MOBILE WELLNESS APP ABBREVIATED STUDY PLAN

Two Alternatives for Evaluating Mobile Wellness App Graphics Options

Prepared by: Donna Miller Watts, Senior UX Researcher

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of graphic options on user motivation and engagement for a mobile wellness application.

Summary of Initial Approach:

This study proposes a hybrid preference test/ranked-choice methodology to evaluate graphic options for a mobile wellness app. The approach involves using a survey platform with limited user text input to assess user preferences.

Proposed Study Design:

  1. Study Scope:

    • After internal review of XYZ’s dashboard card/language options available in Figma, we propose a revised study approach.

    • Stakeholders aim to measure users’ “motivation” and “engagement” in response to subtle graphic changes in the mobile app.

  2. Methodology:

    • Preference Test/Survey:

      • Conduct an unmoderated preference survey with 100 non-XYZ participants meeting pre-established recruitment criteria.

      • Display 3 or 4 different iterations of dashboard cards for the same activity (e.g., “Sleep” mission cards) together, including existing designs.

      • Participants will rank the variations from 1 to 4 and provide reasons for their choices in a free text field.

    • Platform:

      • The survey will be conducted using MUIQ, which will also recruit users at the agreed rate.

  3. Rationale:

    • This approach provides a straightforward method to explore user preferences for both new and existing card layouts and language.

    • Non-XYZ users, who are daily mobile phone and app users interested in wellness, will offer unbiased feedback.

    • The ranked preference survey with scrambled options simplifies the process and eliminates the need for A/B or A/B/C testing.

  4. Participant Criteria:

    • Age: 22-60, with a skew towards 35-55.

    • Gender: Even distribution between men and women.

    • Geographic Diversity: As diverse as possible.

    • Daily users of mobile apps.

    • Not users of the XYZ wellness application.

    • Interest in wellness and tracking personal wellness.

    • Fluent in English.

  5. Expected Outcomes:

    • A comprehensive report detailing testing conditions, methods, and results.

  6. Timeline:

    • The study will run for approximately one to two weeks from late-November, with the deliverable due mid to late December 2022.

FINAL STUDY APPROACH

Summary:

Based on further discussions with XYZ and considering a major redesign in 2023, we propose simplified changes to the survey to yield quicker and more insightful results.

Study Design:

  1. Study Scope:

    • Conduct a ranked preference survey with 50 non-XYZ participants meeting pre-established recruitment criteria.

  2. Methodology:

    • Preference Test/Survey:

      • Display 3 or 4 different iterations of dashboard cards for the same activity (e.g., “Sleep” mission cards) together, including existing designs.

      • Participants will rank their first and second choices based on how well the cards meet each question’s criteria.

      • Provide reasons for their choices in a free text field.

    • Platform:

      • The survey will be conducted using MUIQ, which will recruit users at the agreed rate.

  3. Rationale:

    • This approach provides a quick and straightforward method to explore user preferences for both new and existing card layouts and language.

    • Simplifying the ranking to first and second choices will make the results easier to analyze.

  4. Participant Criteria:

    • Age: 22-60, with a skew towards 35-55.

    • Gender: Even distribution between men and women.

    • Geographic Diversity: As diverse as possible.

    • Daily users of mobile apps.

    • Not users of the XYZ wellness application.

    • Interest in wellness and tracking personal wellness.

    • Fluent in English.

  5. Expected Outcomes:

    • A comprehensive report detailing testing conditions, methods, and results.

  6. Timeline:

    • The study will run for approximately one to two weeks from mid-December, with the report due soon after.

Survey Instructions:

  1. Introduction: "Imagine you have decided to use an application to help you achieve certain wellness goals. In the following questions, you will view mobile screens with slight differences in how they present information. Please rank your first and second choices according to the given criteria for each question. After ranking, provide your reasons in the text field provided."

  2. Ranking Question Example: "Which of these options do you think would help you the most to reach your __________ goal? Drag and drop 2 out of the (number) options to select your first and second choice."

  3. Follow-up Text Field Question: "Tell us why you ranked your first and second choices as you did" (character limit: 70-100 or more).

This plan aims to streamline the research process while obtaining valuable insights into user preferences for the mobile wellness app’s graphic options.