User Testing for Boutique Yoga Studio App

Several months ago, one of my Flatiron School projects was to create a platform that pertained to a gym, or even fitness in come capacity. So I designed an app for a fictional, high-end boutique yoga studio.

Once I had created my high-fidelity screens and fused them into a my first draft of a clickable prototype, I interviewed relevant users to gather feedback on my progress. From there, I could incorporate what I had learned from them into my next design iterations.

First I created a test plan with to lay out how each of the interviews would go, including a script with questions, as well as tasks that they could complete within the prototype. Then I selected two user familiar with yoga so that they could better relate to the app. One of the tests I conducted in person, and the other was remote.

My objective was to gain both qualitative and quantitiave insights from my participants. I asked them questions ranging from how they felt about the color scheme, to where they first wanted to click on the home page. I also tracked quantitative data such as how long it took them to complete each task (for example: how would you go about booking a class?).

Fortunately, both users completed all of their tasks relatively smoothly and without too much prompting. The also both enjoyed the overall look and feel of the app. However, their insights revealed several aspects that could be improved. The most prominent area that was lacking was the juice bar menu that I'd created. It needed to be completely reformatted for better flow and legibility.

Based on these insights, I was able to reiterate on my designs and improve the user experience. I showed the users my new and improved menu after recreating it, and they both agreed it was significantly easier to read and more visually appealing. The whole experience cemented my (newly learned) belief that user testing is essential when creating new platforms.