Beta Test
Post Baccalaureate Adventures
Jae Gaswirth
12/3/09

Users:
Both users were EdTec541 Students. One was more experienced than the other from a technological perspective and the other was new to the EdTec field. Both are also currently building websites making them ideal candidates to critique the current project.

Think Aloud Task:
Frequently comment on the ability to navigate through the site as well as the text, colors, and layout.

Summary of Think Aloud Task:
Both users found the site easy to navigate and all the links worked appropriately.  One user mentioned it was slightly annoying to constantly scroll through the page to view all the text.  The user also mentioned the picture on the homepage is not as clear as it could be and the text on the homepage should be made brighter.  The other user mentioned a great deal of white space and expressed interest in adding additional colors or images throughout the site to eliminate the unused spaces.

One user mentioned that it was frustrating to be linked to a facebook login page for those users who do not have an EdTec portfolio or a personal webpage. The user also mentioned the sheer abundance of text on each page and that it was a lot to read when visiting each individual page subsequently.

Summary of Post-Test Interview:
Post-test interview further revealed concerns about the banner on the homepage. One user mentioned that it did not stand out enough and should be brighter in color.  It was also recommended that the image on the homepage be removed all together to create a clean look.

It was also concluded that each linked page needed a larger banner and possibly an image to correlate with the banner on each of the specified event pages.

Lastly, it was suggested that the background of the entire site be lightened to further highlight the text and photos on the page.

Findings to be Implemented:
As a result of the beta test, I will make the following changes:

• Enlarge the banner on the homepage
• Change the color of the banner on the homepage to better compliment the picture and standout as the title of the website.
• Fill in the extra white space on each event page with a small image representing the event or the site.

Findings that will not be Implemented:

• The homepage picture will not be eliminated. Both my partner and I feel that it compliments the purpose of the website and adequately represents what will be seen on the linked pages.
• The background will not be lightened because once the banners are brightened the background will not seem as dull.