[Type]: UX Design
[Client]: CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority)
[Project]: Online Store IA validation
[Role]: Lead UX Designer
[Duration]: 4 weeks
[Year]: 2023
Overview
CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) were implementing a new information architecture for their online store and aim to evaluate user reception of this updated structure.
I conducted interviews and usability testing with current customers, pilots and users of the CASA online store to understand whether their needs are currently being met and whether the new information architecture was in fact an improvement.
10 participants attended a 1:1 moderated session, of up to 90 minutes. Sessions were conducted via a Zoom call with screen sharing, allowing the sessions to be monitored whilst participants carried out tasks and answered questions as guided.
Research
Findings
&
Analysis
Comparative Analysis: Participants Divided to Evaluate Current vs. Proposed Information Architecture
To mitigate potential learnt behaviour patterns that might affect the research findings, the participants were divided into two groups- group A carrying out the tasks on the existing store, followed by the proposed IA (information architecture), group B carrying out the same tasks vice versa.
During the sessions, the participants completed tasks, answered questions and shared their thoughts on both the current version and the proposed updated version.
Participants' behaviour and interactions with both versions were monitored in addition to their responses. Both behaviour and responses were cross-referenced to ensure that the correct findings were reported.
Capturing Key Metrics to Prioritise Research Findings and Enable Comparability
Task completion score
All tasks carried out on both versions of CASA online store IA were monitored and partici[ants were given a score as to how easy or difficult they found them to complete. Tasks were broken down into categories of "Easy", "Some difficulty", "Great difficulty", and "Fail".
Key finding metrics highlighting where participants managed to complete tasks easily and where any issues were encountered.
Customer ease score
A task-aligned score out of 10 (being very easy), is an aggregate of ease ratings rpovided by participants for each task. This metric summarises customer perception of ease of use.
Overall the participants found the existing information architecture (IA) easier to use, even though one participant gave it the lowest score. This suggests that , on the whole, participants had a moree positice perception of the existing IA's usability, despite the opinion of one individual.
Prototype testing for information architecture effectiveness
In order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed information architecture (IA) in comparison to the existing IA, I developed an interactive prototype using Axure. The prototype was developed as an exact replica of the proposed IA. This enabled the participants to navigate using a familiar approach while completing tasks, with a specific focus on evaluating the navigation experience.
Existing
Proposed
[Prototype]
Key findings uncovered
Findings
- Doesn't function like other online stores.
- Confusing navigation- inconsistent labelling.
- Unintuitive product layout/grouping.
Likes
- Fewer navigation tabs make it easier to scan and find items.
- Less cluttered (proposed IA).
Suggestions
- Increase searchability by adding keywords.
- Separate the navigation for different users e.g.-"pilots", "engineers" etc.
- All resources, guides and downloadable items in one place.
- Add multiple pathways to products, utilising tiles on the homepage.
- Make it more like other online stores.
Recommendations
Based
on
findings
Recommendation 1: Align with other stores
Finding:
Participants found the online store layout unfamiliar which created a barrier to product discovery.
Solution:
- Add more product tiles to the home page to create a familiar layout for visitors.
- Ensure tiles serve as direct links to product categories.
- Improve navigation and findability through better category organisation.
Recommendation 2: Simplify product pathways
Finding:
Participants found certain product pathways overly complicated and confusing, especially when using sub-menus.
Solution:
- Maintain the direct pathway to logbooks, as participants found it straightforward and easy to navigate. (Logbooks are important and should be easy to locate, clearly related to aircraft engineering).
- Introduce targeted sub-menus such as "Logbooks - Airworthiness" to improve understanding while maintaining simplicity and clarity for specific categories.
Recommendation 3: Improve product placement for findability
Finding:
Participants were confused by the product placement, which affected their ability to locate items easily.
Solution:
- Reorder products by importance, placing safety-related materials higher than general guides to increase visibility and accessibility of critical information.
- Move the "Maintenance Poster - Found as Airworthiness Problem" to the "Guidance Material" section in the existing IA and to "Resources" in the proposed IA to improve findability and create an additional pathway.
Recommendation 4: Improve menu label clarity
Finding:
Participants were confused by menu labels that didnt't accurately match the content, leading to navigation difficulties.
Solution:
- Ensure that menu labels accurately reflect the content they represent to enhance clarity and reduce confusion.
For the existing IA
- Replace "Specials" under Drones with "Drones (general)" to better align with the content.
For the Proposed IA
- Remove "Certificates" from the "Licences and Certificates" menu to prevent mismatches and rename to Licence Wallets and change to a direct link.
- Add relevant safety items under "Operations, Safety and Travel" or rename it to "Dangerous Goods" for a more accurate representation.
