Writing Samples

Introduction
I am writing this memo to inform you of usability testing I have completed on the original document directing people on how to use a Keurig Coffee Machine. This process was interesting and gave me helpful ideas on what to include in my re-design of the document. My test subject was my dad because he does not drink coffee, therefore he is not the most familiar with coffee machines. I did this in hopes that he would not have any pre-determined knowledge on how to use a Keurig.
Methods
I created seven tasks that were not very obvious. I created hard tasks because I want my re-design to be seamless for someone trying to learn how to use a Keurig. My seven tasks were the following:  Determine if hearing a buzzing noise is normal, determine what temperature the coffee machine heats the water to, find how to insert a K-cup, find the recommended size of coffee mug,  find how to use a Nespresso machine, determine what to do after placing your mug on the tray and determine how to keep your Keurig when not in use. It was interesting to see that six out of these seven tasks took longer than a minute to be completed. The task of finding how to use a Nespresso Machine was completed by my test subject instantaneously. Most of the information needed to complete the tasks were intertwined in different paragraphs so that could have led to slower finding times. One thing I noticed was my test subject getting frustrated at all of the pop-up ads on the webpage. The website does not have any pop-up blockers, so that is something to consider.
Discussion
After completing the usability testing, it was clear that the original document is not satisfying users. Many factors can go into this, but the main thing I noticed was the use of hierarchy and organization was lacking. Six of the seven tasks involved finding information within the paragraphs. Since the web page is so long and spread out it was not easy for my test subject to quickly find what he was looking for. The important information is not properly labeled and does not stand out. If it was, I think this test would have been a lot more successful.