Purpose

To test the help me find a permit wizard and file upload functionality.

Test session details

• 5 testers scheduled

  • Anne
    • Age 41
    • Disability benefits manager at the University of Minnesota
    • Avid camper and hiker
    • Has never applied for a National Forest permit but has used national parks and forests.
  • Danielle
    • Age 34
    • Creative Director
    • Competitive mountain bike racer
    • Has never applied for a National Forest permit but has used national forests.
  • Jeff
    • Age 50
    • Director of Strategic Sourcing at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
    • Competitive long distance runner
    • Has never applied for a National Forest permit but has used national parks and forests.
  • Kelly
    • Age 41
    • Instructor at a technical college
    • Camper and hiker
    • Has never applied for a National Forest permit but has used national parks and forests.
  • Dave
    • Age 52
    • Business Consultant
    • Avid camper and hiker in US and around the world.
    • Has never applied for a National Forest permit but has used national parks and forests frequently.

• 5 total testing sessions performed

• Reached out to testers who enjoy doing activities which could entail needing to apply for a non-commercial permit.

Session overview

Each tester was asked to navigate through the help me find a permit wizard.

Each tester was asked to perform uploading a file through the file upload functionality.

General outcomes

Anne

Wizard flow

Had no issues moving quickly through the process to the application. Understood clearly that the final screen would take her to the correct application. Used the phrases “Fast, easy” and “Was really simple”.

File upload

Uploaded files easily. No issues or confusion. Felt it was clear when upload was successful. Didn’t feel there was a need for a delete button. Felt that if she didn’t want that file uploaded and didn’t want to replace it she would most likely be abandoning the application anyway.

Danielle

Wizard flow

Thought the first two buttons on the landing page could have a more actionable CTA to match the third. Suggested a progress bar. I explained that the number of questions might change based on answers. She then agreed it would be more annoying to have the progress bar and have the steps change than to not have one.

File upload

Uploaded a PDF smoothly and quickly. Tried uploading an incorrect file type and thought the error message was clear. Suggested a “delete” and “replace” button after file was successfully uploaded. Wondered if users would understand that the instructions regarding all fields being required included the file upload.

Jeff

Wizard flow

Had no issues moving quickly through the process to the application. Felt like the final screen could look a bit more final, and look different from the other pages maybe like a success page. Said that it was “Pretty straightforward and works smoothly”.

File upload

Uploaded files easily with no issues or confusion. Felt it was clear when upload was successful.

Kelly

Wizard flow

Had no issues moving quickly through the process to the application. Thought the final screen of the wizard was another question and took a second to realize it was the final screen.

File upload

Uploaded files easily with no issues or confusion. Felt it was clear when upload was successful. Thought it would be unnecessary to have a delete button in addition to the replace button. Also thought it would be unlikely that anyone wouldn’t just upload the correct file initially. He thought that once seeing that the files were needed, he would abandon the form to prepare the files and then come back. So by the time he was uploading he would have had all the files ready and set aside.

Dave

Wizard flow

Had no issues moving quickly through the process to the application. Felt clear about the process and what he needed to do. Stated it was “Really simple and easy, no problem”.

File upload

Uploaded files easily. No issues or confusion. Felt it was clear when upload was successful. Didn’t feel there was a need for a delete button. Thought it was redundant, since the file is required, you’d have to replace it or use it.

Results and insights

• The only real pattern was that both paths were very successful with all users. Minimal to no confusion or delay.
• While there were not patterns of suggested improvements there are two pieces of feedback I think are valid.

File upload

Result:

• Danielle wondered if users would understand that the instructions regarding all fields being required included the file upload.

Recommendation:

• Put, “no file uploaded” and the file name in a field. If this in not possible, reword the instructions to include the file upload as well as the fields.

Wizard flow

Result:

• Jeff felt like the final screen could seem a bit more final, look different from the other pages, like a success page.
• Kelly thought the final screen of the wizard was another question and took a second to realize it was the final screen.

Recommendation:

• Alter the appearance of the final wizard screen that reveals the correct permit to look more like a final/success screen.