Sprint 05 Christmas tree ePermit research results December 12, 2017

Hypotheses tested

• What is the first thing people want to do when visiting the website? (SEE BELOW)
• What do people consider to be a rule? (SEE BELOW)
• Where would people expect the "Purchase permit" button to be located? (SEE BELOW)
• Do people understand why an email address is required on the purchase permit form? (NOT REALLY)
• Where do people expect to find instructions on displaying their permit after cutting a tree? (SEE BELOW)
• How do people expect to receive their permit(s) after purchasing? (SEE BELOW)
• Are people finding important information, such as dates and tree requirements, where they expect to find it on the page? (YES)
• Do people want to see more graphics within the content? (YES)

Participants

• Three people were unfamiliar with the Christmas tree permit application and were recruited from friends and family of the project.
• One person was familiar with the Christmas tree permit application and has participated in a previous usability test.

What is the first thing people want to do when visiting the website?

For most people, searching for the forest rules is first on their list of things to do when arriving at the website. One person was more interested in the cutting dates than the rules, but said the rules would be right behind. All people were interested in the cost of the permits but usually wanted to find and review the rules before investigating the cost. Everyone agreed that purchasing the permit was the most important thing on the website, but would still like to review the rules before purchasing a permit.

• "What are the dates I am eligible to do it, how much does it cost and what are the restrictions."
• "I want to know all the things that may impact my ability to get a Christmas tree."
• "Probably the rules...I would want to know what I am getting in to".
• "I would like to know how much the permit costs. I've never done this before, so it would be nice to know how much it will cost me."

What do people consider to be a rule?

Most people thought a rule would be something that resulted in some sort of consequence if broken in the forest. One user suggested displaying the bulleted list of rules as an FAQ section stating "An FAQ section might be more friendly than a 'Rules to know' section." Some people were confused when reviewing the rules due to their position within the bulleted lists. Two users suggested placing related items closer to each other or possibly grouping the rules. An example would be to place the "Take the whole tree - do not cut only the top of a standing tree." rule and place it next to the "You must leave a stump of XX inches or less." rule. Most people associated those two rules as being associated with each other.

• “Rules are anything that if you don't follow, you can expect to lose your permit or pay a fine."
• "I would expect them to be what I can do and what I can't do without resulting in some sort of punishment."
• "A rule would be...your general safety rules..don't litter, don't feed the animals, maybe things specific to cutting down trees..what you are not allowed to do."
• "Breaking a rule in the forest would actually be like breaking the law."

Where would people expect the "Buy Permit" button to be located?

The results were split equally. Two people said they expected it to be on the Find a Forest page. Two people expected it to be located at the bottom of all the pages. One person said "I would also have it under the Contact Us section again as well. On the site navigation.". This would make it easily accessible from any page.

• "Probably at the bottom...because I assume that the person wants me to read all of this stuff before allowing me the chance to buy a permit."
• "The best place for it would be at the end so at least you'd have to go through the website to see everything."

One person also suggested that it would be helpful to have the option to switch forests on the Buy Permit webpage.

Do people understand why an email address is required on the purchase permit form?

Well, not really. Three people completely overlooked the text above the email indicating that it was needed to have their permit sent to. One person understood it, but thought the language did not signify it was used for permit delivery and thought it was more of an option.

• "Please enter your email address so that your permit(s) can be mailed to you...that makes it sound like an option."
• "Yes..but I would say it could be worded a little better." [reading the text above the email entry]

Where do people expect to find instructions on displaying their permit after cutting a tree?

People expected the display instructions for the permit to be a part of the actual permit. One person thought it would be another page included as a package when printing the actual permit.

• "I could imagine it [Christmas tree permit] being a .pdf or something, with the first page being instructions on where to place it."
• "On the permit".
• "I would expect it to be printed on the permit somewhere."

Do people want to see more graphics within the content?

Yes, Yes, Yes. Like previous usability tests, all people thought the content needed graphics to break up the text and enhance key points of information. Two people suggested single color illustrations to help guide attention when reviewing the information.

• "Maybe add line drawings of an axe, rope, etc, things you would need to cut trees."
• "Graphics would definitely help..it would be nice to have maybe a little illustration next to the rules."
• "Maybe add a graphic to it. A visual next to it will help people understand it better." [when asked for suggestions on how to display the rules in a more meaningful way]

Issues on the site in general

There are several issues that should be addressed.

• Non-uniform map sizing
• Overlooked map links
• Page scrolling

There were three notable issues that appeared in this group of usability testing sessions.

First, the maps on the 'Find a forest' page all have different sizes making the page look off balanced. Several people have made comments on the lack of uniformity of the maps. One person stated "It would be nice if the maps were all similar looking. Maybe creating some harmony on the find a forest page." Another person suggested using thumbnails and allowing larger images to be viewed when clicked to standardize the design.

The maps also have another issue. Some people overlook the map images as being clickable and assume the only way to select a forest is through the use of the search box.

Lastly, the length of the site's pages causes people to scroll for long durations. One person commented "It does feel like you have to scroll a lot. It's very up and down heavy."

What problems were most severe

Common language

• Almost all people did not understand the language "from plantations and previously thinned stands of trees" under the "rules to know" content.

Header

• The log in and create an account links in the header has been causing confusion during some of the testing. Some people assume you will have to log in to see the button and purchase a Christmas tree permit. This was made apparent when one person stated;
  "So after I log in, is that when I can buy a permit?".

Graphics and visual elements

• Addition of more graphic elements. The lack of graphics within the content seems to be a recurring issue. A majority of people scan for graphic elements first before reading the content, and as a result key information is often overlooked.