When creating a public facing app, especially one for a small non-profit, ease of use is a crucial element. As the researcher for this user testing, it was imperative to collect the thoughts of participants about this.

The easier an app is to use – the easier it is for users to keep using the app.

What is usability testing?

This kind of study looks at the functionality of an app by observing real people as they are completing tasks given to them by the researcher(s). Benefits of conducting this kind of study include identifying areas of complexity, how long it takes to complete a task, and to see if consumers are satisfied with the site.

Respondants attempt to complete tasks without guidance from researchers. Their responses are recorded for later analyzation. The prompts will be based on predicted app usage and how Walking For Rochester’s audience would use the app.

What is Walking For Rochester?

Walking For Rochester is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in Rochester, NY. What exactly do they do for the community? They host weekly Community Cleanups, plan private Corporate Cleanups for businesses/teams, offer a Volunteer Program to record service hours, and have a Litter Removal Service.

The process of creating a prototype for an app that already exists, and then trying to include changes was tricky. The stylistic portions are not there, because the images in the background of the app screenshots weren’t something I had access to.

Overall, the process of creating this from low-fidelity sketches and then implementing the changes in Pop by Marvel, a prototyping application, was pretty seamless. Although, the application needs some updates, maybe they can talk to Canva on how to have a user friendly interface.

Watch the user testing here