Investis Digital - User Testing
Measuring the Applicant Experience
The Challenge
Investis Digital, a 500-person global technology company, designed and developed several enhancements to the Careers section of The Estée Lauder Companies’ (ELC) corporate website.
The main objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of each new feature before proceeding with a second phase of the project.
My Role
Working closely with Ronnie Kroon, UX Director, and Daria Kalyta, Art Director, I was responsible for testing the usability of updated design and technical components.
My Approach
Using the client’s main objectives as a guide, I outlined key themes and areas of the site to be tested. I then developed a survey to collect and analyze tester data. The survey included:
Criteria to recruit a target audience: demographic requirements as well as specifications for platform, device, and web expertise
A set of questions to guide recruited users through a 30-minute exercise on UserTesting.com
Survey Questions
The survey questions were divided into sections for user experience, imagery, design, and content. Each section included a main objective and a series of tasks to complete on the site.
Survey Analysis
To analyze the results, I reviewed 5 videos that showed the testers navigating through each of the assigned tasks. I took notes next to relevant video clips.
Final Recommendations
The final presentation was organized by the feature that was tested. Each feature included a summary of what worked well, what could be improved, and suggested actions/next steps.
The Solution
This exercise provided immediate feedback from current job-seekers navigating ELC’s Careers section for the first time. The raw data included video footage of 5 users completing the assigned tasks in real time.
After analyzing the responses, I created a final presentation to summarize the results, highlight key quotes, and suggest areas for improvement.
Because of this analysis, Investis Digital was well-positioned to propose further development of the Careers section. During a second phase of the project, the user feedback was implemented on individual country websites to include benefits specific to geographic location.
Lessons Learned
All users approached the website and their assigned tasks in completely different ways. This feedback was critical to understanding the changes that worked and those that required adjustments.
After watching users struggle with some of the functionality (geographic location, search and apply), I also realized the importance of including a technical architect in all aspects of the design process, especially for a Careers section that involves integrating APIs from a third-party source.