Project #
Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. It’s home to a universe of special, extraordinary items, from unique handcrafted pieces to vintage treasures.
In the summer of 2019, I conducted in-person usability tests on the Etsy website and Android/iOS native apps, utilizing moderated observational testing along with video/audio recording transcripts.
Objective #
The goal was to determine if people with visual and motor disabilities could use key functionality. The pathways tested were:
- General review of the Etsy homepage (desktop and app)
- Locating methods to become a seller on Etsy (desktop)
- Finding a specific item on Etsy using search and/or listing page (desktop and app)
- Adding a product to the Etsy shopping cart (desktop and app)
- Removing a product from the Etsy shopping cart and saving it (app)
- Starting a conversation with an Etsy seller (desktop and app)
Work #
I used moderated observational testing and video/audio recording transcripts in this study. This usability study focused on people with various disabilities. Recruitment primarily happened through personal channels and social media call-outs. The testers included people who had the following disability types: Blind (3), Low vision (2), Tactile/Motor (1).
Data recorded for each tester included:
- General demographics
- Type(s) of disability
- Assistive technology used (if any)
- Task completed successfully or abandoned
- Rating of how easy it was to complete each task
- Suggestions for improving usability
- General feedback on the overall user experience
End Result #
The deliverable report included:
- Quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
- Highlights of usability barriers.
- Quotes from the testers.
- Recommendations on how to resolve some of the observed user experience issues.
Highlighted recommendations:
- Simplify workflows and content wherever possible.
- Check color contrast ratios on images as well as text.
- Link prices to item titles for a clearer relationship.
- Test for keyboard traps by using only your keyboard to navigate.
- Add a consistent and ever-present focus indicator for all pages.
- Simplify the filtering process on the search results page, or allow a non-sighted or keyboard-only user to easily skip over the filter choices.
Team #
The team for this project included two representatives from Etsy who reviewed and suggested small updates to the user study and a project manager from Deque. The two representatives traveled to Chicago with me to do the user testing onsite. I was primarily responsible for setting up the user tasks, video recordings, tester recruitment, qualitative/quantitative data analysis, and producing the summary reports.
Reflection #
This project was a learning experience but also a lot of fun. The client was very receptive to my ideas and gave me a lot of great feedback on their expected deliverables. Not only did the client use the data in the final report to help build better products, but they also used quotes from the users in the study to make flyers internally to support usability and accessibility efforts in the future.
