Google Analytics Usability Study

For the final term project, I conducted a usability case study of the tool, Google Analytics. I have passively used Google Analytics for a personal website and I learn new things everytime I log in. This tool is very multidimensional and useful for anyone with content on the web, whether business or personal and can provide really useful insights into your content (but only if you know how to use it).

 

We live under the assumption that since Google is one of the worlds largest conglomerates, that everyone is familiar with the suite of products and they are accessible to everyone, but from my experience, both as a Google suite user and an aspiring User Experience Designer, their products are not always as evolved or intuitive as we assume they will be.

 

Google Analytics has a Demo Account , which I used as the basis for this study.
 

1.

Before beginning any testing I conducted a Heuristic Analysis of the Google Analytics platform to locate the areas of friction. This was able to provide insight into the areas of the program that I could later create test scenarios for in order to evaluate the tester's ability and comfort of use.  

 

I will seek testers with above average computer literacy and preferably with experience using the Google Suite of products. This will enable them to set a baseline of comparability.

 

2.

Before and after the test I will have the users take quick surveys; one for demographic information and final thoughts, opinions, suggestions.

I will also create a test booklets for them use for reference during the study session.

 

3.

Some areas of interest I wanted to look into were the Dashboard and the Main Menu. Both offer various aspects of data customization from how long the visitor remained on the site, what pages they viewed, where they clicked next, how many times they’ve visited over specific periods of time, etc.  As you dive deeper into the side menu panel you can look into referrals to the page, and at what time day people most likely visit your site. You can even get a model of typical user flows when they visit your site.

 

4.

Evaluate and Analyse Test Results.

 

From this study I’d like to find out which useful data tasks are likely to cause confusion or friction and I’d like to find out where users gravitate to during times of free exploration - what is intuitive for them, what language is familiar and what needs clarification.