User Testing Feedback

INITIAL

My group began testing by assembling some friends who had agreed to help them test a wayfinding system in the parking garage. They were not told specificaly what they would encounter or how it should be interpreted. After driving in to the lot parking in the fourth floor and making their way to an exit, they were interviewed to find common concerns/confusions. To better test the visitor culture, the group then asked random people entering the garage if they would participate as well.

The most common of the original concerns was the visibility of the traffic hashes and signage. Many did not notice them at first, and when they did they did not clearly

 indicate purpose. Another common note was that all of the parking sections look the same on the inside of the parking garage, and that it would be helpful to have those somehow noted or seperated.

Once testers got to the circulation towers the color system became much clearer to testers and multiple commented on enjoying the colored tape for 

orientation among levels.

SECONDARY

After widening floor hash marks, including transitional ramp color 

changes, adding parking section notation and more extensively noting the stairs with color coding  the user testing comments became more positive. 

The traffic hashes were noticed more readily and were recognised for what they were, but the transitional colors on ramps were not recognised 

because the other floors did not have a clear color coding due to testing 

constraints. Noting the three primary lanes of parking as A,B, or C, clarified where the testers were while circling for spots but it was difficult to test whether it would help them find the car later. More people also noticed the color coding on the stairs and said that it helped connect the coding theme in the circulation tower with the traffic hashes in the garage.