Cervino Christopher English 317 White Paper

VS.
USABILITY TEST OF DIFFERENT E-COMMERCE WEBSITES
Cervino, Christopher (cerv1595@vandals.uidaho.edu)

English 317 | Technical Writing | Project 4
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Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2
Methodology ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Tasks ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Test Environment ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Evaluative Criteria .................................................................................................................................... 3
Likert Scale ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Results ........................................................................................................................................................... 5
Task 1: Create an account ......................................................................................................................... 5
Task 2: Change your email address .......................................................................................................... 7
Task 3: Shop for an item of your choice ................................................................................................... 8
Task 4: Add the item to your cart ............................................................................................................. 9
Task 5: Remove the item from your cart ................................................................................................ 10
Task 6: Create a list................................................................................................................................. 11
Task 7: Add the item to your list............................................................................................................. 13
Task 8: Delete the item from your list .................................................................................................... 14
Task 9: Delete your list ........................................................................................................................... 15
Task 10: Delete your account.................................................................................................................. 16
Recommendations ....................................................................................................................................... 17
References ................................................................................................................................................... 18
Appendix: Test Metrics.......................................................................................................................... 19-28
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Introduction
Within the year of 2017, there consisted of 1.66 billion global digital buyers (Statista). E-
commerce websites such as Amazon and eBay make shopping online easier for consumers,
especially when local stores lack sufficient options or stock of certain products. The purpose of
this white paper is meant as a comparison of the usability test results for two of the largest e-
commerce websites, Amazon and eBay.
For this usability test, it will be considered that the user is a buyer who does not have an account
on either website but does have access to a computer with an internet connection, as well as two
email addresses to register and update account information. The users should also have basic
knowledge about navigating websites as well as a websites interfaces, such as menus that can be
opened by being hovered over.
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Methodology
Tasks
1. Create an account
2. Change your email address
3. Shop for an item of your choice
4. Add the item to your cart
5. Remove the item from your cart
6. Create a list
7. Add the item to your list
8. Delete the item from your list
9. Delete your list
10. Delete your account
Test Environment
To conduct the usability tests, the test environment used was my laptop at home running Windows 10
with an Intel i7 core processor. The laptop used has wireless internet, and used the latest Google Chrome
version. 72.0.3626.121 (64-bit) as the web browser.
Evaluative Criteria
The criteria statements used to evaluate each of the tasks were:
 Effective: I was able to do this task successfully.

 Efficient: I could do this task in a reasonable amount of time.
 Engaging: Completing this task was satisfying.
 Error Tolerant: It was easy for me to go back and fix my mistakes.
Easy to Learn: I did not struggle completing this task.
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Likert Scale
To eliminate the overuse of selecting a Neutral option, the criteria statements used were rated on a 6-point
Likert scale (shown below) with the following rankings:
1. Strongly Disagree
2. Disagree
3. Slightly Disagree
4. Slightly Agree
5. Agree
6. Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree Slightly Slightly Agree Strongly

Disagree Disagree Agree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 6
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Results
Task 1: Create an account
Creating an account on both Amazon and eBay were about the same in terms of efficiency, skill level
required, and error tolerance. This is shown in Figure 1.
Both websites had the same type of layout for creating an account, but I found that eBay’s interface was
more visually pleasing. Amazon’s interface can be found in Image 1, but they both look almost identitcal.
Both Amazon and eBay did not allow you to fix mistakes once your account was already made unless you
went into the settings.
The inconvenient part about creating an account through Amazon was that you had to verify your email
address before being able to shop. Although this is safer, it made the task more time-consuming.
Task 1 - Create an Account

6
0
Efficient Effective Engaging Error Tolerant Easy to Learn
Amazon eBay
Figure 1
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Image 1
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Task 2: Change your email address
Changing your email address on Amazon was a lot easier to do than on eBay. Overall, Amazon had a
better usability score than eBay (shown in Figure 2).
Amazon’s interface was more visually engaging than eBay (shown in Images 2 and 3). On eBay, if you
changed your email address, you would be sent a verification email on your new account prompting you
to sign in. It was not clear which email address to sign in with and so I had to repeat this process three
times.
Task 2 - Change Your Email Address

6
0
Amazon eBay
Figure 2
Image 2 Image 3
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Task 3: Shop for an item of your choice
Shopping for an item was the same in terms of usability on both Amazon and eBay. The results for this
task are shown in Figure 3.
Task 3 - Shop for an Item of Your Choice

6
0
Amazon eBay
Figure 3
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Task 4: Add the item to your cart
Adding an item to the cart was the same for both websites. As seen in Figure 4, both websites were not
error-tolerant because they did not offer an “Undo” option to fix mistakes and the only way to correct this
was to go into the cart and remove the item.
Both websites also had the same type of interface for adding an item to the cart (shown in Image 4 and 5).
Task 4 - Add the Item to Your Cart

6
0
Amazon eBay
Figure 4
Image 4 Image 5
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Task 5: Remove the item from your cart
Removing an item from the cart was also the same for both websites (shown in Figure 5). Both Amazon
and eBay did not have error tolerant systems where if an item was removed, the only way to add it back to
the cart was to shop for it and add it to the cart like Task 4.
Task 5 - Remove the Item From Your Cart

6
0
Amazon eBay
Figure 5
Image 6 Image 7
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Task 6: Create a list
Creating a list was easier to do on Amazon than eBay. On Amazon, this task seemed to be more intuitive
and was visually engaging (shown in Image 8). eBay lacked the options for the list that Amazon had but
required less time to create a list (shown in Image 9).
Task 6 - Create a List

6
0
Amazon eBay
Figure 6
Image 8
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Image 9
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Task 7: Add the item to your list
Adding an item to the list was easier to do on Amazon than eBay (shown in Figure 7). On eBay, it
seemed pointless to add an item to my watchlist before adding it to the list that I created. However, eBay
had an undo option, called “Remove”, (shown in Image 12) , which made it easier to fix mistakes when
compared to Amazon.
Task 7 - Add the Item to Your List

6
0
Amazon eBay
Figure 7
Image 10 Image 11 Image 12

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Task 8: Delete the item from your list
Both websites had visually appealing interfaces for deleting an item from the list (shown in Image 13 and
14). It took longer to delete an item from my list on eBay than Amazon (shown in Figure 8). This is
because eBay required me to delete the item from my list as well as my watchlist. Amazon made it very
easy for me to go back and fix mistakes by giving an “Undo” option after deleting the item (shown in
Image 15).
Task 8 - Delete the Item From Your List

6
0
Amazon eBay
Figure 8
Image 13 Image 14
Image 15
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Task 9: Delete your list
Deleting a list was the same on both websites (shown in Figure 9). Both Amazon and eBay gave a second
chance when deleting the list to make sure that this action was confirmed. (shown in Image 16 and 17).
However, once deleting the list, both websites did not have an option to undo the action.
Task 9 - Delete Your List

6
0
Amazon eBay
Figure 9
Image 16
Image 17
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Task 10: Delete your account
Deleting your account from Amazon was very difficult. There are no options to do this in the account
settings and customer service had to be contacted (shown in Image 1). Once contacted, it took 12-24
hours for my account to be deleted (shown in Image 18).
On eBay, it was also difficult to delete my account, but not as bad. eBay gave five chances for me to
make sure that I wanted to delete my account and it estimated that it would take 30 days to finalize my
action. One pro about eBay was that the “Close Account” option was easy to find (shown in Image 19).
Task 10
6
0
Amazon eBay
Figure 10
Image 18
Image 19
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Recommendations
Both websites do a good job, but they are not subject to be completely error tolerant but do focus heavily
on keeping customer accounts. Each website should consist of more “Undo” options while shopping and
have an easier way of deleting each account.
For Amazon, I would recommend easier access menus so tasks will not take as long to complete, while
for eBay I would recommend having safer email verification features as well as a clearer interface when
changing account information.
The average overall score for Amazon was: 4.96 and the average overall score for eBay was:
4.76.Amazon consistently had a more engaging interface while compared to eBay.
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References
Amazon.com, Inc: https://www.amazon.com/

eBay.com, Inc: https://www.ebay.com/
Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/251666/number-of-digital-buyers-worldwide/
Appendix: Test Metrics
Tasks Amazon eBay
TASK 1 Create an account Create an account
Efficient I was able to do this task successfully. I was able to do this task successfully.
Strongly Disagree Slightly Slightly Agree Strongly Strongly Disagree Slightly Slightly Agree Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Effective I could do this task in a reasonable amount of time. I could do this task in a reasonable amount of time.
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Engaging Completing this task was satisfying. Completing task was satisfying.
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Error Tolerant It was easy for me to go back and fix my mistakes. It was easy for me to go back and fix my mistakes.
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Easy to Learn I did not struggle completing this task. I did not struggle completing this task.
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Additional The verification took the longest amount of time for this task. I also No verification needed. I could not go back and change my account
Notes couldn’t go back and change my password after creating my details after creating my account unless I went into settings.
account.
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Tasks Amazon eBay
TASK 2 Change your email Change your email
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Additional Finding the account settings was the hardest part because of how To change email addresses, you will get a verification email that
Notes small it is. prompts you to sign in. It wasn’t clear if I was signing in with my
old email or my new one.
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Tasks Amazon eBay
TASK 3 Shop for an item of your choice Shop for an item of your choice
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Additional If I made a typo, I just had to redo the search. The search results always come up pre-owned before brand new
Notes first.
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Tasks Amazon eBay
TASK 4 Add the item to your cart Add the item to your cart
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Additional When you add the item to the cart, there is no “Undo” option, so you When you add the item to the cart, there is no “Undo” option, so you
Notes would have to go into the cart and remove it. would have to go into the cart and remove it.
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Tasks Amazon eBay
TASK 5 Remove the item from your cart Remove the item from your cart
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Additional If you wanted to bring it back to the cart, you’d have to research the If you wanted to bring it back to the cart, you’d have to research the
Notes item and add it again item and add it again
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Tasks Amazon eBay
TASK 6 Create a list Create a list
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Additional To go back and fix mistakes, I’d have to edit the list. It was also There are no privacy options.
Notes hard to find where the lists are.
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Tasks Amazon eBay
TASK 7 Add an item to your list Add an item to your list
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Additional To go back and fix mistakes, I’d have to go into the list and remove When you add it to your list, you have to add it to your watchlist
Notes the item. then to your list.
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Tasks Amazon eBay
TASK 8 Delete the item from your list Delete the item from your list
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Additional You get an “Undo” option when you delete the item. You have to delete it twice, once from your list and then from the
Notes watchlist.
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Tasks Amazon eBay
TASK 9 Delete your list Delete your list
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Additional It gives you a second chance to make sure that this is the list you It gives you a second chance to make sure that this is the list you
Notes want to delete, but if you delete it, you can’t recover it. want to delete, but if you delete it, you can’t recover it.
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Tasks Amazon eBay
TASK 10 Delete your account Delete your account
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Additional The only way to delete your account is to chat with an associate It gives you five chances to make sure you want to delete your
Notes online or through the phone. You then get sent a link to delete your account but takes 30 days to process this.
account but it takes 12-24 hours.

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VS.

USABILITY TEST OF DIFFERENT E-COMMERCE WEBSITES

Cervino, Christopher (cerv1595@vandals.uidaho.edu)

The criteria statements used to evaluate each of the tasks were:

 Effective: I was able to do this task successfully.

Strongly Disagree Slightly Slightly Agree Strongly

Task 1: Create an account

Task 1 - Create an Account

Task 2: Change your email address

Task 2 - Change Your Email Address

Task 3: Shop for an item of your choice

Task 3 - Shop for an Item of Your Choice

Task 4: Add the item to your cart

Task 4 - Add the Item to Your Cart

Task 5: Remove the item from your cart

Task 5 - Remove the Item From Your Cart

Task 6: Create a list

Task 6 - Create a List

Task 7: Add the item to your list

Task 7 - Add the Item to Your List

Image 10 Image 11 Image 12

Task 8: Delete the item from your list

Task 8 - Delete the Item From Your List

Task 9: Delete your list

Task 9 - Delete Your List

Task 10: Delete your account

Amazon.com, Inc: https://www.amazon.com/

TASK 1 Create an account Create an account

Tasks Amazon eBay

TASK 2 Change your email Change your email

Tasks Amazon eBay

Tasks Amazon eBay

Tasks Amazon eBay

Tasks Amazon eBay

TASK 6 Create a list Create a list

Tasks Amazon eBay

TASK 7 Add an item to your list Add an item to your list

Tasks Amazon eBay

Tasks Amazon eBay

TASK 9 Delete your list Delete your list

Tasks Amazon eBay

TASK 10 Delete your account Delete your account

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