Nextcoud Forms - Usability Evaluation

[RenataGegaj]

No description provided.

[RenataGegaj]

This is a summary of our usability research efforts on Nextcloud Forms

We started our work with stakeholder interviews, to assess the current state of Forms and also set goals and expectations for our research.

Phase 1: Heuristic Review

In this first phase, we did a heuristics review to surface common usability issues and shortcomings. This review included not only Nextcloud Forms, but also other parts of Nextcloud such as Talk, Sign up process, Docs, Tasks. This review was shared on Nextcloud Forms channel as well as Nextcloud Design channel, and the issues are being addressed by designers, developers, and contributors.

Deliverables:
Find the report here: https://www.notion.so/Nextcloud-review-fb7f08a039244339a271550d842b8b1e

Phase 2: User Interviews

We conducted five 1h long interview sessions with people from a variety of backgrounds, to get valuable and actionable insights. We talked to users from different professional backgrounds(IT, Arts, UX Researchers, etc), computer literacy levels, and Nextcloud/Forms usage.
The first half of the session served as an exploratory interview, where we identified gaps of Nextcloud Forms compared to other forms apps in the market, but also identified the needs and feature requirements of current users.
The second part of the session consisted of a usability testing session performed both on the editors' side and the viewers' side as well as explored the results. We covered all the basic features of form editing such as creating a form, adding questions of all formats, editing the questionnaire, deleting a question/form. We also covered advanced features such as sharing options(link sharing, group sharing, individual sharing), advanced settings options(multiple responses, expiration dates, anonymous responses).

Deliverables:
We delivered the results in three different formats, for optimal impact.

1. A research shareout on a video call format. There we explained in detail each finding. The Nextcoud Forms team(developers and designers) attended and we dedicated time to questions, clarifications, and recommendations for improvements.
2. A written report. The report contains details from the sessions:

• Demographics,
• Heat map to visualize the tasks, quotes from users
• Task analysis
• Bug report

Find the full report here: https://www.notion.so/Nextcloud-Results-e24a55f7f8634094bb0135282ae0debb
Test guide: https://cloud.ura.design/s/Ebw5wr7z623EJwg
Scenario tasks: https://cloud.ura.design/s/GCHCpJfRqt4F55m

3. Bug tracker report. We reported each issue on Nextclouds Github account, with issue details and recommendations. We also got involved in pre-reported issues where we helped solve usability blockers that users reported previously.
   Here is a list of issues:

• "Other" option on multiple choice: Allow custom/other answer for 'multiple' questions (radio & checkbox) nextcloud/forms#93

• Conditional questions: Support conditional logic nextcloud/forms#358

• Collaboration: Collaborative editing of Forms nextcloud/forms#322

• Import forms Export and import forms nextcloud/forms#582

• Add multimedia question type (upload file): "Upload file" as question/response nextcloud/forms#42

• Add scale quesiton type: Question type "Multiple choice grid" / "Checkbox grid" (Likert scale, matrix) nextcloud/forms#356

• Share results: Ability to share responses / results nextcloud/forms#455

• Multiple sections (ability to group questions to break form into pages): Ability to group questions to break form into pages nextcloud/forms#357

• Add a header / personalize: Personalization: Adding header picture nextcloud/forms#966

• Reorder answers on multiple choice: Allow multiple choice or checkbox answers to be reordered nextcloud/forms#354

• "Hard to find settings sidebar" actually also has an issue: Hard to find settings sidebar nextcloud/forms#717

• Label at https://github.com/nextcloud/forms/labels/usability%20test

• Allow changing answer types Allow changing answer types nextcloud/forms#352

• Confirmation mail for respondents Confirmation mail for respondents nextcloud/forms#525

• Validation of singleline/short response, url, regex... nextcloud/forms#177 Validation for Short-Questions, so it effectively becomes Email/Phone-Question. Some dropdown in actions and a short note at the end of the question, if some validation is selected?

• Settings sidebar uses Forms-specific layout, not standardized yet like in Files and Talk Show sharings as in Server nextcloud/forms#425 – but still keeping the option to show to all users of the instance

• Ability to share responses / results nextcloud/forms#455 Share Responses should be somehow separate of the normal form-sharing. How/Where to place that setting?

• Allow for custom message and/or redirect after submission nextcloud/forms#385 Some custom Text after submitting a form, probably including a redirect button. How to show the respective settings on form-creation?

• Add a form to a Project nextcloud/forms#716 Adding a form to a project. - Projects should probably look like in server, but where to place these settings/Project list

• Set Notifications per Form nextcloud/forms#790 Notifications per Form will probably just need a checkbox, but where to place it?

Phase 4: Design Mockups

Based on the results of the past phases, we offered to provide low fidelity mockups by request. The issues we uncovered are further on the design & development timeline for Nextcloud but we will support them with mockups when needed, based on their timeline.

Deliverables:
Hi-Fi Figma Mockups / Prototypes
Report explaining the new proposed designs

[ridhwn]

Hi, im one of the enterprise user of nextcloud. Im happy to help if you need tester on nextcloud forms because we also been actively using it. We have a planned to have a business case with upload feature in the forms. If you need any help do let us know. thank you