GovInfo.gov Usability Assessment
Conduct holistic user experience evaluation of the GovInfo.gov website through user interviews, surveys, competitive analysis, heuristic evaluation, and usability testing.
Team Size
4 members
Timeline
Jan.2023 - Apr. 2023
Tools
Figma
Photoshop
Quatrics
My Roles
UX Researcher
UX Designer
My Design Process
Understanding
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client
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project goal
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interaction map
Need
Assessment
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interview
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survey
Usability
Evaluation
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comparative analysis
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heuristic evaluation
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usability testing
Closing Notes
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reflection
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impacts
Understanding
Client
GovInfo.gov is a service platform managed by GPO, which stands for United States Government Publishing Office (GPO), a Federal agency in the legislative branch. The website aim for comprehensive management of electronic information by providing public the with free access to various official publications from various branches of the federal government.
Project Goal
Offer design suggestions to help users find documents and retrieve needed information more efficiently.
Need Assessment
Interview
We continued our research by conducting stakeholder interviews. In total, we have conducted 5 interviews, 1 with our client and 4 with targeted users. We then used affinity mapping to analyze interview data. We organized our interview notes into sticky notes and grouped them to form overarching themes that represent major user needs. Among 5 interviews, I took notes for 1 interview and led 1 other interview.
>>User needs
Drawn from the emerging themes from the interview, the user needs were identified as following:
0 1 \ Flexible filter options to locate specific document
0 2 \ Clear introduction about collection or file
0 3 \ Organized information hierarchy
0 4 \ Consistent use of title and tags
>>User persona
We then created two personas to capture the user image and better define the ideas following along.
One is Jennifer, representing an experienced librarian who consistently helps others to find documents; one is Ben, representing the relatively inexperienced who needs to explore the database due to work obligations.
Interaction Map
Our first step is to create an interaction map to understand the website structure. Since users use the website primarily for documents search and retrieval, we paid most of our attention to various search pathways for locating desirable documents.
Survey
Following the user interview, we have also distributed the survey to gain insight into users' browsing habits and their experience using GovInfo.gov. As a result, we have received 123 valid responses from the government librarian pool.
*the results are majorly from experienced librarians, thus are subject to bias and only serve as a reference for our team to understand part of the targeted user group
Usability Evaluation
Comparative Analysis
We use comparative analysis to examine the features of GovInfo.gov in relation to other products that either target the same user group or serve similar needs to some extent. The results could help us get a better sense of what features and qualities were expected from GovInfo.gov to better serve its users.
We have compared GovIngo.gov with 7 comparative products and developed a scaled matrix on the presence of 8 features. We employed 3 criteria to assess each feature on each comparative product, not supported, supported but lacking necessary functionality, and fully supported with exemplary functionality.
*the results for all methods used in usability evaluation were aggregated as design recommendations in the end
>>Demographic & Browsing
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50% + of participants are > 50 years old
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90% of participants have a master's degree
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70% of participants identify themselves as female
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70% of participants use GovInfo.gov at least once a week
>>Insights
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Participants who are unsatisfied with the search time tend to use the search method to find the document.
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Participants who pose a dissatisfied attitude to the overall searching process tend to use the advanced search.
-- We should focus more on the user's search pathways and factors causing confusion in the following research.
Heuristic Evaluation
We continued the process with the heuristic evaluation. All team members acted as participants and thoroughly examined GovInfo based on these 10 principles. Then, we aggregated the results to support our design recommendations.
Usability Evaluation
We recruited 6 participants, with 1 pilot participant for our usability testing. The tests were conducted online, where we read the scripts while participants shared their screens to complete tasks. The testing process consisted of three parts: a pre-test questionnaire to gather information about users' past experiences, 6 main tasks that represented typical user routes, and a post-test questionnaire for debriefing and seeking further clarification.
We used a data logging form to record the user interaction in detail with criteria like tag, success rate, time, and screen.
Findings & Recommendations
>>Information architecture
Search Results Page
>>Icon & Prioritization
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>>Visual prioritization
Content Detail
>>Action choices
>>Breadcumb
Help Page
>>Filter
Other
>>Menu interaction
Biased
Participants
The findings may be biased since most of our participants are professional librarians. Our findings may not reflect the needs of the general public.
Lack of Testing
Redesigned interfaces were not subjected to usability testing and may lack proper verification. But, they can still be used as a reference for future website upgrades.
Uncovered
We have heard feedback from the content side, but are unable to present them due to scope limitations.
Impacts
Till the end of the project, we had the privilege of showcasing our findings at the 2023 Spring Depository Library Council Virtual Meeting. The positive response from our clients and fellow librarians was gratifying. We eagerly anticipate witnessing the implementation of our findings in the near future, aiming to enhance the user experience for GovInfo.gov users.
"Oooh, bread crumb trail -- yes!" -- librarian A
"+1 to these recommendations!! Great work team Black-Oak" -- librarian B
"This was fantastic! My question is how soon can we see some of these changes implemented! Well done, all." -- librarian C
Closing Notes