Cox Enterprises Intranet User Research Study
UX Research / Qualitative Research/Quantitative Research
InSideCox.com functions as Cox Enterprises' intranet, serving employees across all divisions. The primary objective of the research was to understand the usage patterns of Cox employees on Insidecox.com and gauge their sentiments regarding the current navigation system. To improve the site's navigation, the Human-Centered Design and Corporate Communications teams worked together to collect feedback from Cox employees. This user input played a pivotal role in the thoughtful redesign process of the site.
Key Findings of the Card Sorting Activity
Stakeholder read out and ux suggestions
InSideCox.com is the intranet of the Cox division, Cox Enterprises. The site is for Cox employees across all divisions. Company News, Employees Resources, and Career Journey are some of the major categories of the original site map.
The Corporate Communications team required insights into the current layout and navigation of InSideCox.com, the main intranet for Cox Enterprises. They were contemplating a redesign of the site but wanted substantial user feedback before progressing with the redesign through a third-party vendor.
Gather insights on employees' anticipated information organization and grouping within InSideCox.com's navigation.
Document employees' proposed categorization and labeling of menu items to facilitate easy content retrieval.
Identify elements causing confusion in the current navigation system.
Determine the reasons behind employees' current visits to InSideCox.com.
Explore potential enhancements that could increase future visits to the platform.
Create and implement a research plan of indept qualitative and quantitative user research of the Cox employees from all divisions for the Insidecox.com Intranet. Research methods used were, Interviewing, Card Sorting, and Tree Testing, to improve the navigation of InsideCox.com.
September 2022 - October 2022
Reach out to randomly selected people from all divisions to opt-in
Unmoderated test sent to ~85% of opt-ins
Moderated tests and interviews scheduled with ~15% of opt-ins
Compile & analyze results of card sort and survey questions (mod and unmod)
Common reasons for visiting Insidecox.com
I aggregated information from the survey question, "What are your typical reasons for visiting Insidecox.com?", and generated data visualizations in the form of graphs to present to the stakeholders. The initial graph incorporated data from all divisions, while the subsequent graph delineated data from each division individually.
Key Insights of Surveys and Interviews
Common Reasons for Visiting Insidecox.com
Key insights on the Insidecox.com navigation
Key insights on the ease of use of the Insidecox.com navigation
Key insights on the look and feel of the Insidecox.com navigation
Setting up the Card Sorting Activity
Defining the Card Sorting Activity
Unmoderated and Moderated Research Plan
Initially, I devised a research plan for conducting the user research study. Subsequently, I assembled a focus group comprising volunteers, dividing it into two segments: unmoderated testers, constituting about 85%, and moderated testers, roughly 15% of the group. The unmoderated testers were aimed at collecting quantitative data, while the moderated testers were designated for gathering qualitative insights. The primary objective of this study was twofold: pinpointing the existing navigation pain points and elucidating the motivations driving users to visit the site.
I started by recreating the current site map of InSideCox.com and chose the menu items to include in our card sorting activity. We added a mixture of primary and secondary categories, along with various menu items.
We added a mixture of primary and secondary categories, along with various menu items.
Using the User Testing application, participants were asked to preform a card sorting test with various cards from the InSideCox.com navigation.
Participants sorted cards into groups that made the most sense to them, then named the groups.
We created a survey via MS forms to conduct the unmoderated test. The purpose was to gather more insight into the participants without speaking to them.
With this approach, we were able to gain volume in the amount of participants without strain.
We created a survey via MS forms to conduct the unmoderated test. The purpose was to gather more insight into the participants without speaking to them.
With this approach, we were able to gain volume in the amount of participants without strain.
What are your common reasons for visiting InSideCox.com?
What do you think about the current navigation menu on InSideCox.com?
Is there anything that confuses you about the navigation on InSideCox.com? Why?
If you had a magic wand, how would you improve the navigation on InSideCox.com?
These Questions were similar to the survey general questions. However we added the following for further insight:
Describe the work you do at Cox?
How long have you been at Cox?
Do you use other intranets and how does it compare to InSideCox.com?
Card Sorting Activity and Follow Up
We asked participants to visit the inSideCox.com website and share their screen.
We then asked participants to analyze the navigation bar and vocalize what they thought about it.
We gave participants the exact same card sorting activity we gave to the unmoderated testing group.
We asked they continue to share their screen and voice their thought process aloud as they completed the activity.
We asked the same follow up questions as we did in the unmoderated card sorting activity.
Link to Card Sorting Activity and Follow Up Questions
Activity Description
In this task, you are going to use a card sorting app to sort cards of the InSideCox navigation bar into groups that make sense to you. Create a group by dragging the cards from the left into the blank area on the right. You can add multiple cards to the same group. You can rename the groups you have created by clicking on the pencil icon. There is no limit to the number of groups you can create.
Do not reference InSideCox to complete this activity.
Follow Up Questions
Which items, if any, were the mostdifficult to organize?
Which items, if any, were the mostdifficult to understand?
Drag and drop cards into Groups then label the groups
Reached out via email to randomly selected Cox employees from all divisions.
CCI: 7
CAI: 4
CCI: 3
CAI: 1
Initially opted-in to participate in the research study
Unmoderated test sent to ~85% of opt-ins
Thank you for your time of reviewing my work of the UX research study on the Insidecox.com intranet! If you’d like to see more or get in touch, my contact information is provided below.
Where do we go from here?
UX suggestions for the stakeholder’s next steps.
Research methods for continued research
Research methods for continued research
Due to the limited time allocated for UX research, only a select few methods were utilized. However, if additional time were available, I have outlined several additional methods for stakeholders to consider for further evaluation of the Insidecox.com navigation in the future.
Use tree testing to evaluate the effectiveness of the new navigation structure. Test how easily users can find specific items or complete tasks within the proposed navigation hierarchy.
Implement A/B testing to compare different versions of the navigation. This method helps in quantitatively measuring which design performs better in terms of user engagement and task completion.
Analyze existing user data and heatmaps to understand how users currently interact with the navigation. Identify areas of high engagement or drop-offs to inform the redesign.
Conduct usability tests with prototypes or wireframes of the redesigned navigation to observe how users navigate through the new structure. This provides direct feedback on the usability and effectiveness of the new design.