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Final Instructions

The document summarizes the results of a usability test of instructions for obtaining historical groundwater data from the USGS website. The test found that the instructions were clear in the first half but included too much information later on. Specifically, step 7 screenshots needed updating and step 6 overwhelmed users with options. Recommendations included updating outdated illustrations to match the current website.

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54 views

Final Instructions

The document summarizes the results of a usability test of instructions for obtaining historical groundwater data from the USGS website. The test found that the instructions were clear in the first half but included too much information later on. Specifically, step 7 screenshots needed updating and step 6 overwhelmed users with options. Recommendations included updating outdated illustrations to match the current website.

Uploaded by

api-470247083
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Date: 9 July 2019

To: United States Geological Survey

From: Group B

Subject: Groundwater Usability Test Results

This report outlines the results of a usability test about your set of instructions for
obtaining historical groundwater. The original instructions provided lacks proper
illustrations that relate to the current website. The need for a revision of the original
instructions will help prevent future users from becoming lost.

Test Objectives
The overall objective is to determine the ease of functionality and user-friendliness for a
set of instructions that allows a user to find data on historical groundwater. A user will
follow the set of instructions and navigate thru the United States Geological Survey
(USGS) website all while being observed. At the end, the user will be asked to answer a
series of questions relating to the design, prose, and images of the set of instructions.

Results
Areas of Strength

The size of the instruction was the most complimented that we received. The
headings are clear and easy to read. Illustrations helped the users follow through
the information. Step six illustrations helped the user to narrow down exactly
what the step was asking for because there is a large number of options.

Areas of Improvement

Need improvements at step four illustrations; there is more information on the


picture than what the user needed. Step six was very overwhelming for the user
from the instructions to the actual webpage. There is a lot of information for the
user to comprehend and easily gets lost on the page when searching through the
contents listed. In step seven, the screenshots need to be updated because it
does not look like the current webpage.

Questionnaire
Open-Ended Questions
1. Is there anything we can improve?
 The test users were overwhelmed by the amount of information in some of
the visual aids. Most users became confused around step seven.
2. Did you have an easy time finding what you were looking?
 The users were unsure of what they were truly looking. The users would
just follow the illustrations from the instructions.
3. Were you confused about anything you found?
 There was confusion about the instructions after step seven. The user had
difficulty finding the next required part that was listed in the instructions
because unnecessary information for the user appears on the site's page.

Close-Ended Questions
1. Were the instructions clear?
 The test users thought the instructions were clear for the first half, but then
they were presented with too much information. The instructions used
plain language, which made it very clear. But, also confusing because
they were not easy to follow.
2. What features did you like in the instructions?
 The only feature in the instructions that the test users appreciated were
the photos of buttons.
3. Did the illustrations make it easier to navigate through the site?
 All of the users appreciated the illustrations. One user wanted to keep how
the image was formatted on the instruction, but update the illustrations
more to match the current site.

Recommendations
The recommendations provided by the test users were quite useful. Some of the
illustrations shown in the original instructions are outdated from what the current
website is showing. A few users wanted the illustrations in step 7 to be updated
because in the original illustrations it indicates the region and the site type selected, but
when reaching that step, it was not selected as it should be. The illustrations that was
not up-to-date have been changed to match the current website. One user wanted the
information in step 6 to be narrowed down, but it was not implemented because the
information given allows a user to check more than one option depending on the data
that he or she desired.

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