The National Ballet of Canada
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The National Ballet of Canada
My Role
UX Research| UX Designer
Timeline
Two Weeks
Project Type
Heuristic Evaluation
Platform
Webpage
The National Ballet of Canada is a ballet company focused on exemplifying artistic excellence to the highest international standard by attracting, nurturing, and developing the artistry and talent of the best dancers and musicians. They offer a direct access page for patrons of the art who wish to enjoy top-quality performances.
Context
Being a dancer myself, I have always enjoyed performing arts, and watching performances at important theaters is always a dream. For this project, I worked alongside two UX Designers evaluating the usability of an existing company, the National Ballet of Canada.
During the pandemic, companies had to adapt their selling method from in-store to online purchases. The National Ballet of Canada had to prioritize giving the user an effortless experience while maintaining their high international standards.
Goal
To evaluate the usability of the National Ballet of Canada website using Neilsen 10 Usability Heuristics and provide a corresponding solution.
Given solutions should simplify and improve the experience of the user when buying tickets online.
01
Background information
About
The National Ballet of Canada webpage allows the user to buy tickets to their preferred performance on their preferred date and seat section.
We focused on the negative findings during the process to help us better understand the severity of the issues found.
Task
One single task was used to evaluate the usability of their site.
Purchase two tickets to The Nutcracker for your desired date and seating arrangement, complete the entire checkout process.
Usability Severity Scale
We adhered to the following scale throughout the evaluation to ensure consistency.
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This system of measurement is categorized from 0 to 4. 0 meaning "No Usability Issues" and 4 being a "Usability Catastrophe."
Current Experience
The following video demonstrates the current experience of users when trying to buy tickets from their webpage.
02
Evaluation Findings
Findings
We focused on the findings that implied the greatest usability issues for the task on hand. I will be displaying the usability finding alongside the solution provided by my team to improve the user experience.
1.
Help User Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Error
Problem
On the list of performance dates the user is able to click on dates that tickets are not on sale.
Severity Scale
3- Major Usability Problem
Recommendation
Our proposal for this screen is to modify the list view into a calendar view that showcases the dates and times available to weight down the cognitive load of the user. In addition, the user would not be able to select the dates on the calendar where tickets are sold out
Original design
Redesign
2.
Match Between System and the Real World
Problem
The discrepancy between icon and description. A cart icon is used at the bottom of the screen, yet the text tells the user to view seats rather than view the cart.
Severity Scale
Recommendation
Our redesign solution consists of modifying the icon to better symbolize the intent of view seats selected. The icon used will assist the user at understanding the relationship between the text and the icon making the flow more natural
1- Cosmetic Problem
Original design
Redesign
3.
User Control and Freedom
Problem
The user is not able to delete or change their selected seats without having to start the process over again.
Recommendation
Our redesign solution consists of giving the user the option to remove the tickets one by one without restarting the process.
Severity Scale
4- Usability Catastrophe
Original design
Redesign
4.
Consistency and Standards
Problem
The location of the promo code bar does not follow industry standards.
Severity Scale
3- Major Usability Problem
Recommendation
To fix it we designed a checkout page that follows industry standards by locating the promo code bar close to the checkout button. This location will remind the user to enter their promo code before completing their checkout
Original design
Redesign
5.
Error Prevention
Problem
The similarity in button style increases the risk of the user accidentally clicking on the wrong action.
Severity Scale
3- Major Usability Problem
Recommendation
To solve this issue we modified the style of the buttons by providing greater contrast between both buttons and being consistent with previous buttons so the user is already familiar with the style but can distinguish between the importance of each button.
Original design
Redesign