Website Usability Evaluation & Redesign
Summary: TLDR
Skybox Gym wanted to know how well their website was meeting the needs of its users, including both current and potential customers. Usability testing discovered the website does successfully convey the gyms look, feel and mission. However, users had trouble finding and understanding the different membership options and deals, and felt that experiences such as booking a class could be more efficient. The recommendations included improvements to the findability, language, and hierarchy of information on the website, to create a more efficient and uncomplicated experience for gym members and future customers.
Role: UX Research & Designer
Methods: Heuristic Evaluation, Usability Testing, Think Aloud Protocol
Client: Skybox Gym
Tools: Figma, Google Docs, Google Slides, Zoom, Miro
Deliverables: Heuristic Evaluation, Evaluation Plan, Findings and Recommendations Report
Instructor Led Group Workout Classes
Skybox Gym is a locally owned gym in St. Louis Park, MN. The gym provides instructor-led group workout classes in addition to private training sessions. Skybox’s mission is to help members live balanced lives by taking a physical, mental and social approach to fitness. The gym’s core beliefs are centered around functional and effective workouts, making real connections with members, and providing a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Increased clarity and ease for current and potential customers
Finding ways to incorporate fitness into a busy life can be tough. Many people choose to join a gym, but finding the right gym can be challenging, especially when important information on the website is hard to find or difficult to understand.
A heuristic evaluation of the Skybox Gym website helped to develop a hypothesis of potential areas for opportunity, such as unclear membership options and unintuitive navigation. After conducting usability testing with Skybox’s primary user group, we confirmed that users had difficulty both locating and understanding the different membership options. Additionally, current members felt that a key function of the website, booking a class, could be more efficient.
But how did we come to these conclusions?
Understanding how well the current website meets users’ needs
Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing helped us answer our research goals.
Heuristic Evaluation:
A heuristic evaluation was completed focusing on several key task flows:
Finding and viewing pricing and membership options
Booking a class
Understand the look and feel of Skybox classes
Remote Usability Testing on Zoom
Usability Testing:
Evaluation Plan Included:
9 participants
30 minute, remote sessions
6 Key Tasks
Think aloud protocol
1 moderator, 3 note takers
Synthesis revealed valuable insights around the current user experience
After conducting the remote usability tests, our team used Miro to synthesize and draw insights from our testing sessions.
Team Synthesis
Individual Synthesis
Key Findings: Skybox Website Successes
The website successfully conveys the look, feel and mission of the Skybox gym and classes
Users liked the look and branding of the website
Users were able to quickly and easily find contact information
Key Findings: Skybox Website- Areas of Opportunity
Pricing information and deals for new customers are hard to find
Membership options are confusing
Booking a class could be more efficient
Recommendations for increased clarity and ease
The following recommendations were made, from highest to lowest priority.
Redesigned display of membership options with improved findability, language and hierarchy to increase clarity and understanding. The display is immediately viewable upon clicking pricing.
From Findings & Recommendations Report:
Increased efficiency while booking a class by removing the large map, which users felt was unnecessary and slowed down the process
From Findings & Recommendations Report:
Improved home screen with only minor adjustments to increase visibility and findability of the “First Class Free” and “You Belong Here” headings. The splash video remains unchanged and is an essential part of communicating the look and feel of Skybox gym’s classes and environments.
From Findings and Recommendations Report:
Next Steps
If given the opportunity to continue working with Skybox Gym, I would like to do continued work with their pricing page. The display of the pricing and membership options proved to be the biggest concern for users and area of opportunity. I am confident that the recommended design greatly improved the clarity of the information due to improved visibility, hierarchy and navigation. However, A/B testing could confirm, and give further insight on how best to display that information so that customers can easily and quickly understand the different membership options. This is a priority that could potentially have a big impact on the company, the current members, and future potential customers.