The Problem

The website offers a wide range of medical products, but early observations suggested that users struggled to complete common tasks efficiently.

Key concerns included:

• Difficulty navigating the site

• Complexity in placing bulk orders

• Lack of expected e-commerce features

• An outdated and inconsistent interface

These issues were especially critical because the users relied on the platform for professional and time-sensitive purchases.

Research Goals

The usability study aimed to evaluate:

• Ease of navigation for first-time users

• Effectiveness of search vs. navigation

• Clarity of product information

• Efficiency of ordering (single and bulk)

Users & Scenarios

Two primary personas guided the testing:

• Clinic Administrator
  Experienced professional managing supplies and compliance for a radiology clinic

• Healthcare Worker in a Rural Setting
  Limited technical experience, needs simple and efficient ordering

Participants were asked to complete real-world tasks such as:

• Ordering a specific medical device

• Placing a bulk order

• Reviewing product specifications

Methodology

• Conducted moderated usability testing with 5 participants

• Designed task-based scenarios simulating real purchasing needs

• Measured:

  • Task success rate

  • Time on task

  • User preferences (search vs navigation)

• Supplemented findings with heuristic evaluation

• Used affinity mapping to synthesize insights

Key Findings

What worked well

• Search functionality was effective and preferred by most users

• Users were able to locate product pages using search

• Product specifications were generally clear once found

Usability issues identified

• Navigation was confusing and inconsistent

• Shopping cart functionality was difficult to find

• Bulk ordering flow was complex and hard to locate

• Lack of filters and sorting increased effort

• Overall UI felt outdated and unintuitive

Key insight:
Users strongly preferred search over navigation, indicating weak information architecture.

Impact & Insights

• Task success rate:

  • Single order: ~60%

  • Bulk order: ~60%

  • Product information: ~80%

• Users took longer than expected to complete ordering tasks

• Missing standard e-commerce patterns increased cognitive load

Heuristic evaluation results aligned closely with user test findings, reinforcing the validity of the issues identified.

Recommendations

Based on the findings, we proposed:

• Clear and consistent navigation structure

• Visible shopping cart and standard e-commerce patterns

• Simplified bulk ordering flow

• Filters and sorting for product discovery

• UI modernization to match user expectations

What I Learned

• Usability testing reveals issues that heuristic evaluation alone may miss

• Real user interaction provides deeper insight than assumptions

• Testing with diverse user backgrounds improves design decisions

• Repeated evaluation is essential for improving foundational UX problems