Heuristic Evaluation of the Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X

Heuristic Evaluation of the Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X

heuristic Evaluation Analysis tria Laser Hair Removal Usability

The Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X is Tria's popular at-home laser hair removal device. It touts an FDA-approved yet still very effective laser hair removal system that is comparable to what is experienced in professional clinics. Now, people can enjoy laser hair removal without the hassle of making several trips to the hair removal clinics and can do so in the comfort of their own homes. Its innovative technology, sleek design, and ease of use are the top selling points to attract consumers.

Preliminary Heuristic Analysis

Explored the product and its accessories to discover initial pain points that may negatively affect the user experience.

Usability Exercises with First-Time Users

Had participants go through the steps of four major functions of the product: turning it on, unlocking it, administering a laser pulse, and turning it off. Recorded users' comments, frustrations, and actions.

Web Reviews on Triabeauty.com and Ulta.com

Filtered through hundreds of user reviews on Tria's website and Ulta's website to look for comments about usability. Organized comments based on pain points and suggestions for improvement.

"Per one full charge, I was able to treat one lower leg or one upper leg at a time, then had to wait an hour for the Tria to charge. That's 2 hours total to do both legs (plus down time to recharge between treatments. Basically, I've had to schedule a 'spa day' at home twice a month to treat all areas."

"I've adopted drawing a grid on my leg ... The only reason I do this is because it takes a long time on large areas and battery life is not really a friend of mine and as I'm a student who is always super busy, I do bits at a time."

"Tria makes a 'fan noise' as it cools while you use it (especially in a warm room), and also spontaneously while it's docked and charging."

Contextual Inquiry Methods Conclusion

Based on the usability exercises with first-time users and web reviews obtained from Tria's and Ulta's website, the obvious pain points were the (1) level indicator, (2) sensor at the bottom of the device to unlock it, (3) time to use the device, and (4) the fan.

Usability Evaluation: Global, Local, & Goal-Based

Global Analysis or Principle-Based Analysis: pointed out violations of human factors principles (e.g., value proposition, interface dialog, navigation, context, automation brittleness)

Value Proposition: The overall shape of the Tria laser does not instantly indicate to users what it is. The shape is most reminiscent of a hair dryer, which is what many people in the usability exercises thought it was. The similarity between the left and right images below is hard to deny, especially when people do not have a mental model of what a laser hair removal device looks like.

Local Analysis or Interface-Based Analysis: highlighted flaws in the product's individual features and recommended changes for a better overall user experience - feature changes were ranked in order of importance (low, moderate, and high priority)

Handle Shape (moderate priority): The shape of the handle makes users think a trigger would be used to administer the laser pulses, as it resembles a pistol handle, but this is not the case. The handle should either be changed to a different shape, like that of an epilator (middle image) or a shaver (right image is a competitor's product), or should include a trigger to match people’s mental models and expectations.

Goal-Based Analysis: identified the major goals of using the product and analyzed how users were kept from achieving their goals

Unlocking the device: The 'wifi' signal under the device on the screen is extremely confusing and leads users to believe that there is some internet connection related to the device. Users do not equate the wifi signal with locating the sensor at the bottom of the device to unlock it.

Conclusion

The violation of at least 10 human factors principles and the design of 25 features were identified as contributing to an overall poor user experience. Additionally, 3 major user goals were hindered by the design of these features. Recommendations were made to improve the Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X.