EVALUATIVE RESEARCH

USABILITY TEST OF MULTI-SCENE FEATURE FOR INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS

SYNOPSIS

Conduct Usability Testing of Adobe Stager’s new feature, Multi-Scene, gearing towards Industrial Design Professionals.

COMPANY / CLIENT

ADOBE

CROSS FUNCTIONAL TEAMS

Product Management | Software Product Development

ROLE

Lead User Researcher

BACKGROUND

Adobe Substance 3D is looking to implement new product features that will attract Industrial Designers as a new User base. The previous Generative User Research Analysis indicated that Industrial Designers would like Adobe Stager Program to gain the functionality of being able to setup up multiple scenes, each with its own camera and light setup.

This (Phase 2) research will focus on testing which of the 2 iterations of Multi-Scene UI implementation resonates with the Industrial Design users the most.

PROBLEM STATEMENTS

“Which of the Multi-Scene User Interface options makes the most sense for the Industrial Designers Workflow?”

CHALLENGES

“We want to ensure this usability test covers all relevant use cases so the UI can be assessed in conditions as close to real world scenarios as possible.”
— Project Challenge Assessment

MODERATED USEABILITY TEST SETUP:

Moderated Useability Test is chosen so we can go further in depth about why the research subjects chose one option over another. Given this feature is designed for very specific use case scenarios, we want to ensure the scenario context is clearly understood.

  • 6-8 participants (per designer group) spread across

    • Gender

    • Years of professional 3D CAD experience Novice | Mid | Experts

    • In-house design | Consultancy | Freelancers

    • Industry: Hard Goods vs. Soft Goods (Textile)

    • Awareness of why / how the Multi-Scene Functionality can add value to the workflow

  • Have a pre-screen questionnaire to collect the appropriate participants

  • Take participants through 2 use case scenarios

RESEARCH OUTLINE

1 INTRODUCTION / WARM UP

Start by reviewing the study goal and Multi-Scene use case scenario. Idea is to warm up the participant’s mindset but also have some open ended questions to capture use case scenarios that we previously may not be aware of. Sample Intro & Questions:

  • We’re here today to talk about adding Multi-Scene functionality to Adobe Stager.

  • You had mentioned in the prescreening survey that you see its benefits. Can you describe some instances that it would come in handy with your workflow?

2 SETUP

Present the Default + 2 UI options. Gauge first impression.

  • Given your previously described Multi-Scene use case scenario, will Option 1 or 2 work better. Please talk it through.

3a SCENARIO 1

Present Scenario 1. Then gauge preference.

  • Scenario 1

    • 2 scenes

    • Different Camera Setup: 1 Perspective View | 1 Top View

    • Same 3D Model

    • Different Environmental Lighting

  • Which UI is your preference? Can you walk us through why?

  • Is there any other use cases that would further reenforce your UI preference?

3b SCENARIO 2

Present Scenario 2. Then gauge preference.

  • Scenario 2

    • 2 scenes

    • Same Camera Setup: Perspective View

    • Different 3D Model

    • Same Environmental Lighting

  • Which UI is your preference? Can you walk us through why?

  • We’ve now gone through all the planned scenarios. Is there any other use cases that would further reenforce your UI preference?

4 REVIEW & RETROSPECTIVE

  • As we progressed from Scenario 1 to Scenario 2. Did you change your mind? Can you explain why?

  • Can you imagine a better UI than what we’ve proposed? If so, please walk us through and describe why it is better.

FINDINGS & ANALYSIS

FINDING 1

  • Initial reception to Multi Scene Feature is positive

FINDING 2

  • Multi-Scene UI 2 is preferred. It allows the users to setup template scenes that can makes it quicker to render different Models with the same camera and lighting setup.

FINDING 3

  • User revealed that Scene Lighting setup can even differ when rendering Dark 3D Model Material versus Light 3D Model Material. This further reenforces the need for Multi Scene feature when rendering various concept 3D Models for development review.

IMPACT

We are now able to chose the appropriate UI design direction that addresses Users’ pain points in real world use scenarios.

Now that we have proof with small subset of target users, we should confirm our findings with a larger user pool with a quantitative survey. We now have the necessary user insights to compose a survey and the necessary explanatory collateral to accurately gauge User Interest without participants being confused about the context.

ACTION ITEMS

SURVEY RECRUITMENT

  • 20-30 users

  • Gender

  • Years of professional 3D CAD experience (Novice / Mid / Experts)

  • In-house design / Consultancy / Freelancers

  • Industry. Hard Goods vs. Soft Goods (Textile)

CONTEXT - STORY BOARDS

  • Provide storyboards illustrating

    • Multi Scene Feature

    • Why it is useful

    • Use Case showing relevancy

SURVEY CONTENTS / QUESTIONS

  • Do you find the new Multi-Scene Feature useful?

  • Please rate how much you would like to see the feature implemented in the next release. (1-5)

  • Other than the listed use cases, please describe additional scenarios, if any.

  • Would you be interested in participating in additional research efforts?

During these moderated sessions, through additional inquiry, we did find additional Use Cases relevant to Multi-Scene feature. These new insights provide direction for further product refinement and also ensures that we’re not missing any critical context.

RETROSPECTIVE

Below is the project that inspired this Usability Study.

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