Conducted usability testing to validate whether usability issues during checkout were causing low conversion rates.
Background
Lower conversion rates were identified, and based on existing research, the Product team assumed it could have been related to the checkout flow. I was brought in to assess whether the conversion rates were affected by usability issues during checkout.
Research Goals
Based on existing research from customer support tickets and reviews, some areas were identified as potentially affecting conversion rates.
Current State
During checkout users upload a file, choose the service, create or sign in to their account, and process the payment.
Role and Collaboration
As the sole researcher, I led the project and also collaborated with Product Management and Design.
Research Methods
Unmoderated usability tests were conducted and reviewed to create a journey map.
Timeline
Because the tests were unmoderated, I completed the research project quickly and on time.
Recruitment
New users were recruited and screened through the Userzoom panel, and existing users were recruited from our own database. Unmoderated usability tests for new users were conducted on Userzoom, and tests for existing users were conducted on Userlytics.
Sample Questions
The test included instructions to go through the checkout, in addition to questions to identify pain points and gaps.
Analysis and Synthesis
Transcripts and recordings were uploaded to EnjoyHQ to be reviewed and tagged. An affinity map was then created from the highlights to find themes. From there, a journey map was created that identified actions, feelings, pain points, and delights.
Main Insights
I was able to identify a few critical themes related to security, error handling, and the value of add-ons.
Outputs and Deliverables
Insights were presented to Design and Product Management. Slides included insights per research question, clips from the recordings, next steps, and recommendations.
UI/UX Impact
The pain points that were identified were not impactful enough to affect conversion rates, as users were all able to complete checkout and overall felt it was safe. Still, updates were completed to solve the pain points that were found.
Big Picture Impact
While usability issues during checkout were not found to be the reason for low conversion rates (this was validated through analytics after updates were made), some insights pointed to other possible reasons, such as the content on the landing pages.
Next Steps
The next steps were planned to understand the possible reason for low conversion rates. These included interviews with churned customers and a deeper analysis of analytics.
Reflection
Through this project, I was able to identify pain points that when solved, improved the user experience. They did not though, increase conversion rates which was a company goal. This project was important because it helped us get closer to understanding conversion rates and what is important to our users.
Lucia Mata, MS 