The product configuration feature is part of the Cincom CPQ software which allows for process optimization to drive faster, quality production.
Project Overview
Before
Problem
The problem being addressed is related to the creation and navigation of multi-model solutions and configurable products, particularly when dealing with nested models. Users encounter difficulties in effectively utilizing the product, including navigation issues, missing functionalities, and an inadequate user interface.
After
Solution
The focus of this project is on improving the accessibility of configurable options and making the process of configuring nested model solutions easier for users. The aim was to improve navigation within the product catalog and ultimately enhance the user experience when creating various solution models or products.
Objective
Our primary objective was to enhance the creation of multi-model solutions and configurable products, making configurable options more accessible and improving navigation in the product catalog. We focused on understanding user difficulties with nested models and sought to identify missing functionalities to improve the overall user experience with solution models.
We aimed to look out for statements from participants on aspects such as:
“I’m trying to [create a solution-based model/configurable product] [navigate through the several nested models] [configure the model according to the instructions] but I’m having difficulties performing this/these task(s).”
Goals:
Assess users' ability to effectively utilize the product, considering the intricate process of creating nested solution models containing subset variables within another model.
Identify any potential lacking features in functionality that impede or complicate the user experience when creating various solution models or products.
Uncover opportunities for enhancing the user interface to ensure a more seamless experience while navigating through nested solution models.
Methodology
The research encompassed an unmoderated study involving 5 carefully selected participants. These screened users were presented with specific scenarios and tasked to perform various actions on the corresponding screens.
The user testing involved a scenario wherein participants were required to perform 9 tasks. These tasks aimed to assess the complexity of the screens and determine the users' ability to create a nested model solution successfully.
Scenario:
As a solution provider for a fleet vehicle company, we would like you to create a solution for a fleet of buses that require multiple steps before being able to configure that specific product.
Task 1: Where would you go to add a nested product named “Jane’s Terminal” in the “Salt Lake City” model?
Task 3: Where would you go to create a model within “Joe’s Terminal” which will be named “Premium Coach 9500”?
Task 4: Where would you go to be able to configure the product, “Premium Coach 9500”?
Task 7: Imagine you have completed customizing this bus, where would you go to add another bus to "Joe’s Terminal"?
Task 8: Where would expect to open a product catalog or product listing to add items to "Joe's Terminal"?
Task 2: How would edit “Jane’s Terminal” to change its name to “Joe’s Terminal”?
Task 5: For “Premium Coach 9500,” where would you go to configure the seats for this bus?
Task 6: Assuming you have configured your seats and are finished with this, where would you go to save the configured options, you’ve selected for this product?
Task 9: Imagine you accidentally added the wrong bus to "Joe's Terminal." Where would you go to change products without leaving this screen?
Prototype
This prototype was tested with our participants, who were required to follow various tasks given to them.
Synthesizing the Data
Affinity Mapping
We utilized affinity mapping as a method to identify recurring themes mentioned by the participants. Through this process, we organized the notes into distinct clusters based on common topics or issues raised by the participants. This approach allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the participants' perspectives and experiences, enabling us to recognize patterns and trends that emerged during the testing phase. By visually mapping out these themes, we were able to pinpoint key areas of concern and potential opportunities for improvement in our prototype's design and functionality.
Interview Notes
After conducting interviews and testing our prototype, we compiled the gathered notes to visualize the pain points and hurdles that participants encountered while using our product. Additionally, we documented any comments made by participants, both negative and positive, regarding their experience with the prototype. This comprehensive analysis allowed us to gain valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of our prototype, enabling us to identify areas for improvement and potential areas of success.
Recommendations
The testing performed on the creation of multi-model solutions and configurable products, along with various sub-tasks, revealed valuable insights. Despite some users facing challenges when expecting a product catalog to appear upon clicking icons (a prototype limitation), users intuitively understood the task progression even before reading subsequent tasks.
These were the common themes shared by users:
Remove Pen Icon from Breadcrumb Navigation: The pen icon caused confusion as users mistakenly assumed its function was to add or switch between products. Instead, it should be dedicated to editing the names of nested model solutions within the breadcrumb. Users can still access this feature by navigating to the previous level.
Add Functionality to Dropdown Chevron Icon for Product Switching: Most users correctly associated the Chevron icon with switching between products. To enhance usability, enable this functionality for the chevron icon, allowing users to switch products without returning to the previous screen.
Make the Catalog Available Throughout the Entire User Flow: For comprehensive testing, integrate the catalog into future prototypes. This integration should cover the entire user flow, starting from selecting a product in the catalog and proceeding through the end of the multi-model solution, involving product configuration.
Consider Replacing the Actions Dropdown Button with an Ellipsis: The Actions dropdown button caused confusion, particularly when adding products/models, as its purpose was to enable deletion, copying, and moving products to other nested models. Replace it with an ellipsis to indicate the availability of additional actions (e.g., delete, copy). Removing the word "action" will avoid confusion and allow users to focus on adding via the Add Icon.
Future Research
In future research, it would be beneficial to integrate the product catalog into the prototype when adding a new product to the nested models. This integration will enable users to visualize the flow effectively. Additionally, incorporating functionalities like the dropdown chevron can help assess users' navigation between different products, providing valuable insights for further improvements.