Working title: The Duck & Dog Lodge
Report Author: Emilio Gomez
Date:  November 30, 2009

Brief Profile of Users
Four people participated. Two were adept at searching potential vacation rental sites; two were not. Three were computer savvy; one was not as comfortable with general online searches. None had seen the site before.  

Think Aloud Task
Assume user is searching for vacation rental in Vermont. Provide general feedback on the look of the site; ease of navigation; and information included.

Summary of Think Aloud
All four users complimented the main page and were drawn in by the photos and use of coordinating colors.  There was mixed reaction to the use of photos – all agreed they were necessary; one individual felt there were too many and a number were repetitive looking; two people felt I needed to add more photos; one person felt the number of photos was sufficient. And three users recommended adding thumbnails to the photo section; One user preferred a slideshow template only. All users had difficulty in returning to the site after viewing the photo slideshow.
All users stated the site headings were logical and included relevant information. Three users appreciated the links to the area activities as well as the up-to-date weather data.  One user experienced frustration because of a slower internet connection and small computer screen.

Summary of Posttest
All users felt the full site provided adequate information in this alpha test to begin to help them determine whether this would be a potential vacation choice. Two users suggested adding a visual of the general area to provide geographic context. One person was adamant about including captions on all photos. All were frustrated that they couldn’t easily navigate back to the main site after viewing photos. One individual also commented that it would be helpful to include contact information in more than one place as well as additional specifications about the house.

Findings to be Implemented
As a result of the alpha test, I have made or will make the following changes:

• Research other photo program options to ease navigation and/or include a set of instructions to return to the main page;
• Added a satellite map on the home page;
• Added thumbnails to the photo section and added photo subsets in addition to a master set of photos;
• Included contact information at the bottom of each page;
• Added details about the house interior.

Findings that will not be Implemented

• Will conduct a more detailed  photo review and determine an appropriate course of action to balance the varied and conflicting suggestions regarding the organization of photos; number of photos; and necessary captions.
• Will not add pop-up captions in the slideshow as it impedes the flow of the slideshow.