Usability testers tested the website SneakerBarDetroit.com and had various levels of success completing tasks. The testers noted inconsistencies with search results, with the same searches sometimes returning different article outputs. Tasks involving finding specific sneaker releases connected to players like Shaq and coverage of Kobe Bryant's death were mostly successful. However, tasks searching for BLM-supporting sneakers and Shaq's first sneaker release were more challenging due to irrelevant search results. Both testers felt the site needs to improve search functionality to provide more consistent, relevant results. The recommendation is to switch to a global search function to allow comprehensive searching across the site.

1. Brandon Dinh
Intro to Web Publishing
Jaqueline Lamer
13 October 2020
Usability Test for SneakerBarDetroit.com
Test Preparation:
For this usability test I prepared very carefully. First, in choosing my participants and
second, trying to do the tasks themselves. I picked the two participants by choosing 2 friends,
one that was a sneakerhead and one that was not. For doing the tasks themselves, some were
difficult, and some were not. The site itself is very non-consistent with its articles and what you
can search up and what you can’t.
The first task given was finding Shaquille O’Neal’s most recent sneaker release and first
sneaker release. While I found his most recent sneaker release, which was the Reebok Shaqnosis
in the Flipped OG White/Black Colorway and his first sneaker release, which I could not find on
the site. When searching up O’Neal’s first shoe release or Shaq first shoe, it shows no results,
which doesn’t surprise me as the site was made in 2010 and Shaq had his sneaker debut years
before that. For that task, a problem one would likely run into is the lack of articles or
information regarding Shaq if that is one’s favorite player.
As for the second task, the 2020 Reebok shoe that aligned with voting this year was the
Reebok Club C “Vote”. This task was relatively easy to do as I went to the search bar and typed
“Reebok vote”, and the article popped up right in front of me. For this task vote was a big key

2. word in getting the article and information I needed to complete the task which was relatively
fast.
The third task was also an easy task to complete. The tragic death of Kobe Bryant
shocked us all and as a fellow sneakerhead I wasn’t surprised to see these shoes mentioned when
covering his passing. Again, I typed in the search bar “Kobe Bryant death”, which led me to
different articles that were and were not related to my task. The article that I found covered
Kobe’s death while talking about two of his most iconic sneaker releases, one being the Nike
Kobe 6 “Black Del Sol” in 2010 and the Nike Kobe 6 “BHM”, which celebrated the 35th
anniversary of Black History Month. A common problem that I’ve had while doing these tasks
are the articles that don’t relate to the keywords or old articles from years back that aren’t
relatable either. Other than that, task three was relatively easy to pass.
The fourth and final task in my opinion was probably the hardest to do. When searching
BLM or BLM movement, no results show but when searching the unabbreviated words “Black
Lives Matter”, one Jordan article pops up about a BLM Air Jordan 1. When searching up the
names of those lost to police brutality, Breonna Taylor showed one article about the Sue Bird
and Diana Taurasi collaboration. This task had a lot of problems one might encounter. Some of
the problems include again, articles that don’t relate to the search words and some search words
bring up no results at all.
Choosing Participants:
Tester Comparison Summary Chart:

3. Tester 1: Derek G Tester 2: Avery B
Gender Male Female
Age 20 20
Hours browsing/week 30 40
Browsing habits Uses more school related
research on computer. Social
media when taking breaks
from studying. Shops at a
couple sites.
Uses lots of social media,
uses a couple shopping sites,
does research for schoolwork.
Phone for social media,
Laptop for school.
Other observations
Tester 1 Details: Derek G
My first tester is my roommate Derek G. Derek is a 20-year-old male that knows a thing
or two about sneakers and the sneakerhead culture. I think that he is a reasonable tester because
he knows about shoes and would navigate the site in a way a sneakerhead would. His usage
habits insist that he navigates well across sites as he does most of his time researching for school.
Environment for Tester 1:
 Location of test: As a part of being realistic, I had Derek sit at the dining room
table where he always sits. That location was chosen because he prefers a quiet
place to do his research and work to stay focused.

4.  Physical environment: The physical environment was relatively calm. There was
the light coming in from the windows, the lights from the ceiling were adding to
the brightness and the TV could be heard in the background.
 Technical environment: The computer type was the school issued laptop. The
connection was by house internet while the browser was Google. No add-ons
were seen.
Tester 2 Details: Avery B
For my second tester, I chose my close friend Avery B. Avery is a 20-year-old female
that spends most of her time on social media. The reason I thought she would be a good tester is
because unlike Derek, Avery has close to no knowledge about the collectible sneaker industry,
especially the basketball side. It would be a good way to see if the site would work for someone
who doesn’t know much about sneakers.
Environment for Tester 2:
 Location of test: This test was taken remotely using Zoom. This test was done
remotely as the first test was done in person.
 Physical environment: Lights were yellow tinted, and you could hear talking in
the background.
 Technical environment: Also used school issued laptop, google browser and had
ad-blocker add-on.
Test Results:

5. Initial Site Thoughts:
Tester 1: “When I first saw the site, I thought it looked crisp; I like the different
tabs available and the layout of where everything is looks very smooth. It seems like you can’t
buy anything so its just a sneaker news site I assume.”
Tester 2: “The website looks a little different than I would’ve thought. I like the
way the shapes make everything smooth. It looks like a sneaker buying site. The two shoes
taking up the big squares really grabs your attention when you first get to the site.”
Similarities and Differences: The similarities between the two testers was that
the overall layout of the site was well done and looked pleasing. Both noticed the how smooth it
was and that it was a sneaker site. The difference is that tester 1 knew that it wasn’t a sneaker
buying site right when he saw it but tester 2 didn’t.
Task 1: Your favorite basketball player is Shaquille O’Neal. Find the most recent sneaker
release connected to Shaq. Find Shaq’s first sneaker release.
Summary for Both Testers:
Tester 1: Derek G Tester 2: Avery B Average
Average Satisfaction 3 2 2.5
Success Rate 50% 50% 50%
Tester 1 Task Completion Process:

6. For the first task, tester 1 took about 5 minutes finding the most recent sneaker release
connected to Shaq, which was the Reebok Shaqnosis Flipped OG White/Black Colorway. First,
he clicked on the Brands tab, then clicked on Reebok since he knows Shaq has shoes with
Reebok. After that didn’t work, he then searched up “Shaq Reebok shoe”, where he scrolled
down a couple articles to find the one that was most relevant to the time and date. The second
portion of the task was more difficult. Tester 1 could not find the first Shaq sneaker release.
After searching different tabs for about 10 mins, including going back to the Reebok tab and
using the filter, no articles about the first Shaq shoe release were found on the site.
Tester 2 Task Completion Process:
Tester 2 had more of a hard time doing the first task. While she did finish the first
portion, once again the second part of the task was not accomplished. Tester 2 took a little more
time than tester 1, taking 10-15 mins on the first portion. She first started by searching up Shaq
reebok shoe and all that did was bring up old articles on past releases which was irrelevant. After
scrolling through multiple old articles, she decided to put into the search bar “Reebok Shaq”,
which then finally pulled up the same shoe as I and tester 1 had. Sadly, for the second part of the
task it was unaccomplished. Tester 2 clicked every tab you could and with no avail. The site has
old articles related to Shaq, but not far enough to where his first shoe release could be.
Biggest Problem:
The biggest problem when doing this task would have to be the inconsistencies of the
search option. When putting the same words in the search bar, sometimes the number of articles
differ than before or they would show no results at all. This could be a problem for visitors as it

7. could confuse them and would make them think the site is bugged out. It could also be a problem
for the site because there could mean flaws in the design.
Alignment to Heuristic: Visibility of system status
For this task, the heuristic most relevant to my test results would be visibility of system
status. The reason I say that is because even if the site has inconsistencies when it comes to the
searches or no results, the site tells you if what you put in worked or if it didn’t work.
Task 2: You’re a proponent of voting and you’ve heard there is a 2020 Reebok sneaker that
aligns with your commitment to vote in local and federal elections. What is the name of that
sneaker, and is it being made?
Summary for Both Testers:
Tester 1: Derek G Tester 2: Avery B Average
Average Satisfaction 5 2 3.5
Success Rate 100% 0% 50%
Tester 1 Task Completion Process:
Task 2 was relatively easy for Derek as he was able to find the article for this right away.
By typing “Reebok vote”, he was able to narrow down the results to about three articles. After
searching through each one for about 2-3 mins, the article about the Reebok Club C “Vote” shoe
had everything he was looking for. In the article it states that the shoe won’t be made until 500
pairs are sold. If the goal isn’t met, then the shoe gets scrapped.

8. Tester 2 Task Completion Process:
Task 2 was also proving to be difficult for tester 2 as she couldn’t finish the task after
about 20 minutes of trying. When given the task, she first went to Reebok to check if there was
anything there. After scrolling for a little and deciding there was nothing, she decided to type in
the search bar using “Reebok election”, with nothing popping up about the election either.
Biggest Problem:
Task 2 doesn’t really have that big of a problem. For this task, typing in the word vote
helped narrow a lot of the searches down, something that tester 2 did not put into the search bar.
With the inconsistencies in searches still looming, that is the biggest problem I could find for
task 2.
Alignment to Heuristic: Consistency and standards
Consistency and standards should not have to be pondered when it comes to a site like
this. Information should be consistent and up to par with the rest of the website, but it is not and
that is the biggest problem when talking about this task. It could be bad for the site because
visitors might use a different sneaker news site that can maintain consistent search results when
needed.
Task 3: Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. Find coverage on his death.
Does the coverage mention any specific Kobe sneakers?
Summary for Both Testers:

9. Tester 1: Derek G Tester 2: Avery B Average
Average Satisfaction 5 5 5
Success Rate 100% 100% 100%
Tester 1 Task Completion Process:
The 3rd task proved to be a very easy task once again. From the home page, Derek used
the search bar to type “Kobe Bryant death”, and the clicking on the second article it talks about
Kobe’s tragic passing and mentions two of Bryant’s most infamous shoe releases, the first being
the Nike Kobe 6 “ Black Del Sol” and the Nike Kobe 6 “BHM”, taking a total of about 2-3 mins.
Tester 2 Task Completion Process:
Finally, tester 2 was able to finish the task within a 5-minute frame. She did the same
thing that tester 1 did and typed into the search bar “Kobe Bryant death”, which prompted the
same article to pop up.
Biggest Problem: The biggest problem I found here was virtually nothing, this task was very
straightforward and simple. It also didn’t require a lot of research as the words in the search bar
narrowed everything down.
Alignment to Heuristic: Flexibility and efficiency of use
The heuristic flexibility and efficiency of use is the best one to use for this because the
site allowed for both testers to easily do the task, regardless of how experienced or
unexperienced the user was.

10. Task 4: You are a supporter of Black Lives Matter and you’d like a sneaker that shows your
support. About how many different sneakers an you find that specifically show BLM support?
Did your search turn up the Sue Bird/Diana Taurasi sneaker?
Summary for Both Testers:
Tester 1: Derek G Tester 2: Avery B Average
Average Satisfaction 2 2 2
Success Rate 50% 50% 50%
Tester 1 Task Completion Process:
As you can see by the summary, task 4 was hard to accomplish fully. Like me earlier,
tester 1 put into the search bar BLM or BLM movement and nothing would come up. After
putting the full Black Lives Matter into the search, it popped up the same Air Jordan 1 BLM
shoe. After about 15 mins of searching through tabs and different brands, you couldn’t really
find anything but articles about Jordan brand and Nike donating up to $140 million to support
black communities. None of the searches showed the Sue Bird/ Diana Taurasi sneaker.
Tester 2 Task Completion Process:
Looking back at the chart again, tester 2 also didn’t have a good time finishing the task.
Having the same problems as tester 1, she couldn’t find any other shoes than the same Jordan 1
that was shown after 10 mins of searching she didn’t know what else to do or where to go.
Again, when searching up things like BLM it shows results that aren’t even close to being
relevant to the task.
Biggest Problem:

11. For the last task, the biggest problem was again definitely the irrelevant articles. That was
a major problem through out more than half of the tasks. If this doesn’t get fixed users are going
to stop coming to the site because of incorrect information or no information at all.
Alignment to Heuristic: Help and documentation
In my opinion, for experienced and unexperienced users, there should be a help or live
chat tab where you can contact someone or an AI (artificial intelligence) about questions you
have regarding the site, where you can find things, etc.
Final Site Thoughts:
Tester 1: “I thought that the site would be easy to navigate since I’ve done it with other
sites like it before but this one was different and not in a good way, I feel as if the search settings
are a bit choppy on what articles it shows you, even when they don’t match the key words at all.
They are going to have to fix that if they want the site to be usable to other people experienced or
inexperienced.”
Tester 2: “The sites design is slick and nice, but it doesn’t do much when everything is
so out of place when you search things. I didn’t like that when I put in the same words
sometimes there would be different amounts of articles which is weird and makes you think that
they don’t work on their site much which sucks.”
Similarities and Differences: Some similarities from both users is that both agree the
website needs to fix its search settings so users can easily access what they need to. Another

12. similarity is the difference in articles when the same thing is searched up twice. A difference
would be that tester 2 still had some liking to the site afterwards while tester 1 said that after
dealing with the site he didn’t really like it much anymore.
Recommendations to Improve User Experience:
Single Problem Being Fixed: Task 1: Users unable to search and find Shaq first sneaker
release.
Problem Improvement: When thinking about what I wanted to improve for
SneakerBarDetroit, it was clear that the search portion needed some tuning up. As stated in the
tasks biggest problem and other places, the biggest problem for the site was its inconsistency of
articles every time you search something up. A way I would like to fix that would be to change
to a global search. According to uxmovement.com, a global search is “where the user enders
their search term to search the entire site globally to fine the information they need.” It is the
opposite of a scoped search which allows users “to select which section they want to search
through.”
The reason why I like this approach is because when searching things up before you had
to dig and dig for the task to be accomplished but with the global search, you are able to give
users the hope that the site isn’t hiding any important information in other parts of the site you
might not know about. To have a scoped search, you must assume that all your audience will
already know what to do when arriving at the site, but you can’t. You must always expect
unexperienced users to come to your site and the site must be able to accommodate them also.

13. Overall, the global search for me would be the way to go as it seems the SneakerBarDetroit site
does more of a scoped search than a global one, which would be more beneficial for the site.

14. Works Cited
https://uxmovement.com/navigation/global-vs-scoped-search-which-gives-better-results/