G-Class Drivers
A comprehensive two-phase UX research project evaluating a driving school website’s usability and identifying opportunities for improvement.
G-Class Drivers is a Hamilton-based driving institution established in 2012. This academic research project evaluated their website through heuristic evaluation, moderated testing with 3 participants, and unmoderated testing with 16 participants to uncover usability issues and provide data-driven recommendations.
Research Questions
Three key questions guided our research approach and helped us understand user experiences:
01 Usability Issues
What usability issues do users face when enrolling in a course, such as the Beginner’s Driving Education Course?
02 Value Perception
What are users’ perspectives on pricing, course features, and overall value?
03 Information Architecture
What information is present or missing on the website?
Phase I: Discovery & Initial Research
Research Methods
Phase I employed two complementary methods to gather comprehensive insights: moderated usability testing with 3 participants from our target user groups (parents, new drivers, and local residents), and expert heuristic evaluation using Nielsen’s 10 usability principles.
Moderated Usability Testing
Observed real users completing 5 key tasks: registering for beginner courses, finding schedules, locating contact information, booking online courses, and scheduling in-car lessons.
- Real-time behavioral observations
- Emotional response tracking
- Task completion time measurement
Heuristic Evaluation
Expert evaluation using Nielsen’s 10 usability principles to identify UX violations and systemic design issues across key user flows.
- Systematic issue documentation
- Severity classification
- Actionable recommendations
Key Findings
All 3 participants expressed frustration with promotional popups appearing every 3 minutes. One participant stated: “Oh, this pop-up again... It keeps showing up even when I close it that’s kinda irritating.”
Recommendation: Remove or significantly reduce popup frequency
Task 5 (booking in-car lessons) took 3-5+ minutes with participants showing confusion and frustration. Common questions: “Where do I find booking for in-car lessons?” and “Which course should I take?”
Recommendation: Create clearer navigation path and improve course differentiation
Heuristic Violations Identified
- Visibility of System Status: No email confirmation after registration
- User Control: Back button incorrectly returns to homepage
- Consistency: Course buttons all lead to same page regardless of selection
- Recognition Over Recall: Missing course details and pricing information at point of selection
Phase I Documentation
Phase II: Validation & Expanded Testing
Unmoderated Usability Testing
Phase II expanded our research with unmoderated testing of 16 participants to validate Phase I findings, eliminate researcher bias, and gather broader quantitative data.
Methodology
Survey-based unmoderated testing with 16 participants completing 4 key tasks independently.
- Eliminated researcher bias through independent completion
- Measured task completion times and difficulty ratings
- Gathered qualitative feedback on navigation experience
Research Goals
Validate Phase I findings with a larger sample size and quantitative metrics.
- Confirm usability issues identified in moderated testing
- Identify additional patterns with statistical significance
- Measure user satisfaction across key tasks
Key Findings
Task Performance & Difficulty
Significant variation in task difficulty revealed inconsistent user experience across different website sections.
- Homepage navigation and course booking presented greatest challenges
- Wide range of completion times indicated unclear navigation paths
- Users struggled most with finding specific course information
User Feedback Highlights
Participants reported mixed satisfaction scores with specific pain points:
- “Front page is too long and overcrowded”
- Difficulty distinguishing between similar course options
- Confusion about which path to take for in-car lesson booking
- Positive feedback on clear contact information placement
Validated Phase I Findings
Phase II confirmed critical issues from Phase I with larger sample:
- Course navigation difficulties consistently reported
- Homepage overcrowding emerged as a new pattern
- Pricing clarity issues validated across both phases
Method Comparison
Moderated Testing (Phase I)
- Captured emotional reactions and frustrations
- Revealed thought processes through think-aloud protocol
- Enabled follow-up questions for deeper insights
- 3 participants, qualitative focus
Unmoderated Testing (Phase II)
- Larger sample size (16 participants)
- Eliminated researcher bias
- Natural user behavior without observation pressure
- Quantitative metrics with statistical significance
Prioritized Recommendations
Based on our comprehensive two-phase research, we developed prioritized recommendations to address identified issues:
- 01Remove Intrusive PopupsEliminate or significantly reduce promotional popup frequency. Current implementation severely disrupts user flow.Critical
- 02Improve Course NavigationCreate clearer pathways for booking in-car lessons and differentiate between course types with detailed descriptions.Critical
- 03Add Email ConfirmationsImplement automatic email confirmations after registration to provide users with system status visibility.High
- 04Clarify Pricing InformationEnsure advertised prices match available courses. Remove misleading “$60 per hour” claim or add corresponding booking option.High
- 05Simplify HomepageReduce content on the front page to make it less overwhelming. Multiple users noted it felt long or overcrowded.Medium
- 06Fix Back Button NavigationCorrect back button behavior to return users to their previous page instead of defaulting to homepage.Medium
Next Steps
Future directions for this project include:
- Present Findings. Share comprehensive research findings and recommendations with G-Class Drivers stakeholders
- Create WCAG-Compliant Prototype. Develop a redesigned prototype that addresses identified issues and meets accessibility standards
- Conduct Competitive Analysis. Analyze competing driving school websites to identify best practices and opportunities
- Discover Additional Business Needs. Engage with stakeholders to uncover additional requirements and business goals
Phase II Documentation
Project Impact & Learnings
Research Outcomes
This comprehensive two-phase UX research project successfully identified critical usability issues across the G-Class Drivers website through three complementary research methods. The multi-method approach combining heuristic evaluation, moderated usability testing with 3 participants, and unmoderated testing with 16 participants provided thorough coverage of both expert and user perspectives, resulting in actionable, data-driven recommendations.
Key Takeaway
The most valuable insight from this research was discovering how different research methods reveal different types of issues. Moderated testing uncovered emotional frustrations (like popup annoyance) that didn’t appear in unmoderated surveys, while the larger sample size of unmoderated testing revealed patterns like homepage overcrowding. This demonstrates that comprehensive UX research requires multiple methodologies to capture the full picture of user experience.