Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 1 Formatted: Right

Date: July 12, 2019 Style Definition: Heading 2: Font: Bold

To: USGS

From: Kevin Cheng, John Gambino, Dayon Jenkins, Matthew Seward

Subject: Website Navigation

Distribution List: USGS Group Leaders

This report reviews a set of instructions to navigate a USGS website that is assessing
groundwater data. Navigation to the website was set up for the user before a usability test was
conducted. This test was used to test the effectiveness of the instructions rather monitoring the
user’s ability to follow the set of instructions as well as determine which parts of the instructions
may have been unclear in navigating the USGS website. After carefully reading over data
received from the users, we were able to rewrite these instructions to help future users navigate
the website.

Test Objective
The usability test seeks to determine how useful the set of instructions were for the user in
selecting historical groundwater data. It also seeks how the instructions were useful visually,
from the layout to text. The users’ responses help in modifying the instructions when analyzing
the instructions alongside the key objectives.

Results
Areas of Strength
The key strength of the instruction were the screenshots, as they were the main focal points that
the users pay attention to.

Areas for Improvement

A lot of the screenshots in the original instructions are too close to the text and overly large.
They take the user’s attention away from the text which causes the user to focus more on the
images as instructions rather than the text. Most users will read the first sentence or even the
first part of the sentence and then they focus on the image as to what to do further. Separating
the images and emphasizing the text could help.
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Questionnaire

Close Ended Question Results

The users were asked the following close-ended questions:
1. Did you finish the set of instructions?
1.2. Were there any parts that you found frustrating or hard?
2. Were there enough visuals?
3.
3.
4. Most users finish the instructions around 4 minutes.
All testers found the instructions confusing from step 6 to step 9, that the report didn’t
match the instructions on the website, and they were all satisfied with the number of
visuals.
● All of them also report that the instructions did not match to what the website displays
● All were satisfied with the amount of visuals

Open Ended Responses

● The users were also asked the following open-ended questions:
1. What parts of the instructions helped you navigate the site the most?
1.2. What other visuals could have been included if there weren’t enough? Should
some visuals have been excluded?
2. What else could be added or removed to make these instructions more usable?
3.
3.
● All users replycommented that the visuals aidedhelped them sometimes
● Most say that the visuals were overwhelming and not distinguishable from the text
●
Additional Details
Most wanted some visuals to be removed such as step 2 and 3 or improved such as
step 7When most of the users started the usability test they was a common consensus
amongst them all. They all had a common dislike and like for a few steps. Everyone felt
that they visuals for Steps two and three needed to be improved. When asked to provide
more detail on what they meant by improve they felt that the depictions of the buttons on
the screen did not provide any help to them when they were using the instructions. They
mostly all commented on step seven as well. Step seven just like step two and three
need improvement. This step provided too much detail because of the excess
information within the image.
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Recommendations
The users’ responses were helpful in determining what needed to be done in as far as
improving the instructions. Many users suggested that the visuals could be distinguishable from
the instructions text and match to what the site displayed., as suchTo fix this some visuals were
excluded or shortened and put inside a box to separate it from the text. They were also
confused withon the instructions on whether they should be following the visuals’ examples or
overwhelmed by the amount of information they are seeing between the instructions and the
website. Thus, wWe bolded keywords so that users can select whatever choices they want and
reduced in size. And fFinally, the users were confused withon how to get the data that they
choose from the site., in which, wWe figured it out that the users did not put in the correct range
for the dates. Thus wWe highlighted the date range in both the visual and the instruction to
make sure the user does not miss it.
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Appendix A - Original Instructions

Formatted: Heading 1
How do I access historical groundwater data?
How to download historical continuous groundwater data:

Step 1
Start at the USGS Water Data for the Nation homepage at: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/nwis

Step 2
Click on the blue Groundwater button.

Step 3 Formatted: Heading 2

Click on the blue Daily data button.

Step 4 Formatted: Heading 2

Search for sites with continuous groundwater data by choosing from the site selection criteria
options. In this example, Hydrologic Region and Site Type are selected. When the selection
criteria have been chosen, click Submit.
 Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 5 Formatted: Right

Step 5 Formatted: Heading 2

Select the specific attributes for the retrieval. In this example, Wells are the default, and the
Hawaii Region is selected for the site type and the hydrologic region.
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Step 6 Formatted: Heading 2

Select the desired parameters for retrieval. In this example, Wells in the Hawaii Region that
include Groundwater level relative to Mean Sea Level (MSL), in feet, are the selected
criteria. Note: You can choose one or more parameters –or—leave blank to selct all:ne or more
parameters --or--leave blank to select all:
 Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 7 Formatted: Right

Step 7
Scroll down to choose the desired output format. In this example, the Display Summary of
Selected Sites is as a table of sites sorted by site number and will be retrieved for the
previous 365 days. When the selection criteria have been chosen, click Submit.
Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 8 Formatted: Right
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Step 8 Formatted: Heading 2

The screen returned for this example lists 71 Groundwater sites in the Hawaii Region that
meet the selected search criteria. Each site is listed by Agency, Site Number, and Site Name.
The Site Number is a link to the station page. Choose the station that you are interested in. In
this example, station 194327156002301 (8-4360-01 Kalaoa N. Kona (W12-11), HI) is chosen.
 Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 10 Formatted: Right

Step 9 Formatted: Heading 2

This takes us to the station page that includes all Available Parameters with continuous data
for this site, Period of Record for each parameter, the Output formats (defaulted to Graph),
and Begin/End date (defaulted to the past year).The output format can be either be a graph
(with or without statistics and measurements), a table of data, or a Tab-separated file (with or
without discrete measurements) that can be imported to an analysis program, such as Excel,
Access, or S-Plus.

Step 10 Formatted: Heading 2

Congratulations on retrieving your data!

For more information on retrieving data and the different output options you can check out: A
Primer on Downloading Data
Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 11 Formatted: Right
 Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 12 Formatted: Right

Appendix B - Revised Instructions

How do I access historical groundwater data? Formatted: Heading 2

How to download historical continuous groundwater data:

Step 1
Start at the USGS Water Data for the Nation homepage at: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/nwis

Step 2
Click on the blue Groundwater button then click on the blue Daily data button.

Step 3
Search for sites with continuous groundwater data by choosing from the Site Location and Site
Attribute criteria options. In this example, Hydrologic Region and Site Type are selected.
When the selection criteria have been chosen then, click Submit.

Note: . In this example, Hydrologic Region and Site Type are selected. When the selection criteria have been Formatted: Font: 9 pt
chosen
Formatted: Space After: 0 pt
Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 13 Formatted: Right

Formatted: Heading 2
 Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 14 Formatted: Right

Step 4
Select one or more specific attributes under the Hydrologic Region and Site Type for retrieval.

Note: In this example, the Hawaii Region has been selected, and Well is the default.

Formatted: Font: 9 pt, Italic

Formatted: Font: 9 pt, Italic
Formatted Table
Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 15 Formatted: Right

Formatted: Heading 2

Formatted Table
 Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 16 Formatted: Right

Step 5
Under Water Level/ Flow Parameters select Groundwater level relative to Mean Sea Level Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
(MSL), feet, are the selected criteria.

Note: You can choose one or more parameters --or--leave blank to select all: Formatted: Font: 9 pt
Formatted: Space After: 0 pt
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt
Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 17 Formatted: Right

Formatted: Heading 2
 Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 18 Formatted: Right

Step 6
Scroll down to choose the desired output formmat. In this example, the Display Summary of Formatted: Normal
Selected Sites is as a table of sites sorted by site number and will be retrieved for the previous
365 days. When the selection criteria have been chosen, click Submit.

Note: In this example, tThe Display Summary of Selected Sites is as a table of sites sorted by site number and will be Formatted: Font: 9 pt, Italic
retrieved for the previous 365 days.

Formatted: Space After: 12 pt, Line spacing: Multiple

1.15 li
 Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 19 Formatted: Right

Formatted Table

Step 7
Choose the station that you are interested in. In this example, station 194327156002301 (8- Formatted: Space After: 12 pt

4360-01 Kalaoa N. Kona (W12-11), HI) is chosen..

. In this example, station 194327156002301 (8-4360-01 Kalaoa Formatted: Heading 2

N. Kona (W12-11), HI) is chosen.

 Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 20 Formatted: Right

Formatted: Heading 2

Step 7
Choose the station that you are interested in.

Note: Station 194327156002301 (8-4360-01 Kalaoa N. Kona (W12-11), HI) is chosen. Formatted: Font: 9 pt
Formatted: Space After: 12 pt

Step 8 Formatted: Space Before: 0 pt

Choose from one of the Available Parameters, choose which Output format you prefer, and Formatted: Normal
click GO. Formatted: Font: Not Bold

This takes us to the station page that includes all Available Parameters with continuous data for this site, Period of Formatted: Font: 9 pt, Italic
Record for each parameter, the Output formats (defaulted to Graph), and Begin/End date (defaulted to the past
year). The output format can be either be a graph (with or without statistics and measurements), a table of data, or a
Tab-separated file (with or without discrete measurements) that can be imported to an analysis program, such as
Excel, Access, or S-Plus.

Note: When choosing a Begin/End date, make sure that the dates selected are in range of the Period of Record or no Formatted: Font: Italic
data will be retrieved.
Formatted: Font: 9 pt, Italic
 Cheng, Gambino, Jenkins, Seward 21 Formatted: Right

Formatted: Font: 9 pt
Formatted: Font: 9 pt, Italic
Formatted: Font: 9 pt, Italic

Step 9
Congratulations on retrieving your data!

For more information on retrieving data and the different output options you can check out: A
Primer on Downloading Data