Usability Report

Working Title:  Rowers’ Racing Resource

Author:  Mike Caviston

Date:  8/13/08

Profile of Users:  Three people were interviewed.  One was a classmate, one a co-worker, and the third a friend who is a rower.  The first two subjects knew little if anything about rowing.

Think Aloud Task:  The subjects were asked to explain the difference between a “Fly-and-Die” and a “Negative Split” race strategy.

Summary of Think Aloud:  Everybody liked the pictures.  Everyone easily navigated to the page with information about race strategy.  No one had trouble summarizing the two race strategies.  Everyone had a little trouble navigating to Race Strategy sub-menu pages.  Only one person explored any links on the Resource Page.  One person commented that the page styles looked a little amateurish, but the other two thought the general simplicity made the pages more functional.

Summary of Post Test Interview:  All three subjects agreed the site was generally easy to navigate, with the exception of sub-menu pages because the sub-menu cells appear above the main menu bar.  Everyone felt the text was readable and reasonable in length – not too much, not too little.  Nobody loved or hated the color scheme, but felt it was adequate and not obtrusive.  Everyone liked the use of pictures, which is a combination of old-time drawings and modern photographs.  One person suggested the Resource Pages should include an explanation that the cited articles include links to the actual articles or abstracts. 

Findings To Be Implemented:  All three subjects indicated it is better to streamline the site with fewer pages, so I will simplify/condense the Weekly Schedule to a single page instead of creating separate pages for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.  Also, I decided not create a Resource Page for Warming Up, based on lack of enthusiasm.

Findings That Will Not Be Implemented:  I prefer not to include any instructions on the Resource Pages, since I think it would detract from the pages and the blue type adequately indicates links are present.  I won’t alter the structure of the menu bar, simply because I can’t figure out how.  It functions fine, but the sub-menu cells appear above the main bar near the page headings, which is a little off-putting.