Designing customer feedback forms for the AWS IoT Core console
— PROJECT NAME
Designing customer feedback
forms for the AWS IoT Core
— ROLE
UX/UI Design
User Research
Strategy
— DATE
2022 (4 months)
I created 6 new feedback forms for the IoT Core console. These forms were developed based on stakeholder interviews across various teams and usability testing. Through this effort, I identified the challenges these teams encountered when seeking customer input and the specific types of feedback they sought. These forms are now used org-wide, have over 1,500 recorded responses, and have made it easier to prioritize roadmap initiatives.
Role
I was the lead UX designer and researcher for this project. I was responsible for conducting user research to identify challenges, creating questions for the forms, usability testing these forms with internal stakeholders and partnering with development to help integrate the forms into the console. I still hold office hours for designers and developers who are interested in creating and integrating these forms into their console experience.
The Problem:
AWS as a whole had 5 feedback forms that were created by Aperture (an existing team within AWS), but they weren’t providing stakeholders with useful information to 1) contact the customer 2) help guide projects/help service teams make design decisions based on customer insights. It was mainly used to help development teams collect and fix bugs. There was a limited amount of customer feedback provided on the team’s live experiences. This made it difficult to base products on customer needs.
Goals:
I was tasked to update the current process for collecting and measuring feedback within Aperture. This updated process would offer my team the ability to contact customers who’ve left feedback directly which will help close the gap with customer insights, have customer data that will help guide design decisions based on customer needs, provide more opportunity to collect CSAT scores throughout the console experience, spend less time guessing what the customer needs are, and perform research based on initial data.
The Process
Listen
My goal was to first understand who the customers were and to understand how the current Aperture forms worked. This helped me identify opportunities and form my own assumptions that I can later validate when conducting user research.
Once I identified my target audience, which consisted of Product managers, Software developers, and other UX designers I conducted a series of deep-dive interviews.
My research objectives consisted of:
1. Identify the current challenges stakeholders face when gathering feedback/ input from customers
2. Understand why the Aperture forms do or don’t help customers with their day-to-day tasks (How they currently use Aperture)
3. Understand what types of customer feedback stakeholders are looking to receive from Aperture forms
4. How does the data tie back into their business goals?
I affinity-mapped all of the notes to come up with themes that helped me identify findings. The biggest problem I found was that the feedback received from these forms didn't provide enough insight into the problem and the user.
Define
From user research, I identified 6 major findings. The one that interested me the most was that stakeholders, specifically PM’s are usually tracking quantitative customer data but have questions that cannot be answered just by looking at the numbers. This made me think “How might we incorporate questions into the feedback form to help receive better qualitative feedback?”. I used this question to help create the forms to make sure customers enter precise/actionable feedback so the service team can make better decisions for their customers.
From these findings I was able to create a list of “How Might We’s” and started to think of what forms would be needed.
Invent
I focused on two things during this time. The first consisted of creating the different forms our console would need.
I decided on 6 forms:
1) A general feedback form: This is a mandatory form for all AWS services. I updated the copy to showcase the importance of providing clear details, a Likert scale CSAT question(as opposed to a yes/no question that was existing), and the option to leave their email.
2)Error feedback form: This will help with increase customer trust, usability issues, help understand what may not be working well, and help influence upcoming roadmaps.
3)Beta sign up: This will help assure we are building the right thing
4)Task completion: This will help with receiving more feedback and help gauge product value.
5)Service-specific JTBD: This will help us understand what users are trying to accomplish.
6)UX Health: This is also a mandatory form for all services. I added the option to leave their email.
The second was to understand where and when these forms should be prompted. I conducted a working session with the IoT Core UX Design team to help identify where within the service these forms should live and when they should be prompted. The UX team was able to add a sticky where they think these forms would benefit their specific service.
Refine
I facilitated a design share-out with other UX Designers to gather feedback and help refine my designs before testing it with participants. My team was able to help with copy refinement.
Test & Iterate
I conducted a usability study on 4 forms to make sure participants understand the questions asked (making sure it’s not confusing), understand how likely they are to use the form and provide consent, the forms find-ability, and to assess the forms length before submitting the forms to be reviewed by the Aperture team. I also aimed to uncover any critical usability issues, frustrations, and opportunities to address any unmet needs.
8 major insights were found. The most interesting insight to me was that 3/4 participants wouldn’t try to leave feedback when they first run into an error. This insight allowed me to create a user error form that allowed customers to inform us how the situation impacted their workflow, what actions were taken before the situation occurred and updated the copy to make sure they know we will contact them if they leave their email address.
The findings, opportunities, and updated forms were presented to stakeholders as well as the User Insights Services team.
Results & Impact
Through research, I showcased the impact this project has on both internal and external stakeholders. I got the Senior development manager's approval to have someone on their team help me implement these forms as soon as possible (we all know how hard that can be).
These forms:
-Have helped resolve 5+ usability issues within the console this year
-Are now available for everyone within the org to use
-Are used by the the IoT research team. They have added my questions to the question bank repository that's accessible to everyone within AWS .
-Have over 1,500 recorded responses
-Help shape quarterly CSAT reports
-Help UX, Product, and Development align on what to prioritize for our customers