User experience audit: optimizing Nectaar's mobile app
Nectaar is a mobile application for discovering and booking cultural and leisure events throughout Paris with a monthly subscription. All the events have been tested and approved by the Nectaar team before being featured on the application. The application was launched in 2023; however, it faces user experience challenges that hinder its full potential. This is the reason why the CEO has tasked me with conducting a comprehensive audit of the app.
The objective of this project was to identify and address user experience issues within the Nectaar application to improve user satisfaction, retention, and engagement. I used the following methodology:
Objective and methodology
Competitive analysis: analyzed features, design elements, and user feedback from competitor applications to benchmark against industry standards.
Heuristic analysis: employed recognized usability principles to systematically evaluate the application's design against established heuristics, identifying areas of non-compliance and usability issues.
Usability testing: conducted in-depth usability tests with 30 participants in real-world settings, including streets, parks, and bars, to assess the application's navigation, responsiveness, clarity, and desirability in authentic usage contexts. This approach provided valuable insights into user interactions and experiences under varied environmental conditions.
Desirability testing: gathering qualitative feedback on participants' perceptions of the application's appeal and concept. This involved obtaining words or phrases that participants associated with the application's visual appeal and concept, as well as gathering opinions on its strengths and weaknesses.
Key observations
Disconnections and technical issues:
Research revealed that a majority of users experienced frequent disconnections and technical glitches, leading to frustration and abandonment.
The app is unusable at times when the developer is actively improving it and no notification or messages are provided to inform users about this temporary inconvenience.
Button unresponsiveness and misunderstanding:
Our usability tests revealed that the majority of participants encountered difficulties interacting with navigation buttons, especially the back button, deemed too small and unresponsive.
Users have reported instances where certain buttons fail to execute the expected action, leading to confusion and frustration.
Navigation challenges:
Usability testing uncovered difficulties in navigating the application, particularly in locating essential features such as event filters and account settings.
Users struggled to find their way back to previous pages or encountered dead-end navigation paths, resulting in a disjointed user experience.
Outdated user interface:
A comparative analysis with competitor applications uncovered that Nectaar's user interface lacks modernity and dynamism.
Users expressed a preference for applications offering a more contemporary aesthetic and smooth animations, indicating a need for visual appeal improvement in Nectaar. One participant succinctly summarized this by stating, “Colors lacks dynamism and punch”.
Unclear wording:
During usability tests, we observed that labels and descriptions in the application were often too lengthy and unclear, leading to user confusion.
Mistakes in wording, such as spelling or grammatical errors, undermine user confidence and credibility, potentially impacting the app's reputation and user satisfaction. As one participant expressed, 'Spelling mistakes don't give me confidence in the application, I'm afraid to make a reservation'.
Lack of communication and error prevention:
Users reported confusion and frustration due to unclear error messages, especially during login and payment processes. Most of the users struggled to understand cryptic error messages: lack of informative feedback and guidance led to user uncertainty and hesitancy in completing transactions or troubleshooting issues independently, resulting in an increased abandonment rate.
Users also expressed uncertainty about the concept of the application, particularly regarding the possibility of sharing subscription seats, stating, 'I don't feel like sharing the seats of my subscription is possible, this point must be clarified because it can be very attractive'. This highlights the need for clearer communication regarding the application's features and functionalities.
Mitigating desirability testing:
The desirability testing reveals mixed feedback regarding the Nectaar application's appeal and concept. While some participants acknowledge its potential, simplicity, and organization, others criticize its dullness, unfinished feel, and lack of aesthetic appeal.
The concept receives positive remarks for offering unconventional activities, discounts, and proximity but faces criticism regarding the subscription model's perceived value and relevance to participants' current outing frequency, as illustrated by the comment of an interviewee, 'I like the concept but for now, I don't do enough outings to subscribe'.
Recommendations
Streamline navigation and Information Architecture:
Conduct a thorough redesign of the application's navigation structure to simplify user journeys and improve discoverability of key features.
Introduce intuitive navigation aids such as breadcrumbs, contextual menus, and search functionality to enhance user orientation within the application.
Accessibility considerations:
Revise the size and placement of navigation buttons to make them more accessible and responsive, considering ergonomic recommendations for mobile interfaces.
Incorporate accessibility guidelines such as providing sufficient color contrast, ensuring text legibility, and offering alternative navigation options for users with disabilities.
Modernizing modernizing user interface:
Refresh the application's visual identity, incorporating modern design principles, vibrant color palettes, and interactive elements.
Conduct A/B testing to validate design iterations and ensure alignment with user preferences and brand objectives.
Clarifying wording:
Simplify and clarify labels and event descriptions for intuitive understanding, focusing on clarity and conciseness.
Ensuring accuracy in all textual elements to maintain user trust and enhance the overall user experience.
Proactive communication:
Provide contextual guidance to assist users when encountering technical issues, offering practical solutions to resolve encountered problems.
Revise error messages and system prompts to provide clear, actionable guidance to users encountering technical or operational issues.
Optimizing stability:
Prioritize development efforts to resolve disconnection issues and enhance application stability, leveraging user incident reports.
Implement proactive notifications to inform users of scheduled maintenance and system updates to reduce service interruptions.
Iterative Design Process:
Conduct A/B testing and involve users in the design process to refine design elements based on real user feedback. This iterative approach ensures that the app remains relevant and competitive in the long term.
Refine Subscription Model:
Address concerns about the subscription model's perceived value by offering more flexible pricing options, such as pay-per-event or tiered subscription plans based on usage frequency.
Highlight the benefits and unique features of the subscription to encourage sign-ups.
Expected outcomes
By implementing these recommendations, Nectaar aims to significantly enhance user satisfaction, retention, and engagement metrics:
Reduced churn rate: a more stable and user-friendly application is expected to mitigate user attrition and increase user loyalty.
Improved conversion rates: streamlined navigation and enhanced visual appeal are anticipated to facilitate smoother user journeys and increase conversion rates for event bookings and transactions.
Enhanced brand perception: by prioritizing user feedback and delivering a superior user experience, Nectaar aims to strengthen its brand reputation and position in the competitive mobile application market.
Conclusion
The application audit has highlighted several opportunities for improvement for the Nectaar application. By incorporating user feedback and adopting a user-centric approach, the application will better meet the needs and expectations of its users while strengthening its position in the mobile entertainment application market.
This case study serves as a foundational resource for guiding the upcoming redesign of the Nectaar application. It offers a comprehensive view of the challenges faced and potential solutions, providing valuable insights to inform the redesign process effectively.
