ ​animals​ ​were​ ​running​ ​around​ ​the​ ​house​ ​as​ ​well.
Technical​ ​environment​:​ ​The​ ​type​ ​of​ ​computer​ ​Shawn​ ​was​ ​using​ ​was​ ​a​ ​2006​ ​Macbook
and​ ​Chrome​ ​was​ ​the​ ​browser​ ​being​ ​used.
Test​ ​Results
Initial​ ​Site​ ​Thoughts
Andy’s​ ​initial​ ​thoughts​ ​for​ ​the​ ​site​ ​were​ ​that​ ​he​ ​really​ ​liked​ ​it​ ​aesthetically.​ ​He​ ​liked​ ​the
slideshow​ ​at​ ​the​ ​top​ ​of​ ​the​ ​page​ ​and​ ​how​ ​they​ ​had​ ​a​ ​social​ ​media​ ​bar​ ​on​ ​the​ ​front​ ​page​ ​itself.​ ​He
did​ ​notice​ ​the​ ​price​ ​and​ ​saw​ ​it​ ​was​ ​pretty​ ​expensive​ ​and​ ​he​ ​did​ ​understand​ ​that​ ​they​ ​were​ ​selling
boots.
Shawn’s​ ​initial​ ​site​ ​thoughts​ ​were​ ​that​ ​they​ ​were​ ​selling​ ​boots​ ​and​ ​that​ ​they​ ​were
expensive.​ ​She​ ​liked​ ​the​ ​pictures​ ​that​ ​they​ ​had​ ​going​ ​on​ ​in​ ​the​ ​background​ ​and​ ​even​ ​found​ ​a​ ​cute

5. pair​ ​of​ ​boots​ ​of​ ​the​ ​slideshow.​ ​Before​ ​even​ ​going​ ​to​ ​the​ ​site,​ ​she​ ​had​ ​used​ ​control​ ​and​ ​return​ ​to
complete​ ​the​ ​URL.
The​ ​initial​ ​thoughts​ ​were​ ​pretty​ ​similar,​ ​but​ ​Andy​ ​noticed​ ​more​ ​on​ ​the​ ​front​ ​page​ ​than
Shawn​ ​did.
Scenario​:​ ​You’ve​ ​just​ ​volunteered​ ​to​ ​spend​ ​a​ ​week​ ​in​ ​Louisiana​ ​helping​ ​hurricane
victims​ ​clean​ ​their​ ​homes​ ​and​ ​businesses.​ ​You​ ​need​ ​a​ ​pair​ ​of​ ​sturdy,​ ​waterproof​ ​boots​ ​within​ ​a
week​ ​and​ ​your​ ​budget​ ​is​ ​$140,​ ​total.
Task​ ​1​:​ ​Determine​ ​how​ ​many​ ​boot​ ​options​ ​are​ ​less​ ​than​ ​$140.
Summary​ ​for​ ​Both​ ​Testers:
Tester​ ​1 Tester​ ​2 Average
Average​ ​Satisfaction 4 5 4.5
Highlights​:
Andy​ ​went​ ​through​ ​the​ ​tasks​ ​pretty​ ​similarly​ ​as​ ​I​ ​did,​ ​but​ ​Shawn​ ​did​ ​it​ ​differently.​ ​She
went​ ​through​ ​several​ ​different​ ​tabs​ ​before​ ​sticking​ ​to​ ​one​ ​area​ ​and​ ​going​ ​through​ ​and​ ​finding​ ​all
the​ ​options​ ​available​ ​to​ ​her.
One​ ​problem​ ​that​ ​was​ ​prevalent​ ​during​ ​the​ ​tasks​ ​for​ ​both​ ​of​ ​them​ ​was​ ​the​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​filter
options.​ ​There​ ​were​ ​very​ ​few​ ​options​ ​to​ ​narrow​ ​down​ ​what​ ​shoes​ ​they​ ​were​ ​looking​ ​for​ ​in​ ​their
price​ ​range.​ ​This​ ​ended​ ​up​ ​being​ ​a​ ​prevailing​ ​issue​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​tasks.
A​ ​problem​ ​for​ ​Andy​ ​was​ ​the​ ​site​ ​was​ ​not​ ​responding​ ​when​ ​he​ ​was​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​filter.​ ​This
was​ ​more​ ​an​ ​issue​ ​with​ ​his​ ​computer​ ​or​ ​browser​ ​or​ ​even​ ​internet​ ​connection​ ​and​ ​not​ ​really​ ​with
the​ ​site​ ​itself.​ ​After​ ​a​ ​few​ ​minutes​ ​and​ ​a​ ​refresh,​ ​it​ ​started​ ​working​ ​again.

6. There​ ​was​ ​no​ ​third​ ​problem​ ​in​ ​this​ ​task​ ​because​ ​the​ ​testers​ ​both​ ​found​ ​what​ ​they​ ​needed
to​ ​in​ ​a​ ​short​ ​period​ ​of​ ​time.​ ​Andy​ ​found​ ​around​ ​10​ ​boots​ ​in​ ​his​ ​price​ ​range​ ​and​ ​Shawn​ ​found​ ​7​ ​in
her​ ​price​ ​range.​ ​It​ ​did​ ​not​ ​take​ ​them​ ​that​ ​long​ ​to​ ​find​ ​the​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​boots​ ​either.
Alignment​ ​to​ ​Heuristic​:​ ​Flexibility​ ​and​ ​efficiency​ ​of​ ​use
This​ ​heuristic​ ​matches​ ​most​ ​to​ ​the​ ​biggest​ ​problem​ ​that​ ​happened​ ​during​ ​this​ ​section
because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​limited​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​filters​ ​that​ ​the​ ​site​ ​has​ ​at​ ​the​ ​moment.​ ​The​ ​site​ ​offers​ ​very
limited​ ​number​ ​of​ ​filters​ ​for​ ​users​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​narrow​ ​down​ ​their​ ​search​ ​results​ ​to​ ​find​ ​the
appropriate​ ​number​ ​of​ ​options​ ​available​ ​to​ ​them.
Task​ ​2​:​ ​You’ve​ ​just​ ​been​ ​advised​ ​that​ ​you’ll​ ​need​ ​steel-toe​ ​constructed​ ​boots.​ ​Of​ ​the​ ​options
you’ve​ ​found,​ ​which​ ​offer​ ​steel-toe​ ​construction?
Summary​ ​for​ ​Both​ ​Testers:
Tester​ ​1 Tester​ ​2 Average
Average​ ​Satisfaction 5 2 3.5
Highlights
This​ ​task​ ​caused​ ​the​ ​most​ ​frustration​ ​for​ ​Shawn​ ​because​ ​she​ ​could​ ​not​ ​find​ ​any​ ​steel-toe
boots,​ ​even​ ​after​ ​attempting​ ​to​ ​utilize​ ​the​ ​search​ ​bar,​ ​so​ ​she​ ​did​ ​not​ ​complete​ ​the​ ​task.​ ​Andy​ ​went
through​ ​the​ ​task​ ​fairly​ ​quick​ ​with​ ​no​ ​real​ ​problems​ ​and​ ​was​ ​able​ ​to​ ​complete​ ​the​ ​task.
The​ ​biggest​ ​problem​ ​in​ ​this​ ​task​ ​is​ ​that​ ​Shawn​ ​could​ ​not​ ​find​ ​any​ ​options​ ​for​ ​her.​ ​She
went​ ​through​ ​several​ ​different​ ​tabs​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​find​ ​steel-toe​ ​boots​ ​before​ ​going​ ​to​ ​the​ ​search​ ​bar
and​ ​trying​ ​that​ ​out.​ ​She​ ​still​ ​did​ ​not​ ​find​ ​anything​ ​there.​ ​Andy​ ​did​ ​not​ ​have​ ​this​ ​problem.
This​ ​was​ ​the​ ​biggest​ ​and​ ​only​ ​problem​ ​with​ ​this​ ​task.
Alignment​ ​to​ ​Heuristic​:​ ​Help​ ​and​ ​documentation

7. This​ ​heuristic​ ​aligns​ ​most​ ​with​ ​the​ ​problem​ ​in​ ​this​ ​task​ ​because​ ​one​ ​person​ ​did​ ​not​ ​even
finish​ ​the​ ​task​ ​and​ ​there​ ​was​ ​no​ ​help​ ​given​ ​to​ ​complete​ ​this​ ​task​ ​and​ ​the​ ​chat​ ​would​ ​not​ ​have
been​ ​helpful​ ​in​ ​time.
Task​ ​3​:​ ​Assume/pretend​ ​that​ ​it​ ​is​ ​Tuesday​ ​at​ ​3:30​ ​p.m.​ ​and​ ​your​ ​flight​ ​leaves​ ​at​ ​6:00​ ​a.m.
Monday​ ​morning.​ ​Determine​ ​the​ ​cheapest​ ​shipping​ ​option​ ​to​ ​receive​ ​the​ ​boots​ ​on​ ​time,​ ​and
determine​ ​the​ ​associated​ ​costs.
Summary​ ​for​ ​Both​ ​Testers:
Tester​ ​1 Tester​ ​2 Average
Average​ ​Satisfaction 5 4 4.5
Highlights
This​ ​task​ ​was​ ​relatively​ ​simple.​ ​Since​ ​Shawn​ ​did​ ​not​ ​complete​ ​the​ ​task​ ​before,​ ​she​ ​went
with​ ​a​ ​pair​ ​of​ ​boots​ ​that​ ​she​ ​found​ ​in​ ​the​ ​first​ ​scenario​ ​that​ ​would​ ​work,​ ​even​ ​though​ ​they​ ​were
not​ ​steel-toed.
The​ ​biggest​ ​problem​ ​with​ ​this​ ​task​ ​is​ ​that​ ​the​ ​USPS​ ​Ground​ ​option​ ​did​ ​not​ ​give​ ​an
estimated​ ​timeframe​ ​for​ ​delivery.​ ​Both​ ​Shawn​ ​and​ ​Andy​ ​ended​ ​up​ ​having​ ​to​ ​go​ ​with​ ​a​ ​different
option​ ​that​ ​cost​ ​$13​ ​because​ ​they​ ​were​ ​unsure​ ​if​ ​the​ ​free​ ​USPS​ ​Ground​ ​option​ ​would​ ​get​ ​to​ ​them
in​ ​time​ ​for​ ​their​ ​flight​ ​Monday​ ​morning.
Another​ ​big​ ​problem​ ​that​ ​they​ ​user's​ ​faced​ ​was​ ​that​ ​they​ ​had​ ​to​ ​go​ ​through​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​steps
in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​find​ ​out​ ​the​ ​shipping​ ​options​ ​available​ ​to​ ​them.​ ​The​ ​boots​ ​had​ ​to​ ​be​ ​added​ ​to​ ​the​ ​bag
then​ ​the​ ​user​ ​had​ ​to​ ​go​ ​and​ ​look​ ​at​ ​the​ ​bag​ ​them​ ​scroll​ ​through​ ​the​ ​page​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​find​ ​what​ ​the
estimated​ ​shipping​ ​and​ ​tax​ ​options.

8. Since​ ​both​ ​users​ ​were​ ​able​ ​to​ ​complete​ ​this​ ​task​ ​in​ ​a​ ​relatively​ ​short​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​time​ ​and
they​ ​had​ ​the​ ​options,​ ​they​ ​did​ ​not​ ​have​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​problems.
Alignment​ ​to​ ​Heuristic​:​ ​Visibility​ ​of​ ​system​ ​status
This​ ​heuristic​ ​matches​ ​the​ ​biggest​ ​problem​ ​because​ ​the​ ​user​ ​did​ ​not​ ​know​ ​what​ ​was
going​ ​on​ ​in​ ​terms​ ​of​ ​shipping​ ​times​ ​with​ ​some​ ​of​ ​the​ ​options​ ​given​ ​to​ ​them.
Task​ ​4​:​ ​Choose​ ​the​ ​best​ ​boot​ ​option​ ​and​ ​determine​ ​the​ ​total​ ​order​ ​amount,​ ​including​ ​shipping.
Summary​ ​for​ ​Both​ ​Testers:
Tester​ ​1 Tester​ ​2 Average
Average​ ​Satisfaction 5 5 5
Highlights
Both​ ​users​ ​were​ ​able​ ​to​ ​complete​ ​this​ ​task​ ​quickly​ ​and​ ​efficiently.​ ​Since​ ​they​ ​were
already​ ​on​ ​the​ ​order​ ​page​ ​with​ ​the​ ​options​ ​that​ ​they​ ​chose​ ​for​ ​shipping,​ ​it​ ​did​ ​not​ ​take​ ​long​ ​to
find​ ​out​ ​their​ ​total​ ​price​ ​after​ ​shipping​ ​and​ ​tax.​ ​Andy’s​ ​was​ ​over-budget​ ​at​ ​$161.99​ ​and​ ​Shawn’s
was​ ​under​ ​budget​ ​at​ ​$110.21.
The​ ​biggest​ ​problem​ ​with​ ​this​ ​was​ ​actually​ ​during​ ​the​ ​shopping​ ​part​ ​since​ ​Andy​ ​did​ ​go
over​ ​budget.​ ​The​ ​filtering​ ​options​ ​to​ ​find​ ​boots​ ​under-budget​ ​did​ ​not​ ​work​ ​the​ ​greatest,​ ​but​ ​other
than​ ​that,​ ​there​ ​were​ ​no​ ​real​ ​issues​ ​with​ ​completing​ ​this​ ​task.
Alignment​ ​to​ ​Heuristic​:​ ​Flexibility​ ​and​ ​efficiency​ ​use
This​ ​heuristic​ ​aligns​ ​to​ ​the​ ​problem​ ​because​ ​in​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​find​ ​boots​ ​that​ ​were
under-budget​ ​with​ ​the​ ​filtering​ ​options​ ​was​ ​quite​ ​hard,​ ​but​ ​this​ ​was​ ​also​ ​more​ ​of​ ​a​ ​programming
thing​ ​going​ ​on.
Final​ ​Site​ ​Thoughts

9. The​ ​similarities​ ​with​ ​the​ ​two​ ​testers​ ​is​ ​that​ ​they​ ​both​ ​had​ ​very​ ​enjoyable​ ​experiences​ ​with
the​ ​site​ ​for​ ​the​ ​most​ ​part.​ ​Shawn​ ​did​ ​get​ ​very​ ​frustrated​ ​with​ ​the​ ​second​ ​task​ ​because​ ​she​ ​was​ ​not
able​ ​to​ ​find​ ​any​ ​steel-toe​ ​shoes​ ​and​ ​she​ ​did​ ​not​ ​complete​ ​the​ ​task.​ ​Andy​ ​was​ ​frustrated​ ​in​ ​the
beginning​ ​because​ ​the​ ​filtering​ ​options​ ​was​ ​not​ ​working,​ ​but​ ​the​ ​problem​ ​did​ ​end​ ​up​ ​resolving
and​ ​he​ ​had​ ​a​ ​pleasant​ ​experience​ ​after​ ​that.
Recommendations​ ​to​ ​improve​ ​user​ ​experience
Single​ ​problem​ ​being​ ​fixed​:​ ​The​ ​one​ ​problem​ ​that​ ​I​ ​will​ ​be​ ​fixing​ ​is​ ​the​ ​filtering
sections​ ​for​ ​the​ ​site.​ ​Not​ ​only​ ​when​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​filter​ ​through​ ​different​ ​boots,​ ​but​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​filter
when​ ​searching​ ​without​ ​having​ ​to​ ​type​ ​in​ ​certain​ ​words​ ​like​ ​women,​ ​children,​ ​men.​ ​This​ ​relates
to​ ​the​ ​first​ ​two​ ​tasks​ ​and​ ​the​ ​inability​ ​to​ ​properly​ ​filter​ ​through​ ​different​ ​options.
Alignment​ ​to​ ​Heuristic​:​ ​The​ ​heuristic​ ​that​ ​this​ ​problem​ ​aligns​ ​to​ ​is​ ​flexibility​ ​and
efficiency​ ​of​ ​use.​ ​This​ ​heuristic​ ​matches​ ​because​ ​it​ ​will​ ​allow​ ​the​ ​user​ ​to​ ​do​ ​more​ ​with​ ​their
filtering​ ​and​ ​allow​ ​them​ ​to​ ​do​ ​less​ ​in​ ​terms​ ​of​ ​searching​ ​through​ ​pages​ ​of​ ​results​ ​that​ ​they​ ​would
get.
Problem​ ​Improvement​:​ ​The​ ​biggest​ ​problem​ ​with​ ​this​ ​site​ ​is​ ​the​ ​filtering​ ​options​ ​given
to​ ​users.​ ​The​ ​options​ ​given​ ​to​ ​them​ ​at​ ​the​ ​moment​ ​are​ ​not​ ​organized​ ​enough​ ​or​ ​they​ ​do​ ​not​ ​give
enough​ ​information/options​ ​to​ ​the​ ​user.
Alignment​ ​to​ ​Heuristic​:​ ​The​ ​heuristic​ ​this​ ​aligns​ ​to​ ​is​ ​flexibility​ ​and​ ​efficiency​ ​of​ ​use.
The​ ​reason​ ​why​ ​is​ ​because​ ​in​ ​fixing​ ​these​ ​problems,​ ​the​ ​users​ ​will​ ​have​ ​more​ ​control​ ​and​ ​they
will​ ​act​ ​as​ ​accelerators​ ​for​ ​the​ ​user.
Problem​ ​Improvement​:​ ​Muckbootcompany.com’s​ ​filters​ ​are
not​ ​the​ ​greatest.​ ​The​ ​one​ ​filter​ ​they​ ​have​ ​that​ ​works,​ ​which​ ​can​ ​be​ ​put

10. into​ ​other​ ​overall​ ​sections,​ ​is​ ​the​ ​categories​ ​in​ ​the​ ​best​ ​for​ ​section.​ ​If​ ​this​ ​can​ ​be​ ​included​ ​more​ ​in
other​ ​sections,​ ​then​ ​users​ ​will​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​narrow​ ​down​ ​what​ ​shoes​ ​they​ ​want​ ​easier,​ ​and​ ​it​ ​can
help​ ​with​ ​their​ ​navigation​ ​as​ ​well.
One​ ​of​ ​the​ ​filter​ ​areas​ ​that​ ​can​ ​be​ ​fixed​ ​is​ ​the
sizing​ ​guide,​ ​especially​ ​in​ ​the​ ​best​ ​for​ ​section,​ ​since
that​ ​includes​ ​all​ ​the​ ​shoes​ ​that​ ​they​ ​consider​ ​are​ ​the
best.​ ​Right​ ​now​ ​they​ ​just​ ​have​ ​all​ ​the​ ​sizes​ ​listed
without​ ​any​ ​real​ ​distinction​ ​between​ ​them.​ ​A​ ​fix​ ​for
this​ ​is​ ​just​ ​to​ ​put​ ​headers​ ​in​ ​above​ ​the​ ​sections.​ ​The
men​ ​and​ ​women​ ​do​ ​not​ ​have​ ​to​ ​be​ ​separate,​ ​so​ ​the
term​ ​unisex​ ​can​ ​be​ ​placed​ ​above​ ​the​ ​sizes​ ​for​ ​that
section.​ ​Then​ ​above​ ​the​ ​kids​ ​section​ ​it​ ​can​ ​be​ ​stated
as​ ​just​ ​that.​ ​These​ ​can​ ​also​ ​be​ ​their​ ​own​ ​separate
drop​ ​down​ ​menus​ ​in​ ​terms​ ​of​ ​just​ ​the​ ​unisex​ ​as​ ​one
drop​ ​down​ ​then​ ​kids​ ​as​ ​a​ ​separate​ ​drop​ ​down.​ ​This
can​ ​help​ ​with​ ​people​ ​who​ ​just​ ​want​ ​to​ ​find​ ​sizes​ ​for​ ​one​ ​section​ ​and​ ​not​ ​see​ ​all​ ​the​ ​results​ ​for
both​ ​adults​ ​and​ ​children.
Another​ ​filter​ ​area​ ​that​ ​can​ ​be
modified​ ​is​ ​the​ ​price​ ​section.​ ​In​ ​some​ ​area’s
the​ ​price​ ​filtering​ ​is​ ​only​ ​one​ ​or​ ​two​ ​lines,
but​ ​even​ ​in​ ​those​ ​sections,​ ​and​ ​throughout
the​ ​site​ ​in​ ​general,​ ​there​ ​could​ ​be​ ​an​ ​option

11. to​ ​put​ ​in​ ​a​ ​minimum​ ​and​ ​maximum​ ​amount​ ​the​ ​user​ ​wants​ ​to​ ​spend.​ ​This​ ​will​ ​give​ ​them​ ​the
option​ ​to​ ​filter​ ​through​ ​other​ ​options​ ​that​ ​aren’t​ ​the​ ​$50​ ​increments​ ​that​ ​the​ ​site​ ​already​ ​gives.
Allowing​ ​the​ ​users​ ​to​ ​have​ ​this​ ​freedom​ ​will​ ​help​ ​them​ ​to​ ​better​ ​narrow​ ​down​ ​their​ ​search​ ​for
shoes​ ​in​ ​their​ ​price​ ​range.
Finally,​ ​the​ ​gender​ ​filter​ ​can​ ​be​ ​fixed.
It​ ​does​ ​not​ ​give​ ​options​ ​to​ ​check​ ​out​ ​the
childrens​ ​shoes.​ ​Instead​ ​of​ ​just​ ​putting​ ​kids
(#),​ ​since​ ​they​ ​have​ ​men,​ ​women​ ​and​ ​unisex,
then​ ​they​ ​can​ ​put​ ​boys​ ​and​ ​girls.​ ​This​ ​will​ ​help​ ​users​ ​because​ ​if​ ​they​ ​want​ ​gender​ ​specific​ ​shoes,
these​ ​options​ ​can​ ​narrow​ ​down​ ​what​ ​they​ ​want​ ​even​ ​more​ ​than​ ​just​ ​searching​ ​through​ ​the​ ​kids
section​ ​for​ ​the​ ​right​ ​type​ ​of​ ​shoes.​ ​This​ ​options​ ​can​ ​also​ ​be​ ​integrated​ ​into​ ​the​ ​search​ ​bar.​ ​Users
can​ ​choose​ ​what​ ​section​ ​they​ ​would​ ​like​ ​to​ ​search​ ​in​ ​order​ ​for​ ​the​ ​results​ ​to​ ​just​ ​be​ ​in​ ​that​ ​one
section​ ​rather​ ​than​ ​searching​ ​through​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​site.​ ​This​ ​will​ ​help​ ​users​ ​to​ ​find​ ​what​ ​they​ ​want
quicker​ ​and​ ​make​ ​their​ ​experience​ ​more​ ​enjoyable​ ​if​ ​they​ ​just​ ​want​ ​to​ ​search​ ​for​ ​one​ ​thing
quickly​ ​and​ ​not​ ​have​ ​to​ ​go​ ​through​ ​all​ ​the​ ​steps​ ​that​ ​they​ ​have​ ​at​ ​the​ ​moment.
In​ ​implementing​ ​these​ ​fixes​ ​to​ ​the​ ​filtering​ ​in​ ​the​ ​site,​ ​then​ ​the​ ​users​ ​will​ ​have​ ​a​ ​better
experience.​ ​This​ ​was​ ​a​ ​big​ ​problem​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​tests​ ​because​ ​there​ ​was​ ​not​ ​enough​ ​filtering
options.​ ​Adding​ ​more​ ​filtering​ ​options​ ​that​ ​will​ ​narrow​ ​down​ ​results​ ​will​ ​make​ ​users​ ​happier
because​ ​they​ ​will​ ​not​ ​have​ ​to​ ​search​ ​as​ ​long​ ​on​ ​a​ ​site​ ​for​ ​the​ ​boots​ ​that​ ​they​ ​are​ ​looking​ ​for.
While​ ​this​ ​can​ ​lower​ ​time​ ​on​ ​site,​ ​it​ ​will​ ​make​ ​users​ ​happier​ ​and​ ​they​ ​will​ ​want​ ​to​ ​be​ ​repeat
visitors​ ​because​ ​they​ ​had​ ​such​ ​a​ ​pleasant​ ​experience.