B&Q website User Experience evaluation report

EVALUATION REPORT
WEBSITE OF B&Q RETAIL: www.diy.com
CI7700 User Experience Design (Systems)
Name: Anne David
K Number: 1347297

EVALUATION REPORT
WEBSITE OF B&Q RETAIL: www.diy.com
1. Introduction and Background:
1.1 About B&Q
B&Q is a British company that deals with DIY (Do It Yourself) home improvement products and services. It
was founded by Richard Block and David Quayle in 1969 and is now owned by Kingfisher plc. With around
40,000 inspirational home and garden products, 351 stores, 21,304 employees and 3 million customers per
week, it is the UK's leading retailer in DIY and garden centre and one of the largest western retailers in the
country. Their website 'www.diy.com' functions as an online shopping site as well as a portal of
information, inspiration and guidance for B&Q customers.
Values of B&Q that explains the personality of the company:
 Customer first
 Down to earth
 Respect for people
 We can do it
 Nobody does it better
1.2 E-commerce as it stands today and its importance
Shopping online has changed from being uncommon to routine and it is changing the way retailers work,
both online and off . According to a recent survey by Nielson Global, more than 85% of the world's online
population have already made purchases online. A study done by PwC also highlights some important
points regarding the recent growth in e-commerce. It found that 20% of their respondents were spending
more than half of their disposable income online. Other interesting facts that were uncovered as a result of
this study was that 60% of consumers were expecting to spend more online in the next 2-3 years while
14% were already buying on the web every week and another 14% were buying on the web more often
than once a week- a figure that was as low as 4% only 2 years ago!
(smallbusinesstrends.com, 2013) (pwc.co.uk, 2013)
To further demonstrate the growth and importance of online purchases in today's world, the image below
illustrates the amount of revenue that is generated by e-commerce in the world (visual.ly.com, 2013)

According to a '2014 Future of Retail Study' conducted by Walker Sands, 'household goods' constitute 38%
of products bought online and 'tools and home improvement' products constitute another 18%.
(walkersands.com, 2013)
Hence, it can be summarized from the above findings, that it is imperative for B&Q to ensure that they are
active and highly functional in all their online endeavours because:
 With rapid development in technology and increasing availability of internet and electronic
devices, e-commerce has become an indispensable part of every retailer's success.
 Products related to household and home improvement constitute a large percentage of overall
online spend.
 Internet users in the UK spend the most amount of money on ecommerce as compared to the rest
of the world and is topped by the US in the amount spent per country (owing to the larger size and
population of the US)

1.3 Website analysis:
The following data was collected to understand the characteristics associated with the B&Q website at
present. (simplymeasured.com,2013)
The following data categorizes the users based on how they reached the site and how long each
category spent on the site (calculated for the span of 1 month):
The fact that the number of people who got to the site directly(23,926 visits) by typing in the
address is so close to the maximum (organic search-24,191 visits), shows the high level of brand
awareness among users. Maximum number of users got to the site using organic search which
also shows that the site attracts a lot of new users.
The next set of data represents the level of engagement among users of the 6 categories:

1.4 Concerns
1. The global site traffic rank for www.diy.com is 6,270 and has fallen by 1,217 places since the last
3 months. It has a high bounce rate and has increased by 40% in the last 3 months which
indicates the dissatisfaction among users. The data has been summarized as follows: (Alexa.com,
2013)
2. B&Q has been having difficulties with the usability aspect of their website for many years now.
For example, B&Q's website was evaluated to stand at the bottom position according to a survey
done by which? at the end of 2010.(internetretailing.net, 2011) Due to this, the website has
been redesigned many number of times in attempts to improve and attract more customers to
avail of their products and services online.

Snapshots of how the site has evolved through some of the redesign steps from 2000-2013 (web.archive.org, 2013)
3. Owing to the size of the company and the complexity of the website, the redesigning processes
initiated by the company are very high budget projects. For instance, the website upgrade that
started in 2011 had a budget of £35m (Tech.uk.msn.com, 2011) and another in 2012 had a
budget of £60m.(uk.finance.yahoo.com, 2012) Even still, the website continues to have issues
that frustrate potential customers.
1.5 Current website interaction-Expected Issues

2. Aims
To do a user experience evaluation of B&Q's online shopping website- www.diy.com and make it easier for
customers to gain access to the information online.
This usability test aims at evaluating and resolving issues in the B&Q website in 3 main areas.
1. The main aim of the site is to promote sales and hence, this test will focus on evaluating the user's
shopping experience on the website.
2. Apart from sales, B&Q is popular for its help and guides in the Do It Yourself method of redecorating
houses/gardens. Hence, this will be the next area of focus for this test.
3. The British Retail Consortium predicted that this year's online Christmas shopping could possibly be
over 50%.(pwc.blogs.com, 2012) Also, the company has recently initiated a 'Christmas Light Up' advertising
campaign to promote sales during the Christmas season. Watch here:
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=c9BJI-9ahcs
Hence, the third area of focus for this test will be the task of buying a Christmas gift card online and
evaluate how the company has upgraded its website for this Christmas season.
3. Analysis
3.1 Target users:
The persona was determined by keeping in mind these characteristics of the B&Q target market:
1. Demographics: From the statistics(below), it is clear that majority of the users are males
and mostly browse from home. Also, there is a high representation of users who have
either not attended college or attended only graduate school.
This chart compares the demographics of diy.com to general internet population (Alexa, 2013)
green- over represented
red- under represented
2. Familiarity with the website: Since there were slightly more number of users who got to
the site using the organic search method than the direct search method(found earlier in
website analysis), it can be understood that most users are new to the site and a few,
experienced.
3. Location: Since the B&Q online store largely caters only to the UK, the location of target
users is the UK

4. Purchasing Power: Owing to the kind of products offered, price range and the look and
feel of the website, the target audience can be grouped as low to medium-high income
5. Loyalty: B&Q has a loyalty card for mature users aged 60+ giving them discounts and
special offers
3.2 Persona:
1. Busy home owner (V)
Personal Description:
42 years old
Works in a multinational pharmaceutical company
Born and brought up in the UK but lived in China for a few years as part of a work project and
is now back and settled in his own house in the UK.
Have used the site before: No
Needs from site : Easy to navigate & find products
Fast with fewer steps to reach the final checkout stage
Roles: He is in charge of around 30-40 people at work
He is married and a father of 2 kids
Experience: Medium-Have used a few ecommerce websites before
Context of use: Usually goes online using his iPad, at home after work hours
2. Mature user (J)
61 years old
Retired
Lived in the UK all his life
Have used the site before: No
Needs from site : Clear steps and interface that's easy to understand
Less clutter
Roles: He lives with his wife. Is a father to a son who is married
Experience: Low-Haven't used e-commerce websites much
Context of use: Uses the internet from his desktop in his living room where the television is
always on

3. New age(Y)
24 years old
Works in an IT company
Born and brought up in India but moved to the UK 2 years ago for work
Have used the site before: Yes
Needs from site : Good deals/ prices and good products
Wants basic functions to be similar to other ecommerce websites that he is used to
Clear navigation
Roles: He lives alone and is not in-charge of people at work
Experience: High-Frequently uses ecommerce websites
Context of use: Goes online usually using his laptop at home after office hours
3.3 Task Analysis:
1. Shop for a product : Buy a paint brush cleaner
Buy a paint brush cleaner
Select desirable paint
brush cleaner
Buy
Open www.diy.com Find paint brush cleaners
Switch on computer Open browser
Buy online Collect from store
1
1.1 1.2
1.1.1 1.1.2
2
2.22.1
0
If 2.1 not
available, then
2.2

2. Avail of a service offered by B&Q : Book a design consultation
Book a design consultation
Find design consultation service Submit request for consultation
Open www.diy.com Look for services offered by B&Q
Fill up details in design
consultation form
1
1.1 1.2
1.1.1 1.1.2
2
2.1
0
3. Shop for the Christmas season- Buy a gift card
Buy a Christmas gift card
Customize a gift card Buy
Open www.diy.com Find the gift cards section
Payment procedure
1
1.1 1.2
1.1.1 1.1.2
2
2.1
0

4. Study Method
With the help of a Participant Screening questionnaire, the following users were selected to take
part in the evaluation
4.1 Tasks
1. Buy a paint brush cleaner. Complete the process till the ‘payment details’ stage.
2. Book a free B&Q design consultation for redecorating your kitchen
3. Buy a B&Q gift card for your mother for Christmas. Complete this task till the ‘delivery details’ stage.
4.2 Metrics
1. Level of difficulty
2. Number of times task restarted
3. A Likert Scale measuring experience of each task
4. SUS (System Usability Scale) Score:
SUS developed by John Brooke was adapted for this test by replacing the word 'system' with 'website', as
also done by Tullis and Stetson for a comparative study in 2004 (Measuring the user experience-
collecting analysing and presenting usability metrics, pg-138, 114)

4.3 Materials prepared:
1. Participant screening questionnaire
Age, Education, Frequency of use-online shopping sites
2. Task & Instructions sheet
 Mentioned that these tasks are just to test how they interact with the website and hence, there are no
fixed right or wrong answers.
 Also that users can feel free to navigate through the website in any way they think best to complete the
tasks.
 Step by step instruction on how to proceed with the 3 tasks
3. Post test questionnaire
 Questions assessing the ease, satisfaction and overall experience of performing the tasks measured using a
Likert scale
 Was there anything you found unclear or difficult to do in this task?
 Is there anything you think could have been different on the site to improve this task?
4. Log sheet
Comments, Observations, Restarts
5. De-briefing interview
 Went through each step of the task (using the log sheet) with user to understand pauses, errors and other
vital information.
 Asked for their suggestions and expectations
4.4 Test Procedure
All participants were in the comfort of their homes with their natural surroundings while taking part in the
test, thus preserving the actual scenario of use.
Process:
 The participants were briefed about the test and its procedures
 After obtaining their consent, a screening questionnaire was given to them to ensure that they fit
the persona requirements
 The task & instructions sheet was passed on to the participants
 Then, each participant was asked via Skype to create a particular scenario in their homes before
beginning the test. For example: Participant J was requested to keep his television switched on and
take part in the test using his desktop computer.
 All the tasks were recorded using 'share screens' option on Skype + camera or using the remote
control option of Teamviewer and its built-in recording feature
 After each task, the participants were asked to fill up the post test questionnaire

4.5 Ideal/ Optimum path for the 3 tasks:
Task 1: Buy a paint brush cleaner. Complete the process till the ‘payment details’ stage.
Home>Shop by department tab>Decor>Decorating supplies>Treatments, cleaners and protection>Cleaners
OR
Home> Search bar>Paint brush cleaner
Task 2. Book a free B&Q design consultation for redecorating your kitchen
Home>Help and advice tab>Services>Design consultation>Fill in the form
Task 3. Buy a B&Q gift card for your mother for Christmas. Complete this task till the ‘delivery details’
stage.
Home> Help and advice tab>Help tab>shopping at b&q>gift cards>classic gift card-buy now>choose card design and other details
and proceed to pay.

5. Results:
5.1 Results of the 3 tasks tabulated with comments below:
[Buying a paint brush cleaner]
TASK 1 COMMENTS RESTARTS
USER A
Expertise:High
-Unable to find product using categories
-Compared 2 products one by one without using the compare feature on site
1
USER Y
Expertise:High
-Did not understand the 2 buying options buttons
2
USER S
Expertise:Medium
-Delay in understanding the 'store select' page
1
USER V
Expertise:Medium
-Delay in understanding the 2 buying options buttons
1
USER J
Expertise:Low
-Did not try to find product using categories
-Did not understand the 2 buying options buttons
-Difficulty understanding the 'store select' page (attempted thrice)
-Delay in understanding meaning of 'shopping basket'
3
[Book a free B&Q design consultation for redecorating your kitchen]
USER A
Expertise:High
-Spends time on 'shop by department' tab first 0
USER Y
Expertise:High
-Spends time browsing through 'kitchen' category under the help & advice tab 0
USER S
Expertise:Medium
-Spends time on 'shop by department' tab first
-Looks through Unloved rooms tab
-Finds link through 'kitchen' category under the help & advice tab
1
USER V
Expertise:Medium
-Spends time browsing through 'kitchen' category under the help & advice tab
-Finds link through a banner advertisement after using the search option
2
USER J
Expertise:Low
-Finds link through a banner advertisement after using the search option 2

[Buy a B&Q gift card for your mother for Christmas]
USER A
Expertise:High
-Uses search option to go to the gift cards section
1
USER Y
Expertise:High
-Spends time browsing through the Christmas tab
-Finds the gift cards link in the footer
2
USER S
Expertise:Medium
3
USER V
Expertise:Medium
1
USER J
Expertise:Low
2
5.2 Data Presentation:
From the above graph, it is clear that users had more difficulty doing Task 1 and 3 as compared to Task2.

5.3 Calculating SUS Score
User S

SUS Scores of users:
User J = 40
User S = 52.5
User V = 37.5
User Y = 72.5
User A = 77.5
An average SUS score below 60 may be considered as poor whereas a score of above 80 may be
considered as pretty good. (Measuring the user experience-collecting analysing and presenting
usability metrics, pg-149)
From these scores, it is evident that the B&Q website does not do well in the System Usability
Scale. However, it needs to be noted that User A and Y, having more experience with the internet
and ecommerce websites, have given the website a score that's quite good. This means that users
who are experienced online shoppers may find the B&Q website relatively good.
5.4 Inference from tests & Redesign suggestions
Task 1 Buying a paint brush cleaner
OBSERVATIONS FROM
USER TESTS
OBSERVATIONS FROM
POST TEST
QUESTIONNAIRE &
DE-BRIEFING
INFERENCE REDESIGN SUGGESTIONS
 4 out of 5 users were
unable to
accomplish the task
using the site's
basic navigation tabs
& links
 All 5 users switched to
the search bar to find
the product
 3 out of 5 users had
difficulty in
understanding the 2
buying option buttons
 2 out of 5 users were
confused at the store
locator pop up page
 Too many categories and
sub categories
 Search bar helped as
they knew exactly what
they wanted
 Did not understand how
to buy the product
because they did not
find a 'buy' or 'order'
button
 Assumed that 'reserve
for collection' button
meant the same as
'checkout'
 The store location page
confused them even
more as they did not
understand the concept
of 'reserve for collection'
buying option
 The information on
the site is not
organized clearly into
sections and sub-
sections which
makes locating a
particular object
difficult
 The 2 buying option
buttons-'add for
delivery' & 'reserve
for collection'
confuse even the
experienced online
shopper.
 All the information on the site could
be more organised and categorized
better. For example: painting and
decorating tools, wall paint, masonry
paint etc. could all be under the
same category
 Could have the 2 buying options
drop down from a main 'buy' button
To be more clear, the buttons could
be renamed- 'add for home delivery'
instead of 'add for delivery' and
'reserve & collect in-store' instead of
'reserve & collect'(as illustrated
below table)

'Buy' button redesign option
Task 2 Book a free B&Q design consultation for redecorating your kitchen
OBSERVATIONS FROM USER
TESTS
OBSERVATIONS FROM POST
TEST QUESTIONNAIRE &
DE-BRIEFING
 3 out 5 users browsed
through the 'shop by
department' tab first
 3 out of 5 users found 'gift
cards' by scrolling down and
looking at the footer links
 2 out of 5 users found the
required page through a
banner advertisement after
using the search option
 Did not know where to
look for services, only
products were clearly
visible
 Thought 'help and advice'
tab would have
information on how to use
the site etc. as that is what
'help' usually means on
websites
 Did not want to click on
help & advice as the
information it contained
was unclear, unlike the
'shop by department' tab
where the dropdown with
information made it a
more comfortable and
confident click
 No clear
differentiation
between products
and services
offered on site
 Hesitation to click
on the 'help&
advice tab' as the
word 'help' gives a
different idea to
users. They are
unsure and expect
it to maybe contain
help topics like
'how to get
started' etc.
 Different tab for services-
instead of being under 'help &
advice' as it is a significant part
of B&Q's features. Also, better
organization of information on
the site such that all services
offered by B&Q come under
that one tab
 Rename 'Help & Advice' tab to
'Guides & Services' in order to
eliminate any pre notions
about the word 'help'
 Have drop down menus for all
main tabs so that the user
knows what exactly is in them
before clicking

Task 3 Buy a B&Q gift card for your mother for Christmas
OBSERVATIONS FROM USER
TESTS
OBSERVATIONS FROM POST
TEST QUESTIONNAIRE &
DE-BRIEFING
 3 out 5 users browsed
through the 'shop by
department' tab first
 4 out of 5 users tried to find
gift cards in the 'Christmas'
section
 3 out of 5 users searched for
'gift card' using the search
bar but couldn't find what
they were looking for
 Expected gift cards to
come up in the search
results
 Expected to find it in the
Christmas tab or the 'shop
by department tab' and
would have never looked
for it under the 'help &
advice' tab
 While 'Gift card'
(singular) did not
produce relevant
search results, 'gift
cards' (plural)
directed straight to
the gift cards page
 Gift cards is not in
an ideal
location(help &
advice tab) which
makes it difficult
for users to find it
 Again, have all the information
on-site organized in a better
way so that all buying options
(including gift cards) come
under the 'shop by
department' tab.
Alternatively, there could be a
link in the offers/Christmas tab
 Better search facility such that
it picks up words and suggests
all possible results in a list. For
example: If the users search
for 'gift', 'cards', 'card' or 'gift
card', 'gift cards' would still be
in the list of results.
6. Conclusion
From this study, it can be understood that the B&Q website needs considerable improvement in
various areas. Though users who were more experienced online shoppers were able to use the
website relatively better, the website has to improve in order to satisfy new users as this
constitutes more than 50% of the total user population of diy.com.
For further testing, more methods can be used to obtain more accurate results. For example:
 More number of participants for the test will result in more precise readings
 A closed card sorting technique followed by reverse card sorting (example: Using Treejack)
could be used to better the website's information architecture
Issues that will be addressed in the prototype:
 Improving the task of shopping:
-Redesigning of the buying options buttons
 Improve navigation:
-Rename main navigational tab headings to make it clearer
-Include dropdowns for each main navigational tab
 Gearing up for the Christmas season sales:
-Include a category of gift cards in the 'Christmas' tab
The evaluation has provided valuable insights into the website's usability issues. By redesigning
the above mentioned areas of the website, most of these issues would be resolved resulting in
better usability and experience.

REFERENCES
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