To address our research questions, I created four user tasks, each targeting one or more topics, such as finding a winter hike or logging a trail. Participants, ranging from casual outdoorspeople to experienced hikers and national park visitors, walked through each task while thinking aloud, explaining their actions and decisions. This approach provided both quantitative data, like filter selections and offline map downloads, and qualitative insights into motivations and behaviors. Sessions were conducted online via Microsoft Teams and recorded for analysis. When users worked quickly, I asked probing questions, such as ‘What made you click that first?’ or ‘Where would you move this item?’ to capture their thought process in detail.

Users understood the search, filter, and review features but ran into usability issues that slowed them down. The winter filter was hard to find, and the main search bar didn’t handle typos well. Sorting labels like “Most Popular” were confusing, often hiding highly rated but less-visited hikes.

Logging hikes and leaving reviews felt easy and enjoyable, but users wanted photo uploads, better segment logging, and more detailed tags. Trail length filters worked, but maps were inefficient, paywalls limited info, and comparisons between hikes weren’t possible.

Overall, users liked the core features but wanted clearer navigation, better labels, more flexible search, and stronger filtering and comparison tools.

Not all feedback was negative. Tasks were rated fairly easy, averaging 6.25 on the 7-point SEQ scale. The first task was the toughest, but users completed later ones more smoothly. New users gained confidence, with two first-time participants reporting higher post-test confidence scores. Participants especially liked the trail length filter and how easy it was to leave quick post-hike reviews.

Here’s how I would address the key issues seen in testing:

These fixes focus on improving usability and the overall user experience. I would clarify trail sorting and ratings, relabeling “Most Popular” as “Most Visited” or “Trending” and highlighting star-rating filters. Login and search flows were streamlined, seasonal filters were surfaced, and side-by-side trail comparisons were added. Reviews and logging were improved with photo uploads, flexible tagging, and a clear display of hike and review dates. I'd also optimized trail length and distance features and enhanced overall usability with larger icons, standardized labels, and tooltips for first-time users.