Project Summary
e27 is a media company that specialises in supporting the tech startups ecosystem in Singapore. They provide tech related news, hold events such as their annual Echelon Asia Summit and help entrepreneurs to fundraise capital.
In this project, my team, consisting of Amanda, Jeanette and myself (Shersain), work on optimising the mobile experience of e27.co.
Project Nature: Team of 3
Main Role: Full UX process, focusing on UX Research
Tools used: Figma
Timeline: 2 weeks
Design Process
Research
Objective:
The purpose of research is to understand the motivations and frustrations of users of e27.
Methodology:
Part 1- Discovering User Behaviours
1) Survey
2) User Interviews
Part 2 - Analysing Websites
3) Heuristics Evaluations
4) Usability Testing
5) Competitive & Comparative Analysis
Synthesis & Analysis
Research (Part 1): Discovering User Behaviours
We interviewed 12 frequent users of e27 and found out that most of them visit e27 while they are on the go.
While they are on the go they tend to skim through articles on their mobile and read them more thoroughly when they are on their computer/desktop.
This would mean that the redesign of e27's mobile site should focus on making it easier for users to read and save articles when they are travelling.
Research (Part 2): Analysing Websites
Heuristics Evaluation:
Among our team, we did a walk-through on the mobile site of e27 and discovered several problems. Fortunately, most of the severe issues that we discovered are easy to fix.
Usability Testing:
To pinpoint how we can improve the users’ experience on e27.co, we decided to test the 3 main sections of the website: Articles, Events, Echelon
We invited our interviewees to walkthrough e27's mobile site with us, which revealed several usability issues.
Tasks Tested:
1 Find the latest news on the food delivery scene (Article)
2 Find an AI related event that is to be held in Singapore (Event)
3 Register for a booth space in the upcoming Echelon Asia Summit (Echelon)
Key Findings:
Competitive / Comparative Analysis:
We then looked at other tech websites, or websites with events/news features to learn how they are managing the different contents.
Things that worked well:
-Estimated read time
-Option to save articles
-Share articles/events with others
-Search & filter functions
-View by categories
Design & Prototype
With the insights gathered from user research, Heuristic Evaluations and Competitive Analysis, we held a design studio session to brainstorm ideas. After deciding on our key features, we created a mid-fidelity prototype and conducted a round of usability testing with 6 users.
Prototype 1.0
We iterated our design based on the feedback received, and conducted usability tests with 5 more users using a high fidelity prototype.
Prototype 2.0
Responsive Design:
Since users have different agendas when it comes to accessing e27 on different devices, we adjusted the designs for each platform accordingly to optimise user experience. The key difference is that the "highlight feature" is only on the mobile and tablet versions to provide a quick read option for users who are on a tight schedule. It allows them to look for contents that catches their eyes, bookmark them to be saved for further reading on a more suitable device, such as that of a desktop/laptop.
Summary & Next Steps
At the end of each usability test, we asked our users to fill in a System Usability Scale (SUS) form to rate their experience with the website.
Although there is slight drop between Test 2 (prototype 1) and Test 3 (prototype 2), the negative feedback received were mainly due the UI changes that resulted from the shift from a mid-fidelity prototype to a high-fidelity prototype.
Key redesign elements were working well for the users thus the SUS for Test 3 is still much higher than for the original website.
Moving forward, we can work on improving the UI design to enhance the experience for users.
