Great Question

Consolidating all your research tools in one platform.

INTRODUCTION

Enhance the usability of a B2B UX research platform designed to help enterprises streamline customer research, enabling teams to make data-driven decisions that improve their products more efficiently.

Team

1 Product Design Lead (me)
1 Engineer
‍1 Product Manager
1 Sales

My Role

Product Design
Visual Design
Heuristic Analysis

Context

Great Question (B2B startup)
Contract

Timeline

Jul - Oct 2024

My Contributions

As a Product Designer at Great Question, I collaborated with engineering, product managers, and sales to conduct a heuristic analysis and provide actionable design recommendations for improving platform usability. Lacking a company framework, I created a fictitious B2B SaaS company, Expensa, to simulate real enterprise use cases and assess the platform’s effectiveness. This allowed for a comprehensive evaluation and led to key improvements, ultimately contributing to 42 qualified sales opportunities at UXDX in Dublin.

Heuristic Analysis

I conducted a heuristic analysis of Great Question’s platform, identifying 9 usability issues to improve the user experience.

Product Design

I provided 4 key design recommendations that addressed usability issues. I also led all facets of designing Expensa’s mobile and desktop interface, curating a unique design system & visual brand.

Rapid Prototyping

I rapidly iterated low-high fidelity prototypes based on feedback to ensure they were intuitive and met user needs.

User Research

I spearheaded user research, running 8 user interviews, 10+ surveys, and 15+ unmoderated prototype tests to directly inform design decisions.

SOLUTION OVERVIEW

What is Great Question?

Great Question is a UX research platform that streamlines research processes for enterprises. Their services include recruiting participants, conducting mixed methods research, and analyzing data findings all in one centralized hub. They currently serve over 40 companies globally, such as Gusto and Canva, making it easier to get customer feedback than ever before.

Recruit
External Candidates
Customers & Users
Research Calendar
Research Incentives
Conduct
User Interviews
Prototype Testing
Mixed Methods
Observer Rooms
Analyze & Share
Great Question AI
Research Repository
Research Synthesis
Highlight Reels

Context

Great Question was attending UXDX in Dublin to present a talk on Boosting Product Team Efficiency by applying research techniques to Developer Experiences. This conference was a pivotal opportunity for the startup to gain visibility and credibility, showcasing our software to a wider audience, including potential investors, partners, and clients.

Problem

Ahead of this presentation, the company had just launched a new feature: unmoderated prototype testing. Given its importance, a comprehensive heuristic analysis was crucial to ensure the feature met the needs of its target users: B2B SaaS enterprises. With a lean design team of just three members, my contributions offered a fresh perspective, delivering high-quality design insights while allowing the internal team to stay focused on their core responsibilities.

Opportunity

I conducted a comprehensive heuristic analysis for the software’s end-to-end service and designed recommendations that would address critical usability issues.

Heuristic Analysis  ➚
EXPENSA

Creating a Fictitious Company - Expensa

With Great Question's B2B SaaS clientele in mind, I designed Expensa, an AI-powered expense management platform that streamlines employee-initiated expenses. By simulating a 0-1 product development process, I was able to conduct a comprehensive heuristic analysis of the platform's end-to-end service, identifying key friction points in recruitment, unmoderated prototype testing, and data analysis. This simulation enabled me to provide design recommendations tailored to the needs of both small and large-scale enterprises, enhancing their efficiency in collecting and acting on customer feedback.

Introducing Expensa

01
Receipt Scanning
Users can seamlessly submit new reimbursement claims on both mobile and desktop by scanning receipts, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) automatically extracting and populating the relevant information.
02
Tasks that Require Attention
Users will be alerted when a task requires additional information with guidance, removing confusion and increasing efficiency with getting approval.

Design System

Branding

HEURISTIC ANALYSIS

Usability Issues & Design Recommendations

After using the software from initial onboarding to analyzing findings from the perspective of an enterprise - Expensa (their target clientele), I conducted a heuristic analysis to rate the usability of the software, compiled notable violations, and prioritized a few problems to address through design recommendations to optimize impact on the user experience.
Shipped Feature - Now Live!
01     Users need to preview their studies before publishing to ensure accuracy and alignment with expectations.
Users need the ability to preview studies before publishing to ensure content displays correctly and avoid errors that could impact participant data. This lack of preview functionality disrupts the testing process and compromises the reliability of results.
Violation of Usability Heuristic #9: Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
Improved Iteration: Incorporate a preview mode for mobile prototypes while working on a desktop to allow users to ensure that content or design errors are caught before publication.
Shipped Feature - Now Live!
02     Users need to quickly code qualitative data to streamline analysis.
Users need the ability to apply multiple tags at once to efficiently code qualitative data and analyze it effectively. Tagging items one at a time slows workflows, reduces productivity, and fails to meet user expectations for an intuitive, streamlined tagging process.
Violation of Usability Heuristic #7: Flexibility & Efficiency of Use
Improved Iteration: Allow users to select multiple data items and apply tags in bulk when managing large datasets. Additionally, ensure the tagging menu remains open until the user completes the process, reducing the need to reopen the menu repeatedly.
Pending Development
03     Users need the instruction panel to be easily accessible and properly sized.
Starting instructions in a small, unresizable corner box creates unnecessary friction and reduces clarity, especially for users who may need larger text or more visibility. Positioning instructions in a central or side-by-side panel improves accessibility, streamlines the experience, and aligns with industry conventions for user testing platforms
Violation of Usability Heuristic #4: Consistency & Standards
Improved Iteration: Relocate the instruction panel to a more central or side-by-side position where it is immediately visible and easily accessible to users.
Pending Development
04     Users need a way to communicate directly with participants within the platform.
Users expect to interact with participants in a unified way, such as having a built-in messaging or communication channel. Relying on email for communication breaks the consistency of the platform’s design and may confuse users who expect a more integrated, streamlined experience.
Violation of Usability Heuristic #4: Consistency & Standards
Improved Iteration: Include an integrated inbox or messaging component to facilitate communication with participants to streamline workflows.
REFLECTION

Impact

My design recommendations, which addressed key usability issues, were successfully implemented and included in the software’s showcase at UXDX in Dublin. These enhancements improved the platform’s user experience and directly contributed to 42 qualified sales opportunities and business growth.

Key Learnings

Designing for Agility in Startups
Working in a startup environment taught me to navigate ambiguity and prioritize effectively. With limited resources and fast-moving deadlines, I focused on delivering actionable insights that aligned with both user needs and the company’s evolving goals, ensuring maximum impact with minimal turnaround.
Collaboration Begins on Day 1
Involving all stakeholders early on was essential in aligning our goals and navigating tight deadlines and constraints. By ensuring clear expectations and open communication from the start, I was able to prioritize the project effectively, stay on track, and deliver design recommendations that met both user needs and business objectives.
Aligning Stakeholders through Insights
Conducting a comprehensive heuristic analysis challenged me to synthesize complex findings and communicate them effectively to stakeholders. This experience enhanced my ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders, manage expectations, and foster alignment to deliver user-centered improvements.