My Role: UX Researcher | Duration: 2 Weeks | Project Status: Ongoing

Project Overview

At the end of last year, Zoom had 10 million daily meeting participants; however, four months later that number dramatically increased to more than 300 million daily meeting participants. The sudden shift towards virtual communication changed the way we engage with one another. In a recent research study, I worked with a team of three to address the issues we face using Zoom as a tool to stay connected.

Scope of Work

We used research to form insights into a major issue that is keeping people from virtually engaging with others in a way where they can be their true selves. From this research, we created a new feature in Zoom that can enhance virtual communication. This feature was then tested through usability testing and revised so that it can have the most impact on its users.

Process

The double diamond research method was utilized throughout to help guide the entire process from start to finish.

Problem Space Statement (Hypothesis Assumptions)

Based on the insights from the initial scope and observations, we formed a hypothesis that directed the problem statement and the rest of the methods used to conduct the research. This is the hypothesis that we formed from general observation, people are finding it difficult to stay engaged on remote apps because of a lack of expression. Assumptions were identified and listed as a way to help us eliminate areas of bias within the research.

Initial problem statement that orients the subject and scope of work.

How might we enhance the interactions between individuals within group settings during the use of remote communication?

RESEARCH PHASE

We began the research by coming up with a list of questions to help us gain a deeper understanding of the issues and the desires of people who frequently use Zoom.

Goal of Research

These questions structured the test script for our research that helped validate the problem statement. We learned that it is important to use guided questions to initiate the conversation when conducting research. These questions provided a path for the host; ultimately it is desired to have the discussion flow naturally so that we can wholesome answers.

Methodology

We chose five candidates to interview and transcribed each conversation and highlighted key findings using Affinity Mapping.

Synthesis » Affinity Mapping

This is a research method that focuses on synthesizing and extracting key trends within the interviews. The key trends were then grouped into similar categories and made into “I statements” and insights.

Key Insight
Team members and collaborators are finding it hard to maintain a solid connection to wifi when they connect online.

• Users seek to engage in apps that are frequently used by those in their social circles and work industry
• Users are finding it hard to complete tasks because of compatibility issues amongst the devices of their peers or colleagues
• Team members and collaborators are finding it hard to maintain a solid connection to wifi when they connect online

Persona

These findings were used to provide the foundation for a persona. Using a persona for research allows for a personalized understanding of the combined interviews. The persona is a fictional user that synthesizes the five interviewee’s into one, it serves as a reference point throughout the design phase.

Revised Problem Statement

RESEARCH » DESIGN

Once the research was conducted we revised the initial problem statement and found out that based on the insights that the initial problem statement was invalidated. From here we used the insights to form a new problem statement which was, how might we maintain the connection between individuals during the moments when Wi-Fi drops or when devices are not compatible? The revised problem statement was used to establish a new feature in Zoom that provides a way for users to stay connected by including their phone numbers to their account.

DESIGN PHASE (Design + Deliver)

Low fidelity wireframes were hand-sketched on paper that included the design of the new feature. A wire flow was then created to show how it would operate. From there we began the first round of usability tests using Figma to create a prototype. Figma was a new tool that we learned how to use to aid us in gathering data. We learned how to implement its interactive features to test clicks and the time it took for a user to complete the task. These tests included five users and they lasted over two days. To conduct the test, a usability script was created to guide the user through the questions. We recorded physical reactions, additional comments, and other information that allowed for a deeper understanding of how effective the new feature was. Here is an example of the wire flow that was used to conduct the first round of tests.

MVP Reveal

A second round of ideation was conducted to improve upon the key issues that were found with the first test. The main changes that were made included removing the swipe function to initiate adding your phone to your account, and completely removing the third interface to provide for a more streamlined experience for users.

Design Studio: Sketching + Concepting

We noticed many people would initially click join, meeting, and settings to add their phone number to their account so that they can get back into the meeting. We learned that wording and phrasing are important when creating the test script and the task. Setting up the context can make or break how well an interviewee conducts the test. Below is an annotated example of the first page with some of the findings from the first usability test.

Findings
We noticed many people would initially click join, meeting, and settings to add their phone number to their account so that they can get back into the meeting.=

Mid-fidelity Screens

The second test was done using mid-fidelity wireframes created in Figma. These tests included an additional five users and lasted over two days. The same script and task were used to keep the findings consistent with the first test. Scorecards were used to illustrate the changes between the two tests.

Findings
The average success rate increased by 10% and average time on task rate decreased by 39.944 seconds.

User Testing: First Round / Second Round

Some of the key findings in the scorecards show the difference between the easiness rating, the average time on task, and the average success rate. After making the changes to the prototype the easiness rating increased. The average success rate increased by 10% and the average time on task rate decreased by 39.944 seconds. Learning to create the scorecard helps to quickly communicate the changes between each test.

Recommendations + Implementation + Next Steps

The main takeaways from our findings revealed that users were on board with adding their personal phone numbers to their Zoom accounts to connect to their virtual communities if their Wi-Fi was unreliable. The next steps to improve this feature would be to add a prompt informing the user they would be receiving automated callbacks after their Wifi disconnected for future calls.

Please find the prototype view the new feature here:
https://www.figma.com/proto/4j75U8ClfgaGkKlBTDlVK0/Lauren_Sloan_P1b_ProjectReport?node-id=2%3A34&viewport=2018%2C-718%2C0.9655981063842773&scaling=scale-down