Report on testing page layouts piter.tv

Sample report on the study of the convenience of performing tasks on the page layouts of the PITER.TV website. Such testing allows you to identify design flaws even before page layout. As a rule, the results of such a study allow us to detect with sufficient accuracy the places that could later cause difficulties for visitors and reduce the level of website conversion. After identifying the problem areas of the layout, the designer can be given the task of correcting them within the framework of the already agreed design.

This report is published with the permission of the customer.

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Test conditions

Testing was conducted by the company I-tracker eye-tracker.ru on September 13, 2010.
The respondents were employees of the Grand Business Center in the amount of 10 people, including three men and seven women.
As tasks for testing, respondents were offered the following tasks:

1. Overall assessment of the design (pictures were used as an incentive, respondents were asked to say what the site would be about)
2. Search webcam section
3. Search the video news section and view the latest news.
4. View news on the map
5. Add your own video to the site
6. View main site rubrics

Additional materials

This report includes video recordings of test sessions and a map of attention in the original resolution.

Summary of Results and Recommendations

• At the first acquaintance with the site, respondents note that this is a news site, but do not associate it with the themes “Video” and “Petersburg”. Perhaps it is worth it to somehow accentuate.
• Unreasonably much attention at the first call selects the informer with the weather, as it is located on the site menu. It may be worth moving to another place.
• The “watch news release” button, despite its size and color, is not noticed by the respondents, both during the initial viewing of the layout and during the performance of the corresponding task.
• When searching for video novelties, respondents choose different sections, which indicates that the interface is not intuitive for this task. None of the respondents chose the player to view the news, the “watch news release” button was also almost not seen.
• Since an interactive map with a link to news items may become a “chip” of the site, it makes sense to consider adding the appropriate link to the main menu of the site.
• In the second version of the design (with added advertising), the top banner draws noticeable attention, and its content is associated with the site, changing the perception of the site. In addition, because of this banner, the main content of the page is shifted down and important blocks fall out of the visitor’s view.

Task 1: Overall Design Perception

The respondents were randomly shown two options for the layout of the main page of the site and were asked to describe what this site is about. All respondents, except one, noted “news”, but only one respondent was mentioned about “video” and “Petersburg”.

Attention maps for the first task

Layout 1	Layout 2
Map of attention by the number of views in the first 8 seconds	Map of attention by the number of views in the first 8 seconds
Attention map by relative time (percentage of time spent on viewing) for the first 8 seconds of viewing.	Attention map by relative time (percentage of time spent on viewing) for the first 8 seconds of viewing.
Map of attention by the number of views for all time viewing	Map of attention by the number of views for all time viewing
Attention map by relative time for all viewing	Attention map by relative time for all viewing

In the first design, advertising is absent and all visitors' attention is directed to the elements of the site - the menu and information blocks. In the second variant, a significant part of the attention is redistributed to advertising, and the appearance of ad units, especially the upper one, has a significant impact on the perception of the site as a whole, as it is perceived, to some extent, as the site header. In addition, in the second design variant, ad units shift information blocks with a map and thematic news off of the first screen, as a result of which some visitors may simply not pay attention to them.

It is also worth noting that the informer with the weather and exchange rates attracts undue attention. It may be worth thinking about changing its design (so that it is not perceived as an extra menu) or moving to another place.

We would also suggest considering options for enhancing emphasis on “video” and “peter”. Perhaps in the logo the word "Peter" should be written in Cyrillic.

Additionally, it should be noted that the “watch news release” button is practically not noticed by the respondents in any of the proposed designs.

Task 2: Search for webcam section.

All respondents coped with the task. Six of them clicked on the corresponding item of the main menu, and four clicked on the “Web Petersburg” block. The time from the beginning of the page to the click varies from 5 to 13 seconds, and the median for those who clicked on a menu item is 7 seconds, and for those who clicked on the “Petersburg Web” block - 11 seconds. This shows that respondents have no difficulty finding the appropriate link.

Attention maps for the second task

Attention map by number of views for all time

Attention map by relative time for all time

The absence of extraneous “hot zones” on the above attention cards indicates that the interface is well suited for solving this problem.

Task 3: Search for links to video news and the latest news.

The execution of this task caused considerable difficulties. The majority of respondents clicked on the “Your video” section, the next in popularity were the “News” sections and the “News by topic” information block. Two respondents clicked on the webcam section and the “watch news release” button. The time from the beginning of the page to the click ranged from three to thirty seconds.

Separately, it should be noted that the respondents almost did not pay attention to the main player. Perhaps this is due to the fact. that it is perceived as an ad unit, and not as an important part of the page content. Also, the “watch news release” button remains unnoticed, despite the fact that color and size are highlighted. Probably the fact is that visually it looks like a kind of lower ejection of the webcam block.

Perception maps for the third mission

Map by the number of views in the first 10 seconds of testing	Relative time map for the first 10 seconds of testing
Map by the number of views for the entire testing time	Map by relative time for the entire testing time

Four attention centers are clearly visible on the above attention cards: the main menu sections “News” and “Your video”, as well as the information block “News by topics” and the news headline in the player. This indicates that the interface is unintuitive, which is additionally underlined by the spread in the links chosen by the respondents. The main blocks for this task, the player and the button “Watch the news release”, were practically not seen by the respondents. We would recommend reworking the interface of these elements.

Task 4: find the news on the map.

During this task, the respondents were faced with the fact that the map in the second design version does not fit the first browser screen, i.e. not visible without scrolling. Because of this, part of the respondents found the card only after the operator’s reminder.

Attention maps for the fourth task

Map by the number of views in the first 10 seconds of testing	Relative time map for the first 10 seconds of testing
Map by the number of views for the entire testing time	Map by relative time for the entire testing time

From the cited attention cards it is clear that at the beginning of the assignment, the respondents' views wander mainly on the first page, and the news section attracts them. After the discovery of the map, the process does not cause problems, the respondents are well aware of the menu on the map and the information icons.
Since the map can become one of the most popular blocks of the site, we would recommend to consider the possibility of creating the corresponding main menu item or move the map higher so that it is visible without scrolling on the most common screens.

Task 5: add your video to the site.

The task was handled by all the respondents, and they didn’t have any difficulties in carrying out the task. The respondents very quickly decided that they needed the “Your video” section (in which, afterwards, the corresponding link will be located), and after the operator’s request, they quickly found the “Add Video” link on the main page.

The following maps of attention show that the views of the respondents are concentrated precisely in those areas that are required, which indicates the convenience of the site interface for solving this problem.

Attention maps for the fifth task

Map by the number of views in the first 10 seconds of testing	Relative time map for the first 10 seconds of testing
Map by the number of views for the entire testing time	Map by relative time for all time

Task 6: view the main sections.

In carrying out this task, first of all, the attention of respondents focused on sections of the main menu, but then all the main blocks of the page were successfully fixed.

Attention maps for the sixth task

Map by the number of views in the first 10 seconds of testing	Relative time map for the first 10 seconds of testing
Map by the number of views for the entire testing time	Map by relative time for all time