Client: Upwork • My role: UX Researcher
This is a high-level overview.
Summary
Background
Upwork is a work marketplace that formed in 2013. They pioneered a way to help businesses find more flexibility with their hires and to connect talent with more opportunities. Their mission is to create economic opportunities so people have better lives.
Problem
The Upwork team received feedback from clients stating that the current site information architecture was complicated and difficult to navigate.
This usability study was intended to serve as a benchmark for future iterations to the information architecture and to inform the direction of future designs and Upwork IA strategy.
This usability study was intended to serve as a benchmark for future iterations to the information architecture and to inform the direction of future designs and Upwork IA strategy.
Research Objectives
• To better understand where navigation-specific challenges exist, and where, if at all, they bleed
into in-page usability issues.
into in-page usability issues.
• To source additional qualitative feedback on the experience of navigating the site.
• To further inform IA strategy and where priority areas should be.
Impact:
• Other teams used our insights for their own research projects.
• I helped identify notable IA. This was received well from stakeholders and led to buy-in for future
projects.
projects.
• My team worked with the toughest user group. I had to be as effective as possible navigating
sessions to extract good data.
sessions to extract good data.
• My contributions allowed team members to focus on other segments.
How did this help the business?
• My contributions led to a shift in understanding the mental models of Upwork users.
• This work led to a complete redesign of menu navigation and user flows.
• Less cognitive load for users.
• Increase in positive impressions of the platform.
• Less cognitive load for users.
• Increase in positive impressions of the platform.
Challenges and Constraints:
• Alignment between team members
• While conducting usability sessions, our team realized we had differing ideas of what counted
as a "success."
• I clarified this point with our stakeholders to establish expectations and ensure impact for our
team.
• While conducting usability sessions, our team realized we had differing ideas of what counted
as a "success."
• I clarified this point with our stakeholders to establish expectations and ensure impact for our
team.
• Managing a large number of interviews with researcher availability and bandwidth.
• Different time-zones
• Different time-zones
• Participants who strayed off topic.
• I had one participant who was cooking dinner and drinking alcohol during the session!
• I had one participant who was cooking dinner and drinking alcohol during the session!
• Navigating issues with video-conferencing
Conducting:
Moderated Usability Test:
• 60min
• Remote via Google Meet
• 63 current and prospective users
We evaluated the ability to complete a set of 14 “top” tasks (developed by stakeholders) using the menu items.
I was on a team with 4 other researchers handling usability sessions for a subgroup of our participants.
I shared responsibility for recruitment, conducting, analysis and readout. I contributed to the discussion guide, wording of tasks and conducting of sessions but scoping was not my responsibility.
My partner and I handled 15 sessions, of which:
• I conducted 8 sessions.
• My partner conducted 7 sessions.
• We alternated note-taking and filled in for the other group when necessary.
• We alternated note-taking and filled in for the other group when necessary.
