GALLUP NEW DEAL ART 

Role 

UX Research Lead 

Highlighted Skills 

Usability Testing

In-depth Interviewing

Findings Reporting & Presenting 

Web Design: Kevin Wolf, Brett Johnson 

Usability Testing and Formative Research on Key Feature to Iteration-based Team 

gallupARTS received funding to create a responsive website featuring art from around Gallup, NM, created during the New Deal Public Works Administration. This porfolio of works has not been unified in one platform previously, thus this product aimed to engage visitors (users) with the 150 work collection with information, virtual exhibitions, guest-curation, and interactive elements. I was brought onto the team when the prototype was in development in order to conduct research on usability and alignment with programmatic goals. Upon completion of two phases of research, the prototype had updated the brand identity, language, and navigation to result in a clearer concept and greater usability. 

How can we clearly unify this collection virtually?

How might we encourage users to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions? 

Initial Phase 

Research Goals: 

• Overall Site Usability
• Understand user experience of content/programming        
• Gather feedback and suggestion on resource content and design
• Catch gaps in representation 

Secondary Phase 

Following feedback from Initial Phase testing, the Secondary Phase tested implemented solutions:

• How might we ensure that navigation is more intuitive? (Solutions: mega menu, images, less stacking)
• How might we ensure Purpose of site/project is clear? (Solutions: re-brand logo, home page update, explanatory statements)
• How might we make features more prominent? (Solutions: coach marks, icons)
• How might we ensure virtual vs. live is clear? (Solutions: title rename, images, explanatory statements)
• How might we determine the flow and digestibility of Guest-curated? (Solutions: redesign of the Guest-curated page)
• How might we provide a user-friendly and satisfying User-Generated exhibit experience? (Determined to seek more generative feedback)

Steps Taken 

In order to dig into these goals and areas of inquiry, the following steps were taken to contribute insights to the product team: 

• Unmoderated study with Screener for sample recruitment, 5-second test, First-click, Directed Tasks, and Open Browse with related questions
• Interviews with Moderated Study components with Open review, Directed Tasks, and Open-ended questions related to programmatic goals
•  Series of usability tests with Preference, Directed Tasks, and Click tests 

Example questions included: 

• What do you think this website will offer? What do you expect to find on this website?
• What about the page makes you think that?
• When you clicked to go to a new page of the site, did you typically end up where you thought you would?
• Was there anything you were surprised to find? 
• Did the website present a new idea or help you learn something? 
• Did the website cause you to question an idea, opinion, or perspective? 

Recording observations and comments across Interviews to determine emerging themes. 

Challenges

Upon entering this team, the content and site architecture had been defined, and a high-fidelity prototype was already underway. Obviously we were able to make many meaningful adjustments to the website upon receiving feedback, however I found it challenging to see the lack of research presence from the Definition phase. I believe research at this point would have influenced the product backlog created by utilizing user stories versus that which was created solely focused on organizational goals. In the future, I would recommend more generative and exploratory research to support product direction, as I was able to do with a different project. 

Additionally, we struggled with elements of our recruitment efforts and supporting those recruited in the Initial Phase. Our screener was hacked thus creating an enormous effort to weed through submissions. By only having a desktop option, some users - especially those within the recruited group identifying as Latino/Hispanic - came across some barriers to being able to successfully complete tasks and comment on some questions. And within interviews, some of the software, specifically screen-sharing, required significant coaching with older (75+) participants, which ate up session time. All of these challenges limited the diversity to the responses we were able to receive, therefore in the second phase of this project we recruited using Usability Hub's recruited panel, where we were able to device type, demographics, and computer use. While these variables did present challenges, we also found lessons in them, as it did give further viability to the need for website responsiveness in order to provide greater accessibility. 

Results 

My analysis of the Initial Phase research resulted in a number of user insights that drove prototype refinement, usability improvements, and product feature definition (as seen below with Do-It-Yourself Exhibits). I utilized affinity mapping to identify trends around pain points, mental models, and usability, and heat maps and user flows to determine navigation issues and successes. This research also supported my efforts in validation of original objectives. See several excerpts from my presentation deck in Image Gallery. 

Key insights included: 

1. Confusion around the project's context and intent
2. Users found the website visually appealing, and expressed interest in images being more of a focal point 
3. Navigation is overly layered and at times, inconsistent
4. Amount of information and resources support a desire to deep dive, however content could be more digestible 
5. Interactivity and prompts provide a "playful, two-way transmission" 

From this Initial Phase of research, the product team went on to rework several aspects of the website.

• The Home Page was completely redesigned to orient the user to the project versus solely focusing on imagery. This page was updated to highlight how the collection is virtually connected, while having physical presence throughout the town of Gallup, NM and put greater emphasis on the facts, figures, and artists of this project. 
• The Navigation was updated by implementing a Mega Menu, which utilized both images and text descriptions to help orient the user to the various sections. 
• Special exhibitions and Guest-curated exhibits were revisited to place greater emphasis on imagery, add additional interactive opportunities and highlight these features more overtly through icons. 
• And, the user flows and language of User-generated Exhibits were shifted to reflect a more friendly and simplified experience, as discussed below.  

These solutions were then tested in the Secondary Phase of research - including AB testing, task-directed prompts, and questions - confirming direction and further supporting small tweaks in design. See several experts from my presentation deck in the image gallery. 

Focus on Interactive Feature: User-Generated Exhibits 

One feature the product team wanted to learn more about was the User-Generated Exhibits. This aspect of the website was, at the time, the main interactive element that would allow users to translate their learning and curiosity around the artwork into a self-curated exhibit of selected pieces from the collection. It had the ability to create an account, favorite objects, and then organize the artworks with written interpretation and self reflection. During the interviews, I focused a moderated task on attempting to walk through creating a User-Generated Exhibit. 

Based on feedback during the interviews, it became clear that the User-Generated Exhibits were of great interest to users, but presented a number of challenges that would result in a high bounce rate. Language was intimidating, the Call to Action was not pronounced, and unclear outcomes of Create Account pop-up all led to frustrations and points of disengagement from the initial interaction. Further into the process, problems with toggling between pages, overly discrete ability to favorite, and confusion of how to generate exhibit interpretation layered on to users' inability to accomplish the tasks - and diminished interest in completion. See User Flow below. 

Reflecting on the research as a team led to the following changes to this interactive feature: 

• Redesigning the Landing Page to focus on the Call to Action 
• Rebranding the feature to Do-It-Yourself Virtual Exhibits to lessen intimidation 
• Providing an opportunity for a trial experience before creating an account 
• Clearer messaging around the benefits to creating an account 
• More obvious favoriting opportunities with consistency across the website 

Art Credit Line: Albert Lorey Groll, Untitled (Red Rocks), Undated, Oil on Panel, 23 1/2" x 19 1/4"

Kristina Mahoney Wall 

Product Research & Design Specialist 

kristinawall.experiencedesign@gmail.com