I was part of a team formed to build a new web platform to serve Avis corporate countries and franchise holders across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia. The platform was fully scalable, serving multiple languages and currencies, taking into account localised content and cultural differences.
My prime responsibility was to create the customer experience from design and information architecture to creation of design prototypes, thorough usability planning and testing via a variety of methods, through to planning and front-end development, including accessibility implementation and ensuring W3C standards compliance of all products.
Usability Testing
Initial testing was conducted in user focus groups using card sorting, low-fi prototypes and included a mix of experienced and inexperienced users from the UK, Italy and France. Participants were guided through the car rental booking process and their comments, views and expectations were recorded and analysed.
After the initial 'MVP' website had been launched, a usability lab was set up and intensive user testing of the new site was conducted in a controlled setting with participants in three languages.
The lab consisted of one test room dedicated to the user and facilitator and included a video camera and screen recording software. A second room was dedicated to the observation team receiving live audio and video and screen activity.
We used three scripts to guide the users through the booking process; a straight-forward car booking, a booking with slightly more difficult goals, and finally a booking using their flight details. We asked them to talk through what they saw and what they thought as they placed the bookings.
Results from the user testing were collated and assessed to create a schedule of website improvements for subsequent website releases.