Project Context

Scope of Work

The USDA requested a usability study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Purchase-to-Plate Crosswalk data analysis system which includes: pdf document instructions, the database information architecture, and available data manipulation scripts.

Requested Deliverables: A written report with detailed guidelines and specifications of design recommendations for user experience improvement was requested as the main deliverable.

Approach + Methodologies

Usability Study Goals

To reveal user feelings about the current system.

To formally evaluate the PPC system

To identify specific pain points that affect user success.

Existing User Flow

First, I mapped out the expected user workflow for the PPC guide by referring to existing online resources and speaking with USDA experts.

It was found that users were not consistently successful with this model. Pain points needed to be revealed and investigated to determine what areas of the process were hindering users.

Usability Test Design

1:1 remote moderated usability test sessions were conducted using Zoom.

Usability Test Components

Pre-study
Questionnaire

Remote User Task
Observation Sessions

15 minute
user interviews

The usability test was designed to reflect the existing user flow as closely as possible to capture existing problem areas.

Usability Test Design in Steps:

1 | Before completing the test, participants were asked to read through the PPC user guide prior to their test time slot.

2 | Participants were then asked to complete a pre-study questionnaire to document how many participants referenced the PPC guide prior to the test.
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3 | Participants were then given a series of tasks to complete. All tasks had corresponding instructions in the PPC guide, including:locating files within the document organization structure.utilize and edit data manipulation scripts and handle intermediate calculation data files.locate result files and report back final calculations.
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4 | Participants were then engaged in a short 15 minute conversation about their experience during the usability test and their experience using the PPC guide in general.

Results

Insight Results

Identified areas of improvement for the Purchase-to-Plate Crosswalk documentation and the user experience of the tool included:

The success rates for completed tasks were high but user confidence was low and task times were long. The inability to verify their data manipulation mid-process made users feel uneasy and insecure about their final results.

Participants were unsure of the proper set-up steps for the sample code files and often made mistakes that cost them time before settling on the correct action.

Participants found the user guide and code comment instructions to be essential during the process and felt there should be more instructional support for the PPC.

These Insights were presented to stakeholders with actionable recommendations that included a priority rating, justification with data evidence, and 1-2 examples of specific edits.

Recommendation #-: Update the information structure of the user guide based on necessary vs. optional actions. Organize instructions in chronological order rather than by file.
Severity: High

Edit Example:
• Separate what ‘needs’ to be changed in the code file from what ‘can’ be changed in the sample code section of the user guide.

Justification:
Errors and Average Task Time: The average time for completing task 3 was high due to lack of user confidence.

Users expressed confusion about the purpose and order of certain preparation steps listed within the user guide and within the code documentation.

Client Feedback

The client found the usabillity study results to be enlightening and helped them to determine what actionable changes they would prioritize with ease.

They found the methodology valuable so they requested instructions and advice on how to conduct a usability study to be added to the final report deliverable.

Purchase-to-Plate Crosswalk Usability Study