Timestamp
A usability testing research report of a simulation interface under NDA

Original Simulation Timestamp
ROLE
UX Researcher
TIMELINE
1 Week
August, 2024
UXR Team
Jilly Li
Nhi Tran
SKILLS
Usability Testing
Qualitative Analysis
TOOLS
Recorder
Simulator
Adobe Photoshop
Introduction
This report aims to evaluate the usability of the timestamp feature in a simulation [under NDA], focusing on two main contributions: 1) setting up the infrastructure for data collection and 2) conducting user testing with development recommendations for the Simulation Timestamp section.
The target audience is industry software’s professionals. Data collection began on August 5th, 2024, and is currently ongoing. The team has gathered a convenience sample in San Jose, California. As of August 20th, 2024, a total of six sessions have been collected, resulting in a dataset consisting of one hour total of user testing.
Method
1. Exploratory Testing
This phase involved interviewing participants for about 20 minutes, during which they were encouraged to freely explore the interface and think aloud as they shared their opinions about a social crowd simulator to evaluate the Timestamp feature.
The study is currently ongoing, with two participants interviewed so far: one college student (P1) and one Human Resource Coordinator (P2), neither of whom have industry experience.
2. Semi-Structure Testing
The protocol involved interviewing participants for approximately 10 minutes, during which they were asked to describe their current experiences with the UI, pain points, needs, and desires for a social crowd simulator to test the Timestamp feature.
The study is ongoing, with four participants interviewed so far: two college students (P3 and P4), one music producer (P5), and one nurse (P6), none of whom have industry experience.
Results
1. "Play Button" Visibility Issues
P1 found the TimeStamp section initially confusing and suggested that “Timeline” might be a more fitting term. While the timeline bar was clearly identifiable, both exploratory participants agreed that the “Play” button was difficult to spot due to its dark color.
In the semi-structure phase of the study, four users were asked about their understanding of the timeline feature and how to interact with it. All users had difficulty locating the play button due to its low contrast with the background. When asked to rate its visibility on a scale from 1 (very easy) to 10 (very hard), two users rated it a 3, while the other two rated it a 7.
2. Font Size
Four out of six users agreed that the text size appeared too small and cluttered from a distance.
3. Interface is not user-friendly for non-target users and requires time to get accustomed to
Users were asked for their feedback on the “Display Between Timeline” panel, and all encountered difficulties with it. Half of the participants (N = 3) admitted they couldn’t identify the panel's purpose.
Furthermore, P1 and P2 expressed that while the timeline bar displays time in minutes, customizing the start and end points switches to seconds, requiring extra time for calculations. The difference in units between the panel and the timeline added to their frustration, making it challenging to connect the two.
Additionally, it wasn’t clear when the timeline started and ended, leading to uncertainty about its range until they experimented with it. The lack of a maximum time limit could potentially confuse other users.
4. Arrows on the "Display Between Timeline" Panel: Visibility and Functionality Issues
The arrows on both sides of the panel further contributed to the confusion. To P1, the arrows were not immediately intuitive, and initially believed they were for adjusting the start and end times. P3 believed the arrows represented the distance agents travel in time, while P6 expected them to function as sliders to switch between panels. Additionally, all users noted the poor visibility of the arrows, which suffer from the same issue as the “Play button”—black on a dark background.
Insights
Participants offered several suggestions to enhance the usability of the timeline feature.
- Increase the contrast of buttons, such as changing the Play button to a color that stands out against the background.
- Redesign the "Display Between Timeline" panel to make its purpose clearer and align its units with the timeline.
- Improve the visibility and functionality of the left and right arrows, possibly redesigning them to work more intuitively.
- Ensure button and text visibility by adjusting color, size, and placement to enhance user experience.
- Redesign the timeline to resemble more familiar interfaces, such as those in music or video players, with play and pause buttons, along with forward and backward arrows on both sides, as illustrated below.

Timeline Redesign version 1

Timeline Redesign version 2