Usability test for get bevel.com

Becca Ross
Usability Test for getbevel.com
Test Preparation
In order to conduct this test on others I first conducted the tasks myself as well as read
through all the materials in order to fully understand and be able to answer any questions or
concerns my test subjects might encounter. When going through these tasks, especially tasks 1
and 2, I ran into a similar problem of wanting the ability to search for what I was looking for. In
both instances the ability to search “razor bumps’ or “spotting” would have been helpful to find
the information and products listed under those topics. Also when going through the second task
of finding skin care products it was a bit confusing since the question asks for you to find skin
care products so you would assume to click on the “skin” tab on Bevel’s website and look
through the products. In order to then find the correct products both the spot corrector and the
shaving cream I had to click on two different tabs. You would think that since they stress skin
care being step one in the perfect shave they would list all products that are beneficial to your
skin under the “skin” tab. Task 3 was also a little confusing because the task asks you to
“Determine whether there is subscription available for those skin products related to razor bumps
and spotting” because when running the test on myself I just went to the tab that says “offers”
and there it only shows the shaving kit which does not have both products but if you go to the
product itself you can sign up for monthly subscription to them and I wasn’t sure which service it
was referring to. Task 4 was then simple because when looking for the subscription for the skin
products I had already led myself to the shaving subscription page. Overall the website is fairly

simple to navigate and explain and as my testers noticed a search bar was the most common
problem.
Choosing Participants
Tester 1: Bri Shoeman
Bri Shoeman is a friend of mine who I met from someone I go to school with here at
Northwest. I chose her because her father, brother and boyfriend all have facial hair of some kind
and her boyfriend is african american which is what this site caters to. She is a white female who
was 19 when questioned but has recently turned 20. Bri was unfamiliar with site and had never
heard of it and the only other site she had been aware of was dollar shave club but had never
visited the site. She works full time at a bank as a teller so technology is a part of her day to day
life both at work and at home. Bri believed in a ballpark estimate each week she spends roughly
15-20 hours using technology outside of work with that time about 75% spent on social media
and only 25% spend browsing. She mainly uses her phone when going through social media but
when buying or browsing on the internet she prefers her computer.
Environment for Tester 1
- Location of test: The location for Bri’s test was in her room in her apartment
which she shares with one other friend. We sat on her bed which is where she said
she typically is on her phone or computer to shop or browse online.
- Physical environment: The room was quite well lit with an overhead light as
well as a lamp and the window was open allowing in natural light. It was fairly
cold in the room as the window was open and the apartment is typically cold. You

could hear cars and people outside and the tv was off which she said it normally is
when she needs to focus on something.
- Technical environment: Bri was using her personal laptop to complete the tasks.
She uses a HP Pavilion foldable laptop which was unfolded as that’s how she
typically uses it when shopping online. She was using google chrome to as her
main browser and google as her search engine.
Tester 2: Julie Schultz
Julie Schultz is my mother. I chose her because my father has facial hair and is a ginger
and has very sensitive skin so he has to be particular in shaving because his skin can irritate and
create bumps very easily and she is usually the one who finds products for him to use. She is a
white female who is 49 years young. Julie was familiar with the types of sites (Dollar Shave
Club, Harrys) as she had looked into them for my step-dad but had not heard of Bevel. Julie
works full time at a water works company where she has to use technology in her day to day life
both at work and at home. Though unlike most teenagers she does not spend as often using the
internet as she brings work home with her often but when she does use it she said she would say
maybe 8-10 hours a week depending on how busy she was and that an estimate would be about
60% social media 40% browsing as she does enjoy shopping online.
Environment for Tester 2
- Location of test: The location for Julies test was at her house in her living room
on the couch. This is where she spends 90% of her time when she’s home both
doing work and using the internet.

- Physical environment: The room was fairly well lit as the living room lights
were on as well as the kitchen lights. The room was fairly warm though my mom
had a blanket on as she gets cold easily. My step-dad was also in the living room
watching tv, which she said is normal when she is on her phone or computer.
- Technical environment: Julie was using her personal laptop which she does all
browsing or shopping. She uses an HP Spectre standard computer. She uses safari
for her browser and uses google as her default search engine.
Test Results
Initial Site Thoughts
Tester 1: Bri’s first reaction was to the subscribe pop up and she rolled her eyes
and said “I hate when those pop up if I want to subscribe I will do it myself”. Once she exited
that pop up she continued to scroll down through the site and when she landed on the photo of
the side by side skin picture she was confused as to what they were trying to depict because they
were dark and you couldn’t really tell that there was a difference in the two pictures unless you
looked very close.

She liked that the site was simple and not too cluttered as there wasn't a bunch of stuff all over
the page. She thought that the grey on white was very appealing and up to modern standards and
very cut and dry. She thought that the website set up was good and looked like it was a pretty
good website, when asked to elaborate she meant it looked like a site you can trust.
Tester 2: Julies first reaction to the site was to exit out of the pop up and she said
“you can almost always expect one of these on every site you go to nowadays” and then
proceeded to exit out of it. She then scrolled down the website where she noticed that it is also
available in store at target which she liked because that meant she could be hands on with the
product which she likes for more personal products. She also spent time looking at the grooming
tips and wondering out loud what other tips that they may have on their website for shaving and
skin care since she noticed that they have a tab on the top of the page for skin. She enjoyed the
friendly face of the dermatologist as it made it feel like a friendly website and one you could
trust since they were also giving you a link to click on to see what they have to say.
Julie also liked the simple minimalistic detailing of the site as it was white with a few accent
colors but was fairly plain and simple and easy to understand.

Similarities and Differences: The main similarity noticed between the two was
the dislike of the pop up to subscribe to the site. They both mentioned that it happens so often on
most websites now that they don’t even take the time to really look at it they just close it right
away. Another similarity was that they enjoyed how clean and simple the website was and that it
didn’t push a lot of stuff right in your face. A difference I noticed was that Bri automatically
looked for pictures and said that it makes it more interesting to want to look at where as Julie
went for more of what kind of information the site had to offer on their products to their
consumers.
Task 1: Determine whether there is any information available at getbevel.com that
explains what razor bumps are, how they happen, and whether they cause discoloration,
spotting or scarring. You want to learn details here not just superficial information.
Summary for Both Testers:
Tester 1 Tester 2 Average
Average Satisfaction 3 2 2.5
Success Rate 100% 100% 100%
Top 2 Observations
1) Testers were surprised that for being such a big part of their brand it wasn’t the
very first thing on their homepage. Seeing as how they push their products being
the best for helping get rid of razor bumps and spotting it took many tries to click
on different tabs before they were able to navigate to a page where it had 10

articles listed to explain in detail razor bumps and other problem areas or
questions consumers might have.
2) Testers were surprised when trying to navigate back home after finding their
answer to task 1 as it takes you to another page not connected with bevels main
website so when you click on the word “Bevel” in the left hand corner it doesn’t
take you back to the main website and that frustrated the testers as at first they
couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Biggest Problem
The biggest problem when trying to navigate this first task was the inability for the user
to just be able to search “razor bumps” or “spotting”. Instead both users clicked on skin and
clicked on the spot corrector which didn’t give in depth information so they went back to the
homepage where Julie then went to bevel code which she was then unable to find anything useful
there so she went back to the main page and said “well why can’t I just search for it” where she
then realized there was no search bar option. She then eventually found the “FAQ” link under
“Customer” which lead her to a razor bump link and then to articles about the problems. Bri also
experienced this but it was only after not finding anything under “skin” that she then
immediately wanted to search for it and said “well that’s just pointless, they make it so much
more difficult for you to find stuff” when she realized there was no search tool. She was able to
find the “FAQ” tab under “Customer” right after that to then find her answer.
Alignment to Heuristic
The Heuristic which this most closely aligns to would be heuristic number four: consistency and
standards. This means that the users should not have to wonder whether different words,

situations, or actions mean the same thing. On Bevels website while they did technically have a
search tool labeled “Help” which most people do not align with search tool. This means that
people would ignore the tool and get frustrated with the website for not giving them the ability to
search for what they are looking for.
Task 2: Determine if Bevel has any skin care products available that address razor
bumps and skin spots. What are the products and how much do they cost?
Top 2 Observations
1) Testers were surprised when trying to navigate through the tabs at the top of
the website along with following the task that it leads you to believe that in order
to find skin products that it should be listed under the “skin” tab for all skin
products and that you shouldn’t have to search through the other tabs.
2) Testers were surprised when under the products it doesn’t give a clear enough
description of the product so you have to click through all of them in order to
fully understand what they do so they got frustrated after clicking through all the
products under “skin” and still not knowing if they had one that specifically
mentioned razor bumps until going through the “shave” tab as well and clicking
on products.

Biggest Problem
The biggest problem with this second task is both people wanted to search again
for razor bumps or spotting in order to be directed to links that would take you directly to what
you wanted to find instead of having to hunt through all the products in order to find the specific
one you wanted. Both Bri and Julie clicked on “skin” and scrolled through all of them till they
saw the one called “Spot Corrector” then they had to click through each product under the “skin”
tab to see if any of them mentioned razor bumps. Once they clicked through all of them Julie
went back to the home page to see if she had missed anything then clicked “hair” cause she
thought it might have been there and after not seeing any products to do with razor bumps then
went to “shave” where she found the shaving cream. She again wished she could have just
searched razor bumps in order to be given a list of items or articles related to the topic. Bri was
similar in she went straight from “skin” to “shave” but while scrolling through “skin” again
mentioned how much easier it would be to navigate if she could just search for what she was
looking for.
The Heuristic which this most closely aligns to would be heuristic number four: consistency and
standards. This means that the users should not have to wonder whether different words,
situations, or actions mean the same thing. On Bevels website while they did technically have a
search tool labeled “Help” which most people do not align with search tool. This means that
people would ignore the tool and get frustrated with the website for not giving them the ability to
search for what they are looking for.

Task 3: Determine whether there is a subscription available for those skin products
related to razor bumps and spotting.
Average Satisfaction 4 4 4
Top 2 Observations
1) Testers were surprised to find that the website was misleading in that if you
didn’t look hard into the individual products you wouldn’t notice that each individual product
you can sign up for monthly products on their own and not in the whole shaving kit subscription.
It wasn’t until after the test that they realized you can purchase the products individually and
believed that it was unfortunately very misleading because customers that are in a hurry could
easily miss that option as most people just select how many they need and add to cart and are on
their way.

2) Testers were surprised to find that signing up to a subscription isn’t at the very
top of their home page if that is the main idea of the company. Their whole thing is being able to
receive a great product directly to consumers every month but you have to search to find out
their subscription location on their website and what it has to offer. It isn’t unless you click on
the learn more at the very top to want to learn more about their products that it also happens to
lead you to their subscription service but you wouldn't think to look there unless you clicked to
learn more about the products.
Biggest Problem
The biggest problem was that when the testers did finally find where to go to find the
subscription service you had to click through two pages to actually get to a list of what all is
included and more information. Julie was frustrated that there was so much to go through and
that someone who is in a hurry or just browsing may get tired of having to click through so much
information to find what they are looking for. Bri was also frustrated with the amount of

literature you had to go through before you found what you were looking for and then it only
gave you three options and didn’t include the individual products that you could subscribe to.
The heuristic which aligns with this problem would be number eight: aesthetic and minimalist
design. This means that dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely
needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of
information and diminishes their relative visibility. When Bri and Julie tried to find out what
subscriptions were available on Bevels website they were taken through two separate pages they
had to click through before they actually got to a page that listed exactly all the information
needed to complete the task. For something so important to them as its the main product of the
website that they push the most you think they would give easy access directly to the page
without a bunch of extra information. If they decide to purchase the product or seek out that
information it can then be given to them but if not it frustrates the user.
Task 4: You’ve decided you want to give your friend a one-year subscription to
Bevel’s Replenishment Subscription. Determine how much that will cost. Determine how
often the product will be shipped and what’s included with each shipment.

Top 2 Observations
1) Testers were surprised that again you had to click through so much literature to
find the products that you were looking for you had to go through two pages to find the price
point and what was included. Again it wasn’t on the first page unless you clicked learn more so
you had to go to “offers” then click “learn more” and then click through another tab before you
finally got to the cost details.
2) Testers were surprised to find that on the page before you get to the price there
are three separate places to click to move on that all take you to the exact same price breakdown
for the products. The testers had to read through each option before clicking on the right one and
then realized that they each take you to the exact same place so they then became frustrated as to
why there were more options since it just made things more confusing.
Biggest Problem
Overall the biggest problem that both Bri and Julie had was trying to figure out when the
orders were going to be shipped and what was to be included. It says you are paying for a year
long monthly subscription but that it comes quarterly. Bri and Julie both clicked on the “choose”
tab for the yearly subscription to find out what was included and both were confused as to how
the subscription worked. It said you would get a package quarterly but not what was being
refiled it did show thow what was in the starter pack but didn’t say if what is delivered each time
is supposed to last you till the next subscription came in. Both Bri and Julie got frustrated and
gave up after finding what little information the website did give you.

I believe the heuristic this most closely aligns to would be number four: consistency and
standards. They call their subscription service a monthly service but in reality it only ships out
quarterly making it a quarterly service. Be reading what they have listed on the website they ship
you one package every quarter and its supposed to last until the next shipment arrives. By
labeling it monthly to most other website mean that you will get a package in the mail every
month containing the products you subscribed to but according to bevels website they only do
quarterly shipments meaning they need to relabel their subscription to more closely resemble
how often their consumers would get the product.
Final Site Thoughts
1: Bri shrugged and didn’t really seem to have an opinion. She thought it was
pretty easy to navigate once you were used to the website but still thinks there needs to be a
search tool to make it easier. Bri thinks the website and its information are fairly clean cut and
easy to use.
2: Julie thought the website contained a lot of great information and tools for
people with sensitive skin or other skin problems but speaking as someone who is usually in a
hurry or has not a lot of time to spend on things there's so much information to go through to find
some of the important things on their website.
Similarities and Differences: Again the biggest similarity is the want for a search tool to
make finding what they are looking for quick and easy. One difference is Julie looked at it
through the eyes of a busy working adult who doesn’t have a lot of time and thought the website
could be simplified and cut down to avoid people from getting frustrated whereas Bri looked at it

as someone who is casually browsing the internet and has time to go through every inch of the
site.
Recommendations to Improve User Experience
Single Problem Being Fixed
Task 1: Users having a hard time finding products and wished there was a search engine
Problem Improvement
When you first get to the Bevel website this is your landing page. A seemingly normal page with
tabs listed across the top, a user login, and a shopping cart. One important thing missing is a
search tool. Most websites include one to make navigating their websites easier for consumers. If
you notice in the bottom right corner there is a “help” bubble that follows you as you navigate
the website. Now on most sites this leads to a FAQ page that tells you contact information or
other obsolete information consumers have come to ignore. But for Bevel this is their search
tool. Both my testers ignored this button or did not even notice it at all nor did they try and click

on it when wishing they had the ability to search for a product. My suggestion is moving the
search tool to the top right corner which is where almost every other website has theirs located,
along with switching it to say “search” instead of “help”. When you click on Bevel’s “help”
bubble it only searches through the “FAQ” page listed at the bottom of the sight it doesn’t
include products listed on the Bevel website. I also suggest that allowing the search tool to be a
global search tool and searching all of the website not just the “FAQ” page. The design of the
website is simple and sleek and so should the search tool. Just a simple search box is what most
people look for.
This search tool would look through specific keywords tagged on products and articles to help
the consumer find the most accurate information when they search on the Bevel website. It
would bring a drop down list of products or articles that would be best suited for what you
searched.

Usability test for get bevel.com

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