Brittany Nowicki
Google Maps
Usability Study
THE CHALLENGE
EVALUATE AND TEST INTERFACE
Although the Google Suite of Products and Servies is well known and widely used, the purpose of this case study was to do an in-depth look at the web client version of Google Maps. With many people using Maps on their mobile devices, we took a fine tooth comb to the application in search of areas for improvement to enhance the user experience.
My role
This study required a multilayered approach. I was responsible for identifying areas of friction during the heuristic analysis and contributed to the creation of the usability testing scenarios. Once the scenarios were developed, I the instructions for our test booklet. I was also responsible for conducting both face-to-face and remote usability tests. Upon the completion of all user testing, I compiled all user insights and co-authored the final report.
THE APPROACH
CASE STUDY PROCESS
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Heuristic Evaluation - ISO9241
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Test Scenario Development
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Face-to-Face Testing
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Evaluation
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Remote Testing
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Evaluation
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Final Review and Recommendations
USER TESTING
INSIGHTS & OBSERVATIONS
Based on the results from our heuristic analysis and several rounds of user testing, it was quite surprising to see so many aspects of such a widely used application that could still be improved on. In several cases, iconography was unclear and users were left with no real guess as to how to complete a task. One specific case was having users enable the live traffic feature of the application. Nearly all test participants struggled to accomplish this without some level of guidance in order to continue the rest of the test. In other cases, users struggled to determine if they could search from "street view," a task that was attempted by a vast majority of the test participants. In all, a set of design recommendations was developed that sought to address issues with language, labeling and clarity.