Homesrunner by Tamadtech

Usability Evaluation

During my evaluation and usability testing of the Homesrunner App, I identified numerous usability issues. Consequently, I provided key design recommendations on maintaining consistent system status to ensure users smoothly navigate along the happy path.

My Roles:

• UX Designer & Writer

• UX Researcher

UX Methods:

• Usability Testing

• Affinity Diagramming

• Heuristic Analysis

• Wireframing

My Tools:

• Figma/Figjam

• Google

• Adobe

• Keynote

Deliverables:

The Problem:

Usability testing revealed several structural and functional issues that confused users and prevented them from successfully using the app as intended. Some barriers to task completion were due to unfinished functionality rather than pure usability problems.

I also found that inconsistencies between the iOS and Android versions of the app further complicated usability testing and impacted the overall user experience.

How I Solved It:

I focused on the most critical usability issues and created a “Key Findings and Recommendations” report, advocating for the use of consistent signifiers and clear, task-focused copy to improve the user experience.

To ensure a seamless experience across mobile operating systems, I recommend addressing functional inconsistencies within the app and conducting additional user testing to validate improvements.

Discover The Problem

Homesrunner: Home Repairs at Your Fingertips!

iStock/Getty Images

The client goals
to empower homeowners:

• Get the best services at the best possible price

• Get “bids” from multiple providers

• Lowered stress and financial burdens placed on homeowners during significant home projects

• Quickly and easily find a service provider to take care of household tasks like painting, repairs, handywork, and cleaning

Based on the client goals, I drafted my research goals:

• To better understand the degree to which this app enables homeowners to connect with the best service provider for their situation

• To identify parts of key user task flows that match users’ expectations

• To identify opportunities for improvement in key user task flows 

• To gather data that can inform suggestions for improvement to key user task flows

I performed a heuristic analysis on the app to get a sense design flaws and usability issues to test with users.

It revealed structural and functional issues. Because the app was only partially built out, the functionality issues hindered the usability evaluation to some degree.

Page of my heuristic analysis of the HomesRunner App

Test usability issues with real users to uncover usability problems…

Based on the client goals and my research goals, I came up with 8 tasks to test with users:

• Task #1: Get bids from service providers on a home project that needs to be done
• Task #2: Book a provider for immediate ASAP work (‘on-demand’)
• Task #3: Select and book a preferred service provider
• Task #4: Cancel a booked service
• Task #5: Check previous bookings for the scheduled appointment time, provider name and booking status

I asked users to describe their actions out loud as they performed them to get a sense of what they were thinking as they used the app. This form of usability testing is called Think Aloud Protocol.

Observing users with the app on Zoom

Key Findings

The app had different or missing copy and features depending on the phone and the OS.

The designs of signifiers and their different functions were not differentiated from each other and the copy was not clear so when it came accomplishing a task, test participants were left frustrated instead of empowered.

Prototype The Solution

I wrote and included prototypes in a “Key Findings and Recommendations Report” based on my usability research findings.

The ease with which tasks were completed were difficult to quantify because many participants got stuck and were unable to complete most of the tasks.

Some of the issues keeping the participants from completing tasks were functionality issues rather than usability issues because the app was not finished.

Therefore, research on the usability of some important tasks could not be conducted.

In the report, I focused on the crucial usability issues identified on the main data entry page, highlighting inconsistencies in system indicators and unclear or absent guidance/copy, which pose challenges for users.

I provided simple recommendations accompanied by design solutions to address these concerns.

Conclusion & Next Steps

• I recommend making the user experience as uniform as possible for all phones and operating systems.

• I recommend implementing the changes about having consistent signifiers and clear copy.

• I recommend adding more functionality to the app and testing it again on several different users, not just the target demographic of homeowners because some people who are not homeowners tight now might be in the future.

All eight test participants also expressed that a lack of a paywall might render the ratings and reviews of different service providers untrustworthy. Something to consider looking into, perhaps in A/B testing where one version has a subscription and one does not to see how participants feel about trust while using it.

Overall, I found that functionality issues and inconsistent experiences across platforms can really hinder usability testing and therefore create problems for the research team and result in incomplete data