I haven’t sent this, a) because I don’t know who to send it to, b) because I know no one will take any notice.
This is the Graduate Reporting System. I have to fill it out. It logs my satisfaction levels for my course. It logs you out if you are logged in in more than one tab.
This isn’t a security problem. There is not a single threat model where “two tabs logged in” is an issue. Two IP addresses, then maybe. You are preventing normal user behaviour and then not telling the user the reason that you’ve done something.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
This is the web text for the start of the user journey.
The call to action is hidden in the right bar which most usability studies define as a blind spot for users because of the normal appearance of ads there. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/fight-right-rail-blindness/
Putting a start page with a reasonable expectation of the time to be taken and the resources needed is helpful. The public sector has spent significant time and resources researching how people interact with web pages. This is made available for free, why don’t you use it rather than forcing bad patterns on people?
https://design-system.service.gov.uk/patterns/start-pages/
Next:
Where do I click?
There is no button. I’m looking for it after the header picture where it should be. After some exploration I find that the top bar is where I need to go to. Calling it “My supervision reporting” doesn’t make the UX any better. “Personalising” a bad button is not a real fix for anything.
Top nav bars are not meant to be used for service initiation. They’re for section navigation. Services don’t start there.
In the actual reporting system, you have to scroll down (3–4 screens worth of scroll) and use an edit button. I thought this was a new report? Why am I editing it? Has someone already written it and I’m checking it? Edit is the wrong verb. It’s also in the wrong place.
I get through the form, but realise that a separate sub-form (my training needs assessment) needs to be attached. Why are they two separate forms and not one process? In trying to go back and find this other form, I notice that back button behaviour is broken.
Why does this matter?
The internet has some norms. Some standards. Some expectations. It’s like a car. Not to say that you can’t put the indicator next to the radio, some cars did that in the 50s, but it isn’t where most users expect to find it. Build for user expectation and you’ll see a higher unchased completion rate of your forms. You’ll have less time guiding bewildered students through email and phone so you can get on with other things. Oxford students aren’t thick, so think about what must be going wrong for you to be delivering things that are so unusable.
Also, if your excuse is “we procured this system for 10 years and we can’t change any of the UX” then you have bigger problems, but you need to think about the front-end as much as the back and start choosing systems for people based on suppliers who talk about being reactive to feedback and research rather than shiny suits who promise the earth and deliver something as poor as this.
