Thank you, Steve! I am currently reading "Don't make me think" and the practical down-to-earth approach is great! Plus this demo will help me a lot to convince people in my company that we have some testing to do :)
This is an excellent video in my view. It is really relevant to anyone designing a website or reviewing website performance. It is presented in a clear and logical fashion. He tells us what he is going to do, how and why. Then a recorded demonstration of a person trying to navigate a website is conducted. A little prompting, a controlled amount of discussion and we have a window into how someone navigates and the problems they encounter. At the end there are simple but relevant conclusions and a sense of urgency and direction to address problems. Brilliant
Top 3: - Put the description of plans above the boxes and shorten in -> "Pay as You go for occasional drivers" and "Extra Value plan for frequent drivers" would be a good label for confused users and would make her discover the EVP plan sooner. - Agree, with Steve, for EVP 50$ I would change it EVP plan for $50 Monthly Commitment" and I would add other ones next and make it clickable, so when she clicks $75, it would update the numbers in the EVP plan box. - Agree with Steve, put FROM on the right side of the column next to the Price. We could even add "Rates by type of vehicle" next to it to make it more obvious that the $7 daily rate is a base rate. Additional features: - Compare plans cart could be right under two different type of plans to help users understand which one is better suited for their needs - Calculator as suggested by the user would also be useful to understand exact fees for signing-up and booking a car Information Architecture: - Remove "My local Zipcar Boston" card since it creates additional clutter on the page - Replace "Find a car" with "Reserve a car". I think most users would want to reserve a car. UI: - Align text and call-to-action on the same line. - Use the consistent font for body text and headers. - Put content such as the video "How it Works" on a separate block of space
good and easy changes you made there, Steve. my two serious issues were that it took long for her to understand the purpose of the site and how she can get a car. my change would be mainly in the home page. i would have removed these car animations and add a clear explanation like "Get a car. Anywhere. Anytime. Pay per day." the second addition to the home page would be a calculator, and different usage scenarios.
Completely agree. Personally I found the number of visual elements on the home page to be pulling my focus in too many directions. Also, at first glance it was difficult to tell whether the pictures on the right hand column were part of the site or ad banners.
Thanks for sharing, it is so easy to overlook some things when you are involved in developing a site... I thought the issues found by the user were very important and have me thinking about a couple of my own sites requiring some how-to info and alike...Cheers!
Thanks for the excellent video. My main distraction was the use of the 'comic' font, which makes the video look less professional. I'm driving one of these cars in the Netherlands, but from a different company. What I would like a calculator in which you compare driving ZIP car with the costs of owning your own car. Also I would like some user reviews and ratings to get me excited.
When the "Welcome to Zipcar - meet your neighbors" text above the car on the home page disappears and is replaced with "Cars by the hour or day (gas and insurance included", the user has no context for the car or the caption text. Melanie was frustrated by this lack of context; she had no idea what "organizes the annual block party" means. This could be fixed by making "Welcome to Zipcar - meet your neighbors" static, and moving "Cars by the hour or day..." somewhere else.
@jomaanin Usability does not equate to aesthetics. The use of that font here does not actually detract from the principles and techniques that are being taught. If you've read Steve's books, you'd appreciate the typographic care applied there. I applaud Steve for sharing this easy to follow and immensely useful demo.
Hi. Really useful demo. But i would be very grateful if i could know the name of this tool you use to record the screen, voices and the user actions. Thank you very much. I really enjoyed the "Dont make me think" book.
Really nice and usefull! thnx a lot! both books r great guides for web developer to adjust their squemes :) This test, just an amazing example of how simple nd usefull it can be. Thnks :)
Clearly says on the screen that the test subject knows that this video is made publicly available. He just says this for the purpose of showing how you might say it in your own tests.
The site makes it look like I'm trying to purchase a car and not rent one. I think it's funny that the user had their address blocked out but the entire internet could see exactly where she lives thus defeating the purpose of blanking out her address. It may have been more appropriate to have had her go to a random location instead for this internet demo while explaining in a comment that typically you'd have a real user go to their residence to get a better idea of the potential usability problems.
You're right, of course. In this case, though, the user was my wife, so the location was mine. In the "real" world, I'd never make a clip like this public. But you raise an excellent point: if you're circulating "clips"--even only internally--you have to be very careful to eliminate any identifying or private info.
Steve, I've read some discussion about the dubiousness of whether or not people can accurately convey their impressions about an experience. First there's the whole translation of perceptions into words and then there's the influence that occurs from speaking that translation out loud upon further perceptions and then there's a whole host of unconscious perceptions and evaluations that aren't even accessible yet play an enormous role in a persons relation to the interface. I've taken part in a test very similar to this one and was fairly preoccupied with having to remember to speak out loud (some people are probably better at this than others). It doesn't seem at all like the experience one would have if they really were on their own, using something for the first time. Was wondering what your thoughts are on this.
The truth is, almost everything about most usability tests is "unrealistic" and "unnatural." But the funny thing is, in spite of that they almost always seem to produce useful--and obviously true--insights about the thing being tested.
Use software like Fullstory to see screen recordings of your viewing in their natural habitat, not knowing that they're being observed. You won't be able to get responses from them, but if you mix in this type of user testing with 1-to-1 user testing, you'll get all the feedback you'll need.
actually a good example to show UX ... since that window pops up during games, etc, and keeps showng up even after clicking "never show again" ... shows Microsoft have a lot to learn about UX
Just finished reading 'don't make me think', buy 'rocket surgery...' on amazon, and then watch this and see a 35% discount code for the book...doh! Ah well, i know it'll be worth it.
UX: When viewing this video from a embedded link you cannot close the popups as they hide behind the header linking to this site. If you intended this bug as a hack to funnel users to your page then kudos. Otherwise it was just frustrating to myself. I ended up watching the video here on youtube due to this annoying bug with youtube embedded videos.
I am surprised that the lady tester didn't first click how it works before doing anything on the website. I feel you should first understand how a service/product works.
I thought it was designed by Vincent Connare from Microsoft. I'm not really sure if such great typeface designer like Adrian Frutiger created trashy font like Comic Sans (or Comique Sans, whatever you called it)
12 years later and this is still awesome!
Bro, this is still relevant till date for UX designing
Watching this towards the end of 2024; as I'm getting started with my Design journey!
Thank you, Steve! I am currently reading "Don't make me think" and the practical down-to-earth approach is great! Plus this demo will help me a lot to convince people in my company that we have some testing to do :)
Watching this in 2021 and it’s just as relevant as useful as it was when uploaded
This is an excellent video in my view. It is really relevant to anyone designing a website or reviewing website performance. It is presented in a clear and logical fashion. He tells us what he is going to do, how and why. Then a recorded demonstration of a person trying to navigate a website is conducted. A little prompting, a controlled amount of discussion and we have a window into how someone navigates and the problems they encounter. At the end there are simple but relevant conclusions and a sense of urgency and direction to address problems. Brilliant
Top 3:
- Put the description of plans above the boxes and shorten in -> "Pay as You go for occasional drivers" and "Extra Value plan for frequent drivers" would be a good label for confused users and would make her discover the EVP plan sooner.
- Agree, with Steve, for EVP 50$ I would change it EVP plan for $50 Monthly Commitment" and I would add other ones next and make it clickable, so when she clicks $75, it would update the numbers in the EVP plan box.
- Agree with Steve, put FROM on the right side of the column next to the Price. We could even add "Rates by type of vehicle" next to it to make it more obvious that the $7 daily rate is a base rate.
Additional features:
- Compare plans cart could be right under two different type of plans to help users understand which one is better suited for their needs
- Calculator as suggested by the user would also be useful to understand exact fees for signing-up and booking a car
Information Architecture:
- Remove "My local Zipcar Boston" card since it creates additional clutter on the page
- Replace "Find a car" with "Reserve a car". I think most users would want to reserve a car.
UI:
- Align text and call-to-action on the same line.
- Use the consistent font for body text and headers.
- Put content such as the video "How it Works" on a separate block of space
good and easy changes you made there, Steve.
my two serious issues were that it took long for her to understand the purpose of the site and how she can get a car.
my change would be mainly in the home page. i would have removed these car animations and add a clear explanation like "Get a car. Anywhere. Anytime. Pay per day."
the second addition to the home page would be a calculator, and different usage scenarios.
Completely agree. Personally I found the number of visual elements on the home page to be pulling my focus in too many directions. Also, at first glance it was difficult to tell whether the pictures on the right hand column were part of the site or ad banners.
It's very interesting to look at the website now, and how it has improved since then!
I really appreciate Steve Krug.
I think this demo (and book) are amazing. I saw it used live at my work and everyone was impressed how well it worked.
Thank you for sharing this. I write the exam tomorrow and am reviewing all I can. :)
I am reading "Dont make me think. I appreciate the work Steve and I would like a seminar featured here in Brazil.
Actually, it's Comique Sans, a little-known--and presumably ironic--font, hand-drawn by Adrian Frutiger on his 75th birthday
Really loved this! Thank you so much.
Thanks for sharing, it is so easy to overlook some things when you are involved in developing a site... I thought the issues found by the user were very important and have me thinking about a couple of my own sites requiring some how-to info and alike...Cheers!
Thanks for the excellent video. My main distraction was the use of the 'comic' font, which makes the video look less professional.
I'm driving one of these cars in the Netherlands, but from a different company. What I would like a calculator in which you compare driving ZIP car with the costs of owning your own car. Also I would like some user reviews and ratings to get me excited.
Shut the fuck up, Bart.
When the "Welcome to Zipcar - meet your neighbors" text above the car on the home page disappears and is replaced with "Cars by the hour or day (gas and insurance included", the user has no context for the car or the caption text.
Melanie was frustrated by this lack of context; she had no idea what "organizes the annual block party" means. This could be fixed by making "Welcome to Zipcar - meet your neighbors" static, and moving "Cars by the hour or day..." somewhere else.
@jomaanin Usability does not equate to aesthetics. The use of that font here does not actually detract from the principles and techniques that are being taught. If you've read Steve's books, you'd appreciate the typographic care applied there. I applaud Steve for sharing this easy to follow and immensely useful demo.
Great video. Easy to understand. Many thanks!
Loved this thank you
Thanks for this!
*Usability testing*
Thanks for the discount code!
Hi. Really useful demo. But i would be very grateful if i could know the name of this tool you use to record the screen, voices and the user actions. Thank you very much. I really enjoyed the "Dont make me think" book.
There is a similar app called Silverback.
Very useful... for college students.
Really nice and usefull! thnx a lot! both books r great guides for web developer to adjust their squemes :)
This test, just an amazing example of how simple nd usefull it can be.
Thnks :)
great demo. Thank you steve.
Clearly says on the screen that the test subject knows that this video is made publicly available. He just says this for the purpose of showing how you might say it in your own tests.
He clearly states (in text) that the user is aware it will be shared and that this is a demo.
This is oddly compelling viewing :) Steve Krug is the master of simple usability testing.
The site makes it look like I'm trying to purchase a car and not rent one. I think it's funny that the user had their address blocked out but the entire internet could see exactly where she lives thus defeating the purpose of blanking out her address. It may have been more appropriate to have had her go to a random location instead for this internet demo while explaining in a comment that typically you'd have a real user go to their residence to get a better idea of the potential usability problems.
You're right, of course. In this case, though, the user was my wife, so the location was mine. In the "real" world, I'd never make a clip like this public. But you raise an excellent point: if you're circulating "clips"--even only internally--you have to be very careful to eliminate any identifying or private info.
Steve, I've read some discussion about the dubiousness of whether or not people can accurately convey their impressions about an experience. First there's the whole translation of perceptions into words and then there's the influence that occurs from speaking that translation out loud upon further perceptions and then there's a whole host of unconscious perceptions and evaluations that aren't even accessible yet play an enormous role in a persons relation to the interface. I've taken part in a test very similar to this one and was fairly preoccupied with having to remember to speak out loud (some people are probably better at this than others). It doesn't seem at all like the experience one would have if they really were on their own, using something for the first time. Was wondering what your thoughts are on this.
The truth is, almost everything about most usability tests is "unrealistic" and "unnatural." But the funny thing is, in spite of that they almost always seem to produce useful--and obviously true--insights about the thing being tested.
Use software like Fullstory to see screen recordings of your viewing in their natural habitat, not knowing that they're being observed. You won't be able to get responses from them, but if you mix in this type of user testing with 1-to-1 user testing, you'll get all the feedback you'll need.
Alright, I got the same results to the 3 main usability problems =)
actually a good example to show UX ... since that window pops up during games, etc, and keeps showng up even after clicking "never show again" ... shows Microsoft have a lot to learn about UX
Nice vídeo!
Just finished reading 'don't make me think', buy 'rocket surgery...' on amazon, and then watch this and see a 35% discount code for the book...doh! Ah well, i know it'll be worth it.
and close to 3 years later, Zipcar still has same check rates page :)
UX: When viewing this video from a embedded link you cannot close the popups as they hide behind the header linking to this site. If you intended this bug as a hack to funnel users to your page then kudos. Otherwise it was just frustrating to myself. I ended up watching the video here on youtube due to this annoying bug with youtube embedded videos.
I am surprised that the lady tester didn't first click how it works before doing anything on the website. I feel you should first understand how a service/product works.
I thought it was designed by Vincent Connare from Microsoft. I'm not really sure if such great typeface designer like Adrian Frutiger created trashy font like Comic Sans (or Comique Sans, whatever you called it)
It says, if you actually bothered to read, "Melanie actually knew that this demo test would be made public."
Does anyone know what software he's using in this demo to capture the screen and clicks?
Aims Random You can see the icon on the top right. Looks like it's called FlashCatch.
Aims Random Camtasia, from Techsmith (www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html)
A calculator should be great on this screen :D
Half of usability is the site. Half of usability is the people using it.
Wer kommt auch von der FHWS? :D
st4r-fashion ich auch 😂
aha, wow, that Google logo looks really old now, and it was just 4 years ago!
11
I’m watching this in 2021. Everything looks ancient haha
Was ist diese?
El poderoso e increíble Windows Vista
still trying to figure out why "MELANIE" didn't got to "How it Works" first before even attempting to check rates or find cars...
Why didn't you cut out the microphone moving lol RIP
lol windows system messages during testing
Is that comic sans?
"Zipcar for the iPhone, I don't know what that means"
OOOH 20 hours a week!
10:54... f&%$cking windows... What a piece of garbage.
a woman who likes to shop for 20 hours a week -- who'd a thunk it -- lol ! ; )