Gramercy Cleaners
Usability Evaluation
Client: Gramercy Cleaners
Team: Amanda Snyder, Oladipo Aluko, Jenn Vang, Mike Norman, Melanie Bethke
My Roles: UX Research & Testing, UI Design
Methods: Heuristic Analysis, Usability Testing, Think-Aloud Protocol, Wireframing
Tools: Figma, Zoom, Powerpoint
TL;DR
Problem
The existing Gramercy Cleaners website does not provide users with the necessary information or processes to successfully complete primary tasks online.
Solution
Redesigned Home Page and Navigation Bar for improved visual hierarchy and findability of key information
Newly designed Contact page for ease of communication
Redesigned About Us page to highlight company history
Redesigned Services page to allow for online scheduling
PROJECT INTRODUCTION
Client Introduction
Gramercy Cleaners has provided laundry, dry cleaning, and tailoring services to the Gramercy Park neighborhood in New York City for over 30 years. Their website serves to provide new and returning customers with information regarding pricing and hours of operation, as well as their business and cleaning practices.
Gramercy Park Neighborhood, NYC
Project Goals
Gramercy Cleaners identified the following goals for this project:
🧺 Improving the information architecture and page layout
🧺 Improving the way menu items are displayed for clarity and navigation
🧺 Improving the aesthetics and communication of content
🧺 Reducing clicks/actions along primary task flows
🧺 Other suggested improvements
Screenshot of Gramercy Cleaners’ existing website
User Goals
Gramercy Cleaners wants their users to be able to:
🖥 Schedule pickup via online form
☎️ Schedule pickup via online phone
🧺 Inquire about specialized services
💵 Find pricing information
🕰 Find location and hours of operation
🧼 Find business and cleaning practices
RESEARCH
Usability Review
After conducting a usability review of the existing Gramercy Cleaners website using Jakob Nielsen’s Design Heuristics, I flagged two significant areas of concern:
Disclarity around key business information
No existing way to contact business or schedule services through site
These factors do not allow users to meet the goals that Gramercy cleaners has identified for its website.
I hypothesized that these two factors might drive potential new customers away from using Gramercy Cleaners.
Usability Testing
I collaborated with a small team to develop a usability test to assess my hypothesis and uncover other potential areas of opportunity.
Tests were completed in 30 minute Zoom sessions, using the Think-Aloud protocol as participants attempted to complete several of the primary tasks identified by Gramercy Cleaners.
11 Participants were recruited for testing:
5 previously used a laundry service
5 previously used dry cleaning or tailoring services
8 were responsible for household laundry
4 identified laundry as their least favorite chore
7 seek eco-friendly cleaning products
Participants were asked to complete 6 tasks:
🏠 View homepage and share initial impressions
🖥 Identify possible actions that could be taken using website
🗓 Schedule a pick-up for clothes laundering
🧼 Determine if company uses products that might bother sensitive skin
💵 Calculate price for dry cleaning and tailoring services
✂️ Determine tailor availability
Screenshot from Test Moderation
FINDINGS
Through Usability Testing, we discovered…
Users expect to schedule services using the website but are currently unable to
Users respond well to some aesthetic elements, but not others
Users wish to see more information about the company’s services and story
RECOMMENDATIONS
In response to user feedback and the initial usability review, I identified key pages of the site to redesign. I created high-fidelity wireframes of each redesigned page and included these screens along with annotations in a findings and recommendations report for the client.
The recommended changes were…
1) Implement updates to the layout of the Home page and Navigation bar
2) Create a NEW Contact page
3) Update About Us page to include history, images of business and company values
4) Redesign Services page to allow online scheduling
CONCLUSION
Next Steps
Were I to continue with this project, my next steps would include…
🧺 Turning my high-fidelity wireframes into an interactive prototype
🧺 Conducting a second round of usability testing with the prototype
🧺 Updating wires & prototype based on user feedback
Final Thoughts
The existing Gramercy Cleaners website communicates an identity of class and quality to users, but lacks clear information and the option of completing primary tasks online.
Gramercy has the opportunity to provide useful information to users on all pages of their website, including the About Us section, the FAQ section, a new Contact page, and an updated Services section of the site.
With updated Services section, users will be able to easily schedule online for laundry, dry cleaning, and alterations. This will ensure that users who are averse to calling, or who want to schedule during non-business hours, will stick with Gramercy Cleaners rather than seeking services elsewhere.