Test Plan

Scenarios

Scenario 1

Jane Smith is a Generation X website user. Jane lives in a rural area of Kansas with a spouse and 2 children. Jane’s annual salary places Jane in a middle income category. Jane currently holds a bachelors degree in business management.

Jane works full-time as a supervisor in a large shipping company. Jane supervises a crew of approximately 30 full-time and part-time employees. In addition to Jane’s work as a supervisor for 8 years, Jane attends part-time graduate level classes online in pursuit of an MBA degree.

Jane has chosen SeaWorld park in San Antonio, Texas as a potential vacation destination to be enjoyed with immediate family. Jane will access the SeaWorld.com/san-antonio website to gather information about the park. Jane’s children are between 10 and 13 years of age; so Jane wants to know what activities are available for children. Jane also wants to know all about the available show performances which could be attended as a family. Although Jane’s vacation budget is likely sufficient, Jane wants to know ticket pricing for single day visitor and multi-day visitor. Jane is unsure about available accommodations near SeaWorld San Antonio; so gathering information about accommodation included packages is important. Apart from commonly sought after information, Jane must locate specific information regarding the park’s accessibility, as Jane’s spouse has a certain disability. To fully plan day schedules at the park, Jane wants hours of operation for the park including holidays. Finally, Jane wants to know if cancellation insurance is available for purchased packages or tickets.

Jane has decided to wait until some quiet time is available during the weekend while at home using a personal desktop computer to gather information from the SeaWorld.com/san-antonio website.

Jane has been an avid user of digital technology for more than 20 years. While at work, Jane is a user of a variety of logistics related software applications along with a suite of office related applications. As a personal technology user, Jane uses a mobile device for accessing email, online shopping and social media applications.

Scenario 2

Tim Johnson is in the Millennials age group. Tim has completed an Associates Degree in information technology and is pursuing a four-year degree in computer science while working a part-time job, a job which yields only a small income. Tim has no children and lives with his parents in Texas. Tim is currently single but is engaged to be married soon after graduation.

Tim’s part-time job is at a pizza restaurant working as a delivery driver. Tim’s flexible job schedule allows Tim to take on a full-time coursework schedule through an online college course portal.

Tim is wanting to plan a day-trip to SeaWorld park in San Antonio during the summertime after the spring semester. Tim’s fiancée is excited about going along but an earlier summer commitment makes accurate planning an essential part of the trip. To gather trip details, Tim will access the SeaWorld.com/san-antonio website. Tim wants to see the shows while at the park and wants information about the variety of shows that are available, including each show’s performance schedule. While at the park, Tim want’s to eat lunch at some place with indoor dining where the menu is anything but pizza; preferably, a Texas BBQ restaurant. Tim’s fiancée has already stated a desire to visit several gift shops within the park, so finding those shops on a maps beforehand will help plan the day’s activities. Also, Tim wants to know if single-day pass tickets can be purchased online and presented from a smartphone screen at the park’s entrance. Finally, Tim wants to know the park’s hours of operation so that the time spent within the park is maximized.

Tim will conduct the day-trip research throughout a 1 to 2 week period using his smartphone.

Tim has used virtually all forms of digital technology throughout his entire life from an early age, especially, smartphone applications.

Scenario 3

Jane has chosen SeaWorld park in San Antonio, Texas as a potential vacation destination to be enjoyed with immediate family, as the SeaWorld San Antonio park is the closest location to Jane’s home. Jane will access the SeaWorld.com/san-antonio website to gather information about the park and offered products. Jane’s youngest child will also be traveling to the park along with Jane’s spouse; so Jane wants to know what performances will be available to enjoy as a family. Jane would like to know about available package plans which would include three nights of hotel accommodations and park passes for two days. Jane likes to plan activities with details, so being able to study a park map is important. Also, because planning is important to Jane, Jane wants to know the times of each scheduled performance. Jane is somewhat anxious about the possibility of bad weather negatively impacting the park visit, so Jane wants to know about refunds if the weather turns bad and performances are canceled.

Jane will be researching the vacation project at the SeaWorld.com/san-antonio website. Jane will be accessing the website during lunch hours at work while taking advantage of a desktop system and office printer.

Usability Testing Plan

Testing Goals: [quantitative data collection]

1. Can users navigate directly to chosen content without having to manually scan multiple menus or pages?

2. Can users obtain an answer to any pertinent question from the FAQ’s?

3. Can users complete tasks without expressing confusion?

4. Do users appear to hesitate before clicking on a control?

5. Do users get stuck during more than 2 out of 11 of the tasks?

6. When users think out-loud are the comments more positive or negative in nature?

7. Can users navigate during a task without getting stuck?

8. Do users consider the popup messages to be a potential benefit or a distraction?

9. Do users give up and ask for guidance during tasks?

10. Can users recommend the use of the website to others after completing the usability test?

Scope of Usability Testing:

Website domains: SeaWorld.com, SeaWorld.com/san-antonio

Participants pool size: 3

Session length: approximately 35 minutes

Tasks list 1 – Scenario 1 – Jane: [Desktop view]

Navigate to SeaWorld.com
Without changing the URL in the browser, navigate to SeaWorld.com/san-antonio page.
Navigate to tickets information for the individual two-day ticket park pass.
Navigate to a vacation packages which includes incentives for park visitors with children.
Navigate to the page where vacation packages pricing can be obtained.
Navigate to the Map of SeaWorld park in San Antonio.
Locate the schedule of events at SeaWorld park in San Antonio for May 7th and May 8th, 2024.
Locate the park hours at SeaWorld park in San Antonio for May 7th and May 8th, 2024.
Locate information about accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Locate information about vacation package cancellation insurance.
Navigate back to the SeaWorld Home page. The page where you initially entered the website.

Tasks list 3 – Scenario 3 – Jane: [Desktop view]

Navigate to SeaWorld.com
Without changing the URL in the browser, navigate to SeaWorld.com/san-antonio page.
Navigate to tickets information for the individual two-day ticket park pass.
Navigate to a vacation packages which includes incentives for park visitors with children.
Navigate to the page where vacation packages pricing can be obtained.
Navigate to the Map of SeaWorld park in San Antonio.
Locate 3 gift shops on the map.
Locate the schedule of events at SeaWorld park in San Antonio for May 5th and May 6th, 2024.
Locate the park hours at SeaWorld park in San Antonio for May 5th and May 6th, 2024.
Locate information about refunds when bad weather cancels a performance.
Navigate back to the SeaWorld Home page. The page where you initially entered the website.

Tasks list 2 – Scenario 2 – Tim: [Desktop view]

Navigate to SeaWorld.com
Without changing the URL in the browser, navigate to SeaWorld.com/san-antonio page.
Locate the page with information about the available performances at SeaWorld park in San Antonio.
Locate the performance schedule for the show, Ocean Discovery- Beluga Whales and Dolphins.
Navigate to tickets information for the individual single-day ticket park pass.
Locate information for the ‘All-Day Dining Deal’ offer.
Navigate to the Map of SeaWorld park in San Antonio.
Locate 3 gift shops and 3 food vendors on the map.
Locate the schedule of events at SeaWorld park in San Antonio on May 5, 2024.
Locate the park hours at park in San Antonio on May 5, 2024.
Navigate back to the SeaWorld Home page. The page where you initially entered the website.

Pre-test questionnaire:

1. Have you at any time previously booked a vacation destination online?

2. What is your preferred vacation destination booking website?

3. Do you usually look for package deals when booking a vacation destination?

4. Is travel insurance important when booking a vacation destination?

5. Do you usually look for a vacation destination while using a desktop/laptop system or a mobile device?

6. Which method do you prefer when gathering information from a website about a vacation destination: Scanning content, FAQ’s, Search text-box, Live Chat or all the above? Are you comfortable with submitting a form to request information?

7. Do you prefer a highly structured itinerary or a more flexible itinerary for a vacation destination?

8. Is availability of entertainment a deciding factor when choosing a vacation destination?

9. Are dining options important when choosing a vacation destination?

10. Do you like to gather information online about where to shop for gifts or souvenirs while at a vacation destination?

11. Is your trust in a product oftentimes diminished when a website is difficult to use?

12. Do you usually consider popup prompts as something beneficial or more as a distraction?