A 90% Approval Rating: Why Boston.com Believes in the Power of User Testing
Challenge
 |
View this image  |
Boston.com, one of the most visited regional news portals in the U.S., had grown organically since its inception in 1995 and required a redesign for its next phase of growth. Feedback showed that users of Boston.com were not aware of its vast offerings and wanted easier navigation for the site. In addition, the team wanted to introduce new ad positions to the design and create more editorial space to make more effective use of the Web “real estate.” Boston.com looked to Molecular to facilitate the usability testing of the prototype of its new site redesign.
Approach
Molecular conducted three rounds of usability testing for three prototype design sections: Sports, Arts and Entertainment, and News.
- Round 1 Results: While 65% of users felt that Boston.com was moving in the right direction with the new layout and organization, negative feedback was given about the navigation. Molecular made recommendations on how to improve the navigation and layout before the second round of testing.
- Round 2 Results: 80% of users felt that Boston.com was moving in the right direction, but liked the lower-level pages more than the home page. Molecular made recommendations on how to better balance content on the home page by keeping the site news-focused and displaying advertisements in a less intrusive manner.
- Round 3 Results: 90% of the users liked the new prototype. Based on this feedback, Molecular assessed that the Boston.com redesign was a strong improvement over the existing site.
Benefits
- 90% of users could successfully navigate through the site and easily find the information they were looking for.
- The promise to advertisers of increased revenues was validated, as customers felt that there was a sharper balance between advertising and editorial content.
- The expected increase in customer retention and satisfaction is designed to lead to stronger ad revenues.
