THE METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH BREAKDOWN

1. Stakeholder Interview: I met with stakeholders from several Fulton departments to identify website goals and pain points.

2. Observational Research & Empathy Map: I visited the taproom to observe customers and created empathy maps to identify potential customer experiences.

3. Site Analysis — Heuristic Analysis & Comparator Audit: I evaluated the current website for usability compliance and evaluated features against local comparators.

4. Benchmark Usability Testing: I conducted 4 usability tests to evaluate the current Fulton website and identify user likes/dislikes, pain points, and task completion.

5. Customer Surveys & Card Sorting Exercise: I surveyed 78 taproom visitors about their favorite features. I had 4 participants sort which of Fulton’s features were most important to them.

6. User Stories & Journey Maps: I created two simple user stories for the primary users to base the prototype on as well as a user journey map to identify touchpoints and opportunities.

7. Architectural Diagram — Site Map: I outlined the site architecture to create a map of high-level website pages and identify key screens for prototyping.

8. Prototyping: I created low-fidelity wireframes to establish a technical scope. I worked with senior UXers and a developer to review that the proposed features fit within the company’s technical goals. I then created a high-fidelity prototype for just the key screens based on the primary user flows from the first round of usability testing.

9. Prototype Usability Testing: I tested the high-fidelity wireframes with 3 participants in remote moderated usability tests and used these findings to identify potential wireframe adjustments.

KEY FINDINGS

I found that, overall, the site was working well for users but identified a few key pain points and opportunities to advance Fulton’s content and design before moving forward with a site redesign using a simple website builder. The current website is 450+ pages including separate pages for their full list of products and blog. A simplified website design would benefit customers looking for at-a-glance content for either products or taproom information.

7/7 of the tested users were interested in a high-level overview of offerings, so these key task flows could be easily prioritized in a simplified design. Customers wanted to see updates and information on the landing page, taproom info & updates, taproom menus, and product menu.

I heard from user surveys, card sorting, and a survey of 78 local taproom visitors that amenities were secondary or unimportant to them. People prioritized establishing basic expectations of the space and what the business had to offer. I also learned that 48% of participants marked that they do generally look up bar and taproom information on the web before visiting.

Prioritizing essential information for features and streamlining a few processes would greatly improve the usability for users. I met with UX mentors and consulted with a developer to make sure that my recommendations were achievable within Fulton’s technical specifications. I used these findings to develop and test an interactive prototype with a new set of users. I also created a findings and recommendations report of essential findings and research artifacts. Read on for more detailed information on the research and findings.

Survey Results also reflected what I heard in card sorting and usability testing:

Most Important

1). Great drink selection

2) Friendly staff

3). A variety of comfortable seating options

4) Patio Seating

5). Sense of Community/Social Aspect