Usability Study PVDonuts

Usability Study
Daniel Simcock
Contents
1 Introduction
2 Problem Statement and Test Objectives
3 Methodology
3 User Group
3 Profile
3 Summary of Characteristics
4 User Success
4 User Recruitment
5 Test Design
5 Test Procedures and Task Scenarios
9 Data Collection
9 Test Environment and Equipment
9 Quantitative Data
9 Qualitative Data
10 Findings
11 Findings Summary
12 Building Brand Identity
28 Navigation
31 Findability
35 Recommendations
36 Recommendations Summary
37 Recommendation 1
38 Recommendation 2 and 3
40 Recommendation 4
41 Recommendation 5
43 Recommendation 6
44 Conclusion
44 Further Testing
45 References

Contents
46 Appendix
47 Personas
47 Melissa and Erin
48 Justification Memo
51 Research/Interviews
67 Heuristic Evaluation
97 Test Plan
107 Moderator Script
109 Test A-B Packet
123 Test B-A Packet
137 Test Logs
159 Scenario 1
160 Scenario 2
161 Scenario 3
162 Scenario 4
163 Post Tests

Introduction
The purpose of this report is to detail a semester-long usability study for the website of a local donut
shop in Providence, RI named PVDonuts (www.pvdonuts.com). This usability is broken into the
following basic parts:
1. Problem Statement and Test Objectives - I contextualize the usability test in relation
to the heuristic evaluation and set some goals to strive towards.
2. Methodology - I detail my user group, break down the logistic of the usability test,
and explain my methods for collecting data.
3. Findings - With the data collected from the usability test, I try to weave together a
story using a bottom-up approach.
4. Recommendations - I provide suggestions that take into account the findings from
the usability test, as well as the business’s and the user’s needs.
5. Conclusion - I look back at my test objectives to see if there are any places where
further testing would be beneficial.
6. Appendices - I provide materials that served as the building blocks of this usability
report such as two personas, a heuristic evaluation, a usability test plan, user logs, and
raw test data.
USABILITY STUDY | 1
Problem Statement and Test Objectives
The primary objective of my usability test is to address the following problems:
1. Results of Heuristic Evaluation
The usability test was conducted shortly after completing a heuristic evaluation of the
PVDonuts website. The heuristic evaluation used an adapted form of the Quesenbery 5Es
and required me to evaluate and navigate the entirety of the website.
The following are some of the major conclusions made in the heuristic evaluation about the
PVDonuts website to be confirmed or disproved in this usability test:
• Site organization and design is engaging.
• Menu navigation is error tolerant and easy to learn.
• The unlabeled “Return Home” button may not be easy to
learn.
• Technical baking terminology may be disengaging to users
• Search for menu prices is ineffective and inefficient.
With the results of the heuristic evaluation in mind, I also formulated the following five
questions to guide my evaluation of a user’s experience with the site:
• Effective – Does the user find necessary and relevant content?

• Efficient – Can the user find information quickly?
• Engaging – What impressions does the user have of the content,
organization, style, and design?
• Error Tolerant – Does the user experience errors and can she overcome
them?
• Easy to Learn – Does the user know what is clickable and what is not?
2. Business Competition
Located just 5 minutes away from PVDonuts, Knead Doughnuts makes similar appeals
to its customers: making limited-supply, limited-edition donuts and using social media
campaigns to draw in a crowd. To flourish in this competitive market, PVDonuts must
have a user-friendly website that meets the needs and desires of its customers, and is up to
par or, better yet, exceeds the groundwork of their competition’s sites.
Because competition is at the heart of success or failure for a local business, the usability
test was designed as a competitive test to assess the PVDonuts’ website against Knead
Doughnuts’ website (www.kneaddoughnuts.com).
In tackling these two problems, my usability test seeks qualitative and quantitative data from a
specific user group of particular interest to PVDonuts – tech adaptive 18-29 year old females.
USABILITY STUDY | 2
Methodology
My methodology section is broken into three parts:
1. User Group - Here, I discuss my user profile and how I selected participants for my
usability test.
2. Test Design - I break down the tests and task scenarios each participant will complete
during the testing session.
3. Data Collection - I detail my process for collecting qualitative and quantitative data
throughout the usability test.
User Group
Profile
In conducting this usability test, I carefully considered PVDonuts’s target audience. Based
on their website, PVDonuts seems to specifically target a female audience; their homepage
includes a “Featured On” banner, in which “Cosmopolitan,” “Refinery29,” and “ThrillList”
are listed, three sites that traditionally attract a female audience. Secondary research from
the PEW Research Center helped substantiate my observations. A 2011 study conducted
by Lee Rainee et al discovered that, “the 55% of all adults who get information about
restaurants, bars, and clubs are disproportionately young, female, tech adaptive and upscale
in educational attainment” (Rainee et.al. 9). Knowing this information, I decided to focus
my research on a particular user group: 18-29 year old females.
To further supplement my knowledge of this user group, I created two personas. The
purpose of creating these personas was to discern the needs, values, attitudes, and contexts
of the user group described above. I created personas with data collected from interviews
with ten individuals in this user group. Interviewees were asked 18 questions about
their personal life, consumer behavior, and technological literacy. From this data, two
personas were created, Melissa and Erin. (See Appendix.) Both Melissa and Erin have
characteristics that represent this user group.
For the purposes of this usability test, I have combined some of the needs, values, and
attitudes of these two personas to help me create a cohesive and holistic user profile, which
will inform the scenarios in this test.
Summary of Characteristics
• Age: 18-29 years old

• Education: minimum of an undergraduate degree in college
• Sex/Gender: female
• Context:
oo Uses the internet daily for a variety of reasons (shopping, research, social
media)
oo Concerned about spending a lot of money to go out to eat.
oo Has dietary needs/desires that factor in to choosing a place to eat.
USABILITY STUDY | 3
User Success
For this user group, success on a restaurant’s website might look as such:
• Effectively and efficiently learning about the basics of the company (hours of
operation, location).
• Finding a menu to accommodate their dietary restrictions.
• Finding menu prices so they may prepare their budget.
• Following the company on social media to keep informed on the latest news and
promotions.
User Recruitment
For the usability test, I recruited six participants. All participants are listed in the chart
below. To best match the user profile described above, each participant was screened using
the following criteria:
• Interest in participation
• Age – I will only recruit individuals between the ages of 18-29 years old.
• Sex/Gender – I will only recruit females for this test.
• Internet Use – I will only recruit females that say they are active on the internet on a
daily basis.
• Restaurant Biases – To avoid bias on the part of the participant, I will only recruit
participants who had not been to either PVDonuts or Knead Doughnuts.
The screener for this usability test can be found in the Appendix in the Test Pamphlets.
User/Name Age Sex/Gender Internet Use Restaurant

Bias
U1 Megan 23 Female High None
U2 Lynn 29 Female High None
U3 Jamie 29 Female High None
U4 Nicole 26 Female High None
U5 Abbey 21 Female High None
U6 Emily 22 Female High None
USABILITY STUDY | 4
Test Design
The usability test created for this usability study was a competitive evaluation between PVDonuts
and Knead Donuts. This means that I created task scenarios for users to complete on the PVDonuts
website and on a competitor’s website, Knead Doughnuts. The purpose for this type of usability test is
to learn about user preferences and measure the PVDonuts website against the competition.
This usability test was created using a within-subjects design. With all participants performing the
same tasks on both websites, I set up an A-B, B-A comparison. This means that half of the users first
performed the usability test with the PVDonuts website and then repeated the process with Knead
Donuts website, and the other half began with the Knead Doughnuts website and then repeated the
process with the PVDonuts website.
Test Procedure and Task Scenarios
Each session lasted approximately one hour. All materials for this test detailed below can
be found in the Appendix.
Test Introduction and Pre-test Questionnaire: 10 minutes
As detailed in the moderator script, I explained the purpose and logistics of the
test to the participant. Here is a summary of activities I performed during the
introduction.
1) Welcome the Participant – I oriented the participant with the space,

distributed the test packet (which includes all testing materials), and
discussed the purpose of the usability test.
2) Administer Video Permission Form – I asked the participant to sign a form

that says that they agree to be filmed during the test.
3) Discuss Think Aloud Protocol – I asked participants to think aloud as

they perform the tests and task scenarios. Participants were encouraged
to say whatever they were looking at, thinking, doing, and feeling as they
performed each task.
4) Administer Pre-test Questionnaire – I asked the participant to complete

the Pre-test Questionnaire using the Think Aloud Protocol as they wrote.
The Pre-test questionnaire asked the participant to describe a perfect and an
imperfect website for a restaurant. The Pre-test Questionnaire primed the
participant for their experience with the PVDonuts and Knead Doughnuts
websites. As well, the test helped clarify the needs, values, and attitudes of
the user group.
5) Forecast the Rest of the Test – I explained to the participant how the
rest of the test would proceed, how they would perform each task scenario
and complete the post-task scenarios after each one. I explained to the
participant that each scenario would take approximately 5 minutes to
complete, and how I would try to usher them onto the next scenario if
they exceeded 5 minutes. I also explained that they had the option to end a
scenario at any time if they felt unable or unwilling to complete it.
USABILITY STUDY | 5
Test Procedure and Task Scenarios (cont.)
Task Scenarios and Post-Task Questionnaire: 40 minutes
Users completed a total of 8 task scenarios throughout the test, 4 per website.
On each website participants were asked to complete the same 4 task scenarios.
These task scenarios were designed with the user’s idea of success and the
questions devised using the heuristic evaluation results.
Three participants took test A – B, which required them to perform the first
four tasks using the PVDonuts website and the last four tasks using the Knead
Doughnuts website. Three participants took test B – A, which asked them to
perform the first four tasks using the Knead Doughnuts website and the last four
tasks using the PVDonuts website.
After each task scenario, the participants were asked to complete a Post-Task
Questionnaire, which required them to rate how easy or difficult it was to
complete the tasks.
The four task scenarios that the participants will complete on each site are as
follows:
Scenario Tasks
Visit website. Take some time to quickly explore
the site and answer the following
questions:
1. What kind of information would
you find on this site?
1. First Impressions
2. How would you describe the

organization and design of the
site?
3. Are there any words that you don’t
understand?
4. What impressions of this business
do you have based on your
exploration?
Test Objectives
• Engaging – What impressions does the user have of the content,
organization, style, and design?
• Error Tolerant – Does the user experience errors and can she
overcome them?
• Easy to Learn – Does the user know what is clickable and what
is not?
USABILITY STUDY | 6
Scenario Tasks
2. Finding a Menu and Prices

You’re only interested in a From the homepage, locate the
donut shop that has vegan information that allows you to answer:
selections and has well- 1. Does this business sell vegan
priced donuts. donuts?
2. How much are the donuts at this
business?
Once you are finished with these
questions, please return to the
homepage.
Test Objectives
overcome them?
is not?
Scenario Tasks
You’ve decided that this Using the website, locate the
3. Finding a Location and
restaurant might be a viable information that allows you answer

option to go out to eat with the following questions:
Hours of Operation
your friends. Before you 1. What are the hours of operation?

pose the option to your 2. Where is this business located?
friends, you want to find 3. How do I get directions to this
out where this business is business using this site?
located and when it opens
and closes.
Test Objectives
overcome them?
is not?
USABILITY STUDY | 7
4. Following the Business on

Scenario Tasks
You’ve decided that you Using the website, locate the
want to follow this business information that allows you to answer
on social media sites to the following questions:
keep updated on the latest 1. What social media sites is this
Social Media
news and promotions. business on?
2. How can I follow this business on
social media through this site?
Test Objectives
overcome them?
is not?
Mid-test Questionnaire: 5 minutes
After the first four task scenarios, I asked the participants to complete a Mid-
test Questionnaire. This Mid-test questionnaire required participants to rank the
first website using the System Usability Scale (SUS).
Post-test questionnaires and Conclusion: 5 minutes
After the last four task scenarios, I asked the participant to complete Post-test
Questionnaire 1. Post-test Questionnaire 1 required the participant to rank the
second website using the System Usability Scale (SUS).
After completing Post-test Questionnaire 1, participants then completed

Post-test Questionnaire 2. In this questionnaire, participants compared their
experience on each site using the Quesenbery 5Es as their criteria.
USABILITY STUDY | 8
Data Collection
Test Environment and Equipment
The tests was conducted in a study room in the Claire T. Carney Library at UMass
Dartmouth. Both moderator and participant were in the same room, so that the observer
could record observations while the user performed tasks.
The participant sat at a desk facing the wall, as to avoid distractions. She used the
following equipment to complete the test:
• HP laptop
• Google Chrome Browser
• Windows 10
The observer in the room used the following equipment to record the session:
• A pen and paper

• A video recording camera
• Steps Recording Software (Back up)
Quantitative Data
Quantitative Data for this usability test came in the following forms:
• Time to complete tasks

• Number of users able to complete task
• Pre-test, Post-Task, Mid-test and Post-test questionnaires
Qualitative Data
Qualitative Data for this usability test came in the following forms:
• User’s comments and questions

• User’s body language and facial expressions.
USABILITY STUDY | 9
Findings
This section documents the findings from the usability test. It is organized in two different ways:
Theme
Affinity matching was used to organize findings by them. Affinity matching is a bottom-up
approach that takes all findings – observations, comments made, etc. – and groups similar
findings together, so that organic categories arise. A positive to this method is that it forces
the evaluator to consider all findings equally and helps avoid a biased report. For this
usability test, findings were categorized by the following themes:
1. Building Brand Identity

2. Navigation
3. Findability
These three themes are explained at the beginning of their corresponding sections.
Severity Ranking
Within each theme, findings are organized based on the level of severity. This ranking
system is intended to help the designers of the PVDonuts website identify aspects of their
site that enhance or hinder a user’s experience. Each finding has a corresponding rank that
is easily identifiable by the colored margin. The levels of severity and their corresponding
colors are defined below:
P O S I T I V E Findings that contribute to a beneficial user experience.

FINDING
M I N O R Hinders the user’s ability to navigate or complete tasks

I S S U E effectively and efficiently; should be fixed when possible.
MAJOR Frustrates or confuses user or prevents her from

ISSUE completing tasks; requires repair as soon as possible.
USABILITY STUDY | 10
Findings Summary
Theme Findings
1. Building Brand Identity POSITIVE FINDING: Users first impressions of PVDonuts as

a business are positive and comparable to the competition.
POSITIVE FINDING: Users find the PVDonuts logo more

engaging than the Knead Doughnuts logo.
POSITIVE FINDING: Users find the pictures on the

PVDonuts website more engaging than on the Knead
Doughnuts website.
POSITIVE FINDING: According to the System Usability

Scale, users’ overall impressions of the PVDonuts website are
higher than the average website.
MAJOR ISSUE: Users rate the PVDonuts website lower than

its competitor.
2. Navigation MINOR ISSUE: Some users do not recognize the Logo as the
“Return Home” button.
MAJOR ISSUE: Users do not find that page links match their
expectations.
MAJOR ISSUE: Users are frustrated when redirected to content

they expect to find on the PVDonuts website
3. Findability POSITIVE FINDING: Users could find social media outlets

more easily and efficiently on the PVDonuts website.
MAJOR ISSUE: Users are frustrated because they cannot find

menu and prices on the PVDonuts website.
Building a Brand Identity
According to Marty Neumeier, author of The Brand Gap, a brand is, “a person’s gut feelings about a
product, service, or company. You can’t control the brand, but you can influence it” (2). A business’s
brand and its users’ perceptions go hand-in-hand. Businesses may influence and differentiate their
brands by perpetuating a strong and recognizable identity. The following findings reflect the users’
impressions of the PVDonuts website based on its content and design.
P O S I T I V E Users first impressions of PVDonuts as a business are positive

F I N D I N G and comparable to the competition.
Summary
First impressions of the PVDonuts and Knead Doughnuts websites were
observed during scenario 1. User comments indicate that users respond
positively to PVDonuts as a business, most frequently aligning it with “fun.” This
compares and perhaps exceeds the perceptions users had of Knead Doughnuts as
a business. Knead Doughnuts is most frequently aligned with “professional,” but
also with “more expensive.”
Importance
Users make snap decisions about websites before they even read them.
According to Eric P. Kumpf, the author behind “Visual Metadiscourse,” “a
website may require creativity for a good first impression. The author must
choose from a seemingly limitless range of choices for a design that attracts and
engages the audience” (406). The positive words that users used to describe their
first impressions of the PVDonuts site may reflect their thoughts on the brand in
addition to the aesthetic design.
Highlights
The Numbers Sampled Quotes about PVD
PVDonuts is described as “Fun” by 4 “I get a more fun vibe when I see this
out of 6 users. website because of the images.”
- User 1
PVDonuts and Knead Doughnuts are
described as “Young” and “Clean” by “They seem more fun. Established.
2 users. They had lots of press, which was
good. The other site didn’t. I don’t
Users described PVDonuts using know if this place is older than the
10 positive attributes, and described other.”
Knead Doughnuts with 6 positive - User 4
attributes.
“What impressions do I have? I
Users did not ascribe any negative get a lot of energy. You look at the
attributes to PVDonuts, and ascribed pictures of people and they’re all doing
one negative attribute, “More something fun.”
Expensive,” to Knead Doughnuts. - User 5
Knead Doughnuts was described as

“More Expensive” twice.
Building a Brand Identity
continued Users first impressions of PVDonuts as a business are positive
and comparable to the competition.
Data
Descriptors of Business Descriptors of Business

• Professional x 3
• Fun x 4 • Energy • Casual
• Neat/Clean x 2
• Put-together • Established • Young
• More expensive x 2
• Nice • Healthy • Modern
• Healthy
• Clean • Young
• Color • Hip
User Quotes
User Quotes
“I get a more fun vibe when I see this “The business seems casual, but
website because of the images.” professional. The website isn’t
- User 1 overdone, which is why I say it seems
casual. It seems like a lot of young
“I like it. They seem put-together. And people might go there. It seems like
fun. I like the design scheme they’ve a place young people would want to
got going. It’s fun.” hang out at.”
- User 2 - User 1
“My overall impression of the site. It “It looks neat.”

looks nice. I guess I’d call the business - User 2
clean.”
- User 3 “They look professional, but I imagine
if you try to go there, they would be
“Well they’ve got more color on their more expensive.”
site. They seem more fun. Established. - User 3
They had lots of press, which was
good. The other site didn’t. I don’t “Initial thoughts on the business. They
know if this place is older than the seem clean, professional.”
other.” - User 4
- User 4
“What are my impressions of the
“What impressions do I have? I business? I think it looks nice.
get a lot of energy. You look at the Modern. It’s probably expensive.”
pictures of people and they’re all doing - User 5
something fun.”
- User 5 “It looks like a health-conscious place
to eat.”
“They look like maybe a healthy choice - User 6
kind of place...I also think they look
young. Like it’s a hip place to go.”
- User 6
Building Brand Identity
POSITIVE Users find the PVDonuts logo more engaging than the Knead
FINDING Doughnuts logo.
Summary
Users were asked to share their thoughts of the PVDonuts and Knead
Doughnuts logo during Scenario 1. Although users described both logos as
professional and simple, more users responded favorably to the PVDonuts logo,
saying it was fun, recognizable, and consistent.
Importance
Strong visual branding is a language in and of itself. Good logos communicate

the essence of a company. According to user responses, PVDonuts
visual branding is comparable and perhaps better than its competitor at
communicating a positive message.
Highlights
Most Popular Descriptors

Colorful x 4
Simple x 3
Fun x 3
Professional x 3
Fast Facts
6 users made a positive comment
about the PVDonuts logo. Zero users
made a negative comment.
5 users made a positive comment

about the Knead Doughnuts log. 2
users made a negative comment.
Sampled User Quotes
“I like how it does something. It’s more than a logo, it’s a sort of button. It
serves some purpose, which is nice.”
- User 1
“It’s on every page. Whether that’s in a picture of a donut box or it’s the icon in
the corner. ”
- User 2
“I feel like I’d recognize this logo more than I’d recognize Knead Doughnuts.
It’s more colorful, and simpler. ”
- User 3
“I love the logo. It’s so cute.”

- User 5
continued Users find the PVDonuts logo more engaging than the Knead
Doughnuts logo.
Comparison to the Competitor
Descriptors Descriptors
• Fun (U 1,5, 6) • Expensive-looking (U 3)
• Recognizable (U 2, 3) • Simple (U 2, 3, 5)
• Colorful (U 1, 3, 4, 6) • Professional (U 1, 3, 4, 6)
• Simple (U 4, 5, 6) • Bland (U 5)
• Professional (U 3, 4, 5)
User Quotes User Quotes

“It’s colorful! I think it’s quite fun. I “I like the cursive. It looks kind of
like how it does something. It’s more artsy.”
than a logo, it’s a sort of button. It -User 1
serves some purpose, which is nice.”
- User 1 “I think it’s fine that it’s all text. It
still says that they are in the donut
“It’s on every page. Whether that’s in business, so that’s important.”
a picture of a donut box or it’s the icon - User 2
in the corner. ”
- User 2 “I like it. I think it’s simple and
clean and classy. It looks like their
“I feel like I’d recognize this logo more donuts might be more expensive than
than I’d recognize Knead Doughnuts. PVDonuts though.”
It’s more colorful, and simpler. ” - User 3
- User 3
“It’s kind of sophisticated. Minimal. I
“I like that color green. Overall, the would say chic.”
logo’s nice. It’s a donut. It doesn’t have - User 4
to be complicated.”
- User 4 “It’s sort of ‘blah’ though. I don’t like
that color yellow. I feel like they could
“I love the logo. It’s so cute. It’s a have made something nicer.”
simple donut, but it’s professional- - User 5
looking. Like I said before, it looks
like they don’t take themselves too “I think it looks professional enough.”
seriously. ” - User 6
- User 5
“It’s brighter than the other one. It’s

simple, which is good.”
- User 6
POSITIVE Users find the pictures on the PVDonuts website more
FINDING engaging than on the Knead Doughnuts website.
Summary
Users were asked to comment on the design of the PVDonuts and Knead
Doughnuts websites throughout the usability test. While users made fewer
overall comments about PVDonuts photography, they had more positive things
to say about the quality and quantity of photographs on the PVDonuts website
than on the Knead Doughnuts website.
Importance
Photographs and graphics play an important role in website design. They anchor
the page and break up text-heavy pages into manageable pieces. In the case of
PVDonuts, the photography not only achieves this, but it also differentiates the
business from its competition. Users see the photography on the PVDonuts
site as being in higher quantity and quality than on the Knead Doughnuts site,
which may affect their overall impressions of the business as well.
Highlights
Photo Most Commented On (x 2)
Sampled User Quotes
“I like the pictures. It looks like they have fun with themselves, which is cute.
Cute picture.”
- User 1
“That’s cute. It looks like all of them got together to take a picture. It looks
really professional. I wonder where they did this. Is this in a photo studio, or in
the business itself ?”
- User 4
User Quotes - Qualitative and Quantitative
Throughout the usability test, users were asked to communicate their thoughts,
actions, and concerns out loud. Their words were recorded and posthumously
transcribed. The transcripts were then combed over for any comment made by
the user about design/photography. The following quotes are all of the quotes
made by users about design and photography on both sites.
PVDonuts Quotes
Users made 11 comments about PVDonuts’s pictures throughout their tests. Of
these comments:
• 11 comments were positive.

• 0 comments were mildy negative.
• 0 comments were negative.
“I like the pictures. It looks like they have fun with “That’s cute. It looks like all of them got together to
themselves, which is cute. Cute picture.” take a picture. It looks really professional. I wonder
- User 1 where they did this. Is this in a photo studio, or in the
business itself ?”
“Now that is an awesome picture. It looks nice and - User 4
flaky and delicious.”
- User 2 “They’re photos are really great. They really show off
their donuts nicely.”
“I like the picture and I like the description.” - User 5
- User 2
“I like this first page with the donuts. It’s a good
“I mean the design, I love the pictures. They look picture.”
mouthwatering.” - User 6
- User 2
“(Excitedly) Woo. I love pictures.”
“I like the pictures.” - User 6
- User 3
“I am just admiring these donuts. I kind of want that
“Okay, this is cute. At least you can see their donuts one. I don’t know what it is, but I want it.”
in this picture as opposed to the first picture in the - User 6
other one.”
- User 4
Knead Doughnuts Quotes
Users made 17 comments about Knead Doughnuts’s pictures throughout their

tests. Of these comments:
• 6 comments were positive.

• 1 comment was mildly negative.
• 9 comments were negative.
“I think it might be helpful to show more pictures. So “I like these pictures.”

that people know what each one looks like.” - User 4
- User 1
“There’s only 5 pictures in this gallery. That’s not a
“Just based on this photo, I can tell it’s going to be lot.”
hard to find a parking spot. Just being honest.” - User 4
- User 2
“That’s a cute couple.”
“I don’t like this thing right here, flipping through - User 4
photos. Like I said, I’m getting a little dizzy. It’s
moving too fast.” “It could use more photos in that gallery.”
- User 2 - User 4
“I don’t get that picture. It doesn’t say anything to me. “It looks neat and clean and very minimal.”
Why would you throw a box of donuts on the steps? - User 5
Are you feeding pigeons? I don’t get what this picture
is saying. This is just in a box and it doesn’t mean “They also don’t have a ton of donuts in each picture.
anything.” You can’t see the detail in the food. Do you know
- User 2 what I mean?”
- User 5
“Oh. Isn’t that pretty. It’s a bouquet of munchkins.”
- User 2 “Oh. That picture changed. Is that a donut? It looks
like they have more than donuts, which is more than
“They’re professionally done. If I was selling a project the other place.”
I would want to see more people sampling the - User 6
product.”
- User 3 “No pictures with the menu. That’s a shame.”
- User 6
“First picture is nice and big.”
- User 4
“But then there’s this giant text covering the focus of

the picture. The donut. Why would they do that?”
- User 4
POSITIVE According to the System Usability Scale, users’ overall

FINDING impressions of the PVDonuts website are higher than the
average website.
Summary
The System Usability Scale (SUS) is an industry standard test that assesses the
usability of a product. The average score on the SUS is a 68. This means that 50%
of products score above and below a 68. PVDonuts scored a 72.5 on the SUS.
Importance
Although SUS is considered the “quick and dirty” method of assessing usability,
it is considered a reliable tool in the field of usability. Because the SUS is scored
on a 100 point system, PVDonuts’s score of 72.5 does not correspond with
a 72.5% grade (C-). Products are graded along a curve, as illustrated below.
Therefore, PVDonuts’s grade might be higher, somewhere between a B- and a B.
Highlights
PVDonuts Website versus Average Website

The following chart illustrates where the PVDonuts website stands in
comparison to the average website. The average website lies at the 50th
percentile rank of websites, and scores a grade of a C or C+. In comparison, the
PVDonuts website lies above the 60% percentile, meaning it scores in the top
40% of all websites. PVDonuts corresponding grade is between a B- and a B.
Average Website
PVDonuts
“B-/B” grade
. .
“C/C+” grade
continued According to the System Usability Scale, users’ overall

impressions of the PVDonuts website are higher than the
average website.
How the SUS works
During the usability test, users completed a SUS evaluation after using the
PVDonuts website. SUS asks users to evaluate a website in the following
answers on a scale from “Strongly Disagree” (1) to “Strongly Agree” (5):
1. I think that I would like to use this website frequently.

2. I found the website unnecessarily complex.
3. I thought the website was easy to use.
4. I think I would need the support of a technical person to be able to use this
website.
5. I found the various functions on this website were well integrated.
6. I thought there was too much inconsistency on this website.
7. I would imagine that most people would learn to use this website very
quickly.
8. I found the website very cumbersome to use.
9. I felt very confident using the website.
10. I need to learn a lot of things before I could get going with this website.
Accordng to Jeff Sauro from MeasuringU.com, the following steps need to be

taken:
1. Average users scores for each prompt.

2. For odd-numbered prompt: subtract one from the user response.
3. For even-numbered prompt: subtract the user responses from 5.
This scales all values from 0 to 4 (with four being the most positive response).
4. Add up the converted responses for each user and multiply that total by 2.5.
This converts the range of possible values from 0 to 100 instead of from 0 to
40.

average website.
User responses to SUS Prompts
User Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 Average

User Name Megan Lynn Jamie Nicole Abbey Emily Score
Test Administered A-B A-B A-B B-A B-A B-A
1. I think that I would 3 2 2 4 4 3 3

like to use this website
frequently.
2. I found the website 4 1 5 1 1 2 2.333
unnecessarily complex.
3. I thought the website 3 5 3 5 5 4 4.167
was easy to use.
4. I think I would need 2 2 1 1 1 1 1.333
the support of a techni-
cal person to be able to
use this website.
5. I found the various 1 4 3 5 5 5 3.833
functions on this web-
site were well integrated.
6. I thought there was 4 1 5 2 1 2 2.5
too much inconsistency
on this website.
7. I would imagine that 3 5 4 5 5 4 4.333
most people would learn
to use this website very
quickly.
very cumbersome to
use.
9. I felt very confident 2 4 2 4 5 4 3.5
using the website.
10. I need to learn a lot 3 1 4 1 1 1 1.833
of things before I could
get going with this
website.

average website.
PVDonuts SUS Scoring
The following chart details the SUS scores before and after coverting the
numbers on a scale from 0 - 100. As previously stated, PVDonuts scored a 72.5.
SUS Prompt SUS score SUS Score

Scale Converted Scale
0-40 0-100
1 2 5
2 2.667 6.667
3 3.167 7.917
4 3.667 9.167
5 2.833 7.083
6 2.5 6.25
7 3.333 8.333
8 3.167 7.917
9 2.5 6.25
10 3.167 7.917
Final Score 72.500
SUS Successes
PVDonuts scored higher than the median score (3) on 5 questions related to
Ease of Use:
Highest Score No Need for Technical Assistance

(3.667)
Second Highest Easy to Use (For Others)

Score
(3.333)
Third Highest Easy to Use (Personal Opinion)

Score Cumbersomeness
(3.167) No Learning Necessary
MAJOR Users rate the PVDonuts website lower than its competitor.
ISSUE
Summary
According to the results of the SUS, Knead Doughnuts outscored PVDonuts

by a large margin. Even though users encountered issues on both sites while
completing tasks, users were more likely to rate Knead Doughnuts better than
PVDonuts. User comments during the task scenarios and the post-tests suggest
that users became more frustrated while searching for content on the PVDonuts
website than on the Knead Doughnuts.
Importance
As stated before, it is imperative that PVDonuts’s products meet or exceed the

standards set by the competition. PVDonuts’s website is one of these products.
While the SUS is not considered a diagnostic test, it clue us into the problems
may exist on the PVDonuts, such as ease of use and navigation. The results of the
post-tests suggest that there are areas on the PVDonuts that may be improved to
meet the high standards set by the competition.
Highlights
SUS Comparison
Unneccessary Complexity PVDonuts scored 200% higher than Knead

Doughnuts.
Inconsistency PVDonuts scored 188% higher than as Knead

Doughnuts.
Cumbersomeness PVDonuts scored 188% higher than Knead

Doughnuts.
User Confidence PVDonuts scored 133% less than Knead

Doughnuts.
continued Users rate the PVDonuts website lower than its competitor.
Knead Doughnuts versus PVDonuts SUS scores

As illustrated in the tables below, Knead Doughnuts scores higher than
PVDonuts in 9 out of 10 SUS prompts. The only prompt in which PVDonuts’s
score compares is Prompt 5: I found the various functions of this website were
will integrated. Both Knead Doughnuts and PVDonuts scored the same on that
prompt.
Overall, Knead Doughnuts scored an 89.167, which is 123% higher than

PVDonuts score on 72. 5.
There are four prompts in which Knead Doughnuts scores drastically higher.
Prompt 2, 6, 8, and 9. These four areas will be explored in the pages to follow.
SUS Prompt SUS Score SUS Score

knead doughnuts
0-40 0-100
1 2.167 5.417
2 3.833 9.583
3 4 10
4 3.833 9.583
5 2.833 7.083
6 3.667 9.167
7 4 10
8 3.667 9.167
9 3.667 9.167
10 4 10
Final Score 89.167
SUS Prompt SUS score SUS Score
0-40 0-100
1 2 5
2 2.667 6.667
pvdonuts
3 3.167 7.917
4 3.667 9.167
5 2.833 7.083
6 2.5 6.25
7 3.333 8.333
8 3.167 7.917
9 2.5 6.25
10 3.167 7.917
Final Score 72.500
Knead Doughnuts Grade
Using the graphic below, it is clear to see where both PVDonuts and Knead
Doughnuts lie on the curve. Knead Doughnuts scores within the A range.
Knead Doughnuts
“A” grade
.
PVDonuts
“B-/B” grade
.
According to Jeff Sauro of MeasuringU.com, a score of an 80.3 or higher is

in the top 10% of scores, and is also the point where users are morely likely to
recommend products to their friends. (2011) Knead Doughnuts exceeds this
amount, while PVDonuts does not.
I found the website unnecessarily complex.

The chart below details the user scores and average score for question 2 on the
SUS assessment. The results indicate that PVDonuts scored 200% higher in
unnecessary complexity than Knead Doughnuts.
User # User Test PVDonuts Knead

Name Administered Doughnuts
1 Megan A-B 4 1
2 Lynn A-B 1 1
3 Jamie A-B 5 1
4 Nicole B-A 1 1
5 Abbey B-A 1 1
6 Emily B-A 2 2
Average 2.333 1.167
I thought there was too much inconsistency on this website.
inconsistency than Knead Doughnuts.

1 Megan A-B 4 1
2 Lynn A-B 1 3
3 Jamie A-B 5 1
4 Nicole B-A 2 1
5 Abbey B-A 1 1
6 Emily B-A 2 1
Average 2.5 1.333
I found the website very cumbersome to use.

cumbersomeness than Knead Doughnuts.

1 Megan A-B 3 1
2 Lynn A-B 2 1
3 Jamie A-B 4 1
4 Nicole B-A 3 1
5 Abbey B-A 2 2
6 Emily B-A 1 2
Average 2.5 1.333
I felt very confident using the website.
SUS assessment. The results indicate that PVDonuts scored 133% lower in user
confidence than Knead Doughnuts.

1 Megan A-B 2 4
2 Lynn A-B 4 4
3 Jamie A-B 2 5
4 Nicole B-A 4 5
5 Abbey B-A 5 5
6 Emily B-A 4 5
Average 3.5 4.667
Navigation
Because users often need to find information quickly, it is important that websites make navigating as
intuitive and seamless as possible. Creating good access points for users such as navigation menus and
links helps users find content with efficiency and without errors.
MINOR Some users do not recognize the Logo as the “Return Home”
ISSUE button.
Summary
Throughout the usability test, users were asked to return to the homepage. Four
users were able to achieve this with no visible trouble. However, User 1 hovered
over “The PVDonut” for a few seconds, before clicking on the “Return Home”
Button. User 3 clicked on “The PVDonut,” believing it to be the homepage link.
Both users’ comments suggest that the “Return Home” Button is not as clear as
it could be.
Importance
Even though 4 out of 6 users experienced no problem getting back to the

homepage, it is significant to note that 2 users struggled. They represent 33%
of the user group studied. User 1 and 3’s difficulty suggests that the function of
the “Return Home” button could be made clearer. This may be achieved either
through rearrangement of buttons or through identifying text.
Highlights
User Comments
“For a second, I was thinking that “The PVDonut” was the homepage, but I
decided to click on the icon instead. That’s usually how you get to the homepage
on a website.”
- User 1
“It’s not clear. I thought I was on the homepage for a second until I saw the
stuff on the page. That’s not how I started off...I don’t know. Maybe it’s because
they’re so close together. They both stand for the same thing, you know?”
- User 3
Scenario 1 Post-task Questionnaire User # PVDonuts

Score
The table to the right illustrates user scores
on the post-task questionnaire for Scenario 1: 1 4
“Understanding how to navigate on the site. 2 5
Both User 1 and User 3 cited their difficulty 3 3
getting back to the homepage as one of the reasons 4 5
they would not give PVDonuts a perfect score of 5 4
5.
6 4
Total 25
Navigation
MAJOR Some users do not find that page links match their
ISSUE expectations.
Summary
Throughout the usability test, users were asked to explore and search for certain
things on the PVDonuts website. While navigating, users were asked to say what
they expected to find on each page before they clicked. Comments made by
three users suggest that there is a disparity between what users expected to find
on each page and what actually was on each page. This led to user frustration,
especially when users were tasked to find a menu and prices for donuts.
Importance
In order to create an error-tolerant, intuitive navigation experience, it is

important for website designers to label pages as specific to the content found
on those pages. In the case of PVDonuts, labels such as “The PVDonut” and
“Orders” frustrate users who understandably expect to find information about
menus and prices.
Highlights
User Expectation User Expectation

“‘The PVDonut.’ Maybe that is about the business, “‘Maybe ‘Orders’ gives the prices of their food.”
itself. But ‘About Us’ is right next to it. (puzzled)” -User 5, Scenario 1
-User 5, Scenario 1
“I’ll try ‘Orders’...(frustrated at question) Well, I’m
“I’m clicking ‘The PVDonut’...because that’s hoping they have the menu and price because I can’t
probably where the menu is.” think of where else it would be.”
- User 6, Scenario 2 - User 6, Scenario 2
“I didn’t see [the menu] the first time around, but “Maybe it will have the prices...I’m thinking of the
let’s try it again. Maybe I missed something.” ‘Order Ahead’ app from Dunkin Donuts.”
User Reality User Reality

“They describe the ingredients in their donuts. They “(Slightly surprised) Oh, this is for special orders... ”
don’t actually talk about their donuts. That’s odd. ” -User 5, Scenario 1
-User 5, Scenario 1
“And again, no menu. Hmm. Maybe it says
“And, no menu in sight. That’s a bummer.” something under FAQ’s. ”
“Still no menu. Still no prices. I thought maybe I “Definitely not like the Dunkin App. This is for
didn’t check the bottom, but there’s nothing there.” weddings and parties.”
Navigation
MAJOR Users are frustrated when redirected to content they expect
ISSUE to find on the PVDonuts website.
Summary
During scenario 2, users were asked to find the menu. When users clicked the
“View Our Current Menu” Button, they were redirected to the PVDonuts
Facebook page. Many users disliked this because they expected the menu to be
on the actual website. Users much preferred the menu on the actual website, like
Knead Doughnuts has.
Importance
Sending users to another website for necessary information complicates
navigation for users. It requires users to understand and interpret multiple web
systems that may or may not be a part of their established schema. In the case of
PVDonuts, users expected the “View Our Current Menu” Button to keep them
on the website, because most other buttons on the site do this.
Highlights
The two buttons side-by-side on the homepage redirect users differently. “Learn About Our Donuts” redirects users to a
page on the website itself. All buttons on the site redirect users similarly, with the exception of social media buttons and
the “View Our Current Menu” button. “View Our Current Menu” redirects the user to Facebook.
Fast Facts User Comments
4 of 6 users commented on “Why did it take me to Facebook? That’s weird.”

how they were redirected to - User 2
Facebook for the menu.
“Shouldn’t that be on their site? What if somebody doesn’t have
3 of 6 users expressed Facebook?”
concern/frustration at being - User 4
redirected to Facebook for
this reason. “I don’t know why it’s not on their own site. But it’s okay.”
- User 5
User 6 cited this incident
when scoring the SUS for “They have the menu on Facebook. I don’t know. I just think that’s
Inconsistency. She gave kind of weird that you wouldn’t have the menu of your own site.”
PVDonuts a 2 instead of a - User 6
1, the preferred score.
Findability
When it comes to navigating websites, users often prioritize the information they expect to find.
For this usability test, interviews were conducted with members of this user group to identify which
information they want and expect to find on a local restaurant’s website. The users’ responses informed
many of the task scenarios created for this test, in which they had to find specific information – a
menu, prices, hours of operation, location, and social media links. The following findings reflect how
quickly and successfully users were able to find this information.
POSITIVE Users could find social media outlets more easily and
FINDING efficiently on the PVDonuts website.
Summary
Scenario 4 required users to search the PVDonuts and Knead Doughnuts

websites for the business’s social media. Post-task questionnaires illustrate that
users could find PVDonuts social media links and understood how to follow
PVDonuts on social media very easily. User comments suggest that PVDonuts
social media icons are more accessible than on Knead Doughnuts.
Importance
Social media enables users to keep up with businesses on a daily basis without
having to access the website. Having easy-to-find social media icons on one’s site
gives users access points for future engagement. PVDonuts’s website is clearly on
the right path when it comes to social media.
Highlights
The Numbers Sampled User Quotes
6 of 6 users were able to complete “It’s easy. It’s at the bottom of every
Scenario 4 on the PVDonuts website. page.”
- User 1 about PVDonuts
4 of 6 users commented on finding
social media icons on the PVDonuts “[The social media icons were]
website before being prompted in honestly one of the first things I
Scenario 4. noticed when I started this thing.”
- User 4 about PVDonuts
Speed of Completion
“They spell [the social media sites]
User PVDonuts Knead out for you too on the homepage. I
Doughnuts wouldn’t have seen that if I weren’t
reading. But others might find that
1 10 s 40 s
helpful.
2 5s 25 s - User 5 about PVDonuts
3 30 s 10 s
“[PVD has] a Facebook and the other
4 5s 10 s one [Knead Doughnuts] doesn’t. I
think they should get one because
5 15 s 20 s
that’s where a lot of people find places
6 15 s 15 s like this.”
- User 6 about PVDonuts and Knead
Average 13.333 s 20 s
Doughnuts
Findability
P O S I T I V E Users could find social media outlets more easily and
F I N D I N G efficiently on the PVDonuts website.
Post-task Questionnaire Results

According to post-task questionnaires, users were better able to find
social media sites and understand how to follow the business on
the PVDonuts site than on the Knead Doughnuts site. Although 1
point is not a significant difference, users were able to find the sites
150 % quicker on the PVDonuts site than on the Knead Doughnuts
site (see table on previous page).
Finding out what social media sites this business has.

1 Megan A-B 5 4
2 Lynn A-B 5 4
3 Jamie A-B 4 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 5 5
6 Emily B-A 5 5
Total 29 28
Understanding how to follow this business on social media

through the features on the site.
User User Test PVDonuts Knead

Num- Name Administered Doughnuts
ber
1 Megan A-B 5 5
2 Lynn A-B 5 4
3 Jamie A-B 5 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 5 5
6 Emily B-A 5 5
Total 30 29
Findability
MAJOR Users are frustrated because they cannot find prices on the
ISSUE PVDonuts website.
Summary
Scenario 2 asked users to find donut prices on both the PVDonuts and Knead
Doughnuts website. No user could find prices on the PVDonuts website, which
led to frustration with the business. Two users could find prices on the Knead
Doughnuts website. Users who could not find prices on the Knead Doughnuts
website were more likely to pardon the lack of information because it was easier
to understand they would not find prices.
Importance
In the pre-test interview, all users stated that they expected to find prices on
both websites. Users who cannot find prices and spend a lot of time looking for
prices may become frustrated, which may negatively impact PVDonuts’s ethos.
In their mission statement, PVDonuts says, “we are proud of the fact that we’re
really transparent with our customers.” Withholding information such as prices
may be seen by the PVDonuts’s audience as a lack of transparency.
Highlights
The Numbers Sampled User Quotes
3 of 6 users spent more than a minute “It seems like they are trying to hide
looking for the menu. the fact that their donuts are really
expensive. Not good.
6 of 6 users said it was “Very Difficult” - User 1
to find the prices for donuts.
“I don’t know how I feel about no
Users were 100 % more likely to find prices on the website. I mean, it’s their
prices on Knead Doughnuts than on right. But I want to know how much
PVDonuts. money I have to bring with me. ”
- User 6
User Behavior
“I’m not paying more than 4 bucks on
Searched the Menu - U1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
a fancy donut. So if I went there, and
Scanned 2 pages or less - U1, 2, 4
they were more expensive, I wouldn’t
Scanned 3 pages - U5, 6
be a happy camper.”
Scanned all pages - U2, 3
- User 3
Findability
MAJOR Users are frustrated because they cannot find prices on the
ISSUE PVDonuts website.
Comparison to the Competition
1 of 6 users said it was “Very Easy” to find prices on the Knead Doughnuts
website, which could be accessed by clicking the “Order Ahead” button on the
homepage.
“They should put the prices with their menu, but at least I
found the prices on [Knead Doughnuts].
- User 3
1 of 6 users said it was “Somewhat Easy” to find prices (score of 4), even though
she failed to complete the task.
“On PVDonuts I was searching for a long time. I searched
almost every page. At least with [Knead Doughnuts], I knew
there were no prices. All of the information is on one page,
so you can see it all.”
- User 6
Finding out the price for donuts
According to the Post-task Questionnaire for Scenario 1, Knead Doughnuts

scored 2.16 times higher than PVDonuts.

1 Megan A-B 1 1
2 Lynn A-B 1 1
3 Jamie A-B 1 5
4 Nicole B-A 1 1
5 Abbey B-A 1 1
6 Emily B-A 1 4
Total 6 13
Recommendations
The following section details my recommendations to PVDonuts to help fix or ameliorate the minor
and major issues found during the usability test. Recommendations are structured as such:
1. Recommendation #
2. Findings Affected: Many recommendations try to tackle multiple minor

and major issues at once. Findings are listed based on severity ranking.

3. Summary: Here, I provide a detailed description of my recommendations
and the thought process behind each one.
4. Importance: Here, I attempt to validate my recommendations by explaining

why and how they may benefit PVDonuts.
Recommendations Summary
Recommendation Findings Affected
1. Pair the “Return Home” Button with MINOR ISSUE: Some users do not recognize the Logo as the
text to clarify its function for the user. “Return Home” button.

its competitor.
2. Make page names more specific to MAJOR ISSUE: Users do not find that page links match their
help users understand what content they expectations.
may find.


its competitor.
3. Include a page exclusively for content MAJOR ISSUE: Users do not find that page links match their
about donuts to give users an easy access expectations.
poitnt.


its competitor.
4. Rearrange and make important MAJOR ISSUE: Users are frustrated because they cannot find
homepage buttons bigger and colorful menu and prices on the PVDonuts website.
so that users may find them more
efficiently.
5. Put all content on one page for quick MAJOR ISSUE: Users rate the PVDonuts website lower than
accessibility or put most searched for its competitor.
content on the homepage.
6. Include a hook to capitalize on user’s POSITIVE FINDING: Users could find social media outlets
ability to easily find social media links. more easily and efficiently on the PVDonuts website.
Recommendation #1
Pair the “Return Home” Button with text to clarify the its
function for the user.
HOME
Findings Affected
MINOR ISSUE Some users do not recognize the Logo as the “Return
Home” button.
MAJOR ISSUE Users rate the PVDonuts website lower than its competitor.
Summary
While many users reported that they liked the interactive logo button, some
users did not recognize it as the “Return Home” button. To eliminate this
confusion, PVDonuts might try to incorporate text in the button. According
to Kara Pernice from the Nielsen Norman Group, “targets that include both a
word and an icon are larger than targets that are just the word or just an icon”
(2017). Taking this into consideration, PVDonuts might try to include the word,
“Home,” beneath the logo.
Importance
Navigation was cited as one of the more problematic areas of the PVDonuts
website in comparison to the Knead Doughnuts website. Small details like
properly labeling icons and buttons may help diffuse user frustration and get
them to think more properly about the site and its navigation.
Recommendation #2 and #3
Make page names more specific to help users understand
what content they may find.
Include a page exclusively for content about donuts to give

users an easy access poitnt.
DONUTS ABOUT US SPECIAL PRESS FAQ CONTACT

ORDERS
Findings Affected
MAJOR ISSUE Users do not find that page links match their expectations.
MAJOR ISSUE Users are frustrated because they cannot find menu and
prices on the PVDonuts website.
MAJOR ISSUE Users are frustrated when redirected to content they expect
to find on the PVDonuts website.
Users rate the PVDonuts website lower than its competitor.
MAJOR ISSUE
Summary
Many of the problems identified during the usability test may be ameliorated
with this dual suggestion. With the current navigation panel on the PVDonuts
website, page titles are not labeled as specifically as they can be. Two pages that
caused the most amount of headaches were “The PVDonuts” and “Orders.”
Many users noted that they thought “The PVDonuts” was either a link to the
homepage, a page where they might find a menu, or a page that gives a historical
overview of the business. Likewise, “Orders” confused some users, who expected
to find a menu on the page. As illustrated in the findings, this level of confusion
corresponded with user frustration and poorer scores.
Other issues concerning site navigation related to the menu, itself. Many
users became frustrated because they could not find the menu right away,
and kept searching for a while. All users eventually found the menu, which is
available through one access point on the homepage, and were confused and
underwhelmed as to why PVDonuts redirected them to the Facebook page.
In coming up with these recommendations, I tried to account for all issues at

hand. Firstly, renaming the two problematic pages might clarify to users the
kind of content that exists on each page. Instead of “The PVDonut,” the business
might instead use, “Donuts.” Simplifying the name to “Donuts” illustrates to the
user than they expect to find general and necessary information about donuts on
that page, and might mitigate confusing over “The PVDonut” standing for the
business itself.
Recommendation #2 and #3
Make page names more specific to help users understand
what content they may find.
Include a page exclusively for content about donuts to give

users an easy access poitnt.
Summary (cont.)
Instead of “Orders,” the business might use, “Special Orders.” Orders is a broad
term that does not accurately reflect the content on the page. The page only
provides information on how customers may place early orders for events such
as parties, weddings, anniversaries, etc. By qualifying the word “Orders” with the
word “Special,” PVDonuts might be able to avoid user confusion and frustration.
In addition to changing Page Titles, I suggest that PVDonuts create another

access point for users to find the menu. Because users were frustrated and
confused at the fact that they were redirected to Facebook for the menu, I
recommend that PVDonuts put the menu on their site, perhaps in the newly
titled, “Donuts” page. On this “Donuts” page, PVDonuts could keep their
content about the ingredients in the donuts (which was present on the “The
PVDonut” page). This content complements the added menu content and is
more likely to align with users’ schema of “Donuts.”
Importance
Having clear and visible access points is a critical attribute of a useable website.
Implementing these recommendation requires minimal structural reorganization.
These recommendations were made to reconcile the existing navigation panel, as
to reduce user frustration while on the site.
Recommendation #4
Rearrange and make important homepage buttons bigger
and colorful so that users may find them more efficiently.
current menu about our donuts
Findings Affected
Users are frustrated because they cannot find menu and
MAJOR ISSUE
prices on the PVDonuts website.
Summary
In the usability test, users reported feeling frustrated because they could not find
the menu quickly. One possible reason for this is because the one access point
that PVDonuts provides for users to access the menu does not stand out on the
homepage. In fact, many users during the test scrolled right by the buttons that
would have sent them to the menu.
To mitigate this issue, PVDonuts might try to make their homepage buttons
bigger. Making the buttons bigger and more colorful would make them contrast
against the all-white background of the page.
Also, because readers typically read from top down, left to right, PVDonuts
might also rearrange the buttons. During the usability test, many users clicked
on the “Learn About Our Donuts” Button before the “View Our Current Menu”
Button while looking for the menu. Rearranging the buttons may ensure that
users find and click the “Current Menu” Button first.
Importance
A frustrated user may not give a business a second chance if they cannot find
content that is necessary for them to make a decision. In the case of PVDonuts,
the Menu and the Prices are the most important information cited by users.
Making the changes described above may significantly reduce user frustration
while searching for the menu and prices.
Recommendation #5
Put all content on one page for quick accessibility or put
most searched for content on the homepage.
1 2 3 4
1 2
3 4
In the screenshots above, each link on the Knead Doughnuts Navigation Menu corresponds to a place lower on
the page. All of the content exists on a single page.
Findings Affected
MAJOR ISSUE Users rate the PVDonuts website lower than its competitor.
Summary
As reflected in the findings, one of the reasons why PVDonuts scored lower than
its competitor on the System Usability Scale (SUS) is because users perceived
navigation issues on the site, despite only reporting a few navigation issues.
However, users responded very positively to Knead Doughnuts’s navigation
menu. Each link/button corresponded to a place lower on the page. All of the
content existed on the same page.
According to the usability experts on UXPin.com, single page websites work

well in many instances because, “content is presented in simple, easy and
workable fashion for the user...Single page sites immerse the user in a simple
linear experience. There’s a clear beginning, middle, and end” (Schneider 2017).
Because PVDonuts has a higher volume of content on its site, a single page
website may end up being very long. To remediate this, site designers might
truncate material to fit nicely on the homepage, with options for users to hover
over links to “Read/See More” as illustrated on the next page.
Recommendation #5
continued Put all content on one page for quick accessibility or put
most searched for content on the homepage.
> read more
^ read less
In the screenshots above, a user may click on the “Read More” button to access more thorough information,
and click “Read Less” to hide that information. This puts the user in control of how much content they read.
Importance
Making the homepage a central hub for all site information, (whether through
single page web design or content rearrangement,) makes a user feel more
confident that they will be able to find necessary information. By taking into
consideration the ideas presented above, PVDonuts may help rebuild user
confidence and put the users in control of how much content they read.
Recommendation #6
Include a ‘hook’ to capitalize on user’s ability to easily find
social media links.
Don’t miss out on the

deals we post weekly!
Keep up with us on social media for the latest events and deals.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
Findings Affected
POSITIVE Users could find social media outlets more easily and
FINDING efficiently on the PVDonuts website.
Summary
Based on the findings of the usability test, users were able to find PVDonuts’s
social media access points quicker than Knead Doughnuts’s. To encourage
users to further their engagement with PVDonuts, perhaps site designers could
include a ‘hook’ sentence that draws their eyes to the social media access points.
Importance
The user group in this usability study reports using social media to learn about
local restaurants. (See Personas in Appendix) PVDonuts is well-known for
advertising weekly deals and events on their social media accounts, which is
not necessarily reflected on the website. It might be prudent for PVDonuts to
capitalize on their easily-accessible social media links by giving users incentives
to follow them on these sites.
Conclusion
To conclude this usability study, I will reflect on the test objectives set at the beginning to see if the
goals were reached. As well, I will look to the future and reflect on some further areas for testing.
1. Results of Heuristic Evaluation
The following are the five major conclusions made during heuristic evaluation about the
PVDonuts website. My goal was to prove or disprove these conclusions:
disproven Site organization and design is engaging.
disproven Menu navigation is error tolerant and easy to learn.
proven The unlabeled “Return Home” button may not be easy to learn.
inconclusive Technical baking terminology may be disengaging to users
proven Search for menu prices is ineffective and inefficient.
2. Business Competition
Based on this usability test, it is clear that PVDonuts has a lot of work to do in areas of
Navigation and Findability. The recommendations made in this study will hopefully
fix some of the major problems so that PVDonuts’s site can match or exceed the high
standards set by Knead Doughnuts.
Future Testing
Insufficient evidence was produced in this usability study to confirm or disprove one of my
conclusions from the heuristic evaluation: “Technical baking terminolgy may be disengaging to
users.” Per Scenario 1, when asked to describe whether any terminology stuck out to them, users were
often baffled by the question, claiming to be unfazed by any terminolgy. Few substantive answers were
given in response. Therefore, additional testing is recommended to account for the website’s stylistic
choices.
References
Barnum, Carol M. Usability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set-- Test!
Elsevier, 2011.
Johnson-Sheehan, Richard. Technical Communication Today. 5th ed.,

Pearson, 2015.
Kumpf, Eric P. “Visual Metadiscourse: Designing the

Considerate Text.” Technical Communication Quarterly, vol. 9,
no. 4, 2000, pp. 401–424., doi:10.1080/10572250009364707.
Neumeier, Marty. The Brand Gap. New Riders, 2005.
Pernice, Kara. “Bad Icons: How to Identify and Improve Them.” Nielsen
Norman Group, Nielsen Norman Group, 19 Nov. 2017, www.
nngroup.com/articles/bad-icons/.
Rainee, Lee, et al. “Where People Get Information about Restaurants
and Other Local Businesses.” Pew Internet &American Life
Project Project for Excellence in Journalism, 14 Dec. 2011.
Sauro, Jeff. “Measuring Usability with the System Usability Scale

(SUS).” MeasuringU, MeasuringU, 2 Feb. 2011, measuringu.
com/sus/.
Schneider, S. “Single-Page vs. Multi-Page UI Design: Pros & Cons.”

Studio by UXPin, UXPin, 1 Feb. 2017, www.uxpin.com/studio/
blog/single-page-vs-multi-page-ui-design-pros-cons/.
Usability.gov. “Writing for the Web.” Usability.gov, Department of

Health and Human Services, 7 Dec. 2016, www.usability.gov/
how-to-and-tools/methods/writing-for-the-web.html.
Appendices
Personas
A. Melissa and Erin
Personas (cont.)
B. Justification Memo
MEMORANDUM
Date: 10/11/2017
To: Professor Gulbrandsen
From: Daniel Simcock
Re: Personas
The purpose of this memorandum is to detail my process for designing two

personas that will be used to evaluate the website of a local donut shop in
Providence, Rhode Island named PVDonuts. This memo is divided into three
main parts: 1) The Introduction, where I discuss my goals and research methods;
2) The Results and Justification, where I review my research findings and justify
my choices while designing my personas; and 3) The Conclusion, where I
contextualize my personas in the scope of the class goals and forecast how my
personas will be used in preparation for my website’s evaluation.

Introduction
While developing my two personas, I carefully considered PVDonuts’s goals

and target audience. PVDonuts goals seem to be implicit in the content of its
website. From its homepage, PVDonuts immediately tries to capitalize on its
novel donut selection, with a banner that reads, “Rhode Island’s First Specialty
Donut Shop.” This appeal extends to the PVDonuts “About Us” page which
explains that one of the shop’s priorities is keeping the customers happy and
interested “with new and exciting donuts with an ever-changing menu.” This
customer-centered mission seems to attract a wide demographic, as evidenced
by their rave reviews. However, most notably, PVDonuts attempts to attract a
female audience; their homepage includes a “Featured On” banner, in which
“Cosmopolitan,” “Refinery29,” and “ThrillList” are listed, three sites that
traditionally attract a female audience. Secondary research from the PEW
Research Center helped me hone in on the target demographics that PVDonuts
should be trying to attract. According to the 2011 study, “Where people get
information about restaurants and other local businesses,” “the 55% of all adults
who get information about restaurants, bars, and clubs are disproportionately
young, female, tech adaptive and upscale in educational attainment” (Rainee
et.al. 9). Knowing this information, I decided to focus my research on a
particular user group: 18-29 year old females (the youngest user group studied
in the PEW study). In collecting my research, I completed ten interviews with
individuals of this user group and asked 18 questions about each user’s personal
life, consumer behavior, and technological literary.
Results and Justification
Two distinct personas seemed to naturally take shape from the data I collected
from my interviews: “the budgeteer” and “the picky eater.” Seven out of the
ten users that I interviewed explained how finances played a deciding factor
in choosing a place to eat. More specifically, all four of the users still attending
college for their undergraduate degrees explained their frustrations about going
out to eat. One user explained, “It’s hard being at a campus surrounded by
yummy places to eat, especially when you’re broke.” Three of the seven users who
reported finances being their being struggle also explained how they kept track
of their expenses either by hand or by keeping an eye on their mobile banking
app. Likewise, four out of the ten users that I interviewed reported having some
Personas (cont.)
sort of dietary restriction (peanut allergy, kosher, vegan, and gluten-free), which
made them hyper-conscious about the food they ate and the places they went
out to eat. In particular, the users who ate vegan and kosher food explained their
frustrations over finding good places to eat, either because many restaurants
do not offer a wide selection of those foods or because they are ill-equipped to
tailor meals to their specific needs. As the user who eats vegan food stated in her
interview, “I love going out to eat, I really do. I love food. But I have a problem
with a lot of restaurants because of my dietary restriction. Not a lot of places are
friendly to people who are vegan.”
To flesh out these two personas, I tried to highlight some other key differences
between my users. I saw a distinct divide in educational experience among my
users. Four out of the ten users were undergraduate students, still attending
college and all studying English. Five out of ten users either had or were working
toward their graduate degree in a variety of fields. There was only one user who
was an outlier, who had not worked toward their undergraduate or graduate
degree. Knowing this information, I decided to make one of my personas a
current undergraduate student and the other a matriculated graduate student. I
included the educational status of each persona to corroborate the data from my
secondary source, which suggested those who frequented local restaurants were,
“upscale in educational attainment” (Rainee et.al. 9).
Another key distinction between my users that I highlighted in my personas

involved consumer behavior. Of the ten users interviewed, five explained that
they went out to eat frequently, usually 2-3 times per week (although one user
confessed that they eat out up to 5 times a week). The other five users were
completely different, explaining how they went out to eat infrequently, 1-2
times per month. Of these five users, three users were current college students.
Another aspect of consumer behavior that I asked about during the interview
was my user’s restaurant preferences. Though I found few overlaps in favorite
restaurants among my users, I found that six of the users listed both chain and
local restaurants while talking about their favorite places to eat; the other four
users strictly talked about their favorite local restaurants to eat. As a follow-up
question, in the interviews I asked why they liked the restaurants that they listed.
The most attractive attributes ascribed to local restaurants were “atmospheric,”
“charming,” and “better quality,” whereas the most attractive attribute ascribed
to chain restaurants was only that they were “cheaper.” I thought the distinction
of frequency of attendance and preference of restaurant was important to note
in my personas, as it helped me understand more clearly the differing values and
motivations within my studied user group.
Some final characteristics that I gleaned from user interviews and wanted to
include in my personas related to user motivations and technological access.
When asked, “what are your motivations?,” some very common answers arose;
“Family,” “Friends,” “Self-determination,” “Successful Career,” and variants were
cited as the most common responses. However, seven out of ten users described
(perhaps a little jokingly) their fear of being a failure or being rejected. I found
this characteristic quite striking and unique, and decided to list it at the top
of the list of potential motivations for each persona. In terms of technological
access, all users interviewed discussed their complete comfort level with all
different forms of technology. However, what I found interesting and ultimately
decided to make one of the distinguishing features between the two personas,
was my user’s reliance on social media. Seven users cited social media as being
Personas (cont.)
their most common “distraction.” The other three users, however, described how
they try to limit their presence on social media. One user in particular discussed
how she uses an app on her tablet that restricts her social media/leisure activity.
I feel justified in highlighting this distinction in my personas because I think it
showcases a clear dichotomy of technological user behavior that may affect how
each persona approaches a website.
Conclusion
Looking ahead, these two distinct personas will give me a framework by which I
can evaluate PVDonuts’s website. Although they represent the same user group,
both personas present an audience member of specific needs, values, attitudes,
and contexts. For example, knowing that one persona prioritizes their finances
over all else when it comes to choosing a place to eat, they will go into the site
looking for prices and wanting to see the portion sizes, so that they can see
whether they are getting their money’s worth. Likewise, knowing that the other
persona prioritizes their vegan lifestyle when deciding on a place to eat, they
will go to the site looking for a vegan menu, and perhaps even want to learn
the ingredients in the food that they will potentially eat. These two personas
highlight certain goals and frustrations that this particular group faces, and gives
me an idea of what task each may perform on the PVDonuts website.
Works Cited
Rainee, Lee, et al. “Where People Get Information about Restaurants and Other
Local Businesses.” Pew Internet &
American Life Project Project for Excellence in Journalism, 14 Dec. 2011.
Personas (cont.)
C. Research/Interviews
Persona Questionnaire
This questionnaire consists of 18 questions that ask about personal information,
consumer behavior, and technological literacy. Your responses will help inform
and create a user persona for the website of a local donut shop named PVDonuts
of Providence, Rhode Island. You may answer as many or as few questions as you
would like. Thank you in advance for your invaluable help.
Personal Information:
Name: Rachel Pichette
Age: 22
Sex: Female
Town/city you currently reside: Westport, MA
What is your highest level of education? (If you went to college, could you
specify what you studied?)
BA in English
What is your profession?
I work as a barista at a local coffee shop. In the future, I want to be a writer.
What made you want to get into this profession? (If you are in school, what
made you want to study a specific field?)
I love reading and writing. I feel like it’s the best way to express yourself, through
writing.
How do you spend your free time?
I read. I write more now that I’ve graduated. I procrastinate. I hang out with my
friends.
What are you motivated by?

Not wanting to live in a cardboard box. And I want to be legitimately published
one day.
Consumer Behavior Questions:
How often do you go out to eat?
Once per week or once every other week. It depends.
What are the ideal qualities of a restaurant where you will go out to eat?
It has to be affordable. Also, not disgusting. I’ve been to some disgusting

restaurants before, and never again. Also, I like them to have food that is
moderately healthy.
Personas (cont.)
Do you prefer chain restaurants or local restaurants? Why?
I usually prefer local for sit down meals. I find I go to a lot of chain restaurants
though. Especially Dunkin Donuts. Every day. I need my coffee.
What are some of your favorite places to go out to eat? Why?
Tequilla Lime. Panera. Chipotle. I go there because they are all nearby my house.
It’s just convenient and the food is really cheap.
How do you find out about new places to eat?

I have a friend who is a chef who is always trying to get me to go to new places.
Some times I do. Also, I find out a lot of places through social media.
What could a local business do that might convince you to shop at their store?
I’m really into deals. Like if a place has $2 Taco Tuesdays, you bet your ass I’ll be
there.
Technology Questions:
How much time do you spend online?
A lot. I go on it in between doing things.
How do you access the internet? (Computer, phone, tablet, etc.)
My phone and my laptop.
What type of sites or activities do you like to do online?

I go on Netflix, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.
Why do you use these sites/participate in these activities?
I go on Facebook to be nosy. The rest of the social media sites, I try to network
with other people. And I go on Netflix because I love watching shows.
Describe the qualities of a perfect website?
Easy to navigate. It can’t be glitch, or I’m getting off of it. Also, it should look
nice. And I don’t want to dig for information. It should be easy to find.
Why might you visit PVDonuts’s website? What would you be looking to know/
find out?
What type of donuts they have and the prices for them. Also, I might check
them out to see if I could find deals/promotions.
Personas (cont.)
Name: Emily Kelly
Age: 21
Sex: Female
Town/city you currently reside:

Plymouth
I’m a senior in college. I study English Writing.
I work at a breakfast place called, The Blueberry Muffin. I want to be a writer

someday, though.
I transferred into English from being an Art Major. I wanted to be an Art

Teacher, but now I think I prefer writing. I think that I am better at it.
I like to procrastinate. A lot. I sit around, hang out with friends. I don’t do a
whole lot.

The crushing pressure to be a successful person in society.
A few times per month.
It has to be clean. And it has to be affordable. Those are two big things I need.
Personas (cont.)
Definitely local. The food is generally better and cheaper. Also, you can have a
low-key experience at a local restaurant. You don’t have to bump into people you
don’t want to.
Destination Soup. Panera. These places make really good soup and I love soup.
They even have bread bowls, which I mean, who doesn’t like bread.

My roommate always gives me the best suggestions on places to eat. She’s a
bargain hunter, so we usually find small places that are really cheap to eat at too.
Appealing advertisements. Also, the place needs to look inviting. Not oddly
intimidating.
A lot. I am on the internet all day.
My phone and my computer.

I go on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, the UMass Dartmouth website, YouTube.

I go on them because they’re entertaining. They’re mindless, which is sometimes
nice. And I go on the school website because I need to.
It needs to be visual. Lot of pictures. It needs to be easy to navigate. Clearly laid

out. Accessible to people of all different needs.
find out?
I’d probably look to see what kind of donuts they have. And also, I want to know
what the hype is all about.
Personas (cont.)
Name: Autumn Ross
Age: 24
Sex: Female

North Dartmouth
College; 5th year. English Writing.
Elementary School Teacher
I like working with kids a lot. Kids in lower grades aren’t learning what they
need to be learning. I try to help them out as best as I can and try to make an
impact.
I work on making jewelry. I practice singing. I read for fun.
I have an internal drive to keep going, a little voice that tells me to keep going.
Not very often – I have a dietary restriction. Gluten allergy. It makes it hard to
go out when not a lot of places serve gluten free food.
They need to have gluten free on the menu. Also, I want them to be really
clean. Especially in the kitchen where they are working. I don’t want
cross-contamination.
Personas (cont.)

Local restaurants. Chain restaurants have food that is too processed. It’s usually
not very healthy for you.
In my hometown, there’s this great Vietnamese place I go out to eat. The

portions are massive and I love their rice noodles.

Word of mouth, mostly. I might get some suggestions through friends on
Facebook as well.
If the outside looks inviting. That will draw me into the store.
A lot of time everyday. I’m checking email, doing homework.
My phone or laptop. Or the computers at school.

I do a lot of research for school. I also go on YouTube a lot to learn how to
make new jewelry. I go on Facebook to keep up with group chats. I also go on
Pinterest to get inspiration for my art.
They’re fun, most of them. Except doing research. I do that because I have to.
It has to have good photos. The pictures can’t be in focus. Also, there can’t be any
crazy colors. It can’t be too busy or jam-packed with information.
find out?
If they have gluten-free donuts, I might go.

I also might check out pictures of the restaurant. I want to see the atmosphere to
determine if I want to go or not.
Personas (cont.)
Name: Meg Simcock
Age: 23
Sex: Female
Town/city you currently reside: Swansea, MA
English Literature and Criticism; Bachelors of Arts

Teaching Assistant for Community Autism Resources
My brother convinced me that I am a natural at studying English texts
and that it would beneficial to switch my major from Biology to English.
Mostly spending time with my close friends, with my boyfriend whom lives
further away from me. Playing video games, playing magic the gathering,
listening to music, browsing through book stores and reading with a cup of tea
or coffee is a favorite past time.

My family, getting ahead further in life than they had. The desire to be
independent and to take care of myself. The desire to be able to do what I want
to do, if there was anything in particular, and not have money be in the way of
me necessarily experiencing what it is that I would like to experience.

I used to not go out to eat at all. But I would have to say that I roughly
go out to eat atleast twice a month.
A place that is quaint but sort of busy, good lighting, great staff. Music being
a big part of the establishment, not just an accessory.

Personas (cont.)
I prefer local restaurants because it seems to fit the quaint quality
that I like, but I feel weird about going to these places by myself so therefore I
hardly ever do.
Italian restaurants; such as Ma Raffa’s or Gregg’s. Besides serving my
favorite food, I guess that is is because I like home-cooked meals and I enjoy
being able to get that sense of feeling at home in a place that is not actually
home.

Mostly by social media. Facebook, people usually post where they have just
recently gone out to eat and sometimes that piques my interest.
Cute packaging, reasonable prices, and something that represents the
clientel that shops there. A token or symbol that provokes a feeling of belonging
when shopping or eating at said establishment.
If I were to be honest I would say nearly seven to eight hours a day.

Mostly my phone and by computer.
I watch netflix on a weekly basis. I have been watching a lot of

youtube videos lately though. I go on facebook and instagram which isn’t the
internet but is a social media app constantly looking at new makeup trends and
such,

Because it allows me access to certain groups of people and communities I
wouldn’t have otherwised had.
One that loads fast and efficently.
find out?
Menu items, specials, promotions, any celebrities that might have gone to the
shop recently, etc.
Personas (cont.)
Name: Cassandra Raposo
Age: 22
Sex: F
Town/city you currently reside: Swansea, MA
Bachelor’s degree – English (Writing)

Writing Intern
I’ve always loved books and my love of writing came from my love of reading. I
like to tell stories!
Watching TV/Netflix, watching Youtube videos, walking my dog, listening to
music, reading, writing and gaming.

I’m motivated by the people I care about
Maybe once a week.
Good food, diverse menu, inexpensive prices, a chill atmosphere, good service.

It’s tough. I go to more chain restaurants only because I’m already familiar
with them, their menus, and I know what to expect when I go there. But I do
appreciate local restaurants as well for their uniqueness and authenticity. And
while I like that I know what to expect from the chain restaurants, I also like to
try new things, so I guess it depends on what mood I’m in.

Panera Bread, because the food is delicious, inexpensive, and I don’t have to wait
long for it. They also have a rewards program that I like because after a certain
Personas (cont.)
amount of purchases, you get a free snack or drink with your meal.
Bertucci’s, because of the bread and olive oil/garlic dip. Oh my god. So good.
Cornerstone Bakery & Restaurant, because the breakfast is delicious. It’s a

locally owned place and there are Portuguese as well as American foods on
the menu. They bake everything fresh. You can go buy massa or papo seco
(Portuguese rolls) after your meal. The food tastes authentic.
Chili’s, because the quesadillas are on point. And it’s a good place to get a drink
too.

Usually from word-of-mouth or social media.
Have a unique feature, like a unique food item or aesthetic. It could reach out to
its audience with a special deal or rewards program. I think also having a strong
social media presence would help. Interacting with the clientele (patrons?) shows
that a business has a bit of personality and is willing to establish a relationship
with you.
Too much. Not including time at work, probably like 3 hours a day. Including
work… you don’t want to know.
Computer and phone.

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat. Online shopping.

They’re fun. Lol. They’re distractions from everyday life.
User-friendly, meaning I can easily navigate it from the home page, the colors
don’t clash, I can read everything clearly, there’s contact information and a FAQ
available for any questions I have, etc.
Aesthetically pleasing, meaning the design is cohesive and symmetrical, the

colors don’t look too harsh or uninviting, and the images are clear and engaging.
Makes use of multimedia.
Matches the “personality” of the business.
find out?
I think first and foremost I’d be looking for the menu. And then probably
answers to the following questions:
Personas (cont.)
What are the hours?
Is there parking?
How many donuts can I order?
What makes PVDonuts so unique?
Who owns PVDonuts?
How did the idea of PVDonuts come about? The idea for each donut?
Name: Lindsey Valton
Age: 25
Sex: Female
Town/city you currently reside: Somerset
Master’s Degree- Accounting

Financial Accountant
I always knew I wanted to study business. In undergrad, I was “Business-
Undeclared” and out of all of my business courses, I enjoyed the Accounting
courses the most and decided to declare Accounting as my major.

Spending time with friends and family, watching sports, beer tasting, shopping,
reading, binge watching Netflix shows, at the beach or pool (in the summer), day
tripping (ex. Block Island, Boston, Newport, apple picking, etc.)

Happiness, money, sense of fulfillment (ex. accomplishing a goal)
Twice a week
Personas (cont.)
A mix of unique foods but also the staples in case we are with picky members of
a group or not in the mood to try something new. A cool, inviting atmosphere.
Craft beer (local beer is a plus) or unique cocktail menu.

Local restaurants as they typically offer a more personal touch. Generally the
food appears to be fresher and more locally sourced.
Roger’s, Somerset, MA-AMAZING, rotating craft beer selection. Excellent
food at great prices. Small cozy place. The bar manager gets to know most of the
customers and recommends new beers/informs us of upcoming events, etc.
Brutopia, Cranston, RI- Unique food selection. Local draft beer. Great
atmosphere with pool tables and cornhole.
Brick Alley Pub, Newport, RI- Large menu and everything on it is excellent.
It is a large restaurant and every room has a unique “feel” and lots of different
memorabilia so you can eat there often but still see something new each time.

Facebook, Instagram, and word of mouth.
Facebook events with other local businesses have convinced my husband and me
to try new places. Especially if the event is a collaboration with a local business
that we already frequent.
Usually, it is several minutes here and there throughout the day. Added all
together, it could easily amount to 3-4 hours.
Primarily by phone.
Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Shopping (ex. Target.com, Amazon, Ebay)
Keeping in touch with friends, reading news or pop culture articles, finding out
about local events or activities, getting ideas and inspiration for projects/outfits,
etc.
Easy to use, clean layout, informative, updated to reflect the most current and
relevant information
find out?
Their hours, location and phone number, the list of currently available flavors,
any specials/upcoming events they have.
Personas (cont.)
Name: Nicole Goyette
Age: 26
Sex: Female

Somerset, Ma
specify what you studied?) In college studying Health Sciences

Team Member at target
I want to help people and am very interested in our health care and improving it
so this field gives the many paths to do that.

Reading, watching tv, going out with friends

Making a better life for myself. Being successful and sometimes
food.
At least 1 to 2 times a week.
Something different, A good menu, Good Atmosphere, fast service, not overly
expensive

I really like local restaurants. I feel over all they are better. For the most part I
think the food is better they aren’t as big, they have a certain charm.

Personas (cont.)
Federal Hill Pizza, Plaza de Aztecha, Titos, Aiden’s. I like eating at these
places because they have a good atmosphere, great food, good drink menu, and
inexpensive.

Friends, google, social media
Coupons (like groupon), I like when there are events or live music
A decent amount…. Not really sure

Mostly my phone but also sometimes the computer

I google a lot. Facebook and Instagram. I don’t really do much other than that

Mostly to find out information, to be informed and to socially connect.

Easy to use and find what you are looking for. Pictures (like of food and menu)
find out?
I would use it to find out what kind of donuts they are selling. If there are any
specials going on or events. The price of things they sell, hours they are open,
where they are located. Reviews from people about PVDonuts.
Personas (cont.)
Name: Molly Hillis
Age: 24
Sex: Female

North Attleboro
Bachelor’s Degree; Writing and Literature
Associate Editor
A love of literature and creating/editing content.
Reading, writing, watching comedy specials/sketches, and spending time with

family.

I’m motivated by a desire to learn about new subjects.
I go out to eat about twice per month.
Friendly staff, clean and uncrowded seating areas, and a calm atmosphere.
Chain restaurants, because I have food allergies and have found it hard to get
Personas (cont.)
clear answers about the ingredients/food prep practices in local restaurants.
Chipotle, because their food offerings are well-priced and of great quality.

Through friends’ recommendations.
Have clear food preparation practices that reduce the risk of cross-
contamination of allergens.
2-3 hours per day.
Phone and computer.

Social media (Instagram and Facebook) and entertainment (YouTube).
They are entertaining and easy to use.
A perfect website would be easy to navigate, with a concise menu and a search
bar.
find out?
I would be looking for a menu, food ingredients, restaurant hours, or the

restaurant’s location.
Heuristic Evaluation
Heuristic Evaluation
PVDonuts
www.pvdonuts.com
Daniel Simcock
11-1-2017
Heuristic Evaluation (cont.)
Heuristic Evaluation|PVDonuts Page |-1-
Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... - 2 -
Methodology ................................................................................................................................................................... - 3 -
Heuristics .................................................................................................................................................................... - 3 -
PVDonuts’s Audience .............................................................................................................................................. - 4 -
Personas ...................................................................................................................................................................... - 4 -
Melissa .................................................................................................................................................................... - 5 -
Ranking System.......................................................................................................................................................... - 6 -
Findings ........................................................................................................................................................................... - 7 -
Tasks ............................................................................................................................................................................ - 8 -
Task 1: Find out what PVDonuts is and where it is located ......................................................................... - 8 -
Task 2: Look for Menu Prices .......................................................................................................................... - 14 -
Rankings.................................................................................................................................................................... - 25 -
Task 1.................................................................................................................................................................... - 25 -
Task 2.................................................................................................................................................................... - 27 -
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................................... - 29 -
References ..................................................................................................................................................................... - 29 -
Introduction
From October 20 – 25, 2017, a heuristic evaluation was conducted on a website of a local donut shop in
Providence, RI, named PVDonuts (www.pvdonuts.com). The evaluation was conducted using a set of
personalized heuristics for the PVDonuts website and a persona created from a user group of the site. The
purpose of this report is to share the findings from this heuristic evaluation, to rank the findings in terms of
severity, and offer suggestions for long term and short term goals for the website.
One aim of this heuristic evaluation is to offer quick feedback to the designers of the PVDonuts website, so
that they can stay competitive with other local businesses. Located on the historic Ives Street, PVDonuts is
surrounded by competition – The Duck and Bunny, a crepe shop, located down the street, Dunkin Donuts,
located a street over on Gano Street, and Café Zog, located on Wickenden Street. However, the biggest
competition to PVDonuts is Knead Donuts. Located on Custom House Street, just 5 minutes away from
PVDonuts, Knead Donuts uses a similar revolving donut menu to draw in customers. To flourish in this
competitive market, PVDonuts must have a user-friendly website that meets the needs and desires of its
customers, and is up to par or, better yet, exceeds the groundwork of their competition’s sites.
In addition, the findings of this heuristic evaluation will provide the foundation for an upcoming usability test
on the PVDonuts website. The problems discovered with the PVDonuts website during this heuristic
evaluation will be highlighted throughout usability testing.
This report is divided into three main parts: 1) Methodology, where I detail research methods and the
evaluation process; 2) Results, where I showcase my research finding, contextualize my findings by ranking
them in order of severity, and offer suggestions for how PVDonuts may update their site; and 3) Conclusion,
where I summarize the major findings and forecast the importance of this heuristic evaluation in an
upcoming usability test.
Methodology
In this section, I discuss my preparation for and process of evaluating the PVDonuts website. In summation,
I first selected and adapted a set of heuristics, which I used as a lens to appraise the PVDonuts website. Then,
to further hone this lens, I did research about potential users of the PVDonuts website and created a persona,
which I channeled during my heuristic evaluation to maintain a user-focused approach. During the heuristic
evaluation, I performed two tasks using the persona and made a numbered list of observations about the
PVDonuts website. From there, I created a chart of features observed while completing both tasks, rated
each feature based on a predesigned ranking system, and offered suggestions to fix problematic features.
Heuristics
PVDonuts site has been evaluated using an adaptation of Whitney Quesenbery’s 5Es. As discussed in Carol
M. Barnum’s Usability Testing Essentials, the 5Es “distill the definition of usability into easy-to-remember
dimensions of usability” (12). Beyond being easy-to-remember, the 5Es offer usability testers broad lenses
through which they evaluate a product. Here, “broad” has both positive and negative implications. In a more
positive light, the broadness of the 5Es offers a more holistic view of a website. In a negative light, the 5Es
are potentially too broad, offering usability testers with an unfocused set of criteria to evaluate a website. In
comparison to other popular heuristics like Peter Morville’s user experience honeycomb and Jakob Nielsen’s
10 heuristics, the 5Es heuristic surely provides usability testers with a more focused set of lenses. However, to
counteract the negative aspects of these broad lenses, I have refined each of the 5Es with further criteria.
Information from Usability.gov’s page, “Writing for the Web,” has been integrated to help form more
specific criteria by which an evaluator may appraise PVDonuts’s website. The resulting heuristic, featured
below, offers a nice balance of broad and specific criteria to evaluate PVDonuts’s website.
Here is how the 5Es were defined and refined to suit the needs of this heuristic evaluation:
Effective – How completely and accurately the work or experience is completed or goals reached.
Further criteria:
• Provides necessary and relevant content that audiences want and need to complete tasks.
• Organizes content on appropriate page.
Efficient – How quickly this work can be completed.

Further Criteria:
• Chunks related information.
• Use short sentences and paragraphs.
• Uses headers and sub headers.
Engaging – How well the interface draws the user into the interaction and how pleasant and satisfying it is
to use.
Further Criteria:
• Uses the users’ language.
• Minimizes jargon and technical terms.
• Use images, diagrams, or multimedia to visually represent ideas in the content.
Error tolerant – How well the product prevents errors and can help the user recover from mistakes that do
occur.
Further Criteria:
• Makes it easy for users to switch between pages.
• Provides clear error messages.
Easy to learn – How well the product supports both initial orientation and continued learning throughout
the complete lifetime of use.
Further Criteria:
• Makes obvious what is clickable and what is not.
• Makes navigation menu accessible to users on all pages.
PVDonuts’s Audience
In conducting this heuristic evaluation, I carefully considered PVDonuts’s goals and target audience.
PVDonuts goals seem to be implicit in the content of its website. From its homepage, PVDonuts
immediately tries to capitalize on its novel donut selection, with a banner that reads, “Rhode Island’s First
Specialty Donut Shop.” This appeal extends to the PVDonuts “About Us” page which explains that one of
the shop’s priorities is keeping the customers happy and interested “with new and exciting donuts with an
ever-changing menu.” While this customer-centered mission attracts a wide demographic, PVDonuts seems
to target a female audience; their homepage includes a “Featured On” banner, in which “Cosmopolitan,”
“Refinery29,” and “ThrillList” are listed, three sites that traditionally attract a female audience. Secondary
research from the PEW Research Center helped me hone in on the target demographics that PVDonuts
should be trying to attract. According to the 2011 study, “Where people get information about restaurants
and other local businesses,” “the 55% of all adults who get information about restaurants, bars, and clubs are
disproportionately young, female, tech adaptive and upscale in educational attainment” (Rainee et.al. 9).
Knowing this information, I decided to focus my research on a particular user group: 18-29 year old females
(the youngest user group studied in the PEW study).
Personas
The heuristic evaluation was conducted with the aid of a persona. The purpose of this persona was two-fold:
1) To discern the needs, values, attitudes, and contexts of the user group described above; and, 2) To help
me, as the evaluator, judge the website through the eyes of this user group. I created personas with data
collected from ten interviews with individuals in this user group. Interviewees were asked 18 questions about
their personal life, consumer behavior, and technological literary. From this data, two personas were created,
Melissa and Erin. (To view these personas, see Appendix.) Although Melissa and Erin’s represent the same
user group, I have chosen to embody Melissa for this heuristic evaluation. While similar to Melissa, Erin
represents a smaller niche community within the user group that was studied: individuals with dietary
restrictions. Melissa’s primary characteristics, listed below, were observed in almost every user interview.
Therefore, Melissa is the ideal persona to use during this heuristic evaluation.
Melissa
Below is a list a primary characteristics of the persona.
• 21 years old
• Full-time college student
• Has a tight spending budget
• Tech-savvy
• Efficient researcher
Scenario
Melissa’s been invited by her college friends to tag along with them in the morning to go to PVDonuts.
Melissa has never been to PVDonuts, and frankly does not know much about them. Her friends rave about
it, and from the sound of it, she would really love to go. There is a small problem, though. She’s afraid, and
even a little embarrassed, that she might not have enough money to go to PVDonuts with her friends. Before
she dives into her homework for the evening, she decides to go on her laptop and check out PVDonuts’s
website.
A probable task list that Melissa might conduct is:
1) Find out where and what PVDonuts is.
2) Find the PVDonuts food menu and prices.
Heuristic Expectations
Based on Melissa’s persona, her expectations in regards to the heuristic criteria are as follows:
Effective – Melissa expects to find all of the information that she needs to know, and she expects to find it
toward the top of the page, so that she doesn’t have to go searching for it.
Efficient – Melissa expects to learn the information that she needs to know on PVDonuts’s website very
quickly.
Engaging – Because she’s previously visited Knead Donuts website, the competitor of PVDonuts, she has
high expectations. She expects to find a well-organized website that uses pictures and text partitioning to
draw her in.
Error Tolerant – Melissa expects no errors when she visits PVDonuts’s website. If she encounters an error,
she will likely leave the website.
Easy to Learn – Melissa has been on many websites before, so she expects that this website matches a
similar schema of the other websites that she frequents. She expects to find the navigation menu on all pages
of the website.
Ranking System
The observations found during this heuristic evaluation have been rated and categorized as either a positive
finding, a minor issue, or a major issue. This ranking system is intended to help the designers of the
PVDonuts website identify aspects of their website that enhance or hinder a user’s experience. Each
observation has a ranking that is easily identifiable by its highlighted color. The levels of severity and their
corresponding colors are defined below:
Positive Findings that contribute to a beneficial user experience in conformance with the 5Es.
Minor Issue Hinders the user's ability to navigate or complete tasks effectively and efficiently; should be
fixed when possible.
Major Issue Frustrates or confuses users or prevents a user from completing tasks; requires repair as
soon as possible.
The observations made during the heuristic evaluation are note in a numbered list in the “Task” section of
Findings. These observation provided the basis for my ranking chart featured in the “Rankings” section of
Findings. The ranking chart is organized as such:
Feature/Observation Summary/Recommendations Evidence Severity 5 E’s
(Observation Ranking affected
Number)
The ranking chart primarily organizes my findings by notable features and by severity ranking. Whereas many
heuristic evaluations choose to partition their findings based on their heuristic criteria, I chose to prioritize
my user’s observations, attitudes, and experience with the PVDonuts website. However, because my
heuristics guided these observations in the first place, I have included in my ranking chart a column that
describes which of the heuristics were affected by each observation.
Findings
This section documents the findings and highlights the observations of both personas during the heuristic
evaluation. It is organized in two parts:
1. Tasks – details Melissa’s encounter while performing the tasks. This is done through a series of
screenshots that show a walkthrough of Melissa’s experience. The observations made by Melissa
during this walkthrough are numbered, and will be used as evidence to support the ranking system.
2. Rankings – presents the findings during the evaluation in an easy-to-read table. Potential user
obstacles and areas for improvement are organized by feature the 5E’s and ranked according to
severity level.
Tasks
Task 1: Find out what PVDonuts is and where it is located
1 3
1) Entering the site, Melissa notices two things.

• The bold type that gives a brief description of PVDonuts.
• The donuts in the background picture are well-photographed and look yummy.
2) Then, Melissa is drawn to the icon in the upper left-hand corner of the page. Is it the logo?
3) Melissa then scans the menu along the upper right hand side of the page.
4) Instead of scrolling down the homepage, Melissa clicks on “About Us” to get a better sense of what
PVDonuts is and where they are located.
5) Melissa is struck by the center type and the photograph of the donut in the center of the page.
6) Melissa makes a connection between the icon in the upper left hand corner and to the graphic on the
shirt. She determines that this must be PVDonuts logo.
Heuristic Evaluation|PVDonuts P a g e | - 10
-
7) Melissa gets excited when she sees the header read, “Located in Providence, RI,” because she thinks
she will find the address. She does not.
8) She scans the mission statement paragraphs. It takes her 10 seconds, but she pulls out 4 key phrases
that she thinks represents the business: “different and delicious,” “non-traditional,” “ever-changing
menu,” and “not just food, but also the arts.”
9) Melissa scans the list of Local Businesses PVDonuts supports. She likes the bulleted list which shows
all of the local businesses that PVDonuts supports. However, Melissa thinks that the light blue text is
kind of hard to read against the white background.
-
10
11
12
10) Based on the headings, Melissa decides she does not need this information about the Team at
PVDonuts. She decides to scroll passed it.
11) Melissa really likes the professional photography of the PVDonuts team.
12) While scrolling, she notices fun blurbs about the team members: “Game of Thrones Fan” and “I’d
be a brown butter pecan PVDonut.” Melissa thinks that this team has a lot of character.
-
13 14 15
16
17
13) Melissa is glad to find that all of the location information about PVDonuts in the footer of the page.
Later, she realizes that this footer and this information is available on every page of the website.
14) Melissa’s also happy that PVDonuts has listed its hours of operation beside its location.
15) Melissa notices that PVDonuts has a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter page. She decides to click on
the social media icons briefly. The social media sites open in separate tabs. She is glad to see that all
of the buttons work
16) Melissa switches back to the PVDonuts site. She likes the live-feed of PVDonuts social media at the
bottom of the page. She decides she might take a more detailed look at it later.
17) Melissa notices the text button, “Get Directions” located conveniently in the “Location” section of
the footer. She decides to click the button because she needs to find out where PVDonuts is if she is
going to meet her friends there in the morning.
-
18
18) Melissa is happy that Google Maps popped up in a separate tab when she clicked on the hyperlink.
She punches in her location and discovers that PVDonuts is not very far away.
-
Task 2: Look for Menu Prices
1) From the last task, Melissa switches tab back to the PVDonuts site. Melissa scrolls up from the
bottom of the “About Us” page. She cannot find a part of the menu listed “Menu” or “Prices.” She
decides to go back to the homepage.
2) She tries to find the button that will take her back to the homepage. She is unsure whether the icon
in the upper left hand corner will bring her back to the homepage, but she knows that on most sites,
that is where it is. She decides to click it, and luckily, she is right.
-
4 6
3) Melissa scans this paragraph. The bolded type sticks out to her the most: “We are not your typical
donut shop!” Also, the word “brioche” sticks out to Melissa, as it is repeated twice. She doesn’t know
what this means, but she assumes it has something to do with baking.
4) Melissa almost passes over the minimalist buttons that break up the body of texts. The buttons are
noticeable, but do not stand out from the page.
5) Melissa is happy to see (again) another way to access PVDonuts social media accounts.
6) Melissa decides, after scanning the page, to click on the button that says, “View Our Current Menu,”
because she thinks that this is the most probable place to find out donut prices.
-
7) A new tab opens up to one of PVDonuts pages on Facebook. Melissa is immediately drawn to the
attractive menu that has opened before her, as it seems to capture a fall vibe. Melissa wonders why
this information is not available to see on the PVDonuts website. Nonetheless, she peruses the
Facebook page to see if she can find prices on any of the donuts listed. She cannot. She decides to
return to the PVDonuts homepage.
-
8) Melissa decides to click on the button that says, “Learn about our Donuts,” in the hope of finding
donut prices.
10
9) Again, Melissa is impressed by the photography of PVDonuts. It draws her eyes into the text.
10) Melissa notices that she has been redirected to “The PVDonut” section in the menu.
-
11
12
11) The alignment and organization of these three pictures looks really nice to Melissa.
12) Melissa scans this information. She notices some keywords: “locally-sourced and super fresh
ingredients,” “handmade,” and “one of a kind, specialty donuts.”
-
14
13
15
13) Melissa likes how both pictures look exactly the same except for the donut that is placed on the plate.
14) Finally, while scanning this page, Melissa learns what “brioche” means: “contains more butter than
sugar.”
15) Melissa likes the fact that PVDonuts labels there pictures here, in case she wants to order one of
these yummy looking donuts.
-
16
16) Melissa scrolls to the top of the page and clicks on the “FAQ” page from the button, hoping to find
more information about donut prices.
-
17
17) Melissa likes the array of donuts on display in this picture. She’s particularly drawn to this chocolate-
looking one, not only because she loves chocolate, but because it looks different in color than the
rest of the donuts depicted in the picture.
-
18
19
18) Melissa likes the bold text questions. It helps her identify the questions from the responses.
19) Melissa doesn’t see a particular pattern in the way these questions are ordered. For these four
questions, there is no overarching theme. She wonders if PVDonuts has decided to order their
questions strategically.
-
20
21
20) Melissa stumbles upon two questions based on price and payment of the donuts. She thinks she
might have found her answer, so she reads more carefully.
21) Although the big paragraph discusses that the donuts have a “higher cost” than donuts elsewhere,
this response does not answer her question about donut prices.
-
22
23
!
22) Melissa is struck by how casual and colloquial the tone of the FAQ section is. She likes the way it is
written, like it is written the way one might speak in a relaxed conversational setting.
23) Melissa gets to the end of the page and is frustrated because she has not found donut prices on any
of the pages she has looked at so far (which has been a lot in her book). She decides to quit the task
and accept defeat.
-
Rankings
Task 1
Feature/Observation Summary/Recommendations Evidence Severity 5 E’s
Number)
Page Titles 1, 5 Positive Effective,
Engaging
Each page is titled with a name that matches the page name
listed in the navigation menu. The titles are visually bold and
contrast the page photography.
Page Photography 1, 5, 11 Positive Engaging
Each page makes use of professional photography of related

content (donuts, staff, baking products).
Page Logo 2, 6 Positive Effective,
Engaging,
The circular donut icon at the top left corner of the page is Easy to
recognizable as the PVDonuts logo. The logo is consistent Learn
throughout the website, in the professional photos and in the
footer. The circular donut icon is big and bold enough to
stand out against the background of the page.
Navigation Menu 3, 4, Positive Efficiency,
Easy to
Located along the top right of every page, the navigation Learn
menu is simple, consistent, accessible, and noticeable.
Language/Word Choice 8, 12 Positive Efficiency,
Engaging
Paragraphs are small and easily scannable by a user so that
they pull out key information quickly. As well, information is
written with an informal, non-bureaucratic tone, which
draws the user in
Information Partitioning 7, 9, 10, 13, Positive Efficiency,
14, 15 Engaging
The website divides body copy by using headers and sub
headers, bulleted lists, and visual separation (either through
photography or white space).
Buttons/Hyperlinked Text 15, 17, 18 Positive Error
Tolerant,
Buttons/hyperlinked text used in this task work properly: Easy to
when a user presses them, they open up the content in a new Learn
window. The PVDonuts site remains open in an adjacent
window in case a user wants to go back.
Page Footer 13, 14, 15, 16 Positive Efficient,
Engaging,
The bottom of the page chunks relevant information that Easy to
users may want and need, all in one spot: Location, Hours, Learn
Social Media Buttons, and a live feed of updates from
PVDonuts. The bottom of the page is visually separated
-
from the rest of the page, with a dark background and a

contrasting white font.
Hyperlink Font Color 9 Minor issue Engaging
Throughout the body text of each page, light blue text is

used to signal to the user that the text is a hyperlink.
However, this blue font can be difficult to read because of
the lack of contrast against the white background.
Suggestion – Change the color of hyperlinked text to a color

that pops out from the rest of the body copy but also
contrasts the white background. Perhaps a red or a green
font would work better.
-
Task 2
Feature/Observation Summary/Recommendation Evidence Severity 5 E’s
Number)
Page Photography 9, 11, 13 Positive Engaging
Most all pictures seen during Melissa’s second task draw her
into the content of the page.
Food Menu Design 7 Positive Engaging
The photography/graphics on the FAQ page, the PVDonut

page, and on the Facebook page draw the user’s eye to them
Language/Word Choice 3, 14, 15, 21, Positive Efficient,
22 Engaging
The language used throughout the homepage, FAQ page,
and About Us page is casual and personable. Additionally,
paragraphs are short and easily scannable by a reader.
Questions and Answers Partitioning 18 Positive Efficiency,
Engaging
On the FAQ page, bolded text signals the user to a question.
Un-bolded text signals the user to the answers.
Social Media Multiple Access Points 5 Positive Efficiency,
Engaging,
In case a user does not see social media icons, the PVDonuts Error
website uses both icon buttons and text hyperlinks to Tolerant
redirect its users to their social media sites.
FAQ Page Photography 17 Minor Issue Engaging
The photo used for the FAQ page has a perhaps

unintentional focal point (a dark chocolate donut) right of
center. This focal point may distract the user from the page
title, since they are roughly about the same size.
Suggestion – Change the photo to one with a centered focal

point, or crop the photo so that the chocolate donut is closer
to the center of the page.
Word Choice “Brioche” 3 Minor Issue Engaging
Melissa encountered an unfamiliar word, “brioche” twice

throughout her task, before she found the definition.
Because the word is unfamiliar, it has the potential to put-off
the user.
Suggestion – Eliminate jargon where possible. Perhaps,

define and redefine the word, “brioche,” when it is
introduced to help the user understand its meaning and
importance.
Homepage Buttons Design 4 Minor Issue Engaging,
Effective
-
The buttons located on the homepage, “Learn about our

Donuts” and “See our Menu,” are noticeable, but user may
skim passed them because they do not immediately pop off
the page. The buttons are minimalistic, blending in with the
white background, with a thin black border around them.
Suggestion – Make the buttons more noticeable by making

them a contrasting color.
Food Menu Accessibility 6, 7 Minor Issue Efficiency,
Easy to
The food menu is only accessible through Facebook. Learn
(PVDonuts redirects the user from their site to their
Facebook page when she clicks the “See our Menu” button.)
There is no way to see the PVDonuts menu on the actual
website.
Suggestion – Create a page on the PVDonuts website where

users may see the PVDonuts food menu.
Return Button 2 Major Issue Easy to
Learn,
The PVDonuts logo, situated in the top left corner of the Error
page, is not instantly recognizable as the return button to the Tolerant
homepage that will redirect a user back to the homepage.
The only other way to get back to the homepage, after
selecting a page, is to go to the site map or to retype the
website URL.
Suggestion – Place text below or on top of the PVDonuts

logo that suggest that clicking the logo will bring a user back
to the homepage. Perhaps, “Home” in bold letters located on
top of the donut logo.
Menu Prices 1 – 23 Major Issue Effective,
Efficient,
The user could not locate menu prices on any page that they Easy to
searched on the website. After searching multiple pages, the Learn
user became frustrated and decided to end her search. This is
a problem for users who, like Melissa, require this
information to decide whether to go to PVDonuts or not.
Suggestion – Create a page where users can see the current

menu with prices listed alongside them.
-
Conclusion
This heuristic evaluation uncovered several issues that hinder a user’s ability to effectively perform and
complete desired tasks. In identifying these issues, I hope that the designers of PVDonuts may be able to see
their validity and take my suggestions into account when redesigning their website. Going forward, these
findings will provide a foundation for an upcoming usability test on the PVDonuts website, where I will make
further recommendations to improve a user’s experience on their site.
References
Barnum, Carol M. Usability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set-- Test! Elsevier, 2011.
Rainee, Lee, et al. “Where People Get Information about Restaurants and Other Local Businesses.” Pew
Internet &American Life Project Project for Excellence in Journalism, 14 Dec. 2011.
Usability.gov. “Writing for the Web.” Usability.gov, Department of Health and Human Services, 7 Dec. 2016,
www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/writing-for-the-web.html.
Test Plan
Usability Test Plan

PVDonuts
www.pvdonuts.com
Daniel Simcock
11-8-2017
Test Plan (cont.)
Usability Test Plan| P V D o n u t s Page |-1-
Contents
Purpose ............................................................................................................................................................................ - 2 -
Problem Statement and Test Objectives .................................................................................................................... - 2 -
Methodology ................................................................................................................................................................... - 3 -
User Group ................................................................................................................................................................ - 3 -
Profile ..................................................................................................................................................................... - 3 -
User Recruitment .................................................................................................................................................. - 4 -
Test Design ................................................................................................................................................................ - 5 -
Test Procedure and Task Scenarios ................................................................................................................... - 5 -
Data Collection .......................................................................................................................................................... - 8 -
Test Environment and Equipment .................................................................................................................... - 8 -
Quantitative Data.................................................................................................................................................. - 8 -
Qualitative Data .................................................................................................................................................... - 8 -
References ....................................................................................................................................................................... - 9 -
Test Plan (cont.)
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to detail my usability test plan for the website of a local donut shop in
Providence, RI named PVDonuts (www.pvdonuts.com). Throughout this test plan, I will: 1) Discuss my test
objectives, and 2) Detail and justify my process for testing and collecting data.
Problem Statement and Test Objectives

The primary objective of my usability test is to address the following problems:
1) Results of Heuristic Evaluation: The usability test will be conducted shortly after completing a
heuristic evaluation of the PVDonuts website. This heuristic evaluation used an adapted form of the
Quesenbery 5Es and required me to evaluate and navigate the entirety of the website.
The following are some of the major conclusions made in the heuristic evaluation about the
PVDonuts website to be confirmed or disproved in this usability test:
• Site organization and design is engaging.

• Menu navigation is error tolerant and easy to learn.
• The unlabeled “Return Home” button may not be easy to learn.
• Technical baking terminology may be disengaging to users
• Search for menu prices is ineffective and inefficient.
With the results of the heuristic evaluation in mind, I also formulated the following five questions to
guide my evaluation of a user’s experience with the site:

• Engaging – What impressions does the user have of the content, organization, style,
and design?
• Error Tolerant – Does the user experience errors and can she overcome them?
2) Business Competition: Located just 5 minutes away from PVDonuts, Knead Doughnuts makes
similar appeals to its customers: making limited-supply, limited-edition donuts and using social media
campaigns to draw in a crowd. To flourish in this competitive market, PVDonuts must have a user-
friendly website that meets the needs and desires of its customers, and is up to par or, better yet,
exceeds the groundwork of their competition’s sites.
Because competition is at the heart of success or failure for a local business, this usability test has
been designed as a competitive test to assess the PVDonuts’ website against Knead Doughnuts’
website (www.kneaddoughnuts.com).
In tackling these two problems, my usability test seeks qualitative and quantitative data from a specific user
group of particular interest to PVDonuts – tech adaptive 18-29 year old females.
Test Plan (cont.)
Methodology
My methodology is divided into three main parts: 1) User Group, 2) Test Design, and 3) Data Collection. In
User Group, I discuss my user profile and how I selected participants for my usability test. In Test Design, I
break down the tests and task scenarios each participant will complete during the testing session. In Data
Collection, I detail my process for collecting qualitative and quantitative data throughout the usability test.
User Group
Profile
In conducting this usability test, I carefully considered PVDonuts’s target audience. Based on their website,
PVDonuts seems to specifically target a female audience; their homepage includes a “Featured On” banner,
in which “Cosmopolitan,” “Refinery29,” and “ThrillList” are listed, three sites that traditionally attract a
female audience. Secondary research from the PEW Research Center helped substantiate my observations. A
2011 study conducted by Lee Rainee et al discovered that, “the 55% of all adults who get information about
restaurants, bars, and clubs are disproportionately young, female, tech adaptive and upscale in educational
attainment” (Rainee et.al. 9). Knowing this information, I decided to focus my research on a particular user
group: 18-29 year old females.
To further supplement my knowledge of this user group, I created two personas. The purpose of creating
these personas was to discern the needs, values, attitudes, and contexts of the user group described above. I
created personas with data collected from interviews with ten individuals in this user group. Interviewees
were asked 18 questions about their personal life, consumer behavior, and technological literacy. From this
data, two personas were created, Melissa and Erin. (See Appendix.) Both Melissa and Erin have
characteristics that represent this user group.
For the purposes of this usability test, I have combined some of the needs, values, and attitudes of these two
personas to help me create a cohesive and holistic user profile, which will inform the scenarios in this test.
Summary of Characteristics
• Age: 18-29 years old
• Education: minimum of an undergraduate degree in college
• Sex/Gender: female
• Context:
o Uses the internet daily for a variety of reasons (shopping, research, social media)
o Concerned about spending a lot of money to go out to eat.
o Has dietary needs/desires that factor in to choosing a place to eat.
User Success
For this user group, success on a restaurant’s website might look as such:
• Effectively and efficiently learning about the basics of the company (hours of operation, location).
• Finding a menu to accommodate their dietary restrictions.
• Finding menu prices so they may prepare their budget.
• Following the company on social media to keep informed on the latest news and promotions.

Test Plan (cont.)
User Recruitment
I plan to test a total of six participants. To best match the user profile described above, I will screen
participants for this study using five criteria:
• Interest in participation
• Age – I will only recruit individuals between the ages of 18-29 years old.
• Sex/Gender – I will only recruit females for this test.
• Internet Use – I will only recruit females that say they are active on the internet on a daily basis.
• Restaurant Biases – To avoid bias on the part of the participant, I will only recruit participants who
had not been to either PVDonuts or Knead Doughnuts.
The screener for this usability test can be found in the Appendix.

Test Plan (cont.)
Test Design
This Usability Test will be a competitive evaluation between PVDonuts and Knead Donuts. This means that
I will present users with tasks to complete on the PVDonuts website and on a competitor’s website, Knead
Doughnuts. The purpose for this type of usability test is to learn about user preferences and measure the
PVDonuts website against the competition.
For this usability test, I will be using a within-subjects design. With all participants performing the same tasks
on both websites, I will set up an A-B, B-A comparison. This means that half of the users will first perform
the usability test with the PVDonuts website and then repeat the process with Knead Donuts website, and
the other half will begin with the Knead Doughnuts website and then repeat the process with the PVDonuts
website.
Test Procedure and Task Scenarios

Each session will be one hour long. All materials for this test detailed below can be found in the Appendix.
Test Introduction and Pre-test Questionnaire: 10 minutes
As detailed in the moderator script, I will explain the purpose and logistics of the test to the participant. Here
is a summary of activities I will perform during the introduction.
1) Welcome the Participant – I will orient the participant with the space, distribute the test packet
(which includes all testing materials), and discuss the purpose of the usability test.
2) Administer Video Permission Form – I will ask the participant to sign a form that says that they
agree to be filmed during the test.
3) Discuss Think Aloud Protocol – I will ask participants to think aloud as they perform the tests and
task scenarios. Participants will be encouraged to say whatever they are looking at, thinking, doing,
and feeling as they perform each task.
4) Administer Pre-test Questionnaire – I will ask the participant to complete the Pre-test
Questionnaire using the Think Aloud Protocol as they write. The Pre-test questionnaire asks the
participant to describe a perfect and an imperfect website for a restaurant. The Pre-test
Questionnaire primes the participant for their experience with the PVDonuts and Knead Doughnuts
websites. As well, the test helps clarify the needs, values, and attitudes of the user group.
5) Forecast the Rest of the Test – I will explain to the participant how the rest of the test will
proceed, how they will perform each task scenario and complete the post-task scenarios after each
one. I will explain to the participant that each scenario will take approximately 5 minutes to complete,
and how I will try to usher them onto the next scenario if they exceed 5 minutes. I also explain that
they have the option to end a scenario at any time if they feel unable or unwilling to complete it.

Test Plan (cont.)
Task Scenarios and Post-Task Questionnaire: 40 minutes

The user will complete a total of 8 task scenarios throughout the test, 4 per website. On each website
participants will be asked to complete the same 4 task scenarios. These task scenarios are designed with the
user’s idea of success (see page 3) and the questions devised using the heuristic evaluation results (see page 1).
Three participants will take test A – B, which requires them to perform the first four tasks using the
PVDonuts website and the last four tasks using the Knead Doughnuts website. Three participants will take
test B – A, which asks them to perform the first four tasks using the Knead Doughnuts website and the last
four tasks using the PVDonuts website.
After each task scenario, the participants will be asked to complete a Post-Task Questionnaire, which will
require them to rate how easy or difficult it was to complete the tasks.
The four task scenarios that the participants will complete on each site are as follows:
1) FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE SITE
Scenario Tasks
Visit website. Take some time to quickly explore the site and
answer the following questions:
1) What kind of information would you find
on this site?
2) How would you describe the organization
and design of the site?
3) Are there any words that you don’t
understand?
4) What impressions of this business do you
have based on your exploration?
Test Objectives
• Engaging – What impressions does the user have of the content, organization, style, and design?
2) FINDING A MENU AND PRICES

Scenario Tasks
You’re only interested in a donut shop that has From the homepage, locate the information that
vegan selections and has well-priced donuts. allows you to answer:
1) Does this business sell vegan donuts?
2) How much are the donuts at this business?
Once you are finished with these questions, please
return to the homepage.
Test Objectives

Test Plan (cont.)
3) FINDING THE LOCATION AND HOURS OF OPERATION

Scenario Tasks
You’ve decided that this restaurant might be a Using the website, locate the information that
viable option to go out to eat with your friends. allows you answer the following questions:
Before you pose the option to your friends, you 1) What are the hours of operation?
want to find out where this business is located and 2) Where is this business located?
when it opens and closes. 3) How do I get directions to this business
using this site?
Test Objectives
4) FOLLOWING THE BUSINESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Scenario Tasks
You’ve decided that you want to follow this Using the website, locate the information that
business on social media sites to keep updated on allows you to answer the following questions:
the latest news and promotions. 1) What social media sites is this business on?
2) How can I follow this business on social
media through this site?
Test Objectives
Mid-test Questionnaire: 5 minutes

After the first four task scenarios, I will ask the participants to complete a Mid-test Questionnaire. This Mid-
test questionnaire requires participants to rank the first website using the System Usability Scale (SUS).
Post-test questionnaires and Conclusion: 5 minutes
After the last four task scenarios, I will ask the participant to complete Post-test Questionnaire 1. Post-test
Questionnaire 1 requires the participant to rank the second website using the System Usability Scale (SUS).
After completing Post-test Questionnaire 1, participants will then complete Post-test Questionnaire 2. In this
questionnaire, participants will compare their experience on each site using the Quesenbery 5Es as their
criteria.

Test Plan (cont.)
Data Collection
Test Environment and Equipment

The tests will be conducted in a study room in the Claire T. Carney Library at UMass Dartmouth. Both
moderator and participant will be in the same room, so that the observer can record observations while the
user performs tasks.
The participant will sit at a desk facing the wall, as to avoid distractions. She will use the following equipment:
• HP laptop
• Google Chrome Browser
• Windows 10
The observer will be in the room using the following equipment to record the session:
• A pen and paper

• A video recording camera
• Steps Recording Software
Quantitative Data
Quantitative Data for this usability test will come in the following forms:
• Time to complete tasks

• Number of users able to complete task
• Pre-test, Post-Task, Mid-test and Post-test questionnaires
Qualitative Data
Qualitative Data for this usability test will come in the following forms:
• User’s comments and questions

• User’s body language and facial expressions.

Test Plan (cont.)
References
Barnum, Carol M. Usability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set-- Test! Elsevier, 2011.
Rainee, Lee, et al. “Where People Get Information about Restaurants and Other Local Businesses.” Pew
Internet &American Life Project Project for Excellence in Journalism, 14 Dec. 2011.
Usability.gov. “Writing for the Web.” Usability.gov, Department of Health and Human Services, 7 Dec. 2016,
www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/writing-for-the-web.html.

Moderator Script
Introduction
Hi, my name is Dan. Thank you for helping me out today. Your participation in this Usability Test
will provide me with insights to help improve one of the sites you will be working with today.
Videotaping Permission
Before we begin the test, I would like to remind you that this session will be recorded. The camera
in this room, as I’m sure you have noticed, is positioned behind you. The purpose for recording this
session is so that I may review today’s findings and take down notes on comments that you said and
may have missed.
In your packet, there is a permission form stating that you allow us to videotape this session. If you
could please read this form and sign it, it would be much appreciated. Let me know if you have any
questions.
Start recording the session
Okay, now let me give you a little context about this usability test. This test will take approximately
one hour. A usability test is not like a traditional test you might have in school. The most important
difference between this test and a school test is this: the purpose of a usability test is not to assess you,
it is to assess a website based on a user’s experience with it. You won’t be graded on this test. There are
no right or wrong answers.
Discussion of the think aloud protocol
This being said, I do have one big favor to ask of you. During the entirety of this test, I am asking that
you “think out loud.” Every action that you perform, and every thought, concern, or questions you
have about the experience on the websites. Talk your way through the experience. If you don’t talk to
yourself on a regular basis, this practice may seem awkward or even strange. Don’t worry. It gets easier
the longer that you do it.
So, for example, if you are navigating the website, you might say something like, “I am searching the
website for this information,” or “I am clicking on this button because I think it will lead me to the
information I need.” If you like certain aspects of the websites, you might say, “oh, that’s cool.” If you
dislike a certain aspect of the websites, you might say, “I don’t like that.”
Like I said, this might sound bizarre, but this really helps me understand what is going through your
mind while you are using the website. I don’t know anything you are not willing to tell me, so please
speak up and say what’s on your mind. I want to know what you think of your experience with it,
whether positive or negative. Again, I want to let you know that there are no wrong answers in this
study. I’m looking for your genuine impressions.
Explanation of the Moderator’s Actions
While you are testing, I will be sitting beside you, watching you, taking notes, listening, and maybe
even asking you some questions from time to time. Before we begin the test, do you have any
questions?

Moderator Script (cont.)
Pretest Questionnaire
To begin, I’d like you to fill out this questionnaire to help me understand your experience with and
expectations of restaurant websites. While you are completing it, please tell me what you are writing
down and also why you are writing these answers.
During Testing
Now, I have several task scenarios for you to work through. I ask that you read the scenarios and tasks
out loud before you begin to work through each task scenario.
Again, this is not a test of you; it’s a test of the website and I am very interested in all of your
reactions about it. So please remember to think out loud. After each scenario, when you tell me you
are done, I will have you complete the brief questionnaire located beside each scenario. Then we will
move onto the next scenario.
After the first four task scenarios, I will give you a mid-test questionnaire that asks you to assess the
first website you used. After you are finished with this mid-test questionnaire, we will move onto the
last four task scenarios. At the end of the last scenario, I will give you two questionnaires. One will
ask you to assess the second website. The second one will ask you to compare the two websites with
each other.
Each scenario may take up to five minutes long. If you are still on a scenario after five minutes, I
will ask you to stop what you are doing and move on to the next scenario. If this happens, it is not a
reflection on you. It is simply so that we keep on schedule.
At any point, if you are unwilling or unable to complete a task, you have the option to end a scenario
and move onto the next scenario.
Okay. Before we begin these task scenarios, do you have any questions? Let’s begin.
Mid-test Questionnaire
Great. Now, let’s take a look at the post-test questionnaire. Please complete these questions and tell
me what you are writing down as you fill out the questionnaire and why.
Post-test Questionnaire
Great. Now, let’s take a look at the post-test questionnaire. This will be the last test I will ask you to
complete. Please complete these questions and tell me what you are writing down as you fill out the
questionnaire and why.
After Testing
That was great. I’ve learned a lot from you. Thank you so much for coming in today and thank you for
your feedback.

TEST A – B PACKET
Screener Questionnaire
Hi. I am conducting a usability test of a website as part of a usability
testing class. I am seeking individuals who can navigate the websites of
two local businesses and are willing to be videotaped while they
complete a usability test.
Would you be interested? Yes No – Terminate
Sex/Gender F M – Terminate
Test A - B User Pamphlet
Age 18-29 Any other age –

Terminate
Have you ever been to No Yes – Terminate
PVDonuts or Knead
Doughnuts?
How often do you use the Daily Not Daily –
Internet? Terminate
Usability Test Video Permission Form
I hereby give permission to be videotaped as part of my participation in
the PVDonuts Usability Test conducted on __________ at the Claire
Test A - B User Pamphlet (cont.)
T. Carney Library at UMass Dartmouth.

Only my first name may be reported in association with the session
results.
I understand and consent to the use and release of the video recording
to the moderator, Daniel Simcock, and the client. I further understand
that the video recording and any highlights extracted from it may be
used for review by the moderator and the client. Representative video
excerpts may also be used within presentations to the client, at
professional meetings, and as part of research.
I give up any rights to the video recording and understand that the
recording may be used for the purposes described in this release form
without further permission.
I understand that if for any reason I do not want to continue I can
leave at any time during this recording session. I can also deny consent
at any time.
_____________________________ _________
Printed Name Date
_____________________________
Signature
Pre-test Questionnaire Name_____________________________________
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this usability test. Your 1. Describe a perfect website for a local restaurant.
participation will provide valuable feedback about your experience with a. What information do you expect to find?
a local restaurant’s website.

Before we begin, I would like you to fill out this brief questionnaire so
that we will have more information about your experience using the
Internet and, more specifically, about your experience with local b. What information would be most valuable?
restaurants’ websites.
c. What features might impress you?
2. Describe an imperfect website for a local restaurant?
a. What information do you expect to find (or not find)?
b. What information would be least valuable?
c. What features might frustrate you?
Test A – B Task Scenarios
Scenario Tasks Please rate the following. While you answer these questions, please
You and your friends would like Take some time to quickly describe your answer out loud and why you selected them.
to go to a local donut shop in the explore the site and answer the
morning, but you don’t know following questions: Understanding the site navigation
where to go. You’ve heard some 1) What kind of 1 – Very difficult
buzz about two donut shops in information would you 2 – Somewhat difficult
Providence, RI – PVDonuts and find on this site? 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
Knead Doughnuts. To make an 2) How would you 4 – Somewhat easy
informed decision, you decide to describe the 5 – Very easy
visit both of their websites You organization and design
begin with: www.pvdonuts.com. of the site? Understanding the site terminology (words, links)
3) Are there any words that 1 – Very difficult
you don’t understand? 2 – Somewhat difficult
4) What impressions of 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
this business do you 4 – Somewhat easy
have based on your 5 – Very easy
exploration?
Test Objectives
• Engaging – What impressions does the user have of the content, organization,
style, and design?
You’re only interested in a From the homepage, locate the describe your answer out loud and why you selected them.
donut shop that has vegan information that allows you to
selections and has well-priced answer: Finding out whether this business sells vegan donuts.
donuts. 1) Does this business sell 1 – Very difficult

vegan donuts? 2 – Somewhat difficult
2) How much are the donuts 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
at this business? 4 – Somewhat easy
Once you are finished with these 5 – Very easy
homepage. Finding out the price for donuts.
1 – Very difficult
Test Objectives 2 – Somewhat difficult
• Effective – Does the reader find necessary and relevant content? 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
• Efficient – Can the user find information quickly? 4 – Somewhat easy
• Easy to Learn – Does the user know what is clickable and what is not? 5 – Very easy
Which aspect of the site made these tasks easy or difficult for you?
You’ve decided that Using the website, locate the describe your answer out loud and why you selected them.
PVDonuts might be a viable information that allows you answer
option to go out to eat with the following questions: Finding out the location and hours of operation of this business
your friends. Before you pose 1) What are the hours of 1 – Very difficult
the option to your friends, you operation? 2 – Somewhat difficult
want to find out where 2) Where is this business 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
PVDonuts is located and when located?
4 – Somewhat easy
it opens and closes. 3) How do I get directions to
this business using this 5 – Very easy
site?
Finding out how to get directions to this business
• Effective – Does the reader find necessary and relevant content?
3 – Neither difficult nor easy
• Error Tolerant – Does the user experience errors and can she overcome them? 4 – Somewhat easy
You’ve decided that you want Using the website, locate the describe your answer out loud and why you selected them.
to follow this business on social information that allows you to
media sites to keep updated on answer the following questions: Finding out what social media sites this business has
the latest news and promotions. 1) What social media sites is 1 – Very difficult
this business on? 2 – Somewhat difficult
2) How can I follow this 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
business on social media
4 – Somewhat easy
through this site?
5 – Very easy
Test Objectives Understanding how to follow this business on social media through the
• Effective – Does the reader find necessary and relevant content? features on the site
• Easy to Learn – Does the user know what is clickable and what is not? 2 – Somewhat difficult
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy
Please rate the following. While you answer these questions, please
describe your answer out loud and why you selected them.
Question Strongly Strongly

disagree agree
I think that I would like to use this website 1 2 3 4 5
frequently.
I found the website unnecessarily complex. 1 2 3 4 5
I thought the website was easy to use. 1 2 3 4 5
I think I would need the support of a 1 2 3 4 5
technical person to be able to use this
website.
I found the various functions on this 1 2 3 4 5
website were well integrated.
I thought there was too much 1 2 3 4 5
inconsistency on this website.
I would imagine that most people would 1 2 3 4 5
learn to use this website very quickly.
I found the website very cumbersome to 1 2 3 4 5
use.
I felt very confident using the website. 1 2 3 4 5
I need to learn a lot of things before I 1 2 3 4 5
could get going with this website.
Usability Test Plan| P V D o n u t s P a g e | - 10
-
Once you are done with the Take some time to quickly describe your answer out loud and why you selected them.
PVDonuts website, you decide to explore the site and answer
onto the Knead Doughnuts website the following questions: Understanding the site navigation
to see what they have to offer. You 1) What kind of 1 – Very difficult
visit: www.kneaddoughnuts.com. information would 2 – Somewhat difficult
you find on this site? 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
2) How would you 4 – Somewhat easy
describe the 5 – Very easy
organization and
design of the site? Understanding the site terminology (words, links)
3) Are there any words 1 – Very difficult
that you don’t 2 – Somewhat difficult
understand? 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
4) What impressions of 4 – Somewhat easy
this business do you 5 – Very easy
have based on your
exploration?
Test Objective
style, and design?
-
selections and has well-priced answer: Finding out whether this business sells vegan donuts
-
You’ve decided that Knead Using the website, locate the describe your answer out loud and why you selected them.
Doughnuts might be a viable information that allows you answer
your friends. Before you pose 1) What are the business’s 1 – Very difficult
the option to your friends, you hours of operation? 2 – Somewhat difficult
want to find out where Knead 2) Where is the business 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
Doughnuts is located and located?
4 – Somewhat easy
when it opens and closes. 3) How do I get directions to
site?
-
4 – Somewhat easy
through this website?
5 – Very easy
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy
-
Post-test Questionnaire 1

disagree agree
frequently.
website.
use.
-
Compare/contrast your experience on both websites. While you answer
these questions, please describe your answer out loud and why you
selected them.
Criteria Website Strongly Neutral Strong
Disagree Agree
Effectiveness – I was able to PVDonuts 1 2 3 4 5
completely and accurately the
work or experience is completed Knead Doughnuts 1 2 3 4 5
or goals reached.
Efficiency – I was able to quickly PVDonuts 1 2 3 4 5
complete the tasks and scenarios.
Knead Doughnuts 1 2 3 4 5
Engagement – I was drawn into PVDonuts 1 2 3 4 5
the website because of how
pleasant and satisfying it was to Knead Doughnuts 1 2 3 4 5
use.
Error tolerance – I was able to PVDonuts 1 2 3 4 5
recover from error messages and
mistakes that occurred during Knead Doughnuts 1 2 3 4 5
the tasks and scenarios.
Ease of Use – I was able to use PVDonuts 1 2 3 4 5
the website easily because of its
intuitive design and easy Knead Doughnuts 1 2 3 4 5
navigation.
-
TEST B – A PACKET
Screener Questionnaire:
Hi. I am conducting a usability test of a website as part of a usability
testing class. I am seeking individuals who can navigate the websites of
two local businesses and are willing to be videotaped while they
complete a usability test.
Would you be interested? Yes No – Terminate
Sex/Gender F M – Terminate
Test B - A User Pamphlet
Age 18-29 Any other age –

Terminate
Have you ever been to No Yes – Terminate
PVDonuts or Knead
Doughnuts?
How often do you use the Daily Not Daily –
Internet? Terminate
-
Usability Test Video Permission Form
I hereby give permission to be videotaped as part of my participation in
Test B - A User Pamphlet (cont.)
the PVDonuts Usability Test conducted on __________ at the Claire

T. Carney Library at UMass Dartmouth.
Only my first name may be reported in association with the session
results.
I understand and consent to the use and release of the video recording
to the moderator, Daniel Simcock, and the client. I further understand
that the video recording and any highlights extracted from it may be
used for review by the moderator and the client. Representative video
excerpts may also be used within presentations to the client, at
professional meetings, and as part of research.
I give up any rights to the video recording and understand that the
recording may be used for the purposes described in this release form
without further permission.
I understand that if for any reason I do not want to continue I can
leave at any time during this recording session. I can also deny consent
at any time.
_____________________________ _________
Printed Name Date
_____________________________
Signature
-
Pre-test Questionnaire
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this usability test. Your Name_____________________________________
participation will provide valuable feedback about your experience with

a local restaurant’s website. 1. Describe a perfect website for a local restaurant.
a. What information do you expect to find?
Before we begin, I would like you to fill out this brief questionnaire so
that we will have more information about your experience using the
Internet and, more specifically, about your experience with local
restaurants’ websites.
b. What information would be most valuable?
c. What features might impress you?
2. Describe an imperfect website for a local restaurant?
a. What information do you expect to find (or not find)?
b. What information would be least valuable?
c. What features might frustrate you?
-
TEST B – A Task Scenarios Please rate the following. While you answer these questions, please
Scenario Tasks
You and your friends would like to Take some time to quickly
go to a local donut shop in the explore the site and answer Understanding the site navigation
morning, but you don’t know the following questions: 1 – Very difficult
where to go. You’ve heard some 1) What kind of 2 – Somewhat difficult
buzz about two donut shops in information would 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
Providence, RI – PVDonuts and you find on this site? 4 – Somewhat easy
Knead Doughnuts. To make an 2) How would you 5 – Very easy
informed decision, you decide to describe the
visit both of their websites. You organization and Understanding the site terminology (words, links)
begin with: design of the site? 1 – Very difficult
www.kneaddoughnuts.com. 3) Are there any words 2 – Somewhat difficult
that you don’t 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
understand? 4 – Somewhat easy
4) What impressions of 5 – Very easy
this business do you
have based on your
exploration?
Test Objective
style, and design?
-
selections and has well-priced answer: Finding out whether this business sells vegan donuts
-
You’ve decided that Knead Using the website, locate the describe your answer out loud and why you selected them.
Doughnuts might be a viable information that allows you answer
your friends. Before you pose 1) What are the business’s 1 – Very difficult
the option to your friends, you hours of operation? 2 – Somewhat difficult
want to find out where Knead 2) Where is the business 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
Doughnuts is located and located?
4 – Somewhat easy
when it opens and closes. 3) How do I get directions to
site?
-
4 – Somewhat easy
through this website?
5 – Very easy
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy
-

disagree agree
frequently.
website.
use.
-
Once you are done with the Take some time to quickly describe your answer out loud and why you selected them.
Knead Doughnuts website, you explore the site and answer the
decide to onto the PVDonuts following questions: Understanding the site navigation
website to see what they have to 1) What kind of 1 – Very difficult
offer. You visit: information would you 2 – Somewhat difficult
www.pvdonuts.com. find on this site? 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
2) How would you 4 – Somewhat easy
describe the 5 – Very easy
organization and design
of the site? Understanding the site terminology (words, links)
3) Are there any words that 1 – Very difficult
you don’t understand? 2 – Somewhat difficult
4) What impressions of 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
this business do you 4 – Somewhat easy
have based on your 5 – Very easy
exploration?
Test Objectives
style, and design?
-
selections and has well-priced answer: Finding out whether this business sells vegan donuts.
-
You’ve decided that Using the website, locate the describe your answer out loud and why you selected them.
PVDonuts might be a viable information that allows you answer
your friends. Before you pose 1) What are the hours of 1 – Very difficult
the option to your friends, you operation? 2 – Somewhat difficult
want to find out where 2) Where is this business 3 – Neither difficult nor easy
PVDonuts is located and when located?
4 – Somewhat easy
it opens and closes. 3) How do I get directions to
site?
-
4 – Somewhat easy
through this site?
5 – Very easy
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy
-

disagree agree
frequently.
website.
use.
-
Compare/contrast your experience on both websites. While you answer
these questions, please describe your answer out loud and why you
selected them.
Criteria Website Strongly Neutral Strong
Disagree Agree
Effectiveness – I was able to PVDonuts 1 2 3 4 5
completely and accurately finish
the work. All goals were reached. Knead Doughnuts 1 2 3 4 5
Efficiency – I was able to quickly PVDonuts 1 2 3 4 5
complete the tasks and scenarios.
Knead Doughnuts 1 2 3 4 5
Engagement – I was drawn into PVDonuts 1 2 3 4 5
the website because of how
pleasant and satisfying it was to Knead Doughnuts 1 2 3 4 5
use.
Error tolerance – I was able to PVDonuts 1 2 3 4 5
recover from error messages and
mistakes that occurred during Knead Doughnuts 1 2 3 4 5
the tasks and scenarios.
Ease of Use – I was able to use PVDonuts 1 2 3 4 5
the website easily because of its
intuitive design and easy Knead Doughnuts 1 2 3 4 5
navigation.
Test Logs
User 1 Pretest Questionnaire
I would like to see how other people have liked the website before, like reviews.
That’s really important.
I need to know how to get there. I drive a lot, but I might not be familiar with
the area where a restaurant is located.
The menu – if I’m going with other people and they have certain allergies, which
I have some friends who have a peanut allergy. I want to make sure that the food
is safe and the preparation is safe for them.
The information that is most valuable is probably the prices. I definitely want to
know how much I am going to spend before I get there. I want to make sure I
have enough money on me.
If there were any feature I would hope would be on there, I would like some
background and history of the restaurant. It might sound lame, but it is
something that I look at.
Imperfect website – If it doesn’t list the website very well. If it doesn’t tell me
when they are serving certain meals, I would be pretty upset about that.
Maybe the least valuable info. Would be the background information. It might
be least valuable, but I see the effort as being valuable.
If I’m redirected to many different links to find one thing, that might frustrate
me.
Scenario 1 – PVDonuts
It says “The PVDonut” which probably tells you how the business started, which
I already said I like that kind of thing.
She reads the Navigation menu.
FAQs is a good thing, so that you don’t always have to call them.
I don’t know if this icon is functional. Oh, it is. I like that. The symbol of the
company is functional, and not just for show.
I like how the links are right aligned. I think it looks visually neat.
It does give you the option to click on their menu, however Knead Doughnuts
had their menu situated. You didn’t have to click anywhere to see the menu,
which I think is better than having to click on the menu.
I understand everything on this website. I like the pictures. It looks like they
have fun with themselves, which is cute. Cute picture.
She doesn’t click on any of the tabs.
I get a more fun vibe when I see this website because of the images. The image
of them as a group on the page is fun. But it looks professionally taken.
They’ve been featured on Cosmo and Thrillist, which are pretty cool. Those are
great sites.
Post Test
Pretty easy. I do have to click on a lot of tabs, which can get annoying.
Terminology is easy – I am familiar with all of the words.
Scenario 2:
I know that they do sell Vegan donuts. It says it right here on the homepage. It
doesn’t do gluten free, which is a little disappointing. The other site did.
I hope to find the prices by clicking on the Menu Button. It looks like it has
brought me to their Facebook page. It shows their November Menu. Guess
what. They also don’t have prices. Unless you call them, or just went in there, you
wouldn’t know, unfortunately.
Post test
Somewhat easy to find if they had vegan donuts. You had to read a lot to find
out. The other one had it listed right above their menu.
Difficult, because the business didn’t have the menu on their main page. When
Test Logs (cont.)
you went on their Facebook, it also didn’t have them. Which is annoying.
(Frustrated) Now I have to go to 2 websites to see that they don’t have prices.
Scenario 3
In order to do that, I am going to exit the Facebook page.
I am going to go to about us. I did not find that information there.
Frequently asked questions – I’m looking to see if there is anything about when
they are open on this page, and it doesn’t. It discusses a lot of things about their
ingredients, about why they chose their location.
I’m going to click on the donut to see if it will take me to the main page like I
think it does. And it works. The donut definitely has a function.
And I find it on their homepage. It doesn’t even have a map or an option on how
to get there.
Post task
3 I mean, I did have to do some searching. It was on the homepage the entire
time. I was just seeing if there was any other way to find it.
3 – It does say where it’s located. But it doesn’t have a map.
Scenario 4 - 10 s
It does the option to have you connect to them through Facebook, which is
Nice.
I was able to find this out on the homepage.
Also, it has the icons at the bottom of the page. It’s nice to have it in multiple
areas.
SUS PVDonuts
3 – I think it’s nice to
4 – There were too many links and buttons. It could have been easier to navigate.
All of the information was interesting, but it could have been constructed better.
3 – It did have the options at the top on how to navigate. It didn’t have the menu
on the site at all. It was on Facebook.
I disagree – Unless I need to order something on their website
Strongly Disagree – It looks nice, but it doesn’t function as well as it looks. It
doesn’t flow very well in the way that it is categorized. You can’t find all of the
information very easily.
Agree – Because of the way it is structure. Although there is no inconsistency in
content, like I said the functionality didn’t serve as well as it’s aesthetics.
3 – because, people might get frustrated and give up if they are trying to find
certain information.
3 – It was okay, not necessarily cumbersone.
I disagree – I doubted myself when going through the links. I thought certain
types of information would be found at different links, and I was wrong, which
was frustrating. I was doubtful. Not confident.
No – I know a website well enough to know how to navigate. The Knead
Doughnuts website was just easier to follow.
Scenario 1 - Knead Doughnuts (4 minutes, 20 seconds)

Immediately, it tells me what I would find on the site. Menu, Location, Any
events they would likely be doing. Of course, you won’t know any of those things
until you click on those links.
It’s all on the same page, which is nice. So I guess if you want to go to another
part, it would just bring you further down on the page. That’s nice.
The design is simple, but that’s not such a bad thing. It looks neat and it’s easy to
find information.
I look the order of how things are organized. I might switch the orders and the
menu, so that people can get an idea of what they sell before they are given the
Test Logs (cont.)
option to preorder.
The business seems casual, but professional. The website isn’t overdone, which is
why I say it seems casual. It seems like a lot of young people might go there. It
seems like a place young people would want to hang out at.
The navigation is so easy. It’s all on the same page which is really helpful. It’s
nice to not be redirected anywhere.
The terminology is very easy. I guess if you don’t know the different types of
donuts, that might be hard for them. But I think it’s easy to understand that it’s
a type of donut.
I think it might be helpful to show more pictures. So that people know what
each one looks like.
Post-task Questionnaire:
The navigation was easy because it was all on one page.
The terminology is easy because I have been to a donut shop before. It was very
simple and not superfluous.
Scenario 2 (5 seconds)
Yes, this business sells vegan donuts. Right underneath the Menu option, it does
say Vegan and Flourless Donuts.
The thing is, it doesn’t say the prices. I would prefer that. The business might
be hoping that you’d spend more money if they didn’t list the prices. There’s
definitely a way they could have put the prices in here.
Observation: She didn’t go up to orders and see that.
Post-task
It was very easy to find. All you have to do is scroll down to find them.
It was difficult to find prices, but it was easy to see that there were no prices on
the site.
Well, it was easy to scroll and the fact that it is one continuous page makes
it easy to see all of the information available on the site. You don’t have to go
searching.
Scenario 3 (5 seconds to find map)
So, I’m scrolling down the website to find out. After the menu should be the
location and it is. There’s a map for how to get there from any direction from the
restaurant.
I would insert the address into my GPS to get directions.
I can’t read a map. I’d rather have verbal directions on how to get there.
(Observation: Scroll rather than click)
Post task scenario
It was clearly labelled so that’s why it was super easy.
I’ll say somewhat difficult. Although it says the address, I won’t be able to get
directions to the restaurant unless I use a GPS.
Scenario 4: (40 s)
Well, this might be difficult.
On first glance, I did not see that. I’m going to go to the very top to see if that’s
possible.
I’ll just double check at the very end of the site. At the very bottom, they have
icons that symbolize Instagram, twitter, and email. So that’s how you can
connect to them. Use these icons to get in touch with them.
Post task questionnaire:
Somewhat easy. They didn’t have it at the top. I kept scrolling and scrolling and
thinking I was at the very end of the website, and it wasn’t there at all. I didn’t
realize how long the web page really was.
It’s easy as long as you’ve seen and used those platforms before. If they want to
include Facebook in the future, I think they would reach a wider audience. I

Test Logs (cont.)
would be able to find them easier on Facebook.
SUS for Knead Doughnuts
3, after going there after a
Strongly disagree, I already said it was really simple
I did find it easy, because of the layout and the format was nice and neat
I disagree, unless for some reason, I were to order something on there site, and
something were to go wrong with the ordering process.
3, because I did mention how the menu might come before the ordering process.
Also, it doesn’t give you the option to
I disagree – Most of the information that they had was stuff that the customer
should know.
I do, because I do think that people who are going to this shop are young, in
their 20’s, and they know how to use
I found it very useful, and now that I’ve been on it, I think I might give it a try.
It doesn’t have any ratings on the website, which I wish they had. Also, it doesn’t
really give me any incentive to order online, which I think would be good to
have. It’s very basic, and especially when ordering online, you want to ensure
your customers that the site’s safe and there are incentives to use it.
Maybe the older generation would need some help, but not much. It’s very
simple and doesn’t require much effort to learn.
Post test questionnaire:
Effectiveness
PVDonuts – neutral. Because I was, but there were times when I almost didn’t
fulfill the goals.
Knead Doughnuts – 5, because it was very easy to use.
Efficiency
PVDonuts 3, KD 5. I didn’t have to go looking for anything. It was all on the
same pge.
Engagement
PVDonuts, 3 It looked very appealing, but it wasn’t very satisfying to use.
Knead doughnuts: 5.
Error Tolerance
PVDonuts 4 and Knead Doughnuts 5, because there were no problems.
Ease of Use:
PVDonuts 2
Knead Doughnuts 5.
Everything about the Knead Doughnuts’s website was much easier.

Test Logs (cont.)
User 2 Scenario 1 - PVDonuts
I’m on the PVDonut website. I am going to read the About Us. I’m using the
arrow keys. This looks nice. “Nontraditional take on super traditional donuts.”
How does that make you feel?
I think regular donuts are fine, and putting a little twist on it wouldn’t hurt. As
long as chocolate is involved.
I’m skimming through it. I’m going to stop and go onto Orders.
Orders…So I guess they let you order and pick up? Oh, it says something about
holiday week. If you want to order specialty orders, you have to order 48 hrs in
advance. Wow. Weddings 4 to 6 weeks in advance.
I’m reading on. It says they don’t have a driver…No shipping. I wouldn’t expect
that. And they have a form here if you want to order something in advance.
They’re taking orders for this week, Thanksgiving’s week. But I’m not ordering. I
thought when I hit orders, it would have had the menu.
Maybe I’ll go to the PVDonut and see if it is there. Now that is an awesome
picture. It looks nice and flaky and delicious.
It’s funny. I’m reading this. I saw brioche on something a while ago and it
explains it here. It says it means the donuts have more butter than sugar. So now
I know what it means.
I don’t really see…I don’t really see. Let’s see if I tap these pictures if something
comes up.
Okay, so I have hit three of the tabs on the top, and I haven’t found the menu
which sucks.
What kind of info would I find? I thought I would find a menu, and I don’t.
That’s the most important. I like the picture and I like the description, but
without a menu, they don’t mean anything to me.
I just found information on the different types of dough. And I understand
that you would want to peddle your product. But I’m not anticipating eating
the dough. I want to know what’s on the donut. I mean the design, I love the
pictures. They look mouthwatering.
They already explained to me about the brioche, which is a good thing.
Well, it’s easy to navigate. And I understand from what I’ve been told that they
have different donuts each month. It would be nice if they had that on their site.
What impression do I have of the business? I like it. They seem put-together.
And fun. I like the design scheme they’ve got going. It’s fun.
Post Task
I thought navigation was easy. But I thought one of the tabs would have the
menu. But navigation is fine. I would say navigation is very easy.
Understanding site terminology – I’m not a baker or anything, but it seems like
they know what they are talking about. I would put that at very easy.
Scenario 2
I already saw that they have vegan donuts while searching in the last one.
Alright, so what I’m looking for is whether or not they have vegan donuts. I
think that would be under, “Learn about or Donuts” . This was the page I was
just on. I thought I saw something about vegan donuts. Right here, “We also
have vegan donuts available daily as well as our cake donuts.
So yes, they do have vegan donuts.
Now, I am going to try to find the price. I’ll go back to the homepage. I’ll click
on “View Our current menu”.
Oh okay, I found the menu. It’s kind of pretty. I like the decoration on the side.
And, prices…okay, I don’t see any prices on this page. I don’t see any tabs that
say anything about prices. Why did it take me to Facebook? That’s weird.
I don’t see any prices. I mean I like the menu. It would be nice to not have to go
to Facebook to see if they have prices, which they don’t have.

Test Logs (cont.)
They’re probably subject to change, that’s why they probably don’t have them on
the site.
I can’t find the prices, so I’m going to quit. I give up.
Okay if you could answer the post task questionnaires
Post Task
It was very easy to find the fact that they have vegan donuts. It’s on the first page
about their donuts.
Finding the prices. Very difficult. I couldn’t find the prices. Which was a
bummer. That’s maybe a turn off because it looks like it can be expensive.
Scenario 3
Just from looking before, I’m a little bit more familiar with it. And actually right
here on the homepage. At the bottom. It has their contact information.
Their hours of operation are here.
Their direction is here.
Everything that you need to know is right here.
Right on the bottom of the page, there’s a click that says “get directions”. If I
click it. It took me to Google Maps. So you can set the location and find your
way there. That’s nice. That is a good thing.
Post Task
Finding the hours of operation was very easy. It was right at the bottom of the
homepage.
Finding the directions was very easy as well. When you scroll over it, it changes
color so that you know how to click it.
Scenario 4 (5 seconds)
Seeing as though I ended up on Facebook before.
Oh, here we go. Right beside the contact information. There’s the F for facebook.
A bird for Twitter. The middle one is Instagram. So they are on three sites.
I would hit the button, and that’s how I might follow the business on social
media.
Post task
Social Media. It was very easy to find the social media. It was right on the front
page.
And it would have been very easy to follow them on social media.
SUS for PVDonuts
1. Probably not. I’ll put a 2. Every time I’m interested in donuts, I’m not going to
go to the website. I only would go on to see their menu.
2. I strongly disagree that their site was unnecessarily complex. I think it was
very easy to navigate for someone like me. Easy to Use.
3. I’d strongly agree.
4. I mean. I’ll put a two. I couldn’t find everything I wanted to find.
5. Various function? I don’t know, I never got to the prices. Would the prices be a
function or a detail? I don’t know what a function would be considered. I’ll give
it a 4. Once you realize that there is a donut that you need to click to go back to
the homepage, that’s easy.
6. No. I don’t think it was inconsistent. They’re pitching donuts.
7. I agree. Most people would learn to use this quickly.
8. Cumbersome. I’ll give it a 2.
9. Very confident using the site. I’ll say it was pretty easy. I’d put a 4. Like I said,
I won’t be using it for anything than what I just used it for. Once you know the
information, there’s really no incentive to go back.
10. Not really. I don’t know what kind of information I would need to learn to
use the website.
Scenario 1 - Knead Doughnuts
Test Logs (cont.)
Well, I’m going to scroll down. Skip the line. Delivery for downtown. Order
ahead. Ooh. I don’t know how it moved so quickly. It moves by itself. Please
contact for daily flavors? Does that mean you have to call them.
Oh, so it goes right down to the menu. That’s really nice.
That’s the picture I want to look at. But it’s moving very quickly. I don’t like that.
It makes me feel dizzy when something moves that fast.
Just based on this photo, I can tell its going to be hard to find a parking spot.
That’s the first thing I notice. Just being honest.
That looks good.
Delivering, I don’t know how far they deliver.
Organization and Design? – I don’t like this thing right here, flipping through
photos. I think it should go slower so you can see each picture. Like I said, I’m
getting a little dizzy. It’s moving to fast.
Any words I don’t understand, On first glance, I didn’t see anything.
Usually a business would give a picture of the front of the building. I mean I like
that they have the flavors.
I don’t get that picture. It doesn’t say anything to me. Why would you throw
a box of donuts on the steps? Are you feeding pigeons? I don’t get what this
picture is saying. They have pictures of their donuts flying across. This is just in a
box and it doesn’t mean anything.
Oh, it’s all on the front page.
How do you feel about that?
That’s fine. I don’t see them having what the other site had. I see a map. I don’t
see any navigation. I would have trouble with this because I have no sense of
direction.
My impression: similar to the other site. It looks neat.
Post task
Very Easy
Very Easy
Scenario 2
Um. I didn’t see any prices on this website. But I’ll check out again.
Does this business sell vegan? I think they do, if I remember cofrrectly. Yes,
Sunday through Tuesday.
If this is the only page on this website, there are no prices. Did I miss
something? Unless there’s something at the end of the page.
Oh. Isn’t that pretty. It’s a bouquet of munchkins.
So no prices.
Do you quit?
Yes
Very Easy.
Price for the doughnuts? Very Difficult.
No prices listed on either of the websites.
Scenario 3
So this is the homepage and if you hit the tab that says location, it gives you the
hours of operation and the address. So I guess you can pop that into your GPS.
It shows a map but I wouldn’t be able to use this. It doesn’t have that search bar
that says “Get Directions”
Post task questionnaire
Finding the hours of operation and location. Very easy.
Getting directions to the business. Very difficult. By the website anyway. If you
have your phone, it’s not hard.
Scenario 4 (25 s)
What social media sites is this business on? I will use the arrows to scroll down.

Test Logs (cont.)
And just under the contact information. I don’t know what that is. It says contact
us. They want us to email them through the site. Oh there they are. There’s
Instagram, Twitter, and then email. So they don’t have a Facebook page.
Post task Questionnaire
…writing is very small. It was unusal. They had a post so they could let you email
them.
Once I found it, it was at the bottom. But they didn’t have any Facebook. That’s
where I would follow them.
1.Do I think I would like to use this site frequently? No. I’ll give it a 2. Not
because I didn’t like the site but because
2. I disagree that it was unnecessarily complex.
3. I agree that it is easy to use. It’s all on one page, so that’s helpful.
4. Technical person to use the stie? I disagree. I’m giving it a 2.
5. Various functions of the site well integrated – I’ll give it a 2. They don’t have a
facebook. So that’s not good. Oh, another thing. Those pictures moving side to
side. It was hard to stay focused. I wanted to long at the donuts for longer than it
let me.
6. Inconsistency? I didn’t think there was inconsistency. I’ll give it a 3.
7. I do think that most people would find the website easy to use. So I agree
strongly.
8. Did I find the website cumbersome? I disagree strongly. It was very easy. All
on one page.
9. I felt confident? Neither here nor there. Confident is not a word I would use
to describe it. Never mind. I agree. Strongly agree. It was easy.
10. I don’t need to learn a lot of things before using this website.
Effectiveness – I’m going to give each one a 4. I was looking for various things
on both websites such as hours of operation, directions, menu, vegan donuts, and
I didn’t have much problem finding that stuff.
Efficiency – I think it was a little harder to get around on the PVDonuts website
because you have to click around on different pages. And I was redirected to a
Facebook page.
I would give Knead Doughnuts a 5 in comparison to PVDonuts.
Engaging – They both have nice pictures of nice donuts. I mentioned I don’t get
some of the messages behind the pictures on Knead Doughnuts. It was lost on
me.
The PVDonut website. Actually both websites don’t show the inside the store.
It’s nice to see inside the bakery and see how clean it is.
I’m going to give both of them a five. They both engaged me.
Error Tolerance – I didn’t really see any errors as far as my interaction with
PVDonuts. The Knead Doughnut page was all one page.
Because Knead Doughnuts has that stuff at the bottom, and it gives you an
example of a special occasion assortment.

Test Logs (cont.)
User 3 Pretest
Describe the Perfect Website:
Specialties. Prices. Um. Directions. Hours.
I want to know what they specialize in like steaks or seafood. Prices because
I want to make sure I’m not getting screwed over and Directions and hours,
because I want to know how to get there.
Most valuable
Specialities would be most valuable. I want to know what they have.
What might impress me?
I’m not sure on that. I would say probably pictures and ratings
Imperfect website
The menu would be very general. Not a lot of selections. Sketchy Prices as far as
“in the range of this or this price.” No pictures of the establishment. I want to
make sure I’m sitting in some place clean that’s not a dump. No ratings. I want
to see how people like the restaurant.
Least valuable
How long the establishment has been opened. Sometimes establishments just
go on the fact that they’ve been open forever, even though they might not be the
best restaurant whatever. It might just make them more expensive and might
mean that they cater to certain type of people.
Frustrate me
Repeating the same thing. I don’t want to see the same stuff on the website over
and over again. Like I don’t want them to say over and over again that they are
the best restaurant in town. I think I can make that judgment myself.
Scenario 1 PVDonuts
I’m going to explore the site.
Clicks on the PVDonut
So I’m scrolling. Looking at the pictures. It tells you about some of the
ingredients they use. And that’s not really important to me. It looks like some
kind of gourmet. Brioche yeast donut.
Do you know what that means?
No, I don’t. But it says it right here. Brioche donuts have more butter than sugar
in them. Okay, good to know. They also have vegan donuts, cake donuts, and
crawlers.
I’m going to go to about us.
What do you expect to find?
Probably, how they started. Maybe, if they’re students. Background on the
people.e
Paul Cottell. Owner of PVDonuts.
Okay, so there’s a list of businesses they support. I don’t really need to know that.
They have descriptions of the head baker, assistant head baker, which is
good, you know. It’s good to know that there are people behind it and they
are not conglomerates. They even have a dishwasher in there. So congrats on
acknowledging all of your people. I think that’s nice?
What do you think about the design and photography so far?
I think they’re pretty good. I like the pictures. I like the pictures.
No longer accepting orders for Thanksgiving. That’s good because it is passed
Thanksgiving.
This is interesting. They take orders for birthdays and weddings. They have a
calendar of when they are available and unavailable to make special orders,
which is good. But I have yet to come across a menu of What they offer. SO
their menu might change.
It has all the press that they’ve been covered by. Which is okay, but I don’t really
need to know all that.

Test Logs (cont.)
Frequently asked questions.
Ah. It tells how they got started, why they moved, and where to park. Okay.
So there’s tons of free parking in the neighborhoods. Which is okay. But they
should put up some sort of graphic and the streets around them where you can
park on.
Why do their donuts cost more?
I can understand that because their made by hand and individually made.
Some of this stuff doesn’t matter to me, “Do we ship?” but it probably matters to
a lot of other people.
So, okay. I am almost through the website. And on the last thing on the website
is contact, which you can email them and they’ll email you back. And they have
a map and no directions.
How do you feel about this page?
I think it could be better? I think it could be much better. It gives you more
information about the place and the people than the stuff that they serve.
Do you know how to get to the homepage?
Do you mean this one here? The PVDonut.
The little donut on the left. I never scrolled down on the homepage when I
started. That’s why I didn’t see all of this information here.
My overall impression of the site. It looks nice. I guess I’d call the business clean.
Post Task
I didn’t find it difficult, I mean it was easy to navigate. It just was not clear.
Do you know where?
On the homepage.
Understanding the site terminology.
Somewhat difficult.
Again, they’re not really specific about some of the information I’d be looking
for. And some of the terminology they use. I mean they explain it. But it could
be a little easier.
Scenario 2
So, I’m at the homepage. I’m scrolling down. It says learn about their donuts on
the left and view the current menu. I’m going to click on the current menu.
It does have vegan donuts. It’s clear on here. It gives a list of the donuts they do
have. I would have probably preferred that it stayed on the same site, but that’s
okay.
Okay, so prices. I don’t see any listed on the homepage. I’ll click on learn about
our donuts. Which I’ve already been through once before.
Clicks on homepage
And. The menu changes I guess because it’s dated November. But I don’t see any
prices.
Post task questionnaire
Finding out whether the business has vegan donuts? Somewhat easy
To find prices. Very difficult. I couldn’t find them anywhere.
Scenario 3
Alright, and it’s right on the homepage. At the bottom of the homepage. How
do you get directions, you hit Get Directions. And Google Maps pops up. It’ll
give you directions right to the store.
Post Task
Easy
Easy
Because it was right on the homepage.

Test Logs (cont.)
Scenario 4 (30 s)
Well I was just on their Facebook. So, I’ll click contact us. And it’s not there.
And I didn’t see it on their hompage. I’ll look at the Frequently asked questions
section to see if I can find it.
Oh, okay. On the bottom of. Nope. I guess I’ll go back to the homepage.
Oh it’s on the bottom. Duh. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These are three
icons. I can click on the icons.
Post task
Finding out social media – Somewhat easy.
How to follow the business on social media – easy
I think the homepage was a little confusing. That might just be me. It could have
been a little more descriptive up front.
SUS for PVDonuts
I think that I would like to use this website frequently – 2
5. I think it has too much fluff in it. It doesn’t give you exactly what you’re
looking for.
Well, I’ll give it a 3. I had some difficulty.
I don’t think that I need that.
I’m going to go middle of the row. I didn’t think it was that great.
Well. If your business is to sell donuts, I think you need to make that as clear as
possible. Make the menu more upfront. Put prices.
Probably.
I did find it cumbersome
I didn’t feel confident on the website. I think it’s a little confusing like I’ve said
before.
We’ll go with a 4. Like you need to know who they are before you really
understand their site.
Scenario 1 – Knead Doughnuts

I’m scrolling down the website. It’s telling me they deliver, Monday through
Friday. Closed on Thanksgiving. Then it has pictures of donuts. And they have a
bar that’s moving over there. It’s okay.
Then it goes down to our menu. They have vegan and flourless options. It’s a
menu, a simple menu. Old-Fashioned, Cake Doughnuts, Brioche, They have
fritters. It gives you a map on where to find them. They do weddings.
And everything is all on the homepage. It’s convenient. Very convenient.
How do you feel about the design?
They’re professionally done. If I was selling a project I would want to see more
people sampling the product. I do not see any prices anywhere.
What impression do you get?
They look professional, but I imagine if you try to go there, they would be more
expensive.
Post task
Easy. It’s all on one page.
Easy.
Scenario 2
Finding out whether they have vegan. Yup, it’s right under the menu. Maybe if
I click order ahead. Oh and now I have to click on the menu. And. There it is.
Vegan Jelly. 3.50.
How was your experience?
Finding the prices was easy to me.
Scenario 3
Test Logs (cont.)
Clicks on place
Yes. It’s right here. Very easy gives you the phone number. It gives you a map.
Find Directions? So, you click on the map it and brings it up .
Scenario 4 (10 s)
Right on the homepage, they have the buttons for social media, which is easy.
Very easy.
No.
I would agree that it’s easy to use.
I do not think so.
Correct.
No, I did not.
Yes
False
Yes
No
Last test
I disagree with PVDonuts. I agree with Knead Doughnuts.
Effectiveness
I was able to complete the tasks on both of them, but it was a little harder on the
other one.
Engagement
Not really on PVDonuts.
Knead Doughnuts. It was more clear and specific. Not a lot of fluff or side things
to trip you up.
Error Messages
It went pretty smoothly on Knead Doughnuts
Ease of Use
Not very.

Test Logs (cont.)
User 4 Pretest Question
What would I expect to find. The food menu. If there’s no menu, then what’s the
point of having a website for the restaurant. I’d also expect prices because I don’t
have a lot of money. I need to figure out how much I’ll be spending. And then I
guess, how to get there and a phone number, in case I have any questions.
What would be most valuable. The menu. Like I said before, I’m not going to
go to a restaurant willingly without knowing what they have first. That’s just a
waste. Is that okay for an answer.
Yes. However you interpret the question is okay.
Okay.
What would impress me? Hm. If they have good ratings. But I don’t know if
that would be on their website. Well, if they did have it on their website, that
would be pretty cool. I mean, that would show how confident they are with their
ratings. But then again, they could be misleading. Oh, well. I think ratings are
good. I’m going to leave it at that.
What would I find or not find? Well, if it doesn’t have a menu, then that’s a no-
go. Um, if they don’t have pictures of their place, that’s a red flag. Like what if it’s
disgusting inside. And that’s all I think.
Least valuable…um. I don’t know. Maybe like a history of the place. I mean
sometimes that can be cool if it’s a historical place, but sometimes people try to
oversell who they are and don’t try to sell me on what they make. Like, IHOP.
They’ve got this long history behind them, but they make mediocre food. It’s not
the history that gets me in the door. It’s the food.
Oh, I know. I’d be frustrated if they don’t have pictures of their food. The food
has to look good for me to buy it, so if there’s no picture, it’s like a guessing
game.
Okay, so I am on Knead Doughnuts right now. And I’m scrolling. First picture
is nice and big. But then there’s this giant text covering the focus of the picture.
The donut. Why would they do that?
Anyway. I’m scrolling. Okay, they delivery. That’s cool. I wonder how far. Oh,
now they have a scrolling picture thingy. Hmm. I like these pictures, but there’s
only 5 of them. I know it’s not Instagram of anything, but there’s only 5 pictures
in this gallery. That’s not a lot.
Oh good. They do have a menu. Oh. Pumpkin spice sounds good.
Brioche. Hmm.
Do you know what that means?
No but it says it right below. “24 hour fermentation allowing for rich flavor..”
doesn’t really tell me much. I don’t know exactly what that means, but it sounds
edible.
Oh. Cinnamon roll donuts. That sounds yummy. I’m a little disappointed that
there’s no pictures of these donuts beside the menu. Like I said, I like to see
what I’m eating before I order.
Okay, that’s enough. Next they have Find Us. It’s all their contact information
in one spot. Phone number is on here too. And below they have a spot to email
them. I wonder if they’d respond back though. At least they are willing to
communicate with their customers.
Then they have special events. That’s a cute couple. I want donuts at my wedding.
Lol. That’s never going to happen though because I can barely get a date. Next
question.
And yeah. Okay, let me see their other pages. I’ll click on menu. I already saw
their stuff, but maybe they have pictures this time. And, it brought me back to
the place I was before. Hmm. Interesting Let me try Location. That did the
same. Everything’s on the same page.

Test Logs (cont.)
It’s good. I like it. Everything’s neat and organized. You’re not redirected to a ton
of other sites. It seems nice and self-contained.
Okay. Organization and Design. I give it an A -. It could use more photos in
that gallery. Also. I feel like that should be its own section. “Gallery.” It’s just
randomly in the middle of the page. Okay, so maybe a B+. I’m lowering their
grade.
Words and Terminology. Yeah. It’s pretty simple. I can understand it. I mean, I
didn’t know what brioche meant, but I know it’s a food so that doesn’t bother
me. I’d rather see the difference than be told the difference, anyway.
Initial thoughts on the business. They seem clean, professional.
What do you think about their logo design?
Umm. I don’t know. I feel like it is a little blah. Like it could use some color.
Scenario 2
Find out if they have vegan donuts. I think I saw that. Clicks on Menu. Yup.
They have vegan donuts. Only on certain days though. Um, I didn’t see any
prices before. But hold on, let me hover over the menu again. Maybe if I (clicks
on text). No, I thought maybe it was hyperlinked and would have more info. But
it’s not. That would be too easy. And. Now I’m done.
Scenario 3
I know this one. It’s under location. There. The hours of operation. The location.
They even have the hours for the holiday as a little note. Which is nice and
convenient. So there we go?
How might you find out how to get there using this page?
Um. Is this clickable. Yup it’s clickable. I thought so. It said Google in the corner.
So it opened up Google Maps in a new tab which is cool.
Scenario 4 (10 s)
Find social media. Hm… I didn’t see that before. And (scrolls down to contact
us with email). They don’t have it here either. It’s not on their site menu. Is it
maybe at the top. Nope, not at the top. Okay. So maybe at the very bottom.
Yup. Here it is: Insta, Twitter, and Email. No Facebook though. I wonder why?
Usually Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are like a holy trinity of sites. They
should really get a Facebook.
And how might you follow them through the site?
I’d just click on the buttons. And yeah, they all work.
Scenario 1- PVDonuts
Okay, this is cute. At least you can see their donuts in this picture as opposed to
the first picture in the other one. This font looks the same. Are they run by the
same business?
Why would you say that?
I don’t know. It just looks similar to the other site. Let me look around though.
Okay, I’m scrolling the homepage. “Specialty donuts have finally arrived.” Sorry,
bud, but the other place has them too. You’re not special. Laughs. Um. Okay,
look. They’ve got the location and hours up on the site. I don’t know what
Wholesale means. What are they selling their donuts to other places? That’s
weird.
They’re feature on Cosmo? That’s cool. I didn’t see anything like this on the
other site. They seem more established than the other one.
Haha. That’s cute. It looks like all of them got together to take a picture. It looks
really professional. I wonder where they did this. Is this in a photo studio, or in
the business itself ?
See, this one’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They get it.
Test Logs (cont.)
Okay, I’m going to go to their other pages. I’ll go to Orders.
What do you expect to find?
The menu. And Prices.
Oh. This is not what I want. This is like for party orders. I thought I’d find the
menu here, but. Maybe The PVDonut. Isn’t that the place I was just at. Oh, no
it’s not. Sorry. I thought that was the homepage. Like it was the official title
of their business, “THE PVDonut.” Like it was official and stuff. I see a lot
of pictures of donuts, which is good. But, like where’s the Menu. The about us
page? I don’t think so, but. Yeah. It’s not going to be on here. That’s cute though.
They have pictures of all the people that work there. See I thought this and
the PVDonut page might have similar info. On it, like the info I saw on the
homepage?
Do you know how to get back to the homepage?
I think by. Yup. Just clicking the donut. That does it. I thought The PVDonut
was the homepage before though. I don’t know why. Okay. I think I’m done
looking around. I can’t find the menu, but let me answer the questions.
Organization and Design. Hmm. Well, there’s a lot more pages on this site.
Which doesn’t bother me too much. They have more info. On this site. But I
was able to find a menu on the other site right away. I haven’t found it on this
site. The design is good though. I love the photos. They have tons more than the
other site. And they look better too. The fonts look the same though, which is
kind of strange.
Any site terminology – No, all of it seems good. I understand it all.
What are my impressions of this business? Um. Well they’ve got more color on
their site. They seem more fun. Professional though. Established. They had lots
of press, which was good. The other site didn’t. I don’t know if this place is older
than the other.
Scenario 2
So. Looking for donuts. Part 2. Um, where didn’t I look? I don’t think it’d be
under “Press” or “FAQs”. That’s nice though that they have those things. Um, I’ll
go down. So yes they have Vegan donuts. It says it right here. And they have a
button to see the menu. I didn’t see that before. I will click that. And there’s no
prices. That’s a bummer. Okay, why did it take me to Facebook? Shouldn’t that
be on their site? What if somebody doesn’t have Facebook?
Um. Okay. So, prices. Prices. Maybe that’s under “FAQ.”
And, uh. I’m not seeing anything just yet. And here we go, “Why are we more
expensive than other donuts?” Well, I’d understand that because you make them
yourselves. But, I’d still want to see the prices.
I don’t know where I’d find prices elsewhere. I give up.
Scenario 3
Okay, this one’s easy. It’s right here on the homepage. And it’s also at the bottom
of every page too. I noticed that. That’s nice. If you miss it once, you’ll definitely
see it the second time around. They should have done something like that with
their donuts.
How do you find directions to this place?
Um. Good question. Uh. Oh, here. It says, “Find Directions.” And it opens up a
map in Google Maps and you can find directions like that. Like the other one. I
think it’d be cool if they put the map on their website though. Like on the other
site. It gives you an overview shot of the neighborhood.
Scenario 4 (5 s)
This is easy too. I didn’t notice this first, but they give you two spots to follow
them. They write out Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in the middle of their
Test Logs (cont.)
homepage with links. I don’t really like the color of these links though.
Why’s that?
They’re too light. Like the background is white and these links are really light
blue. They don’t stick out to me. None of the links on any of the pages do. But I
digress. They also have buttons at the bottom of the page with the social media
icons on them.

Test Logs (cont.)
Menu and prices. If the restaurant has those on its site, then I think that is most
important.
Can I say the same thing? Okay, so Menu. Prices. Both of those would be the
most valuable things to find. You’ve got to know what the restaurant serves and
how much you’re dishing out to eat.
Some pictures would be nice. Maybe like pictures of the inside of the restaurant
and the kitchens. It’d be nice to see that because then you could see how clean it
is inside and whether the atmosphere is good.
I think just the opposite of what I would expect to find. The worst thing that
could happen is that I would go on the site and not be able to find prices and a
menu.
I don’t exactly know. Um…So I guess the least valuable thing is the about us. I
don’t really read those things when I go out to eat. I just look for the important
things, the menu and prices.
I’d be frustrated if I couldn’t get around the site easily. Like if navigation is bad,
then I don’t want to go on the site. Also, if the site looks old, then that’s bad. If it
came from like the 90s, they need to seriously update the site.
I just got on Knead Doughnuts and I’m going to give my thoughts about it.
Okay, so far so good. I’m scrolling down. It looks neat and clean and very
minimal, which I like. There’s pictures flying across the screen.
I’m not really a fan. It’s moving by really fast. They also don’t have a ton of
donuts in each picture. I feel like there should be close ups of the food, but it’s all
sort of an overhead shot. You can’t see the detail in the food. Do you know what
I mean?
Okay, s here’s the menu. They’ve got kind of a small menu. Maybe it’s a small
business. And I don’t see any prices beside these donuts. That probably means
they are expensive.
Okay, I’m going to use the menu now. Oh, I think everything’s on the same page.
Hm.
Why do you say that?
I just clicked on the location button and it scrolled me all the way past the menu
to the location. Let’s see. Clicks “Event.” Yes. It’s definitely all on one page. Well
that’s good and bad. It’s good because it’s easy to find. But it’s bad because I’m
definitely not going to find prices now. I thought maybe these tabs would bring
me to a new page and they don’t.
Okay how about we take a look at these questions.
Sure. Okay. So, yes. The organization and design looks good. I think its neat and
simple. I didn’t see too many pictures. But maybe that’s because they’re a modern
and minimalist place.
I understand all of the terminology. At least on first glance. There were a lot of
words I didn’t read yet. Should I read them?
Whatever you would like to do.
No that’s okay. Maybe with the rest of the scenarios I’ll do that. But right now,
my first impression is good. Except for the fact that I can’t find prices.
What are my impressions of the business? I think it looks nice. Modern. It’s
probably expensive. They don’t have prices on the page, so that’s maybe an
indication that they are hiding them from the customer.
What do you think of the logo?
I think it’s nice. Neat, modern. Kind of simple.
Scenario 2
Test Logs (cont.)
Okay, I know there’s no prices already. But let me check the menu to see if they
have Vegan donuts. I didn’t see that before. Yes, they do. It says it right here.
Sunday through Tuesday. That’s not a lot of days. I wonder why only for three
days.
Would you like to end the scenario?
Is there anything else?
Prices.
They don’t have any, so yes. Let’s end it.
Scenario 3
Okay. Bam. There it is. Location and hours. And I guess you – yes, you click on
the map and it takes you to Google Maps and type in your address. That’s how
you get directions.
Scenario 4 (20 s)
I don’t know if they have that on this page. Well, it’s not in their menu. Maybe
it’s on the bottom of the page. Okay. I’m scrolling. And scrolling. This is a long
page. There it is. They are on two social media sites. Instagram and Twitter.
Scenario 1 - PVDonuts
I’m on PVDonuts site now. I’m scrolling on the homepage. Okay. I’m clicking on
the donut menu button. Here’s the donut selections. Again, no prices. I don’t like
that these places don’t have prices.
What do you think about the fact that it brought you to Facebook?
It’s okay. I don’t know why it’s not on their own site. But it’s okay.
I’ll go back to the homepage.
Oh, right underneath the buttons they have the hours of operation and the
location and a way to find it. I won’t click on it though. Am I going to have to do
that later?
Yes.
Okay, I’ll wait.
I’m going to click on Orders. Maybe there’s something interesting there.
Okay. Not what I would have thought.
What did you think you would find?
I thought I would be able to order ahead, maybe find the prices again. But it
looks like this is just a comment place. Like if you have a “Special” order, you
could send them a comment about it. They should specify that it’s only for
Special Orders.
I’ll peruse the FAQs. After that, I don’t really think that the rest are important.
These are all questions about the business. Which I think is okay. Okay, here it
talks about payment options and prices. And the verdict doesn’t look good. They
are expensive.
What makes you say that?
The question asks, “Why are your donuts more expensive than other donuts?” So
that’s a sign.
Um. Okay so nothing new here. I think I’m done with this task.
Okay, so design and organization. They’re photos are really great. They really
show off their donuts nicely.
Do any words trip me up? No. I think I understand it all.
What impressions do I have? I get a lot of energy. You look at the pictures of
people and they’re all doing something fun.
Scenario 2
I did this before. Do you want me to do it again?
If you would like.
Test Logs (cont.)
I’ll do it. Okay. I go to the homepage and I scroll down to the button that says,
“Menu” and it says all of the donuts that they currently have. And they do have
vegan donuts. I just realized though I didn’t click on, “Learn More.” So I’ll go
back and see if the prices are there.
Okay, no prices, but there are some nice pictures of donuts. It tells me all of the
stuff that goes into making the donuts. That’s nice, but it would be nicer if they
had the prices. I’m sorry, I’m still pretty irked by that.
Scenario 3
Alright. Let’s do this. It’s right on the homepage. About halfway down the page.
It gives the location and the hours of operation.
Scenario 4 (15 s)
Okay I didn’t see that right away. Is it at the top. No. It’s got to be at the bottom.
Okay, here it is. I found it. That was very easy.

Test Logs (cont.)
Definitely expect to find a menu. Prices. Can I use bullets.
Yes.
I’d expect pictures. Location.
The menu would be most valuable.
Pictures would impress me. You can’t know about a meal without pictures or a
description.
Maybe. I’ve never seen one that’s really bad. I’m trying to think. Okay. No
pictures. That would be the worst thing. No prices. I’ve seen that before.
Least valuable. Descriptions of the business.
I would get frustrated by poor design. So not being able to navigate. Or
disorganization. A disorganized website would be bad.
First thing I’d do is scroll.
Oh. That picture changed. Is that a donut? It looks like they have more than
donuts, which is different than the other place.
No pictures with the menu.
More words, words.
It was good. There could be more pictures. It goes on for a long time with a lot
of words.
Any words I don’t know – No they all seem fine.
I clicked on pictures.
It looks like another health conscious place.
Post Task
Very Easy
Very Easy
Scenario 2
I clicked on the menu tab on the menu and it took me right down to the menu,
which is good. It’s all on the same site. And it says Vegan selections Sunday
through Thursday.
There’s nothing to click on on the menu for prices.
Scrolls up to order ahead. I’m trying to figure out what they mean about the site
store.
Well it’s not with the donuts itself. Again. Not with special orders.
I know I can’t click on anything, because it will just bring me down to the same
page.
Okay. Go to menu.
Okay. Okay. Here we go. This must be the site store.
Vegan jelly donut. 3.50. At least I found a price this time.
There should have been a much faster way to get to the donuts. Like what if
I didn’t want to order ahead, what if I wanted to plan ahead? I wouldn’t really
think to go there. I was just clicking out, trying to find the prices and just
happened to not give up yet.
Post Task
Very Easy
Somewhat easy. At least I found it.
Scenario 3
Okay, I’ll click on location. And there it is. And how do I get directions. Can I
click this? Yes I can.
Post Task
It was easy for me, because I accidentally clicked on the map. I don’t know if I
would have clicked on it on purpose.

Test Logs (cont.)
Scenario 4 (15)
I can already see that you can contact them.
And it’s at the very bottom. And these are buttons so I’ll click on them.
Post Test
More frequently – It’s got an order ahead function
No. Just impressed
Yeah, definitely easy to use
Nope.
4. Because it took me to another page.
Every single tab did the same thing. It brought me down the page.
Yes I did, because I found the price.
No not really. Because I didn’t need to .
Scenario 1 PVDonuts
I like this first page with the donuts. It’s a good picture. I’m scrolling. There are
words are words. Lots of words I probably won’t read. I’m scrolling. Location.
Hours. That’s definitely a plus. I like that it’s got directions because I don’t know
my way around Providence. If I was feeling ambitious, I would click on “Learn
More”, but right now I’m not going to do that. I’m not drooling. But I would
appreciate a picture of donuts.
Is this the same page.
Woo. I love pictures. So this looks promising. I am just admiring these donuts. I
kind of want that one. I don’t know what it is, but I want it. I kind of wish they
said what donut it is so I could look for it later. Oh, it does. A little bit later. I
might look at that. PVD Old Fashioned Donut.
I’m going to skip “About Us” because I don’t really care. I’ll click orders and
maybe I’ll find a menu.
Special Order forms? I don’t want to place a special order. Well that’s sad. I
would have expected this to be, you know how Dunkin has the order on the go
app? That’s what I would have expected out of this page.
Press
Hmm. Interesting. It looks like this is the places they’ve been featured. Which is
good, I guess. They seem reputable. But I don’t really care about that now.
I’m the weirdo who actually goes to the FAQ page.
I’m assuming these people only serve donuts? But I’m not seeing a menu or
anything.
Clicks Contact Page, scrolls for a second.
That’s really disappointing..I’ll go to about us to see if there’s a menu
I don’t care about these people. Alright, that’s kind of depressing. I want a menu.
Are there any words that stick out to you?
Donuts. Haha. There’s no words I can’t understand.
What impressions do you get from the website?
They look like maybe a healthy choice kind of place. When I think about donuts.
I don’t really care about health. But if it was something I cared about, that would
be something I would look for. I also think it looks young. Like it’s a hip place to
go.
Post Task Question:
I will say somewhat easy, because it was missing the menu. Until I just found it.
Scenario 2
Is this the homepage.
It’s right on the front. We have vegan options daily.
How much are the donuts at PVDonuts.
Oh. They don’t have the prices. That’s dumb. Why not.
I’m trying to find a key word about Price on the site.

Test Logs (cont.)
I mean the way they are talking about it, I would assume that they’re not cheap.
They’re vegan and their specialty. I’d think they were a lot of money. That would
turn me off.
Orders
Is this a trick question?
FAQs
Why do our donuts cost more than regular donuts?
I knew they would be more expensive.
Trying to hide really expensive donuts.
Okay. I give up.
Post task:
It’s not on the menu, which is where you’d expect to find it. And then it’s not on
any of their pages. They talk about Price on the FAQ’s but it’s just, why are they
expensive.
I never actually found the price of a donut.
Scenario 3
Alright, so going back to the homepage. There it is. Hours of Operation and
location. How would I get directions. I’d just click this little button. And yeah.
Post task
That was very easy. They were very prominent. And they were on the bottom of
every page.
Scenario 4 (15)
Well I know they have a Facebook. Okay, I’m scrolling to the bottom. And it’s
right here. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. And how would I follow them? I’d
click on these buttons, is that right?
Post task:
Very Easy. All on the bottom
Post Test
3. The menu was on Facebook itself, so I would probably just use Facebook to
find them
The only thing that was complex was that dumb price thing.
I thought the website was easy to use. I give it a 4. Because of the price scenario.
No, not unless I need to find the dumb price.
Well-integrated. Yes, Definitely. Everything was at the bottom of every page.
Inconsistency – 4. They have the menu on Facebook. I don’t know. I just think
that’s kind of weird that you wouldn’t have the menu of your own site.
Yes!
No it was really easy.
I did feel confident, until I needed to find the price
And no.

Scenario 1
Understanding the site navigation
2 – Somewhat difficult
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy
User User Test PVDonuts Knead

Num- Name Admin- Dough-
ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 4 5
2 Lynn A-B 5 5
3 Jamie A-B 3 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 4 4
6 Emily B-A 4 5
25 29
Understanding the site terminology (words, links)
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy
User User Test PVDo- Knead

Num- Name Admin- nuts Dough-
ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 5 5
2 Lynn A-B 5 5
3 Jamie A-B 5 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 5 5
6 Emily B-A 5 5
30 30

Scenario 2
Finding out whether this business sells vegan donuts.
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 4 5
2 Lynn A-B 5 5
3 Jamie A-B 4 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 4 5
6 Emily B-A 4 5
26 30
Finding out the price for donuts.
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 1 1
2 Lynn A-B 1 1
3 Jamie A-B 1 5
4 Nicole B-A 1 1
5 Abbey B-A 1 1
6 Emily B-A 1 4
6 13

Scenario 3
Finding out the location and hours of operation of this
business.
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 3 5
2 Lynn A-B 5 5
3 Jamie A-B 5 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 4 4
6 Emily B-A 5 5
27 29
Finding out how to get directions to this business.
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 3 2
2 Lynn A-B 5 1
3 Jamie A-B 5 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 3
5 Abbey B-A 4 5
6 Emily B-A 5 5
27 21

Scenario 4
Finding out what social media sites this business has.
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 5 4
2 Lynn A-B 5 4
3 Jamie A-B 4 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 5 5
6 Emily B-A 5 5
29 28
Understanding how to follow this business on social media

through the features on the site.
4 – Somewhat easy
5 – Very easy

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 5 5
2 Lynn A-B 5 4
3 Jamie A-B 5 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 5 5
6 Emily B-A 5 5
30 29

Post Test
I think that I would like to use this website frequently.

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 3 3
2 Lynn A-B 2 2
3 Jamie A-B 2 3
4 Nicole B-A 4 4
5 Abbey B-A 4 3
6 Emily B-A 3 4
3 3.167
I found the website unnecessarily complex.

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 4 1
2 Lynn A-B 1 1
3 Jamie A-B 5 1
4 Nicole B-A 1 1
5 Abbey B-A 1 1
6 Emily B-A 2 2
2.333 1.167
I thought the website was easy to use.

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 3 5
2 Lynn A-B 5 5
3 Jamie A-B 3 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 5 5
6 Emily B-A 4 5
4.167 5

Post Test
I think I would need the support of a technical person to be
able to use this website.

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 2 1
2 Lynn A-B 2 2
3 Jamie A-B 1 1
4 Nicole B-A 1 1
5 Abbey B-A 1 1
6 Emily B-A 1 1
1.333 1.167
I found the various functions on this website were well

integrated.

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 1 3
2 Lynn A-B 4 2
3 Jamie A-B 3 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 5 4
6 Emily B-A 5 4
3.833 3.833
I thought there was too much inconsistency on this website.

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 4 1
2 Lynn A-B 1 3
3 Jamie A-B 5 1
4 Nicole B-A 2 1
5 Abbey B-A 1 1
6 Emily B-A 2 1
2.5 1.333

Post Test
I would imagine that most people would learn to use this
website very quickly.

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 3 5
2 Lynn A-B 5 5
3 Jamie A-B 4 5
4 Nicole B-A 5 5
5 Abbey B-A 5 5
6 Emily B-A 4 5
4.333 5
I found the website very cumbersome to use.

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 3 1
2 Lynn A-B 2 1
3 Jamie A-B 4 1
4 Nicole B-A 3 1
5 Abbey B-A 2 2
6 Emily B-A 1 2
2.5 1.333

Post Test
I felt very confident using the website.

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 2 4
2 Lynn A-B 4 4
3 Jamie A-B 2 5
4 Nicole B-A 4 5
5 Abbey B-A 5 5
6 Emily B-A 4 5
3.5 4.667
I need to learn a lot of things before I could get going with

this website.

ber istered nuts
1 Megan A-B 3 1
2 Lynn A-B 1 1
3 Jamie A-B 4 1
4 Nicole B-A 1 1
5 Abbey B-A 1 1
6 Emily B-A 1 1
1.833 1

Post Test
PVDonuts SUS Score Averages
User Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 Average
User Name Megan Lynn Jamie Nicole Abbey Emily
Test Administered A-B A-B A-B B-A B-A B-A
1. I think that I would 3 2 2 4 4 3 3
like to use this website
frequently.
unnecessarily com-
plex.
3. I thought the web- 3 5 3 5 5 4 4.167
site was easy to use.
4. I think I would 2 2 1 1 1 1 1.333
need the support of
a technical person
to be able to use this
website.
5. I found the various 1 4 3 5 5 5 3.833
functions on this
website were well
integrated.
6. I thought there was 4 1 5 2 1 2 2.5
too much inconsis-
tency on this website.
7. I would imagine 3 5 4 5 5 4 4.333
that most people
would learn to use
this website very
quickly.
very cumbersome to
use.
9. I felt very confident 2 4 2 4 5 4 3.5
using the website.
10. I need to learn a 3 1 4 1 1 1 1.833
lot of things before I
could get going with
this website.
PVDonuts Knead Doughnuts
Question SUS score x 2.5 Question After Math x 2.5
1 2 5 1 2.167 5.417
2 2.667 6.667 2 3.833 9.583
3 3.167 7.917 3 4 10
4 3.667 9.167 4 3.833 9.583
5 2.833 7.083 5 2.833 7.083
6 2.5 6.25 6 3.667 9.167
7 3.333 8.333 7 4 10
8 3.167 7.917 8 3.667 9.167
9 2.5 6.25 9 3.667 9.167
10 3.167 7.917 10 4 10
72.500 89.167

Usability Study PVDonuts

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Usability Study PVDonuts

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Usability Study

1. Results of Heuristic Evaluation

• Effective – Does the user find necessary and relevant content?

• Age: 18-29 years old

User/Name Age Sex/Gender Internet Use Restaurant

U1 Megan 23 Female High None

U2 Lynn 29 Female High None

U3 Jamie 29 Female High None

U4 Nicole 26 Female High None

U5 Abbey 21 Female High None

U6 Emily 22 Female High None

Test Procedure and Task Scenarios

Test Introduction and Pre-test Questionnaire: 10 minutes

1) Welcome the Participant – I oriented the participant with the space,

2) Administer Video Permission Form – I asked the participant to sign a form

3) Discuss Think Aloud Protocol – I asked participants to think aloud as

4) Administer Pre-test Questionnaire – I asked the participant to complete

Task Scenarios and Post-Task Questionnaire: 40 minutes

2. How would you describe the

2. Finding a Menu and Prices

restaurant might be a viable information that allows you answer

your friends. Before you 1. What are the hours of operation?

4. Following the Business on

Mid-test Questionnaire: 5 minutes

After completing Post-test Questionnaire 1, participants then completed

• A pen and paper

• Time to complete tasks

• User’s comments and questions

1. Building Brand Identity

P O S I T I V E Findings that contribute to a beneficial user experience.

M I N O R Hinders the user’s ability to navigate or complete tasks

MAJOR Frustrates or confuses user or prevents her from

1. Building Brand Identity POSITIVE FINDING: Users first impressions of PVDonuts as

POSITIVE FINDING: Users find the PVDonuts logo more

POSITIVE FINDING: Users find the pictures on the

POSITIVE FINDING: According to the System Usability

MAJOR ISSUE: Users rate the PVDonuts website lower than

MAJOR ISSUE: Users are frustrated when redirected to content

3. Findability POSITIVE FINDING: Users could find social media outlets

MAJOR ISSUE: Users are frustrated because they cannot find

P O S I T I V E Users first impressions of PVDonuts as a business are positive

The Numbers Sampled Quotes about PVD

Knead Doughnuts was described as

Descriptors of Business Descriptors of Business

“My overall impression of the site. It “It looks neat.”

Strong visual branding is a language in and of itself. Good logos communicate

Most Popular Descriptors

5 users made a positive comment

Sampled User Quotes

“I love the logo. It’s so cute.”

Comparison to the Competitor

User Quotes User Quotes

“It’s brighter than the other one. It’s

Photo Most Commented On (x 2)

Sampled User Quotes

User Quotes - Qualitative and Quantitative

• 11 comments were positive.

Users made 17 comments about Knead Doughnuts’s pictures throughout their

• 6 comments were positive.

“I think it might be helpful to show more pictures. So “I like these pictures.”

“But then there’s this giant text covering the focus of

POSITIVE According to the System Usability Scale, users’ overall

PVDonuts Website versus Average Website

continued According to the System Usability Scale, users’ overall