Buffalo Wild Wings Expert Evaluation

Overview

Our team of four researchers conducted an expert evaluation of the Buffalo Wild Wings mobile application to review the interface and note potential usability issues and strengths. Us four researchers acted as the user to identified usability issues with the application by providing screenshots with descriptions, providing severity rate for each usability problem to help the prioritization, and give recommendations that potentially solve the problem we’ve identified.

Date

January 2020

Client

Graduate school coursework

Role

Team members: Shad Pionek, Ricardo Garza, Demetrios Roumbos

Task

Expert Evaluation, Evaluation Synthesis & Analysis, Pencil sketch wireframes, Powerpoint Layout

Executive summary

This expert evaluation of the Buffalo Wild Wings mobile application identify usability issues and recommendations to drive further app adoption and order conversion. In this evaluation, our group of four researchers independently review the interface and note potential usability issues and strengths. Our team created a list of usability strengths of good design so that finding is not repeated in the redesign process. We also gave clear explanations that mapped usability problems. We included the severity rating for each finding to help prioritize usability issues. We provided recommendations for fixing each usability problem and created wireframe examples. We found a significant amount of findings in the create an account screen, order screen, profile screen, location screen, and menu screen of the application. Our expert evaluation would indicate that our findings would help implement the best practice to help improve the user experience and design of the Buffalo Wild Wings mobile application.

Methodology 

Each researcher independently (4 Researchers) evaluated the Buffalo Wild Wings mobile application. Our group of four researchers got together and collectively agreed upon the severity, problem, and recommendation by looking at overall patterns between the evaluations. 

Objective

Examine the Buffalo Wild Wings mobile application and identify usability issues and recommendations to drive further application adoption and order conversion. 

Research Questions

1. What areas of the app would lead customers to abandon the app? 
2. Is the app design consistent throughout the experience? 
3. Does the app provide an easy experience for customers to create an account? 
4. Does the app allow a fast and efficient way for customers to place an order?

• The menu is in familiar locations.
• The menu uses the correct balance of weight with white space and color saturation, making it noticeable to the user.
• Text color and background complement each other making it easy to read.
• The underline active state tells the user the current screen location.

Problem

Form fields fail to provide verification when incorrect inputs are provided. (i.e., failure to include @ in email, input of letters in phone field). Form fields do not auto format as customers input information allowing inconsistencies in how data is input.  

Impact (User/Business)

Current form fields may lead to inaccurate customer account information. Customers may experience issues with verifying their accounts leading to difficulties logging into their accounts. 

Recommendation

Add form field verification and standardized formatting to appropriate fields.

Conclusion

Although we did find a few positive findings, we found a lot more negative findings in the Create Account, Menu, Landing page, Location page of the Application. All those negative findings can cause user frustration, confusion, and even abandon the app.