Done: A simple Habit Tracker
PROBLEM STATEMENT
The primary objective of this research initiative is to assess and enhance the user experience of DONE: A Simple Habit Tracker, recognizing its status as a lesser-known app that requires user familiarity. The final report seeks to provide valuable insights into user behaviors, preferences, and challenges encountered during the app's navigation. The evaluation aims to improve overall user satisfaction and facilitate data-backed decision-making for ongoing development iterations by gathering qualitative and quantitative data.
The research findings will be instrumental in guiding DONE through refining its onboarding process and optimizing the user interface, ensuring that users can effortlessly engage with the app's features. DONE aspires to cultivate a more user-friendly and intuitive experience by prioritizing user insights, thereby fostering increased user adoption and satisfaction.
The research focused on recognizing user errors, app malfunctions, and recovery strategies during mobile application usage. It aimed to gather both quantitative and qualitative data about user behavior concerning:
Project goals
The research focused on recognizing user errors, app malfunctions, and recovery strategies during mobile application usage. It aimed to gather quantitative and qualitative data about user behavior surrounding:
- How intuitive the mobile application is based on the user’s first run experience.
- Task 1: Can the user create a habit and set a reminder for it?
- Task 2: Can the user go to the settings and change the day of the week to start on Tuesday?
- Task 3: Can the user edit the newly created habit from the home screen?
Project Duration
Generate usability questions
Run usability test
Analysis and synthesis of findings
Tools Used
Approach
Research Methods
The team’s task is to assess the mobile application Done: A Simple Habit Tracker. Five group members ran moderated “coffee shop” usability testing for Done: A Simple Habit Tracker, the mobile application. Each facilitator looked over the participant’s shoulder while recording the user’s hands and screens and taking notes guiding improvements based on user feedback. A user criteria was established before the usability testing. Pre-test questions gathered demographic information, the user’s goals, and the interest surrounding the user’s habits.
General Criteria
- Has a smartphone
- 18+
- Currently tracks habits or is interested in / would be open to trying a habit-tracking app.
- The user has downloaded a mobile app in the last month.
- A person who uses their smartphone for more than 1-2 hours outside of work/daily business.
- A person has a purpose for using their smartphone. The team aims to discover the types of apps the user would likely use.
- The team aims to discover the difference between novice and experienced users and where they track their habits through digital or manual methods.
Screener Questions
What is your age?
- 0-18 years old (Terminate)
- 19-30 years old
- 31-44 years old
- 45+
The rationale: It helps to understand the demographic of the user.
Do you use a smartphone?
- Yes
- No (Terminate- won’t be able to download our app to test)
The rationale: It helps to understand whether the users fit the device criteria.
Have you downloaded a mobile app?
- Never (Terminate)
- Last year (Terminate)
- Last month
- Last week
- Yesterday
- Today
The rationale: It helps to understand if the user is willing to purchase the app and the frequency.
How likely are you to use a habit-tracking app?
- I would definitely use it.
- I might use it.
- I would never use it (Terminate)
The rationale: This question helps us eliminate people unwilling to use the app. We would move forward with people genuinely interested in trying our app.
How often do you use your phone outside of work/business daily?
- 4 or more hours
- 3-4 hours
- 2-3 hours
- 1-2 hours
- Less than an hour (Terminate)
- Not at all (Terminate)
The rationale: It helps to understand how much time a user spends on their device outside of work.
For what purpose are you most likely to use your apps?
- Notes/Organization
- Fitness/wellness/health
- Business
- Work
- Personal
- All the above
- Not listed (Terminate)
The rationale: It helps to understand what the user would use an app for.
What manual or digital devices do you use when tracking habits?
- Phone
- Tablet
- Desktop/LaptopCalendar/Planner
- Dry Erase Board
- None
The rationale: The question is beneficial to understand a novice or experienced user and where the user currently tracks their habits.
Qualitative & Quantitative Research
Mobile application interaction resulted in 5 moderators with 15 participants in testing quantifiable metrics on the task on time, completion rates, and any UI problems the user ran into by measurable metrics on average time completion, meantime, average time on task, median time, range, standard deviation, and geomean. Qualitative data was pulled from recording the user’s hand gestures to understanding when the satisfaction and pain points occurred throughout the user’s journey by observing and assessing how well the app vendor supports new users in terms of learning about the app, key actions the app supports, generating interest in further use, and reducing first-run friction.
ACTIONS
The data analysis provided critical points throughout the user’s journey when navigating Done: A Simple Habit Tracker. All actionable recommendations are indicative of a trend. The team had to create a cut-off point of 50% agreement for the results that were not actionable to a true trend.
User Persona
“I assume these are the popular habits, all of which make sense, all of which I am terrible at.”
TESTING
Usability Test
The UX team gave feedback and collaborated on the interface wireframe to ensure it was well-organized and functional with a clear content hierarchy. The controller prototype was well-reasoned, with thoughtful controller layout and functionality. The annotations provided a user-centered rationale to explain the functionality and content organization.
How intuitive the mobile application is based on the user’s first run experience.
The main path for a user:
The user taps on the App Store icon, taps the search icon in the bottom right corner, taps the search bar in the middle of the screen, types the word Done into the keyboard, taps the DONE button at the bottom of the screen, taps GET to start the download, and taps OPEN from the App Store.
The user taps the GET STARTED button in the bottom center and taps the CONTINUE button in the bottom center due to the previous screen. The user misses the X to back out of this screen. The user taps AMAZING, GOT IT, misses the X again, and taps YES, PLEASE! The user chooses not to add reminders.
“With these dots (carousel, I would expect more screens here and expected it to be something I could swipe.”
Needs clarity:
The user taps on the App Store icon and taps the search. The carousel and the button on the bottom of the screen must be clarified. The recommendation would be for the user to swipe left throughout the onboarding and move the carousel below the button.
The user has issues finding the X button in the top right corner, and it creates a learned or unlearned barrier. The recommendation is to put the payment screen at the end and make a button for a Free Trial and a button for Purchase from the paywall screen.
Bugs:
The X on the payment screen after hitting Continue was not working correctly. The recommendation is that the size and contrast of the X in the payment screen need to be evaluated.
“I clicked the don’t allow from the pop-up window because I am afraid and don’t want to get charged for anything.”
Task One: Can the user create a habit and set a reminder for it? Go ahead and create a habit of your choosing and set a reminder for it.
The main path for a user:
The primary user path: The user taps the CREATE NEW HABIT from the onboarding screen. The users scroll up and down through the suggestions. The user taps BRUSH MY TEETH. The user personalizes it to their liking and what fits their schedule best. The user adds the habit and is redirected to the Home Screen.
Needs clarity:
Creating a name for the reminder on top of the name for the habit needs to be clarified. The recommendation is to set a reminder for the already-named habit, which should be simplified.There are two buttons to save the customization, and the task needs to be clarified. The recommendation is to create one button to save changes to the habit.
Users found there needed to be less customizations to choose from. The recommendation is to simplify them into fewer steps for the user to create a habit.
Users need clarification surrounding the selected days, and there needs to be a tighter connection to the time of days. The recommendation is to create clear transparency when the user selects or deselects a day.
Bugs:
If users set reminder notifications during onboarding, the app sets a default reminder for the habit. If they don’t add a reminder, it doesn’t explain if notifications need to be enabled. Only one person was guided to adjust reminder preferences in the app. The recommendation is to make turning reminders off clear in onboarding and provide clear labels for enabling reminders when creating a custom habit.
“I don’t know if I am selecting or not selecting these days when I tap them. I think there needs to be a radio button for indication.”
Task 2: Can the user go to the settings and change the day of the week to start on Tuesday? Go to settings and change the day of your week to start on Tuesday.
The main path for a user:
The user taps on the AVATAR ICON, scrolls down,taps on GENERAL, taps on WEEK START ARROW,and changes the day to TUESDAY.
Needs clarity:
The headers in Settings need to be distinguishable. The recommendation is to make all headings consistent throughout the app in contrast and size.
The user found the growth bundle at the top of Settings distracting. The recommendation is to move the Growth Bundle to the bottom of Settings.
The user navigated to the Calendar to be able to change the beginning of their week to Start on Tuesday. The recommendation is to have settings specific to the user’s task inside the particular reference that needs to change to make a clear CTA.The avatar and settings icon used need to be clarified. The recommendation is to change the icon to be more familiar and in a location like other applications.
Bugs:
There are issues when users try to scroll up and down and tap the X to close out when navigating in Settings. The recommendation is to do further usability testing on the Settings screen.
“I haven’t seen the settings option have something like this at the top. I wasn’t able to see what exactly I was looking for.”
Task 3: Can the user edit the newly created habit from the home screen? From the Home Screen, edit the habit you just created.
The main path for a user:
The user taps on the HABIT from the Home Screen and taps on the Pencil Icon. The user changes habits based on personal preference.
Needs clarity:
The user taps the Just For You button in error due to its similar appearance, distracting users from their goal. The recommendation is to move the marketing button outside the main screen or to a different position.
Bugs:
The buttons above the habit were confusing, and the user had issues when tapping the habit and being selected on a different icon above the habit. The buttons either appeared or not whether reminders were turned on. The recommendation is to create a clear CTA when a user is on a specific time of day associated with the habit.
“I believe I edited it, so it does more things than we started.I might have set up a time rather than just a date, which was not very apparent.”
RECOMMENDATIONS
Actionable Recommendations
- For onboarding, advise users to swipe left and place the carousel beneath the button.
- Place the payment screen at the end and include the Free Trial and Purchase buttons on the paywall screen.
- Evaluate the size and contrast of the X on the payment screen.
- Remove unnecessary scrolling on the purchase screen.
- Simplify setting reminders for named habits.
- Use a single button to save habit changes.
- Condense the steps for creating a habit.
- Enhance clarity when selecting or deselecting days.
- Clarify reminders during onboarding and labeling for custom habits.
- Ensure consistent heading style and size.
- Move the Growth Bundle to the bottom of Settings.
- Adjust settings relevant to specific tasks within preferences.
- Update the icon’s familiarity and position in line with other apps.
- Solve navigation issues and X button interaction in Settings.
- Relocate or reposition the marketing button.
- Create a clear call to action for specific times associated with habits.
- Evaluate the iconography used throughout the application.
In conclusion, integrating “coffee shop” into the teams’ usability studies helped streamline research while providing stakeholders valuable insights. This approach enables teams to work collaboratively, iterate quickly, and continuously improve the product or service at a low cost based on user feedback.
Though the teams’ suggestions will need more users to gather valuable quantitative data from usability tests, this provides a starting point for future iterations of the Done: A Simple Habit Tracker mobile application. The recommendation is to offer better solutions for the company and the user’s journey.
It is crucial to consider specific research goals, the complexity of the tasks, and the limitations of this testing approach when making informed decisions about conducting a time-on-task usability test session.
Combining time-based quantitative measurements with usability tasks that complement qualitative insights helps uncover usability issues, optimize workflows, and enhance the user experience.
LESSONS LEARNED
This was my fourth time running a moderated usability test against an application. This was my second time compiling data from a bigger group. I learned a lot from this experience and have carried over how to write the task better from previous sessions. It allowed me to see usability testing from start to finish. I learned tasks are challenging to write, and only pertinent information should be written in the questions to avoid confusing the user’s journey. I realized that when compiling a large data group, it is easier to do it with analysis in smaller steps than all at once. I enjoyed this experience and hope to apply these research practices to improve mobile experiences.