THE PROBLEM:

Noom’s unique selling proposition is weight management through behavioral therapy: the idea that by identifying deep-rooted thoughts and triggers, users can be taught new habits to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. The app appears to be helpful for individuals who stick with their program, but many online app reviewers say they find the interface difficult or frustrating to use.

This project was coursework for SJSU’s PSYC273: Seminar in Human Factors, Fall 2020.

MY ROLE:

Researcher

Following a contextual inquiry and review of competitor’s products, I evaluated the app against a list of usability heuristics and completed an interface analysis of common task flows. Comparing the issues identified through these evaluations, I identified several design improvements to increase customer satisfaction and retention. A complete report on my evaluation process, findings, and recommendations is presented in Noom: A Heuristic Analysis.
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RESEARCH METHODS:

To establish context for the evaluation process, two user inquiries were conducted: a 10-question online survey with responses solicited from online communities of active Noom users, and a summary of professional reviews and recent product reviews posted in the Apple and Google Play app stores.

I then evaluated the app using two techniques: a principle-based analysis according to Jakob Nielsen’s list of 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design, and a cognitive walkthrough of the app’s main features.

 

Usability Principle-Based Analysis:

For each of Nielsen’s ten usability heuristics, identified violations were assigned a priority rating and an explanation of impact, followed by recommendations for design solutions. For example, a number of User Control & Freedom violations were noted throughout the app, such as inadequate navigational control when reading articles.

PSYC273 Principle-Based example.png
 

User-Interface Analysis:

For each screen in a task flow, noted issues were assigned a priority rating and an explanation of their impact, followed by recommendations for design solutions. For example, a significant number of issues were noted in the task flow for logging meals, including inadequate navigational controls and disorganized search results.

Search for Foodv2.png

USER PAIN POINTS & RELATED OBSERVATIONS:

1) Users said the food logging system was linear/inflexible, and did not provide enough views of summarized information

User complaints about the food logging system were validated by several violations of the User Control & Freedom heuristic, and interface issues related to inadequate navigational controls and disorganized search results.

2) Users wanted more flexibility in navigating through and revisiting daily articles

User complaints about the process of reading daily articles were validated by violations of the User Control & Freedom heuristic and interface issues related to inadequate navigational controls.

3) Users noted a lack of consistency between operating systems

An evaluation of the app was only completed for software rev. 8.25.2 for iOS, however since users may want to access the service across platforms, developers should strive to provide comparable features.

 

Conclusions & RECOMMENDATIONS:

Overall, Noom is somewhat successful in communicating its purpose, function, and value. The app has a highly aesthetic and minimalist design, but a number of heuristic violations and interface issues impact its usability. Two key functions–meal logging and reading articles–are hampered by these design issues, and are leading areas of complaints from users. In particular, it is difficult to navigate between features, and inefficient interactions caused by inadequate navigation controls and disorganized lists can leave users feeling frustrated and unsatisfied. The user is guided through some of the interface but left on their own to explore most areas.

A comparison of observations using the two evaluation methods surfaced five global issues (noted throughout the app) that would address a large percentage of the usability problems:

  • Inadequate navigation controls (L1)

  • Disorganized lists (L1)

  • Lack of trend analysis views (L1)

  • Inefficiency of moving-scales for setting values (L2)

  • Inconsistent use of mobile-appropriate font size and contrast (L3)

Addressing these issues in a future redesign offers a significant opportunity for business growth, as they can significantly improve the user experience and reduce many of the most common user complaints. A full list of all issues can be found in my final report, Noom: A Heuristic Analysis.

wrap up:

What I learned from this project:

  • How to plan, execute, and document an expert evaluation

  • Starting with contextual inquiry highlights problem areas for particular attention

  • Using multiple analysis methods helps to identify more issues, and draws attention to global problems (throughout the system)

  • The difference between judgement-driven and data-driven prioritization

  • A team of evaluators with different perspectives or skill-sets will yield the most comprehensive analysis (similar to using five usability testing participants)

  • People tend to perceive products with good aesthetics as easier to use even when there are important usability issues, a concept that Nielsen Norman Group refers to as the Aesthetic-Usability Effect.