Green Map Meeting
Every Thursday, 18:30
Electron Club, CCA, Glasgow

Meeting #26 Usability testing

Posted by Kevin McDonagh Saturday 18 August 2007- 6:15 pm
Continuing to find out how our map fares up against the real world we had the help of some reuse organizationally related peeps. They turned up specially to help us with a bit of usability testing. All our regular volunteers now wise in the ways of usability attempted to extract all elements which frustrated them about our current Glasgow Green mapping solution.




Everyone seems to be right in the swing of things now an usability testing is becoming a very productive process. The good news is that all of the previous issues from the previous two weeks weren't even touched upon because they are a usability dream.

So here are the results summed up of our tests:

User #1 Erin, 20's, Helper: Brendan



  • Go buttons can be merged into one

  • Bag picture should link to map while that page exists

  • move marker to postcode isn't understood well

  • users could confirm postcodes and details on map



User #2 Paul, 30's, Helper: Sara



  • Feels good about using map

  • needs more explanation

  • fix back button

  • make submit buttons bigger

  • more icons like DIY

  • Street search needed

  • Auto completion

  • Shop owners and finders distinction

  • Combine go buttons

  • entering postcode needs to be made clearer

  • home area for map?



User #3 Alex, 20's, Helpers: Kevin & Vichar



  • Easy to achieve common tasks

  • Good info coverage in details

  • Simple searches

  • more help with tasks to help suggest how to use the map

  • Needs an A-Z directory

  • Auto completion of streets in Glasgow

  • Is everything on there? Not sure of completion of info?

  • Back doesn't work

  • No feedback for last search



Woo! Lots of good feedback but what can we deduce from it fair green mappers? Well I'd say that we're definitely in need of describing the information on the map more. Everyone realises it's a map with resuable stuff on it but what does that mean to them? What is that going to do for their lives? We have to start putting them into the picture, help them visualize how to use the map. We've spoke in the past about breaking the map into three concepts: what is this?, give something and buy something. So these are going to be moved to the front of the map.

Also we need signaling of where users are searching, we need more feedback of what they are looking at with icons and maybe more visual feedback.

Wooo, go green mappers.

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