CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
BYU Menu Test
Usability Testing Report
Becky Tucker
7 January 2011
2
Table of Contents
Description of Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Summary of Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Mega Drop Down Menu vs. Simple Drop Down Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Academics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Admissions & Aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Campus Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
News & Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Service & Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3
Description of Testing
To test the navigation on the BYU Menu test website, 15 individuals affiliated with BYU were selected at
random to participate in testing: 5 faculty members, 5 staff members, and 5 students. Each participant was
directed to the test sites (byudesigndev.byu.edu/menu and byudesigndev.byu.edu/menu2) and was then
asked the following series of questions for each category on the test site:
Asked before participant views the drop down menu for this category:
1. What does the category “[category name]” mean to you? What would you expect to find there?
Asked after participant has viewed the drop down menu for this category:
2. Is there anything missing that you would expect to find there?
3. Which links (if any) do not fit under the category?
4. Would you rename this category? If so, what would you name it?
5. Which links (if any) are unclear?
All participants were also asked whether they preferred the mega drop down menu overall or the simple drop
down menu overall and why that was their preference.
In addition to this, the student participants were also asked to perform the following five tasks and their
navigation choices were recorded:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Locate “Workshops and Conferences”
Learn about and register for intramural sports
Pay tuition online
Find on-campus jobs
Register for classes
4
Summary of Findings
MEGA DROP DOWN MENU vs. SIMPLE DROP DOWN MENU:
 11 participants preferred the mega drop down menu
o The main reasons were that it is more aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly, and interesting.
o Other comments included:
 the icons need to be kept up-to-date and not be new things that are not on the list
already
 the icons are a good use of screen real estate
 the icons are not distracting
 the icons give the site the opportunity to highlight big or important things
 4 participants preferred the simple drop down menu
o 2 participants feel that the pictures are distracting and confusing in the mega drop down
menu.
o 1 participant said that he would prefer the mega if he were a new user, but prefers the simple
for himself.
ABOUT:
Brief summary of findings for the category entitled “About”:
 Participants liked the name of the category.
 Most participants felt that Jobs did not belong under “About” and when students were asked to find it,
they rarely were able to, even after some time.
 Safety, Giving, and Community were unclear to participants. They had varied ideas of where these links
would lead them and very few were sure of their destinations.
Task(s) performed by student participants:
 Find on-campus jobs
o All 5 students looked for jobs in “Campus Life” first.
o Categories looked under second, after “Campus Life”: “Admissions and Aid,” “Academics,”
and “Service and Faith”
o 2 students never found Jobs.
o 2 students found Jobs in “About” after looking for it in 3 other categories each.
Questions asked about the drop down menu:
What does the category “About” mean to you? What would you expect to
find there?
General information about BYU
Geographic information about BYU and Provo
Contact information (university, admissions, etc.)
Facts about BYU (statistics, student body, etc.)
Information about campus, campus map
Demographic information
Responses only appearing once:
 BYU’s affiliation with the LDS Church
 BYU’s mission statement
 Academic goals
Number of times this
response was repeated
17
5
5
4
3
2
5







Sporting programs
Purpose of BYU
President’s homepage link
Information about the Honor Code
A link to the bookstore
The history of BYU
A search bar
Is there anything missing that you would have expected to find there?
No
BYU mission statement
Responses only appearing once:
 Directions to BYU (including an address for a GPS)
 BYU directory
Which links (if any) do not fit under this category?
Jobs
Safety
Giving
None
President’s Office
Would you rename this category? If so, what would you name it?
No
Responses only appearing once:
 “General”
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 People generally like the name because it is standard for websites.
Which links (if any) are unclear?
Safety
Community
Giving
None
President’s Office
Jobs
Responses only appearing once:
 Directory
Number of times this
response was repeated
11
2
Number of times this
response was repeated
10
6
4
2
2
Number of times this
response was repeated
14
Number of times this
response was repeated
5
5
4
3
2
2
6
ACADEMICS:
Brief summary of findings for the category entitled “Academics”:
 Participants liked the name of the category.
 Most participants felt that most links were fitting for the category and that little was missing, if
anything.
 Participants were confused about how Route Y plays into this new system.
 When students were asked to register for classes, they tended to go to “Admissions and Aid” before
going to “Academics,” but they were all able to find it under “Academics” after one or two tries
under other categories.
Task(s) performed by student participants:
 Register for classes
o 4 participants went to “Admissions and Aid” before “Academics.”
o All participants were eventually able to find it under “Academics.”
o 3 participants looked under “Academics” second and 1 participant looked under
“Academics” first.
Questions asked about the drop down menu:
What does the category “Academics” mean to you? What would you expect
to find there?
Information about colleges and departments and links to their websites
Registration
Class Schedules
Class descriptions
Information about majors and minors
Student link (including scheduling, classes, registration, etc.)
A link to the library and other academic links (Writing Center, tutors, etc.)
Directories
Responses only appearing once:
 Academic units
 Academic calendars
 Information about advisement centers
 A link to the class catalog
 Transcripts
 AIM
 Route Y
 Rankings of school majors against other schools
 Signature cards
 Admissions
 Meal plan
 Financial center
Number of times this
response was repeated
10
9
7
4
4
3
3
2
7
Is there anything missing that you would have expected to find there?
Number of times this
response was repeated
9
2
Nothing
Something similar to Route Y
Responses only appearing once:
 Center for Teaching and Learning
 Course schedule (should be its own link)
 ORCA grants
 Advisement
 A link to Blackboard and/or Gradebook
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 1 participant likes the course catalog there and says it’s been hard to find in the past.
 Another participant like the links in this category in general.
Which links (if any) do not fit under this category?
Nothing
Salt Lake Center
Responses only appearing once:
 Internships
 Library
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 Academic Plans and One Stop could also go under “Admissions & Aid.”
Would you rename this category? If so, what would you name it?
No
Which links (if any) are unclear?
None
Continuing Education
Responses only appearing once:
 Internships
 Academic tools (who is this for?)
 Graduation
 One Stop
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 Some participants were wondering where Route Y comes in.
Number of times this
response was repeated
10
2
Number of times this
response was repeated
15
Number of times this
response was repeated
9
2
8
ADMISSIONS & AID:
Brief summary of findings for the category entitled “Admissions & Aid”:
 Most participants liked the name of the category.
 Students were able to find “Tuition Information” before “Pay Tuition,” but were otherwise quick to go
to “Admissions & Aid” to pay tuition online.
 Participants felt that the links in the drop down menu were fitting and that none were missing.
 Some participants felt that Visiting was unclear.
Task(s) performed by student participants:
 Pay tuition online
o All 5 participants looked under “Admissions & Aid” first.
o All 5 participants found Tuition Information first and some never noticed Pay Tuition at the
top of the drop down menu.
Questions asked about the drop down menu:
What does the category “Admissions & Aid” mean to you? What would
you expect to find there?
Financial aid
Scholarships
Admissions criteria and process
How to apply to BYU
Deadlines and amounts
Link to application
FAQ for prospective students
Online forms and documents
Links to FAFSA and financial office
Responses only appearing once:
 Check progress on application
 Course links (graduate and undergraduate)
 A link to the Honor Code
 Contact information
 Links to admissions for specific programs
 Transfer students
 On- and off-campus housing
Number of times this
response was repeated
14
10
8
7
4
4
3
2
2
Is there anything missing that you would have expected to find there?
Number of times this
response was repeated
14
No
Responses only appearing once:
 A link to Route Y
9
Which links (if any) do not fit under this category?
Number of times this
response was repeated
13
Nothing
Responses only appearing once:
 Pay tuition
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 A few participants felt that there were too many links under “Admissions” and that they should be
separated somehow.
Would you rename this category? If so, what would you name it?
No
Aid is ambiguous
Response only appearing once:
 Admissions is ambiguous
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 Maybe make “Admissions” and “Aid” two different categories.
Which links (if any) are unclear?
None
Visiting
Responses only appearing once:
 Student account
 Former students
 Be Smart (prospective students would need to read the caption)
Number of times this
response was repeated
13
2
Number of times this
response was repeated
11
2
10
ARTS:
Brief summary of findings for the category entitled “Arts”:
 Participants generally liked the name of the category.
 A few participants were confused by the link to Performing Arts Management.
Task(s) performed by student participants:
 N/A
Questions asked about the drop down menu:
What does the category “Arts” mean to you? What would you expect to
find there?
Museum exhibits
Performing arts
Calendar/schedule of performances for music, dance, and drama
What programs BYU offers in the arts
A link to the MOA
Buying tickets
Concert information
A link to the HFAC
Responses only appearing once:
 Information about general art program
 Cultural aspects of the university
 Broadcasting
Number of times this
response was repeated
10
8
8
4
4
4
3
2
Is there anything missing that you would have expected to find there?
Number of times this
response was repeated
9
2
2
No
All of the museums (it only has some)
Locations of the galleries
Responses only appearing once:
 Relevant art news
 Upcoming events
 Arts home (consistent with athletics)
 Broadcasts
 Calendar
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 The icons on the right are confusing: people might think that is all that’s going on on-campus as far
as the arts are concerned.
Which links (if any) do not fit under this category?
None
Special Collections
Performing arts management
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 Tickets could also be under Campus Life
Number of times this
response was repeated
10
2
2
11
Would you rename this category? If so, what would you name it?
No
Which links (if any) are unclear?
None
Performing arts management
Responses only appearing once:
 The icons on the right
 Performing arts series
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 It is unclear where the links to the different arts lead.
 The types of galleries that are present need to be specified.
Number of times this
response was repeated
15
Number of times this
response was repeated
12
2
12
ATHLETICS:
Brief summary of findings for the category entitled “Athletics”:
 Participants generally liked the name of the category.
 Participants were most confused by the links to the Store and Free Play.
 There was some objection to having intramurals under “Athletics.” Some participants felt it would be
better placed under “Campus Life.” However, when students were asked to find intramurals, they
were all able to quickly locate it under “Athletics.”
Task(s) performed by student participants:
 Learn about and register for intramural sports
o All 5 students immediately found intramurals in the “Athletics” category.
Questions asked about the drop down menu:
What does the category “Athletics” mean to you? What would you expect
to find there?
Schedules/calendars
Links to athletic pages
Information about athletic programs
Upcoming games and other events
Ticket sales
Intramurals
Teams that are competing during the season
Information about teams
Information about campus facilities for athletics
Rankings
Responses only appearing once:
 Publicity
 When BYU is playing the bowl game
 Scores
 Past accomplishments in athletics
 Athletics museum
 Human interest stories about athletes and coaches
 Sports news
 Extramurals
 Inter collegiate stuff
 Contact information
 BYUcougars.com separate from BYU
 Rosters
 Photos
Number of times this
response was repeated
11
5
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
13
Is there anything missing that you would have expected to find there?
No
Responses only appearing once:
 Legends museum
 Stats
 SFH and RB information
Which links (if any) do not fit under this category?
None
Store
Intramurals
Responses only appearing once:
 Free play
 Sports camps
Would you rename this category? If so, what would you name it?
Number of times this
response was repeated
12
Number of times this
response was repeated
9
3
2
Number of times this
response was repeated
14
No
Responses only appearing once:
 “Student Life and Athletics” if they are going to leave intramural, free play, etc. on there
Which links (if any) are unclear?
Free play
Store
None
Athletics
Responses only appearing once:
 Broadcast
 Cougar Club
Number of times this
response was repeated
7
5
3
2
14
CAMPUS LIFE:
Brief summary of findings for the category entitled “Campus Life”:
 Most participants liked the name of the category.
 3 participants were unhappy with the name, but the only suggestion for changing it was “Campus.”
 The top three things that participants felt were missing were:
o Outdoors Unlimited
o Jobs
o Intramurals
 A couple participants felt that the directory and computer rental should be found elsewhere.
 Services and Book Exchange were the most unclear links according to participants.
Task(s) performed by student participants:
 N/A
Questions asked about the drop down menu:
What does the category “Campus Life” mean to you? What would you
Number of times this
expect to find there?
response was repeated
Social activities and other events around campus
12
Services in the WILK (bookstore, food court, barber shop, post office,
8
flower shop, etc.)
Housing
6
Dining
6
Library
6
Intramurals
3
Clubs
3
BYUSA
3
Devotional and forum schedule
2
Student leadership
2
Health center
2
Counseling
2
Service/volunteer opportunities
2
Campus jobs
2
Information for new freshmen
2
Everything for students
2
Responses only appearing once:
 Free play
 Basic services
 Transportation (parking pass, bus, etc.)
 Some of the same things as are in arts and athletics but tailored to the student
 Safety
 Center for Service and Learning
 Freshman Academy
 Freshmen orientation
 Information about what happens when you’re here
 How to access “everything else”
 Things on campus (bookstore, library, main buildings, etc.)
15
 HumorU
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 Libraries could also be under academics
Is there anything missing that you would have expected to find there?
Number of times this
response was repeated
7
2
2
2
No
Intramurals
Student and other employment
Outdoors Unlimited
Responses only appearing once:
 Devotionals and forums
 A link to events in the community of Provo
 WILK student center (need to make it clear that the WILK is the student center)
 University police
 Arts
 Museums not mentioned in arts
 Testing Center
Which links (if any) do not fit under this category?
None
Directory (should be its own thing)
Computer rental (should be under IT somewhere)
Would you rename this category? If so, what would you name it?
No
Don’t like it but don’t have another suggestion
Responses only appearing once:
 “Campus”
Which links (if any) are unclear?
Services
None
Book exchange
Student life
Directory
Health
Transportation
Responses only appearing once:
 Entertainment
Number of times this
response was repeated
11
2
2
Number of times this
response was repeated
12
2
Number of times this
response was repeated
5
4
3
2
2
2
2
16
NEWS & EVENTS:
Brief summary of findings for the category entitled “News & Events”:
 About half of the participants felt that Events was not well represented in the category and that it was
too heavily broadcasting to be called “News & Events.” Some suggested putting “broadcasting” in
the title while others suggested making a separate column for events more focused on events.
 Some participants felt that Speeches and Devotionals did not fit in the category.
 More participants felt that upcoming events and recent news about BYU were missing from the
category than anything else.
 Some varied links were unclear, but none repeated a significant number of times.
Task(s) performed by student participants:
 N/A
Questions asked about the drop down menu:
What does the category “News & Events” mean to you? What would you
expect to find there?
Combined calendar with everything going on at the university
Daily Universe
Activities & events on campus
Things coming up with arts, athletic, etc.
Things happening in the news
Announcement of people who have gotten awards and recognitions
Press releases
Newsnet
Forum & devotional schedule
Newsletters
Recent events
Speakers that will be on campus
When there are alerts
Responses only appearing once:
 KBYU
 University news that comes out
 Stuff that administration wants to emphasize about the university
 Tour groups
 BYU broadcasting
 Church events
 A link to ticketing system
 BYU magazine
 News about campus and construction
 Alumni facts
Number of times this
response was repeated
8
6
5
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Is there anything missing that you would have expected to find there?
Number of times this
response was repeated
7
4
3
No
Upcoming events
Recent things that have been in the news
17
Watching football games online
Responses only appearing once:
 Performing arts events (even a link back to “Arts”)
 Varied calendars
 Past devotionals
2
Which links (if any) do not fit under this category?
Number of times this
response was repeated
11
3
None
Speeches and devotionals
Responses only appearing once:
 BYU broadcasting
Would you rename this category? If so, what would you name it?
No
Should be different if it’s going to be so heavy on broadcasting (“Events
and BYU Broadcasting”)
Events are not well represented
Which links (if any) are unclear?
None
Calendar (which calendar? are there different ones?)
Responses only appearing once:
 KBYU eleven 11
 Speeches and devotionals
 BYU news
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 Should the icons on the right be redundant?
Number of times this
response was repeated
9
4
4
Number of times this
response was repeated
11
2
18
SERVICE & FAITH:
Brief summary of findings for the category entitled “Service & Faith”:
 The links in this category were largely clear to all participants.
 6 participant did not like the name for this category for the following different reasons:
o Service is not well represented.
o It is unclear what type of service is in the category.
o EFY, Workshops and Conferences, Education Week, etc. should be under a different
category entitled “Events” or something similar.
 Several participants felt that EFY, Workshops and Conferences, and Education Week do not fit in this
category and should be in a different category.
 3 participants felt that BYUSA was missing from this category.
Task(s) performed by student participants:
 Locate “Workshops and Conferences”
o 2 participants went to “Academics” first; 1 participant went to “Campus Life” first; 2
participants went to “News & Events” first.
o No participants went to “Service & Faith” first; 3 participants went to “Service & Faith”
second.
o “Service and Faith” was the fifth place that 2 participants went.
Questions asked about the drop down menu:
What does the category “Service & Faith” mean to you? What would you
Number of times this
expect to find there?
response was repeated
A list of BYU wards and where they meet
8
Opportunities for outreach or service on campus
7
Lds.org
7
Devotionals and speeches
6
BYUSA
4
An explanation of BYU’s affiliation with the Church
3
Service institutions on campus
2
Links to where people can volunteer in the community
2
Responses only appearing once:
 Links to family history library
 Mission statement of BYU
 Giving from academics
 Boundary maps
 The Honor Code
 A letter from the president
 Mormon.org
 What service students have done in the past
 Y Serve
 Fundraising
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 A few of the participants weren’t sure what to find here.
 One participant expected service and faith to be a more integral part of the website.
 “Faith” is confusing.
19
Is there anything missing that you would have expected to find there?
No
BYUSA
Responses only appearing once:
 Things sponsored by other departments that have to do with faith
 Y Serve
Which links (if any) do not fit under this category?
Number of times this
response was repeated
9
3
Number of times this
response was repeated
7
7
6
4
EFY
Conferences and workshops
None
Education Week
Responses only appearing once:
 MTC
 Ward finder
General Comments and/or Conclusions:
 Those who said EFY, conferences and workshops, and Education Week didn't fit all suggested that
they be in their own, separate category with things like sports camps (perhaps entitled "Events").
Would you rename this category? If so, what would you name it?
No
“Events” or something else to separate EFY, conferences, etc.
“Outreach” or “Community” instead of “Service”
Service is not well represented
Which links (if any) are unclear?
None
LDS link
Responses appearing only once:
 Church sponsorship
 Distribution Center (which one?)
Number of times this
response was repeated
9
3
2
2
Number of times this
response was repeated
11
2
20
Recommendations
Use the mega drop down menu. The majority of participants liked this version better. They felt the icons
were not distracting, but eye-catching and interesting, and that they make the site more appealing. Participants
also felt that the icons are a great way to highlight current or upcoming events and other important items.
About:
 Consider removing Jobs from this category and placing it under “Campus Life.”
 Consider renaming or better explaining Service, Community, and Giving.
Academics:
 Consider somehow making it clear that registration is in this category, and not in “Admissions & Aid,”
or consider including it in both.
Admissions & Aid:
 Consider renaming or better explaining Visiting.
Arts:
 Consider renaming or better explaining Performing Arts Management.
 Consider better explaining the links to galleries and the different forms of art: Where do the links lead?
Athletics:
 Consider renaming or better explaining Store and Free Play.
 Consider including intramurals in both “Athletics” and “Campus Life.”
Campus Life:
 Consider including Outdoors Unlimited, jobs, and intramurals under this category.
 Consider a more obvious place for IT (where computer rentals could be found) as well as for the
directory.
 Consider renaming or better explaining Services and Book Exchange.
News & Events:
 Consider renaming this category to better representing how much BYU broadcasting is under it.
 Consider representing “Events” better in this category or creating a new category called “Events”
(perhaps with events mentioned in “Service & Faith” included).
 Consider including upcoming events as well.
 Consider including recent news about BYU in this category.
Service & Faith:
 Consider changing the name of this category and/or representing “Service” better and/or finding a
different place for EFY, conferences, Education Week, etc. (perhaps with sports camps and other
events available to non-students as mentioned above).
 Consider adding a link to BYUSA wherever “Service” is.