Xiao Shu is the first product I started to work on seriously. This article records some usability testing I did, solutions to the problems that arose, and some reflections of my own.
About Xiao Shu#
We used to spend a lot of effort on our homepage, but we never properly organized our bookmarks. Xiao Shu is a convenient and efficient new generation new tab browser extension that generates new tabs based on your bookmarks. It can be used as your browser homepage or just as a new tab. But from now on, you no longer need to manage bookmarks and an additional homepage at the same time.
Official website link: Xiao Shu
Testing Content#
I opened the official website to show it to the test subjects. I didn't give any prompts and observed whether the test subjects could install and open Xiao Shu smoothly.
If the test gets stuck for too long and the test subjects cannot proceed, I will provide minimal prompts.
First Test#
My first test subject was quite proficient, after all, they had experience installing userscripts.
Process#
They quickly figured out what browser they were using and installed the extension right away.
However, there is a major issue with the Edge browser. When installing a new tab extension, Edge will disable the extension and display a window with a link on how to enable it.
The test subject smoothly clicked on the link, but then got stuck. The test environment they were in didn't allow them to focus on reading the article. After a while, I prompted them to read the content, and they continued the test.
The second issue was that after enabling the extension, they didn't know what the extension was for, so they didn't consciously try to open a new tab.
The last issue was that Edge displayed the following window, and the test subject instinctively clicked on the × button. Fortunately, clicking × does not restore the settings.
Improvement#
As my first test subject, they were quite a "geeky" user. The process went smoothly for the most part. But I also noticed some shortcomings.
To address some of the issues, I created a welcome page for the extension. After installing and enabling the extension, it guides the user to open a new tab and click "Keep Changes".
However, as of November 7, 2021, the time of writing this article, the Edge version has not yet been approved, so the subsequent tests were conducted without the guidance.
Second Test#
The second test subject's process was also quite smooth, with almost no major issues. It didn't leave much of an impression on me.
Process#
The only issue encountered was the same as the first test subject, and I have to say that Edge's design without a prominent primary button wastes a lot of time for novice users.
Improvement#
I already made improvements to this issue based on the feedback from the first test subject.
Third Test#
The smooth operation of the first two test subjects surprised me, and the third test subject also surprised me. They went through the entire process without any hiccups. They had almost zero understanding of computers and had hardly ever used a computer before going to college.
Process#
Firstly, they didn't know what browser they were using, yes, it's that sad. So they spent a long time on the four buttons on the homepage. After I prompted them to look at the icons, they finally chose the correct browser.
Then, after clicking into the extension page, they got stuck again. They didn't know how to download the extension. It may be easy for those of us who are familiar with computer operations, but for them, it was like being lost in a maze. I have to complain about Microsoft's design here. The "Get" icon doesn't use an emphasized color, so users who have never been to this page before will get lost. The test subject scrolled down on this page and tried clicking on several links with emphasized colors, but unfortunately, none of them were the way to install the extension. Finally, after being prompted, they successfully installed the extension.
Unfortunately, they couldn't escape the problems encountered by others. They didn't understand the article in Edge quickly, and even on the extension page, they didn't know which button to click to enable it.
After enabling it, they also encountered the same issue as the previous user.
Improvement#
Changed the browser icons on the official website to colored ones instead of white.
Improved the welcome page.
And some problems that I couldn't solve, I don't know if I will come up with solutions in the future.
Fourth Test#
The fourth test subject also encountered some of the aforementioned issues to some extent, but by this time, there were some improvements, and the process was relatively smooth. I won't mention the repeated issues.
Issue#
After completing all the steps, it was time to launch the new tab page. However, this test subject encountered a new problem.
They had Lenovo Vantage installed on their computer, and the new tab page was forcibly set to Lenovo's new tab page. I manually set it for them, but this is not considered a solution.
This test also observed a brief usage process. When customizing the wallpaper, the test subject thought that the images that didn't load were pure black wallpapers.
And I also tested a special feature of Xiao Shu, the quick temporary search function, and found that adding search engines was not convenient.
Improvement#
Added image loading prompts, and will optimize image loading speed and add lazy loading in the future.
To highlight the importance of the skin feature, placed the custom skin feature on the homepage.
Added a custom search engine button.
Fifth Test#
This test subject was similar to the third test subject, belonging to the category of novices.
Issue#
They didn't know what browser they were using, but after hesitating for a while, they instinctively chose the first button, "Edge". It turns out that putting Edge in the first position was a very correct design choice.
Then they encountered the same problem as mentioned above. They also encountered the issue of the new tab page being locked, which the fourth test subject encountered.
It seems that the issue of the new tab page being locked needs to be addressed.
Improvement#
Addressed the difficulty of choice for novice users.
November 7, 2021