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File-by-File MR diff navigation Product Discovery - User Research

What’s this issue all about?

groupsource code led a sprint focused on improving the performance and usability of merge request diff navigation. (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/62536)

Proposed solution: file-by-file diff navigation mode.

“Details and discussion” tab “Changes” tab “Changes” tab scrolled
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(source: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/62536#note_206418309)

Who is the target user of the feature?

Any GitLab users who use the Merge Request feature.

What questions are you trying to answer?

Core questions
  • How do users describe the current file-by-file navigation experience?
  • What would they like to improve about this experience?
Usability questions
  • Do users understand how to "enter" and exit file-by-file diff navigation mode?
  • Are users able to navigate between files and changes?
  • Can users identify the MR and file they're looking at within this view?
  • What works well or could be improved about the proposed solution?
  • On a scale of 1-5, how useful do users find this feature for their workflows? 1 = not very useful, 5 = very useful.
Design evaluation
  • What do users like and not like about this feature proposal?
    • Is it viewed as comparable, better or worse than the current experience? Why? In what areas?

What hypotheses and/or assumptions do you have?

  • Users will be able to complete tasks more successfully in file-by-file navigation mode (faster, more accurately).
  • Users will find information faster with MR tabs moved to the top.

What decisions will you make based on the research findings?

Implementation of the proposed solution and further improvements.

Methodology

Progress

  • Draft testing script [Deadline: Mon Sept 30th]
    • Finalize testing script [Deadline: Tues Oct 1st]
  • Write screener survey [Deadline: Mon Sept 30th]
  • Send screener survey out to segment of GitLab First Look users [Deadline: Mon Sept 30th]
  • Schedule 5-6 users [Deadline: Weds Oct 2nd]
    • User 1 - Monday, October 7, 2019 at 7:15am PT / 14:15 UTC
    • User 2 - Monday, October 7, 2019 at 8am PT / 15:00 UTC
    • User 3 - Thursday, October 10 at 12:30pm PT
  • Conduct testing sessions [Deadline: Fri Oct 4th]
  • Purchase Amazon gift cards [Deadline: Fri Oct 11th]
  • Discuss research findings [Deadline: Tues Oct 15th]
  • Document insights as issues in the Insights Repository [Deadline: Tues Oct 15th]

Links

Edited by Pedro Moreira da Silva