Google UX Study 2012 Detailed Results

Last updated on

21 September 2016

For a full understanding of how this study was run, consult these links:

Findings

All sessions were reviewed and analyzed for common problems, each of these were noted and collected into this table. The results where recorded, and where applicable recordings to relevant parts are linked.

Core: Content Creation
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
"Save content type" and "save and add fields" is an unnecessarily confusing button choice - user is given no distinction between their functionality			"Not too sure what the difference is" U3, U1
Clicking the "Format tips" opens in same window and user loses information.	High	This page should open in a new window	U3, U4, --> user 8, U8, U4 "i could see in the future wanting to make this more inline and having the text wrap around and i'm not sure how i would do that" U4	87994 FIXED!
Also users don't really understand what they can do with different input types. The fact that there is no WYSIWYG just leaves content formatting in a state of uncertainty.
The auto-completion widget on the add node form doesn't work fast enough to keep up with the speed of users typing keywords. They are not fully aware how autocomplete functions because of it. Also the circle icon is not well understood.			Doesn't realize auto-completion because it goes too slow U6 Icon not understood U2	1440730
Users lose track of orphan content if they don't create a menu link for it			U2, U2, U2, U6, U1 doesn't understand why a menu tab was created, U4 doesn't know where to access the form she thinks she made, U5	1440694
Vertical tabs overload users with information that is not relevant for simple content creation. They click through each tab and don't understand most of the options.		Reassessment of what should be exposed and what can remain hidden or more clicks away.	Going through each tab, experiencing confusion along the way U4, U2
"Trimmed", "teaser", "full" are not defined. Ex: "trimmed" vs "full" in node preview			U5, U8	193680

Core: Node Preview

Description

Priority

Possible Solution

Video Link(s)

Issue #

Node preview does not accurately show the visual display of posts. Also, users do not understand the context of the preview.

Tags display differently in preview U8

Confused about preview context U8, U8, U1

1440662

Links from preview interface send users off page and cause them to lose what they were working on.

User clicks "Add new comment" U3

User clicks "Read more" U3

U4 clicks on a link from body field within preview

Core: Fields

Description

Priority

Possible Solution

Video Link(s)

Issue #

Field labels are not understood by users in multiple contexts.

From node creation page U 8 U5

While viewing a node U 8

1399302

The difference between adding an existing field and a new field to
content types is lost on users who don't have a full understanding
of the field/content type concept. Drupal doesn't help explain this
at all.

On content type field admin screen: List add existing field before
create a new field?

U8 U3

1430670

Users don't understand terminology used in fields. For example,
user 4 didn't perceive any relationship between the concept of tags
and the terminology Term Reference

U3, U4, U4

Field machine names are unnecessarily exposed to users when adding
new fields to content.

U6, U4, U7

1164812

When adding a new field, users must complete a long multi-form
process. Too much exposure from the very start leads to frustration
and confusion.

Power user adds new field, miffed by long field form. U4

U5 adding a new field, considers all options, unsure of actions:

"I don't think I did anything in that last screen, did I?"

Misinterprets field settings dialog and gets upset about not seeing a preview of his field.

U1

Power user doesn't understand "maximum value" option for image field U8

The concept of field input and field output formats is not
intuitive to users and Drupal doesn't help communicate how they
work.

U4: "i can't imagine that many scenarios in which someone would want to see the date in a different way when they are entering it than they actually want to display it on the website"

Similar trouble:

U4

Core: Navigating Drupal

Description

Priority

Possible Solution

Video Link(s)

Issue #

D7 Dashboard doesn't seem useful to new users; in fact its
seemingly random presentation of information is confusing.

U2

U4 Opens and closes quickly U4 and again U4 and again U4

New users rely on breadcrumbs. But sometimes they are
inconsistent.

Breadcrumbs in core should be reassessed to insure they are
accurate.

U5 getting flustered at breadcrumbs and idea of finding a page again

Core: Image Styles
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
Users are frustrated that image styles is not found within display field settings. They also get confused by "Custom Display Settings"	High		U5, U6, U7, U8	1433796
Users don't see the prompt to save updated image style.	High	Save updated image style automatically or popup a butterbar notifying the user to save	Twice Didn't Save U8, U8, and U8, U5
Trailing whitespace in image styles name prevents user from saving it without providing context	High	Trim image style name (probably all form inputs)	U5
Default image styles are much smaller than users anticipated	Low		U5, U6, U7
The difference between changing an image style for a field and adjusting an image field's maximum image resolution is not communicated.			U8, U5, U5
The term "Image toolkit" is misleading. When trying to find image styles, users always click here first and are not attracted to "image styles."			U5

Core: Themes
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
User doesn't understand theme names.		"Bartik" and "Seven" do not convey to users that they are themes. The Themes menu/interface should be more explicit about this.	U5
After creating content, the comment form on Bartik looks like the node edit form, users try to hit save	Low	Perhaps make save comment button smaller or less similar to administrative buttons?	U5, U6, U4
Adding a link to a parent item as a child doesn't print, since Bartik doesn't support child items.			U8

Core: Menus
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
"Add menu link" is not understood by many users on first impression.			U5, U2
Users do not know the difference between menus when adding a menu link across interfaces. Sometimes they misinterpret names.	Medium		U5, U8
Select dropdown is an unnecessarily daunting interface for users when choosing the default menu parent for a content type.			"this is crazy in here" U8	1428520

Core: Contact Module
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
Contact module has no mention of "e-mail" in the description, which users would intuitively look for	Medium		U4 only CTRL + F's for "email" which is not part of contact module's description. "i'm not seeing an email form listed in the modules"

Core: General
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
The process of installing, enabling, permission-ing and configuring modules is not made clear enough to the user.			U4 U4 "i'm not seeing just a really straightforward list of instructions" U4 on module page) U4 first installs wrong version U4 "oh well this is disabled?" U4 U4 enables the contact module but then doesn't know what to do.. no obvious next step	1167458
"Pager" is not defined for new user			U8
System doesn't trim "/" from user-inputted menu links	High	Account for possible slashes and whitespace at the beginning and end of urls	From add menu item form U4 From alias in Add node form U7	103680

Admin Menu
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
"Content" option in "content" administration menu is not descriptive.			U6)
The word list is overused in Drupal's administration menu structure. "List" can be interpreted many ways and is not clear to a new/intermediate users.	Low	Clarify all occurrences of list in the admin menu structure.	U5
It is easy for users to get lost and confused with the daunting amount of options in admin menu.			U5, U5

Date Module
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
User not prompted to save date format after updating multiple times "oh yes that finally worked. i don't know why it didn't work the other 2 times"	High	Prompt user to save once changes have been made	U4 and U4 again and finally U4 gets it
When updating the date format, user is not prompted to save the updated selection	High	Prompt user to save!	U4
Date module wizard confuses user. "Oh that's not helpful."			U4

Pathauto Module
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
Pathauto module description doesn't include the keyword URL, which users look for	Medium		U7, U7, and again U7 says "I'm looking for a place that says URL and automation" after repeatedly seeing the word path. The term path just doesn't stick.

Views
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
Views save button is not intuitively located, and can be easily be pushed offscreen.			U6 U7 "okay it's saved, right?" U5
Users are confused about the meaning of "All displays" and "This page (override)."			U8, U5
User confused about the placement of "remove" under "rearrange"	Low		U8
Views creation wizard doesn't visually emphasize that user needs to enter a views name			U8, twice: U8 U7, U8 confused about display options
Unclear division between views editing and preview. Users expect WYSIWYG-style editing capabilities but are uninformed that it is only a preview.			U5, U8, U8, U7
Views name machine name is made visible to users when views wizard form fails to validate.			U7
List of views is overwhelming, unsearchable, and contains more information than necessary			U8: "lots of words", U6, U6, U6

Drupal.org
Description	Priority	Possible Solution	Video Link(s)	Issue #
Searching for a specific keyword on Drupal does not immediately yield the desired module result.	Medium		U3 searches for Date module on d.o but isn't given great results