Report: User Testing of an E-commerce Interactive System, Analysis

This report delves into the user testing of an interactive e-commerce system, examining its functionalities and user interactions. The report begins by defining interactive systems and focusing on e-commerce websites, exploring their significance in the digital landscape. It details user populations, subset functionalities (add to cart, update/delete, order placement, shipping/tax calculation, and payment), and the evaluation methodology employed. The evaluation process emphasizes user satisfaction, distinguishing between first-time and frequent buyers, and considering factors like website informativeness, attractiveness, and ease of use. The report outlines the criteria used for evaluation, including ease of identification, usefulness, interactivity, and ease of use. It also addresses aspects such as security, cost, delivery time, transaction ease, and accessibility of information. Furthermore, the report considers learnability, language, and advertising strategies, including social media promotion and chat platforms. The user testing procedures and findings are discussed, emphasizing the importance of user feedback in improving the overall e-commerce experience, with a focus on customer satisfaction and website performance.

USER TESTING OF AN INTERACTIVE SYSTEM 1
e-Commerce Website
Name
Instution

USER TESTING OF AN INTERACTIVE SYSTEM 2
Contents
The Interactive System and its Users...........................................................................................................3
Introduction.............................................................................................................................................3
Users........................................................................................................................................................4
The Use Cases.............................................................................................................................................5
Add to cart...............................................................................................................................................5
Update/Delete..........................................................................................................................................5
Order Placement......................................................................................................................................6
Calculate Shipping and Tax.....................................................................................................................6
Payment...................................................................................................................................................6
The Evaluation Methodology......................................................................................................................7
The Evaluation..........................................................................................................................................11
The Findings of the Evaluation..................................................................................................................14
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................16
Reference...................................................................................................................................................17

USER TESTING OF AN INTERACTIVE SYSTEM 3
The Interactive System
Description
An interactive system is a computer system which is characterized by a significant amount of
interaction between humans and the computer (Huang & Benyoucef, 2013). Better yet, an
interactive system is any system that will accept input by a user and provide information
feedback to the user (Sauermann & Roach, 2013). Interactive systems can be examined from two
points of view namely the user perspective and the system perspective. To examine a system
from a user perspective we have to consider what a system really is to a user and what the user
expects from the system. From a user perspective a system is:
 A tool they can use to accomplish tasks,
 Something that can accept their input,
 Something that will hopefully display output and
 Often, a source of frustration.
For the sake of this presentation, we have singled out one of the most commonly used
systems in the current digital world. This is e-commerce websites. We will examine e-commerce
websites from a user perspective.
E-commerce websites have mushroomed recently due to the rise of portable digital devices
that can be used to access the internet anytime, anywhere. An e-commerce website is an online
portal that is used in the sale and purchase of goods and services through the internet (Chiou et
al., 2010). The e-commerce is also used in online shopping whereby goods and services are
transferred between two or more parties. It can also be named as electronic business or as e-
business. In the early days this business transactions used to be done through phone calls and

USER TESTING OF AN INTERACTIVE SYSTEM 4
emails while today it is mainly done online. Through the emergence of online shopping business
life has become so easy such that people can shop online without having to travel to far places
and without having to present themselves physically. So many people consider it as the most
convenient way to purchase goods and services by use of smartphones with a connection to the
internet (Sillence et al., 2007).
User Population
We have different e-commerce websites which include the retail selling, business to
business services, auction websites, finance management websites and also the consultancy
websites (Rodgers & Harris, 2003). The target population ranges from teenagers to youths and
even the older generation. It should thus have attractive features to maintain its wide range of
customers. The e-commerce website should at least be neat and user –friendly such that it is easy
for the users to find things such as prices, carts and images of the products.

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Subset of functionality to be considered
A picture is worth a thousand works and so I could not find a better way to explain the
use cases or functionalities of an e-commerce website besides the below diagram which says it
all.
Add to cart
The sole purpose of visiting an e-commerce website is to be able to shop for items. To
shop in any e-commerce website, it all begins with a shopping cart. Thus the process of adding
items to cart should be straightforward, preferably an icon to click.
Update/Delete
Users should be able to update their shopping carts or even delete items from their
shopping carts if need be. The icons for the functions should be easily seen.

USER TESTING OF AN INTERACTIVE SYSTEM 6
Order Placement
After adding to cart all the items that a user needs, the use should be able to easily find a
button to place their order.
Calculate Shipping and Tax
Online shopping in e-commerce websites normally involves users from all over the
globe. There is thus the need to be able to know the shipping and tax charges by the user when
placing an order (Couper et al., 2001). To make their work easier, the e-commerce website
should provide a calculator for shipping charges and tax imposed on the goods bought.
Payment
Different organizations accept different channels for payment. One payment option that
has come up strongly to support e-commerce is Paypal. It is thus the duty those designing the e-
commerce website to make sure that they provide a payment option that is well known and that
favors the customers.
What is not being considered
In this User testing of an interactive system, we do not consider the system issues as well as the
technical part of web design.

USER TESTING OF AN INTERACTIVE SYSTEM 7
User Testing Procedures
An evaluation methodology is necessary in stating several user tasks that should get
tested with an exact description of the scenario and the goal that the user is trying to achieve
(Robbins & Stylianou, 2003). As an evaluator am supposed to collect the results and produce an
evaluation. E-commerce website has an evaluation process that is based on evaluation of the web
and also in web user satisfaction. I should ensure that the e-commerce website has user
satisfaction which entails the users of the website who include suppliers, buyers and stakeholders
(Dreze & Zufryden, 1997). It is also important that I distinguish the first time buyers from the
frequent buyers. The first time buyers will require an overview in order to understand a wide
range of services offered by the e-commerce website.
As an evaluator, I will focus on E-commerce website user satisfaction whereby I will
have a goal towards the first time buyers by conducting transaction of e-commerce activities
such as provision of information about the website, negotiation of the price, contract, volume and
delivery date, settlement on the payment I should also keep the users of the e-commerce website
updated on the training dates on how to use this site and on how to create online portals of the
same site (Resnick & Montania, 2003). I will also look at various ways that will lead to
satisfaction of the users on how the website operates. The factors that may lead to satisfaction of
the user include the in formativeness and attractiveness of the website (Zhang et al., 2001). The
physical web settings will be put in a way that they attract the customers. In formativeness
involves the logical settings that provide customers with useful information so that they can
understand how the website operates. Dissatisfaction may occur when the customers are not
satisfied by the website activities such as how the transaction activities are conducted, if it is

USER TESTING OF AN INTERACTIVE SYSTEM 8
hard for the buyers to access the website and if the buyers cannot find the information they want
about the website.
I will make a choice of an evaluation criteria that helps to determine whether the buyers
can pass through the dissatisfaction process for them to become satisfied with the website. There
are four criteria that can be used such as ease of identification, usefulness and interactivity and
ease of use of the website (Braddy et al., 2003). This is based on the degree of satisfaction to the
buyer. In order to be in a position to measure the degree, it is appropriate that I choose the most
favorable scoring systems which will help evaluate if the four criteria are easy to use or not, if
any help is needed, if they are useful or not and if they are interactive to the buyers or not. As an
evaluator, I have to consider various factors that will help tell whether the buyers are satisfied or
not (Petre et al., 2006). They include security issues, issues on cost of the product, if the
customers are enjoying shopping or not, issues on delivery time, how easy the transaction is,
ensure confidentiality, maximizing access to information, minimizing access of customers
personal information ,minimizing personal travel and maximizing product use and availability.
An e-commerce website should also not take too long to load. If possible, an e-commerce
website should have an inclusive of videos that market the products for the users to see and
chose what they love most. An e-commerce website also entices the users by ensuring that there
is no charge for the shipping (Rhisiart & Vollrath, 1994). Also some deals are conducted such as
special offers to the customers which have attracted many customers. Content sliders can be used
to advertise new goods and make customers spend more time on the website. A chat session
should also be created to involve customers in chat so that the customers feel that help is readily
available.

USER TESTING OF AN INTERACTIVE SYSTEM 9
On the other hand, there are various cases and aspects that must be considered for the
proper functioning of the e-commerce website. The use cases that must be considered include the
user interface such as the header which entails the menu, if the account is logged in and also the
login and the logout. User interface also displays a ‘’ thankyou’’ message which proves that the
user has logged in the account successfully. Lastly, user interface entails more details about the
e-commerce website and also information on how to reach the owners of the website like they
can be contacted by the buyers through the email, social media or through cell. Selection of item
is another case that must be considered (Lepkowska & Eifler, 2008). When selecting the item,
the size, price and the brand of the item must be considered to make sure that it is favorable for
many customers to consider. For delivery purposes, the e-commerce website must entail a case
that displays the customer’s address, name, and description of the item and also the price of the
item. There also should be secure method of payment through which customers should use to pay
for their items. The administration that controls the e-commerce website should make sure that
they enable staff view the orders made by the customers right away without delay.
Learnability is also a key factor that I have to consider when designing an e-commerce
website. In this regard, the time it takes to learn an e-commerce website should be minimal
(Sillence et al., 2007). I have also ensured that language is considered as a main factor on the
website. I have to use simple and clear language. Also I have used the international language
since this is an international website that should reach all people worldwide. If I use my
community language then the people that are able to understand my language are the only ones
that belong to my community.
It is clear that this e-commerce website is not well known to many people. I have come
up with an idea that the website be advertised through social media so that more people get

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familiarized with the e-commerce website. For example I have created a Facebook site through
which people should view our products and learn that the e-commerce website exists. I have also
created a chat platform on the site of Facebook and twitter whereby people comment on our
website services. I have tried to advertise it through television and radio.
Also I have considered an issue on test subject doing. These are issues that may affect the
website positively or negatively. For example on the issue of clarity of the website, if the
payments are confident and also navigation of the website.
Through evaluation procedure I have been able to come up with various results regarding
customer satisfaction, the test subject doing, measurements of the performance of the buyers and
also on the answers to debriefing questions and many others (Manfreda & Vehovar, 2002).
Regarding customer evaluation, I found out that there is the need for me to propose a
constructive gathering of various elements that will help the customer get satisfied since several
seem dissatisfied with the characteristics of the website. However, the customers have multiple
objectives as far as internet satisfaction is concerned.

USER TESTING OF AN INTERACTIVE SYSTEM 11
Results Produced
To begin with, I have been able to maximize security on my website by ensuring that I
have strong security features for my site such that people are not able to guess to access my
personal website. I have found out people that it is possible for people to hack the account so I
have kept in touch with the security management so that they can take charges against any
person who tries to hack this e-commerce website. Also many buyers have complained that the
prices of the items are high so I have tried to minimize cost of items to attract more customers on
my website. I have found out that if I sell at a higher price many people end up running away to
other websites hence I end up losing most of my customers. I have also attached links to the
website for step by step shopping procedure for customers to quickly learn and enjoy their
products and services. I have also tried to maximize ease of transaction whereby I have
introduced the use of credit cards and money grams which are easy for many customers to
access. I have also ensured that no customer’s personal information is required for him or her to
purchase for goods online.
The information on the website was little so I have added more information that explains
to the customers on how our website works and that explores more on the quality of the goods
which gives clear price tags of each item (Yu et al., 2011). Many customers have complained
that their goods are being delayed for delivery so I have ensured that there is a quick delivery of
products by employment of enough suppliers such that the customers get their delivery within
the set period of time. Lastly, I have tried to make sure that no buyer uses his or her means of
transport all the way coming for his product. Since the e-commerce website is an online thing the
customers should have a free delivery of the item (Djamasbi et al., 2010). Through

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implementation of all these objectives, the customers are now fully satisfied with the services
offered by my site.
However, many people prefer a shopping platform that allows them to shop from their
various engagements such as travelling, home or even at work. There is no better tool to provide
this than a mobile application. As an evaluator I have ensured the e-commerce website is not
only accessible via computers but also accessible in devices like mobile.
Regarding the social media adverts, it is clear that the e-commerce website is now well
known to many people all over the world. The use of both television and radio has positively
impacted those who cannot afford a television such that they are in a position to know what the
e-commerce website can supply to them (Tractinsky et al., 2006). Also those who lack both
television and radio and have Facebook accounts are also in a position to get a clear information
of the website. Through this people have learned that they can also shop online. It’s not a must
that they present themselves physically to a shop for shopping. It can also be done online.
On issues of language, I need to keep the language simple. Some buyers may not be literate to
understand the complicated language. Simple words that are easy to understand are the best. The
use of international language the website has helped the e-commerce website circulate
worldwide.
Since on Facebook and twitter there is a chat platform where people respond on issues
regarding the e-commerce website, customer care of the website are able to read and evaluate
what people think about the e-commerce website. It is through these responses that I am able to
understand the attitude of people towards this site which helps me improve on the negativities
noted (Albuquerque & Belchior, 2002). Also the buyers are in a position to ask questions that