In our UX design class we had the opportunity to utilize eye tracking technology for analyzing physical or digital objects and products. I chose to use Vanlifezone.com for this analysis, in order to gain qualitative insights into how users interact with the website.
User Testing for Vanlifezone.com
The user testing aimed to understand user interactions with Vanlifezone.com and identify areas for improvement. We employed eye tracking and the „thinking aloud“ technique. Three participants engaged in a series of tasks designed to evaluate the website’s usability and specific functionalities.
Methodology
Each participant completed a 20-minute guided session with indirect eye tracking activated. They navigated through the website and completed tasks while verbalizing their thoughts. This approach provided both eye tracking data and secondary insights from their commentary. The team consisted of a moderator, a technician, an observer, and a documentarian, ensuring smooth operation and thorough documentation.
Tasks
Participants were asked to:
- Explore the landing page to understand the website’s purpose.
- Find an article of interest.
- Share an article with a friend.
- Order a physical copy of the magazine.
- Access the Vanlifezone map and its information.
- Find camping restrictions at Lunzer See.
- Locate the closest campsite and garage for repairs at Lunzer See.
Due to software limitations, tasks involving the map functionality were excluded from the testing process.
Participants
- Vanessa Stöckel (f, 27): Easily confused, adventurous, prefers camping.
- Molly Gibson (f, 25): Multinational, highly active, prefers Airbnb.
- David Laßlberger (m, 24): Gamer, indecisive, prefers hotels.
Observations
- Engagement with Content: Participants frequently navigated towards articles and magazines, indicating high interest in content. However, all participants experienced confusion regarding the differentiation between „articles,“ „stories,“ and „journal“ sections.
- Navigation and Usability: General navigation was found to be less intuitive, with issues like unexpected menu locations, difficulty in closing the menu, and unclear navigational links. Vanessa and Molly had trouble finding how to order a physical magazine, while David found the navigation structure non-intuitive.
- Visual Design and Aesthetics: Participants reacted positively to the visual design, although text readability and color contrasts were criticized.
- Specific Functionality Issues: Features like „Support Vanlifezone“ or „Distribute Magazine“ were not easily located. The map and magazine ordering features posed significant usability challenges.
Findings
- High Engagement with Articles: Participants were drawn to articles and banners, especially those with large graphics.
- Navigation Needs Improvement: The website’s navigational structure and menu interactions need enhancement.
- Physical Magazine Ordering: There should be clearer paths to find and order physical copies of the magazine.
- Text Readability: Improvements in text size, color, and contrast are necessary for better readability.
- Content Categories: Clear differentiation between „articles,“ „stories,“ and „journals“ is needed to avoid confusion.
- Interactive Elements: Addressing the usability of interactive elements like the map and ensuring all clickable elements meet user expectations would significantly improve user experience.
Conclusion
The eye tracking and „thinking aloud“ analysis of Vanlifezone.com revealed several areas for improvement in terms of navigation, content differentiation, and interactive elements. Addressing these issues will enhance user experience and engagement with the website.
