Miter Usability Testing Research
Timeframe: March 2022 - April 2022
My Role: As one of three on the UX team, I recruited participants for user testing and made recommendations for product update based on user feedback
Overview
Miter is the better-meeting assistant: the day-to-day help you need to turn wasteful, unproductive meetings into useful work time. Miter helps you avoid all the work of "agenda theater," focusing you on the things that actually matter: goals and outcomes. They are an early-stage startup with a prerelease product available for individuals on desktop, Zoom, and Google Calendar. The app is designed primarily for internal meetings rather than, say, sales calls.
Problem
Many people dislike meetings. Depending on the types of meetings, they can be unproductive or just unnecessary. In general, groups and teams struggle to execute effective meetings.
RESEARCH
Secondary Research
Based on the research findings from Miter Co, we organized their notes into an affinity map:
Miter’s Key Insights
Understanding the difference between agendas and purpose
Clearly established goals
Cross-functional engagement
Driving alignment
Competitive Analysis
Defining the Problem
As a result of the secondary and primary research, we identified three (3) red routes:
Preparation: Having a preliminary agenda prior to meetings can help facilitate time management and enable participants to prepare for meetings and contribute more effectively. Pre-meeting communication can produce more collaboration.
Participation: Identifying the right participants will allow meetings to be more productive and engaging.
Documentation: The end of a meeting can be as important as the beginning of the meeting. Summarizing the discussion and decisions made can remind participants of the outcome of the meeting.
IDENTIFIYING THE USER
Organizing Framework
To get a better understanding of Miter's workflow, we created a user flow, where the task of users was to access and use Miter through Zoom from start to finish.
USABILITY TEST
For the usability test, we’ve recruited participants that fit the targeted user group for the app, which included project/product manager, along with a business account manager and/or developer. A total of 5 moderated usability tests were conducted remotely utilizing the existing app. The primary objectives are to identify usability issues and gather feedback for recommendations.
Each test lasted approximately 30 minutes, where they were assigned to do the following tasks:
Set goals for the team meeting
Include topics for discussion
Mark an action item
Identify decisions made during the meeting
Send email summary to all participants.
Analysis
After conducting the usability tests, based on the 3 main screens, we found 4 recurring issues and made recommendations for critical issues
CONCLUSION
Miter App is ideal for:
1-on-1 meetings
Smaller teams
Short-term projects and goals
The fewer people there were in the meeting, the easy communication there was. One person was more likely to take the lead, and there was less confusion when someone made an edit to the log.
Also, with small or short-term projects, there isn’t a heavy reliance on a timeline or roadmap, and it seems easier for everyone to be in alignment.
To make Miter more appealing to larger groups, we would need:
More integration (for email)
More customization
Incorporating a timeline feature
Integrating email in a way that allows participants to assign tasks to people who are not in the meeting is desired. In addition, it would be helpful when meetings may be for stakeholders or managers only, and that there be a hand-off of information. These suggestions align with the business model because we want effective meetings. Having extra participants, who may not need to add to that conversation, can waste time when an email is sufficient.
In various ways, users wished they had more freedom to tailor the app to their needs. Structuring options in a way that mimics what they already know, while keeping the options visible and not hidden, can reduce cognitive overload and fast-track the onboarding experience.
Lastly, incorporating the calendar to a more significant level would let users feel like they are making real strides in terms of getting things done.
If there was more time:
Conduct usability tests with actual teams, other targeted audiences (such as Human Resources), one-on-one, recruiters, and consultants.
As discussed, we believe the current product targets one-on-one meetings and small groups best. We think there should be more testing done in this group.
Specifically, meetings with human resources, recruiters, consultants, and similar, could benefit from this app. They often deal with one-on-one meetings, where the client may want the information discussed forwarded to their email to reference or research later. Having quick notes is helpful and incorporating follow-up dates or assignments can make everyone aware of the next steps.