NinjaForge Usability Testing Report

NinjaForge is a popular extensions provider for Joomla. I had seen their site before, but had never purchased anything there nor was I very familiar with it. Their brand is well-known though, something that’s generally missing in the Joomla world. Founder Daniel Chapman asked me to test his site and perform the following tasks.

Tasks

1. Buy products.
2. Participate on the forum.
3. Get help/support
   Video.

Watch the usability test video:

Video summary and suggestions:

• I didn’t mention it on the video, but the tagline doesn’t represent what the site does very well. “Get on the cutting edge” is cute and clever, considering the name, but it’s also meaningless. “Cutting Edge Joomla Extensions” is simpler but clearer.
• Under the top testimonials, some icons are confusing; I didn’t understand what they meant. Use icons only when it’s an application people use frequently and are familiar with, or make the icons very clear.
• The wording under the “Extensions” menu item — “why you came right?” — is unnecessary and confusing. At the very least, it needs a comma after the word “came”.
• The extensions list is overwhelming. Categories would make searching much easier.
• The “view demo” link is too small and not easy to see; make it a big button. Also place a “Join the club” button on these pages.
• I receive error pages when I try to view demos of the extensions.
• The demo sites open in the same window instead of a new window, causing me to lose my original location.
• The demo site page doesn’t have a “call to action” on the extension page. If I like the extension, I’ll want to join so a big button marked “Join the club” would be very helpful.

Buying a membership

• The membership menu item “Bug your way in” is cute but unclear. Just call it “Join now” or “View details”.
• Don’t ask me to join without showing me how much it costs because I am not yet ready to purchase. Display a button marked “Memberships and Prices” so that I can decide if I want to join.
• The membership page is missing a link to all of the extensions that I am due to receive for each type of membership. The levels of the forums are unclear too.
• On the registration page, replace the star icon with a regular asterisk and make the remainder of the icons clearer.
• Make sure the terms and conditions open in a small pop-up window and not in a whole new window. The current set-up  takes people outside the purchasing process.
• Move the “Register” button; users are moving forwards, not backwards.
• The Paypal Subscription image looks too much like a button.
• The “Apply” button should be smaller and on the right side of the coupon box.
• After making a payment through Paypal, it would be nice to be taken automatically back to the site without having to click another button.
• After payment, I’m told to check my email but actually I can simply download, which is what I’d prefer to do. Take the user to the login page so that he can receive his purchase immediately.
• In the member area, I expect to see only extensions that I can actually download, or at least an indication of which extensions I can download and which I can’t.
• The “Download” button should look like a real button and not a cute image of a ninja.
• If I can’t download, place a button to send me to the upgrade page.

Forum

• Finding the forum is difficult; maybe the forum deserves its own menu item.
• The “New Thread” icon is hard to read; make the text black or change it to a regular button.
• When I submit a forum post, the three buttons are in the wrong order: “Submit” should be on the right, “Cancel” on the left and “Preview” in the middle.

Support

• Add another sub-menu that takes me directly to the support system; it’s not obvious that I can click on “Support.”
• Is the “Due Date” necessary? Which fields are mandatory?
• The Attachment option should look like a button.
• Support buttons are very “joomla style” but not very clear. Why do I need an “Apply” button? Replace the support buttons with buttons that have clear labels.
• A bug suggests that a support ticket wasn’t submitted even though the submission was successful.
• Change “New Activity” to “Enter a Reply” or something clear.
• Remove the Print, PDF and Bookmark icons; no one wants to turn a support ticket into a PDF.