Service website | Usability Audit / US

This case study outlines the key findings and recommendations from a comprehensive usability audit conducted for the Molfars.us website, a platform offering services such as massage, personal styling, and beauty treatments. The audit aimed to identify usability issues, remove user barriers, and provide actionable recommendations to enhance user experience and conversion rates.

1. Project Goal

The primary objective of the audit was to analyze the current version of the service website to identify critical friction points in the user journey. The goal was to uncover issues that hinder user experience, prevent access to key information, and complicate the service booking process. By addressing these barriers, the audit aimed to improve the overall perception of the company, build user trust, and ultimately increase the conversion rate for service bookings.

2. Usability Audit Stages

The audit followed a multi-faceted methodology, encompassing a detailed analysis of the user interface and experience, along with a competitive review.

• Scope of Analysis: The audit covered both the desktop (PC) and mobile (smartphone) versions of the site to ensure a consistent and optimized experience across all devices.
• Key Areas Analyzed: The analysis focused on critical user path scenarios, including navigation, information discovery, and service ordering. Specific pages and modules reviewed included:
  • The Home Page
  • Category and Service Pages
  • Site-wide navigation elements like the header, footer, and menus
  • The service booking process and associated forms
• Tools and Methodology: The audit utilized performance analysis tools to gather quantitative data. The audit also included a competitive analysis, benchmarking the site against eight competitors to identify industry best practices and opportunities for improvement.

 

3. Identified Problems and Examples

The audit revealed a total of 43 key issues, divided into 27 general usability problems and 16 recommendations based on competitive analysis. These issues were grouped into several major categories.

• Navigation and Structure Issues:
  • • Lack of Essential Pages: The site was missing a dedicated «Contacts» page with complete information and a «Price» page consolidating all service costs.
    • Inconsistent Navigation: The logo on internal pages did not link back to the Home page, a standard usability convention. Navigation elements sometimes extended beyond the main content block, creating a disjointed layout.

  

  • Poor Information Architecture: Critical links were not duplicated in the footer, and there was no «Up» button for easy navigation on long pages. The site also lacked «breadcrumb» navigation to help users understand their location.
• Content and CTA Accessibility:
  • • Hidden Contact Information: Key information, like a phone number, was not immediately visible in the header upon visiting the site.

  

  • Ineffective Calls-to-Action: The «BOOK A MASSAGE» button text was not universal and did not adapt to different service sections. The audit also noted that sliders required users to click on a small banner instead of the more intuitive section title to navigate.
  • Trust-Building Content was Absent: The site lacked crucial sections for building credibility, such as customer reviews, specialist certificates, and detailed team information.

• Visual Overload and Poor UI Design:
  • Excessive Use of Pop-ups: The audit recommended minimizing the use of pop-up forms and windows, suggesting that application forms be displayed directly on the page for a smoother user flow.

• Ineffective UI Elements: The report advised against the overuse of vertical tabs, recommending that text be shown in full or replaced with horizontal tabs. On the mobile version, the font and color contrast for category names were not optimal for readability.
• Mobile Adaptation Barriers:
  • Slow Loading Speed: The mobile version’s First Contentful Paint was 2.8 seconds, significantly higher than the recommended 1.8 seconds or less, creating a poor first impression and potentially increasing bounce rates.
  • Poor Mobile UI: The burger menu’s vertical alignment was disharmonious with the booking button. Additionally, some links on the mobile version incorrectly redirected to a price page instead of their intended destinations.

 

4. Recommendations and Prioritization

The audit provided a comprehensive list of actionable recommendations to address the identified issues. While the sources do not explicitly assign priority levels (e.g., high, medium, low), the recommendations can be logically grouped into foundational improvements for immediate impact and enhancements for long-term growth.

 

First-Priority Recommendations (Foundational Fixes):

• • Improve Navigation & Trust:
    • • • Add a phone number to the header for immediate visibility.
        • Create a «Contacts» page and a comprehensive «Price» page.

      

      

    • • • Implement «breadcrumb» navigation and an «Up» button.

      

    • • Ensure the logo always links to the Home page.

    

  • Add sections for reviews, certificates, and team members to build user trust.

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• Optimize Core User Actions:
  • • Fix the service order functionality to ensure it works correctly.
    • Replace pop-up forms with integrated, multi-step forms on the page.

  

  • Make the «Book Now» CTA text adaptable to the specific service section.
• Enhance Mobile Experience:
  • Improve mobile page load speed by reducing the First Contentful Paint time to under 1.8 seconds.
  • Fix incorrect mobile navigation links.

 

Second-Priority Recommendations (Enhancements):

• Refine Content Strategy:
  • • Add a «Why Us» block and explain «How it works» for each service.

  

  • • • Develop a «Blog» section with content categorized by service type .

    

    

  • • Add an FAQ section to service pages.

  

• Improve UI & Engagement:
  • • • Redesign the Home page to match the style of internal pages, removing the large banner.

    

  • • • Implement an exit-intent pop-up offering a discount coupon.

    

  • Add a preloader for pages that take more than 2 seconds to load.
  • Use native colors for social media icons for better recognition.

 

By implementing these recommendations, the Molfars.us website can significantly reduce user friction, build credibility, and create a more intuitive and effective user experience, leading to higher engagement and conversions.