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Improving Discoverability through Comparative First Click Testing

UX Research, First-click test, Comparative study

Objectives

A major enterprise was working on integrating platform experiences for online users, and needed support in determining the menu label that would intuitively unify navigation across properties.

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Given timeline constraints, a comparative first-click discoverability study and questionnaire were administered to:

  • Assess the discoverability of the proposed menu icon, both with and without a label

  • Identify user expectations for what might be found within each menu based on the label term (and absence of label)

  • Generate additional user-centered terminology for consideration

Image by Carlos Muza
Image by Christin Hume

Duration

3 weeks​

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Role

Lead Researcher

Stakeholder Management

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Stakeholders

Enterprise UX, IA, and Content Designers

Process

A comparative first-click discoverability study was administered, and separate audiences were tested for each menu label variant (three studies in total) and results were compared

  • Study A: menu icon with label variant name 1 (N=50)

  • Study B: menu icon with label variant name 2 (N=50)

  • Study C: menu icon with no label name (N=50)

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For each study, participants completed two scenario tasks across platforms and the following was collected to identify which label most aligned with users' mental models and navigation expectations across platforms:

  • First-click success rate

  • Time to first click

  • Confidence rating (e.g., How confident were you?)

  • Reason for click (open-ended)

  • Task completion rate

 

A short questionnaire was also administered, after the first-click test, to better understand users' navigational expectations

 

Method considerations

  • Audience equivilence

  • Between group variability​

  • Test stimuli: Static stimuli versus within a dynamic interactive prototype environment (For purposes of the study, the click-test was conducted using static stimuli for each platform interface)

Learnings

Some critical findings from the research included the following:

  • More noticed the menu when paired with a label, and labels had better task success rates overall

  • Without a label, the menu icon was noticed the least (When asked: Did you notice this item, outlined in a red box, on the pages you interacted with? 71% selected "No")

  • Each menu label variant facilitated different navigational expectations

  • User expectations and actual cross-platform navigation options and flows aligned best when the label used specific terminology

“[Without a label,] I have no idea what this icon is supposed to signify. If it is to access my other accounts, it should say that or something similar.”

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Study C: "No label" Research Participant and Current User

Results

  • Clear recommendation to proceed in pairing the menu icon with a label, using targeted, plain-language terms to support discoverability

  • Implementation across platforms led to subsequent improvement in cross-platform navigation metrics, task completion, and CSAT scores

Deliverables

  • Executive summary (1-page) of key insights and recommendations for stakeholder share-out

  • Detailed Findings Report (45-page) with click-test heat map and questionnaire results

  • UX design and content recommendations

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