FY21-Q1 Manage UX OKR: Tables - end-user usability testing

What’s this issue all about?

Solution validation - This issue documents our research plan for Manage UX's OKR experiment:

Create/update designs & documentation for 1x user-validated Pajamas components, and reflect on this experience to provide feedback/recommendations on PJ's process, structure and content.

There are 3 main streams of inquiry around solution validation for the table component :

  1. End-user usability testing:
    • Testing existing patterns around functionality, styles, states & accessibility
    • Testing new patterns around functionality, styles, states & accessibility
  2. GitLab design/developer usability testing:
    • Testing how effective PJs design system is when using the table component in feature work
    • Understanding workflows, workarounds & pains when using table component
  3. Secondary/desktop research:
    • Summary of accessibility considerations for tables
    • Audit of existing instances/variations of the table component within GitLab
    • Analysis/inspiration of table components/documentation in other design systems

Who is the target user of the feature?

  • Users
    • All roles
  • GitLab team
    • Product Designers - new / experienced
    • FE engineers - new / experienced
    • Broader org?

What questions are you trying to answer?

See our Mural for our ideation and prioritisation on which table component topics to explore...

Core questions

  1. End-user usability testing:
    • Existing functionality - What are the key use cases and interactions where tables are used in GitLab? What are the pain points and workarounds?
      • Search
      • Pagination
    • New functionality - Can users understand and utilise the additional functionality? Have they seen this functionality before? How does this functionality help the user in a task-based exercise?
      • Sorting
      • Inline actions
      • Expandable rows
      • User-defined table dimensions
    • New styles / layouts - Which styles/layouts do users like from a utility, usability & desirability standpoint?
      • Mobile responsiveness
      • Zebra stripes row

What hypotheses and/or assumptions do you have?

  1. End-user usability testing:
    • Note: Hypotheses/assumptions will be created in-context for the additional component functionality/styles/layouts design in research stimuli
    • Existing search and pagination are understandable and usable for users
    • Users will want a variety of mobile-responsive layouts depending on use case and context

Methods

  1. End-user usability testing:
    • Broad survey to test new & existing functionality & styles
    • Usability testing bundled alongside feature research as mentioned in this issue - 5x external users
      • Potential feature work to bundle with...
        • Table of compliance credentials
        • Project health analytics
        • Predictability analytics

What decisions will you make based on the research findings?

  1. Add designs for updated functionality, styles, states & accessibility of table component
  2. Update documentation and specs for table component
  3. Provide recommendations for improving PJs structure, process & content

When do you need this research to be completed? (Milestone or date)

Deadline: End of FY21-Q1

FY21-Q1 Manage UX OKR: Tables - end-user usability testing Manage_OKR_plan

See &2486 for full plan

Progress

  • Nick: Finalize design artifacts for testing [Deadline: TBD]
  • Katherine: Create a recruitment request - #753 [Deadline: TBD]
  • Katherine: Create screener survey [Deadline: TBD]
    • Emily: Send screener to GitLab First Look and schedule participants [Deadline: TBD]
  • Nick: Draft script for usability testing based on prototype (training) [Deadline: TBD]
    • Katherine: Finalize testing script [Deadline: TBD]
  • Nick: Conduct usability testing sessions [Deadline: TBD]
  • Katherine: Update recruting request with incentives - #753 [Deadline: TBD]
  • Nick, Katherine: Analyze notes and synthesize findings [Deadline: TBD]
  • Nick: Document insights as issues in the Insights Repository [Deadline: TBD]

Research training resources: https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/ux-research-training/

Links

Edited by Nick Post