Local, Maps, Yellow Pages Research | Yahoo!
Role: User Experience Researcher
I was responsible for providing research support to the product teams for more than seven different Yahoo! properties, related to listings and local information. This entailed listening to the teams, understanding the roadmap, identifying the teams' questions about users (both stated and tacit), and creating a custom research plan accordingly.
RITE Usability Study
- A Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation (RITE) usability study was conducted to test various designs regarding a new feature where users could plot multiple points on a single map.
Diary Study
- A diary study was conducted to understand users' strategies and needs regarding finding local information.
- The study was administered via an online form and a voicemail system.
- The findings resulted in an extensive IA of categories and behavioral patterns.
In-Field Usability Study
- A driving usability study was conducted in participants' vehicles to test the efficacy of various designs, as well as understand the context of how users read directions while driving.
- Prominent "R" and "L" graphics facilitated reading directions while driving.
- Previously there was a lot of confusion around the mileage of each step. Turn right and go 1.2 miles? Or go 1.2 miles then turn right? Testing various designs allowed the team to present a clean, effective solution.
Participatory Design
- Yahoo! decided to build a new property called Local. A participatory design session was conducted to uncover and define user needs regarding this new service.
- The session consisted of a series of guided exercises where participants brainstormed, discussed, sketched, and built artifacts to communicate their needs.
- A Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation (RITE) usability study was conducted to test various designs regarding a new feature where users could plot multiple points on a single map.