User Testing
Heuristics Evalution
Usability Testing
Recommendations
Background

Improving Usability and Information Architecture for the Poseidon Project

The Poseidon Project website connects researchers and newcomers to articles, research, and videos about the environmental impact of large-scale fish farming. The usability report identifies key issues with navigation, functionality, and information architecture. User testing revealed persistent problems, leading to recommendations like renaming sections, reordering navigation, and simplifying the layout for better user flow. The goal is to improve accessibility and clarity, creating a more seamless experience for users exploring this important topic.
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Role: UI/UX Designer, Researcher
Tool: Figma
Methodology

Research Overview

Data Collection & Organization Strategies

Moderated Tests

Conducted 6 moderated usability tests  where users mimic real-life  scenarios through a series of tasks or questions with the guidance of a researcher.

Affinity Map

A visual tool used to organize and categorize large amounts of qualitative data by grouping similar ideas together.

Heuristics Evaluation

Identified the website’s usability issues against Nelson’s usability principles and assessing their severities.

Participants & Archetypes

The study included six participants, providing a diverse mix that reflects the platform's primary archetypes:
The Researcher
A highly knowledgeable archetype, including policymakers, researchers, and professionals involved in non-profit organizations or coalitions.
The Influencer
An interested but less experienced group, including bloggers, journalists, and influencers, focused on the political, sustainability, and wildlife impacts of aquaculture.
Testing Process

Testing Insights & Key Questions

Testing Objectives

Assess if users understand the Poseidon Project and its activities.
Evaluate how easily users can access information and features.
Identify the most valuable ways for users to engage with the project.
See if researchers can find resources that meet their needs.
Check if the website's terminology is clear for new users and helps them navigate.
Understand how well the site educates newcomers and encourages further learning.

Qualitative Research

Six participants underwent moderated user testing sessions to understand the issues they face when using the Poseidon website. A few sample questions include:
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1. What do you know about how the fish we eat is caught or farmed?
2. What aspect of fish farming are you most interested in learning about?
3. What tools or features on the website helped you find the information you were looking for?
4. Overall, do you think this is a useful website for learning about fish farming? Why or why not?
Test Results

Main Findings

Rough Data

After conducting the moderated user tests, Answers to test questions were recorded on a spreadsheet. Each question's answers were compiled and analyzed for a heuristic violations (red) and successes (green) with a severity rating of 1-5 (with 5 being the highest severity.)
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Affinity Map

This affinity map organizes user feedback from a UI/UX testing session into six key themes:
Mismatched Expectations for Page Names: Users were confused about unclear labels like "Campaigns & Coalitions" and "Register", suggesting more descriptive names and better explanations.

Content Density: Content was perceived as too text-heavy, dense, and difficult to digest, although some users found it informative.

Search Methods: Users highlighted the lack of a visible search bar, expressed a preference for filters/tags, and suggested improving quick search visibility.

Flow Between Pages: Participants desired better page connections, clearer information hierarchy, and more interactive progression for improved engagement.

Featured Content: Users appreciated featured content but suggested adding current news/results and improving clarity on certain features like maps.

Positive Insights: Articles and featured content were noted as interesting and informative.
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Heuristic Evaluation

The heuristic evaluation highlights usability issues categorized by violated heuristics and their severity ratings (1-5, with 5 being highest severity). Resolving these issues will improve user flow, system feedback, and overall usability.
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Testing Insights

Users were confused by page titles and their purposes, and struggled to navigate effectively to achieve their desired results.
Users needed a more intuitive user flow and clearer guidance.
Users found the search process on the "Research" page overly complex and difficult to understand.
Recommendation

Reorganize & Explore

Issue

The navigation titles misled user’s on the true page purpose . Users recommended more accurate and engaging titles to encourage exploration. The purpose of the “Brief” page confused users as it contained duplicated content and little context.
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Solution

The navigation bar is re-organized to assist an explorative user flow. The “Brief” Page is renamed and provided more structure to encourage users to explore more content in depth.
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Takeaways

The Rauch Foundation

The Rauch Foundation’s Poseidon Project serves as a hub for resources on carnivorous fish farming. To enhance the website’s usability and accessibility, we conducted moderated user testing and identified three primary usability issues:

1. Overwhelming content density.
2. Limited search functionality and navigation.
3. Unclear page purposes and naming inconsistencies.

Explore More!

ALANA Chat /  Resource Website
Beyond the Horizon / Interactive Infographic
Innovation Lab / Collab Platform
Poseidon Project / User Testing Report