Additional View completed a 2 part online focus group and usability research projects for Tasmania Energy retailer Aurora Energy.
The research problem was to find out why customers were not using all the services on the companies website, and gauge opinion and attitudes towards the information.
The study focused on two segments of the market, small to medium size businesses and residential customers. Each of the groups lasted for approximately 90 minutes and there were 6 to 8 participants, 4 observers and 1 moderator in each group.
First round of online focus groups
The objective of the first round of online focus group was to identifying the immediate consumer website access issues. This was done by eliciting opinion, feedback and participants completing a series of website usability tasks. Participants within the groups were presented with usability tasks, images, survey questions and discussion topics.
The immediate results of the first round of online focus groups revealed complex industry jargon, disjointed information and confusing content structure. The internal processes of the business were taken into account during the research analysis and it became evident conflicting needs of internal stakeholders had inadvertently caused the online channel to become internally focused.
Additional view delivered a series of recommendations to address the issues and also assisted in managing the changes required to remedy the current situation.
Second round of online focus groups
The objective of the second round of online focus groups was to measure the effectiveness of proposed changes to address issues uncovered durring the first round of online focus groups.
By focusing the discussion guide on a set of detailed website wireframes the client was able to capture immediate feedback on proposed solutions. The online focus group research method allowed us to A/B split test alternative changes to the structure, information architecture and language of the website before the client invested further resources in the online channel.
Online focus group project outcomes
Additional View took the results from both studies and combined them with data obtained from visitor tracking, content audits, industry benchmarking, and desktop research and advised on a set of guidelines to achieve both consumer goals and stakeholder needs.
With this information and knowledge the client was able to move forward and confidently invest in the development of the online channel. The result was a new website which met the needs of the consumer and all the stakeholders within the organisation.
