Task 1: Search for a Used Toyota Camry between $8,000 and $12,000

Time  8 seconds

Notes

Clicked used cars filter

Entered max price in correct format

Entered min price in correct format

Selected the make "Toyota"

Selected the model "Camry"

Were the controls logical to you?

There were no options for price range, years, or mileage.

Would you change the order of any of the controls?

No, I would just add more controls.

Was the order of the search results logical to you?

There should be an option to sort the results.  You might want to see them based on price, mileage, etc.

Summary

The user immediately found the search box on the home page and had no problems using it.  He did not hesitate in typing in the correct information and completing his search.

Task 2: Search for a New Mercedes-Benz C350 in tester's zip code

Time  8 seconds

Notes

Clicked new cars filter

Entered zip code

Selected the make "Mercedes-Benz"

Selected the model "C350"

Were you satisfied with the response time for this search?

The search was very quick.

Were you satisfied with the controls?

I was satisfied.  It was easy to do this search.

Was the order of the search results logical to you?

There should be an option to sort the results.  You might want to see them based on price, mileage, etc.

Summary

The user also completed this task without hesitation or confusion.  He immediately went to the search box on the home page and filled out the appropriate information.

Task 3: Locate contact information for someone selling used car on site

Time  10 seconds

Notes

Clicked used cars filter

Opened a used car listing

Found the contact information

Clicked the email link

Was the seller information prominent enough?

Yeah, it was easy to find.

Could you find all the information you expected?

It had all the information I expected.

Would you change anything about the position of the contact information?

The position was okay because I'm more interested in seeing pictures and details on the car.

Summary

The user searched for a car with no problem to complete the first part of the task.  Once he saw the list of available cars, he didn't recognize that he had to click on the picture of the car for a few seconds.

The user found that task three was the most ambiguous, mainly because it unclear how to see details on any cars presented to him on the results page.  Otherwise the user felt that the site was well organized and clear, but not visually impressive.

Debriefing questions

What was your first impression of the site?

The site is well organized and easy to comprehend, but stylistically lacking.  I wasn't excited to use it because nothing jumped out and caught my eye.

What did you find most useful about the site?

The menus were concise and it was easy to make choices on where I wanted to go.  I also like the simplicity of choosing between searching for a used car and a new car.

What aspects of the site did you find ineffective?

The visual quality; it lacked intrigue and nothing really jumped out at me visually.

Were the search options on the site adequate?

There were no options for price range, also I couldn't search for a specific year or mileage.  It would also help to know what kind of condition cars are in.

Were there any options or features you felt were missing from the site?

There was only 1 picture of each car, I would like to see various pictures from different angles, of the interior...etc.

Do you have any comments on how to improve the site?

I like the idea of email notifications and being able to specify criteria which the email notifications are based on.

Task 1: Search for a Used Toyota Camry between $8,000 and $12,000

Time 12 seconds

Notes

Price inputs were missing from the search page.  Selected Camry but after I selected this, the website automatically clicked both new and used filters.

Clicked used cars filter

Entered max price in correct format

Entered min price in correct format

Selected the make "Toyota"

Selected the model "Camry"

Were the controls logical to you?

I don't think the page should update like that when you select the car's make and it is missing options to search based on price.

Would you change the order of any of the controls?

I would add more controls and make them work seamlessly.

Was the order of the search results logical to you?

There weren't really a lot of results, but you couldn't tell how they were ranked.

Summary

The lack of price options makes this search almost worthless.  A user would have to browse though everything and look at the prices.

Task 2: Search for a New Mercedes-Benz C350 in tester's zip code

Time  15 seconds

Notes

Selected Mercedes-Benz and model C350 but after that clicked search and there were null data results.

Clicked new cars filter

Entered zip code

Selected the make "Mercedes-Benz"

Selected the model "C350"

Were you satisfied with the response time for this search?

The search was quick, but there were no results.

Were you satisfied with the controls?

They were adequate for this kind of search.

Was the order of the search results logical to you?

There were no results.

Summary

This search was executed quickly, but the user still felt that it was lacking information and features.

Task 3: Locate contact information for someone selling used car on site

Time  10 seconds

Notes

Clicked used cars filter

Opened a used car listing

Found the contact information

Clicked the email link

Was the seller information prominent enough?

Yes, it was easy to find on the page.

Could you find all the information you expected?

Yes.

Would you change anything about the position of the contact information?

The position was fine, but might not work on a longer page.

Summary

The user quickly found the contact information on the details page and clicked on the e-mail linked and quickly accessed Microsoft Outlook to send to that specific e-mail link.

Debriefing questions

What was your first impression of the site?

The first impression was that the website is dull in interaction and appeal. It didn’t impress me; the way the website is made isn’t very welcoming and lacks innovation. The website seems amateurish and still needs professional development support.

What did you find most useful about the site?

The seller’s contact information was clear and able to click on e-mail to send to seller about the car information that I would like to request to know more about. This was efficient and convenient for the user to get to.

What aspects of the site did you find ineffective?

Again lacked innovation; needs flash and user’s profile customization. The website is all sided onto the left-hand side of page. The website should take up the whole website page and there are a few errors on data request settings.

Were the search options on the site adequate?

It lacked the ability to search for car options like car model conditions, car mileage, car year and car price ranges.

Were there any options or features you felt were missing from the site?

The other features that I felt were missing were that it needed variations of car images; interior, exterior, car engine, car trunk, car accessories etc.

I also would like to see Carfax approval on car history.

I would like to see more user incentives; coupons and videos about cars and options about car loans.

Do you have any comments on how to improve the site?

If you work on my comments based off of the questions from above the website could make huge improvement and make other consumers want to purchase or sell their cars through your website.

Task 1: Search for a Used Toyota Camry between $8,000 and $12,000

Time 87 seconds

Notes

Price range search was unavailable.

Clicked used cars filter

Entered max price in correct format

Entered min price in correct format

Selected the make "Toyota"

Selected the model "Camry"

Were the controls logical to you?

I did expect controls for a maximum and minimum price.

Would you change the order of any of the controls?

The order make sense, but many options are still missing.

Was the order of the search results logical to you?

I expected the results to be sorted by price.

Summary

Price options were missing, but luckily there were only a few results.  She also noted that  results should be ordered by price when a price range is used.

Task 2: Search for a New Mercedes-Benz C350 in tester's zip code

Time 22 seconds

Notes

Clicked new cars filter

Entered zip code

Selected the make "Mercedes-Benz"

Selected the model "C350"

Were you satisfied with the response time for this search?

Yes, it was fast enough for me.

Were you satisfied with the controls?

Yes, the options all make sense.

Was the order of the search results logical to you?

The order is okay, but I expected some more information on the distance in the search results.

Summary

The search was easily executed.

Task 3: Locate contact information for someone selling used car on site

Time 11 seconds

Notes

Clicked used cars filter

Opened a used car listing

Found the contact information

Clicked the email link

Was the seller information prominent enough?

Yes, it was easy to find the seller's information.

Could you find all the information you expected?

That is everything I expected.

Would you change anything about the position of the contact information?

Maybe this could go at the top so it's easier to find.

Summary

Finding the contact information was not difficult at all for the user.

Debriefing questions

What was your first impression of the site?

The site looks very simple.  It could use a more exciting design and some additional tools.

What did you find most useful about the site?

The search on make and model was most useful.

What aspects of the site did you find ineffective?

There is not option to search on a price or sort results by price.

Were the search options on the site adequate?

No, there were not enough options for searching cars.

Were there any options or features you felt were missing from the site?

The site needs searching with price, options, and sorting results.  It also needs tool to estimate car payments and insurance.

Do you have any comments on how to improve the site?

The searching and sorting options are what the site really needs.