.png)
Usability Testing
& Concept Validation
QVC & HSN+ Television APP
The QVC/HSN+ streaming app is a cutting-edge platform that combines the best of live shopping and entertainment. Offering 24/7 access to exclusive shows, shoppable content, and curated products, the app allows users to seamlessly watch and shop their favorite QVC and HSN programming from any device. With features like live chat, personalized recommendations, and an expansive library of on-demand episodes, it provides a dynamic and engaging shopping experience tailored to every lifestyle.
Background
To give customers a unique opportunity to order items from their TV quickly and easily, we are adding payment within the QVC+ HSN+ streaming app. This new segment allows customers to use their TV devices to purchase from the TV itself rather than purchasing everything from their mobile or other devices. To determine whether customers respond well to the new implementation, we will run a moderated, remote usability test to validate and experiment with the new transaction experience.
Stakeholders
Product manager, UX Designers, & engineering team
Objectives
Research Objectives
-
Evaluate the impact of enabling transactions within the QVC+ HSN+ app.
-
Assess the effects of introducing upfront payment requirements for accessing content.
-
Identify opportunities to enhance the overall experience of making transactions through the TV platform.
Research Questions
-
What are the current purchasing behaviors of QVC/HSN+ users?
-
What purchasing methods do users prefer during a live stream?
-
How do users perceive the requirement of upfront payment for accessing content?
-
Does the product screen provide sufficient information for users to make informed purchasing decisions?
Assumptions:
-
Users prefer seamless, in-app purchasing experiences over being redirected to external platforms.
-
Introducing upfront payment requirements may create a barrier to content access and negatively impact user engagement.
-
Users rely heavily on product details provided during the stream or on the product screen to make purchasing decisions.
-
Most users currently purchase products via alternative methods, such as phone or website, rather than directly through the app.
Hypotheses:
-
Enabling transactions directly within the QVC+ HSN+ app will increase the conversion rate by streamlining the purchase process.
-
Users will be more likely to complete a purchase during a stream if the purchasing process is quick, intuitive, and integrated seamlessly into the viewing experience.
-
Requiring upfront payment for content access will lead to a decrease in overall user engagement and content consumption.
-
Providing more comprehensive product information on the screen will improve user confidence and positively influence purchasing decisions.
-
Users who already purchase through the app are more likely to engage with new transactional features compared to those using traditional methods like phone orders.
Research Methodology
Method: Usability Testing + Concept Validation
Participants: 6 users
User Roles: long time consumers (constantly purchase + watch), current consumers (somewhat or rarely purchase + watch), and novice consumers
User Scenario:
User Scenario: Imagine you're in the market for new kitchen appliances. You see an ad on Roku that directs you to the QVC/HSN+ streaming app. Intrigued, you download the app and find yourself on this landing page.
Key Findings
Participants expressed no significant concerns about entering their email address right before entering the app, as they understood it would either create their profile or deliver the promised $10 coupon incentive.
-
ALL participants were more than willing to enter their emails before using the app because they trusted the brand.
-
All participants believed an email was asked before using the app for:
-
Creating their profile
-
Tracking, adding, and viewing products and shows
-
Receiving coupons, incentives, and attaining promotions
-
“You’re creating your own account, so you could track your own purchases. You can track your products that you're interested from your streams, or what you've looked at in your past views and so forth. Now, most places you need an account even if it’s just browsing. If you go to a browser, you don't have to create an account. You could just randomly browse, you know. But this is from the TV, I would think you need an account.” - P2
-
“They'll ask if you want to receive certain information when they have special products and promotions and things like that. So, I think that's pretty standard that they would ask for your email for promotional, notifications, and notices right away.” – P5
On a scale of 1 to 5, (1 not comfortable and 5 comfortable), how comfortable were you entering your email? Why?
-
ALL participants rated this a 5/5 because they felt comfortable with the brand and have done this numerous times for other services.
-
“I'm not scared, or anything like that for confidentiality.” – P2
-
“I enter in everything I find trustworthy, and these are two brands trustworthy to me.” - P4
-
-
Recommendation: Since participants were comfortable providing their email addresses, the login experience can be optimized to create personalized user profiles. These profiles can deliver tailored experiences based on users’ viewing history, purchase behavior, and browsing activity, enhancing engagement and satisfaction.
Many participants noted that using a remote control to set up an account and input information directly on the TV felt cumbersome and stressful, though a few were open to this approach.
-
All participants found entering their email, password, and personal information using the remote control to be challenging, describing the process of setting up their account directly on the TV as cumbersome and inefficient.
-
“It's always like time consuming to use just the arrows to type in like a full credit card number. But I don't mind entering the information. It's just gonna take some time.” – P5
-
-
Despite the inconvenience, half of the participants were open to using the remote to enter their information, noting that they are accustomed to similar processes with other apps like Netflix and Amazon.
-
“I’m familiar with using my remote to sign up for different services through my TV. It's okay. I do wish I had one of those remotes had a full keypad. Sometimes, I'm comfortable with it. I've done it before for other platforms.” – P1
-
“It’s always a pain if you have a long password. I prefer using my phone, which I know is a feature I can use. But in this instance, I would prefer just typing it in with the remote, even though it takes a little while longer.” - P2
-
On a grading scale of 1 -5, how hard or easy was it to enter your information with your remote control? Why?
-
Participants rated this a 1.83/5 because of how tedious and long it took to enter their information with their remote.
-
Recommendation: Enable participants to input their information using their phones or computers, allowing them to seamlessly link their accounts to the TV without relying on the cumbersome remote control process. Solutions like a QR code or passcode system, similar to what platforms like Spotify and YouTube use, could effectively streamline this experience.
The majority of participants were surprised by the requirement for upfront payment, with most preferring to skip this step for a more seamless experience.
(Note: Participants were presented with upfront payment requirements unexpectedly to observe whether they would proceed with the process, similar to how platforms like Apple TV or Disney+ introduce payment during account setup.)
-
5/6 participants were surprised to encounter a payment request immediately after creating an account.
-
They expected payment to be the final step, reasoning that they hadn’t made any purchases yet and that the QVC/HSN+ streaming app is free.
-
This led some to worry about being charged unexpectedly, creating hesitation and confusion.
-
-
5/6 participants indicated they would skip the payment process, as they felt uncertain about being charged when no purchases had been made yet.
-
“I would probably skip it for now, until I saw what the app was all about first.” - P4
-
-
Participants anticipated seeing a landing page or confirmation screen to verify that their account had been successfully created.
-
The absence of such confirmation left them uncertain about whether the account setup process was completed.
-
“I wasn't expecting to see this, but I knew it was going to be one of the steps just to make shopping much easier.” - P6
-
-
-
Recommendation: Allow participants to skip the payment process in the beginning and enter their payment information later when they're ready to make a purchase.
Feedback highlighted that the product information screen lacked sufficient details, with participants indicating a need for more comprehensive information to confidently make purchase decisions.
-
4/6 participants felt the product information screen could be improved with additional details, including more descriptions, images, and customer reviews (such as ratings and good/bad feedback).
-
They found the current information insufficient to determine whether they liked the product.
-
“I imagine some people would probably like a short description of what the item is for, maybe what it's made of. Just more information…the manufacturing just something short like a short description. ” – P5
-
“I would like to know what shipping is like, and more info drop-down just describing the item.” – P1
-
“Can it open up another page with more details? Or is this it? Right now in the first pass it's hard to say. It could be enough information if it's a cheap item, and it's like self-explanatory. But what if it's not so explanatory any more information on it?” – P2
-
-
-
3/6 participants requested the option to add multiple items to a cart, noting that purchasing products individually would be tedious and inefficient without this feature.
-
-
“I would want also an option; for, like continue viewing or continue shopping, and being able to not just check out and buy one item.” - P3
-
-
Recommendation: Consider enhancing the product details screen by including concise descriptions, item history or background, seller information, ratings, and other relevant details. Providing this information upfront reduces the likelihood of users seeking details elsewhere, which could lead to a drop-off from the TV and a shift to completing purchases on other devices.
-
Additionally, enable consumers to add multiple items to a cart, as restricting them to one purchase at a time may feel tedious and repetitive, potentially diminishing the overall shopping experience.
-
Opinions were mixed regarding making purchases directly through the TV. While some participants were intrigued by the convenience, others preferred using alternative devices such as their phones or computers for transactions.
-
ALL participants trust QVC/HSN to save their payment information from the payment screen
-
Majority of participants felt more comfortable entering payment information during the checkout phase rather than upfront, increasing their chances of continuing through the app
-
Overall, half of the participants would be open to using the TV as a way of ordering products as participants thought it was a very simple procedure
- "I mean, it's definitely just as easy, if not easier, than using the app.” – P1
- "I like it. It was easy to do, but if I have to enter my payment information upfront, I might just leave because I'm afraid they're gonna charge me even though they said the app was free to use." - P4
-
-
On a grading scale of 1 - 5, how hard or easy was it to purchase a product from the streaming app?
-
Participants rated this a 3.2/5
-
-
On a grading scale of 1-5, how likely are you to make a purchase from the TV using this app?
-
Participants rated this a 4/5
-
-
Words participants used to describe the overall experience:
-
pleasant, visually pleasing, nice, efficient, simple, exciting, quick, intuitive, user friendly, easy
-
Next Steps and What We've Learned
We discovered that consumers are open to making purchases through the TV app. However, requiring upfront payment or using the remote to enter information significantly detracts from the user experience. Integrating the option to use a secondary device, such as a smartphone as a remote, could streamline the process. Additionally, deferring payment to the end of the transaction journey may further enhance user satisfaction and engagement.
