Epson
Redesign of a scan and receipt management software implementing design best practices, usability testing insights, and Windows UI guidelines.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Epson is one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers, information, and imaging related equipment.
The company wanted to create a new native Windows software application for their scanners to manage scanned documents and receipts.
The project scope consisted of converting low-fidelity wireframes of the concept by Epson Japan into a clickable prototype, making recommendations based upon usability studies they collected, iterating upon their design, and creating prototypes from those iterations for Epson to test with users. The Japan team would take my prototype to test against the American team's prototype and decide which features would be designed into their collective final prototype.
MY ROLE
I was the sole UX Designer on the project. I partnered with our engagement manager and the client's senior designer for design reviews.
TOOLS
Sketch, InVision
DURATION
3 weeks in November 2017
CHALLENGE
Epson wanted to come up with new concept prototypes for their existing scan and receipt management software. The challenge was to increase efficiency in the scanning process. How might we allow users to more efficiently perform simple scanning tasks, manage scan jobs, and organize scans with their Epson scanner?
SOLUTION
Variations of scan and receipt management software prototypes that will allow users to utilize the same functions with streamlined task flows.
GOALS
1. Create an application that allows the user to complete their tasks efficiently.
2. Design for all the functions that the user needs to manage the scanned files.
3. Make managing scanned files easy to do.
USABILITY TESTING
Epson Japan tested their initial prototype with 10 users, and I was given the video recordings and notes. They gave the users a set of tasks to complete based on target user goals. This usability study was different from a typical study because the users were not to speak about their decisions aloud, but to be silent and move through the motions as they would if they were using the software in a real life setting. The researchers then asked questions after the users had completed the given tasks.
Usability Test Tasks:
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Scan document and export to folder in PC
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Scan document and export using e-mail
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Scan receipt and export
The main usability issues that we found were:
Unnecessary start screen
Users did not understand why they were being presented with both the scan and receipt management options at the start of opening the application. They thought that they would be heading right into the scan manager and that this was like an extra screen.
Scan Manager - Hard to find the export button
The terminology “Select destination” was not understood. Some users also noted that they were accustomed to seeing export buttons at the top left of the screens, similar to where they would find the "Save" function in the menu of the application.
Scan Manager - "Arrange Action" is not understood
It was not clear to users that its function was a toggle for rearranging the export options.
Receipt Manager - Multiple clicks needed to reach screen for editing data
It took users 4 clicks to edit the receipt data. Because users are often working with a large stack of receipts, they would want to be able to edit improperly scanned data quickly.
Receipt Manager - Poor scannability
At a glance, it was hard for users to quickly find a specific receipt because of the text-heavy spreadsheet view.
REFLECTIONS
This was my first time working with an enterprise client, so I learned about the nuances of working with a large corporation. It was also my first time designing a Windows application and without access to a Windows machine, I had to get resourceful by finding images online of how Windows applications looked like.
Unfortunately because this was a turnkey project, I was not involved in the project after I passed the final deliverables to Epson, so I don't know what features were selected to be in the next iterations.