Remote UX Testing · 5 Users per Cohort · High-Fi Figma Prototype

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OVERVIEW

Evaluating the efficiency of text-based geological filters versus visual swatches for complex material queries.

HYPOTHESIS

Standard text filters for complex geological terms would cause friction.

TASK

"You are looking for a meteorite piece that has a distinct warm, golden-olive texture. Narrow down this catalog to show only items made entirely from this specific material."

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OBSERVATION MATRIX

Iteration 01 (Standard Text Filters)

Participant Profile Task Status Observation Key Insight User Verbatim
P1 Jewelry Collector Fail Scrolled filter menu, stared at names for 12 seconds, closed dropdown without selecting. Reliance on recall rather than recognition causes immediate cognitive overload. I know exactly what it looks like, but "Sericho" or "Muonionalusta" mean absolutely nothing to me.
P2 High Net Worth Individual Fail Ignored geological names, tried to search for color tags, then abandoned the filter. Users expect descriptive visual properties, not scientific taxonomy. Where's the color filter? I just want the gold one. I'm not a geologist.
P3 Rare Minerals Buyer Success Immediately recognized Sericho as the pallasite meteorite and selected it. Text filters only work for a niche audience with high domain expertise. Ah, I know Sericho is the pallasite with olivine crystals. Found it.
P4 Gift Shopper Fail Clicked all three checkboxes hoping the images would load in the background to compare. Blind selection strategy is deployed when text labels lack meaning. I just clicked everything to see the pictures. Trying to guess the names takes way too much time.
P5 Tech Executive Fail Bypassed filters entirely and scrolled the whole catalog manually looking for the color. Users will abandon the UI tool if it forces them to process specialized knowledge. These filters are useless to me right now. It was faster to just scroll down until I spotted the yellow stone.

Iteration 02 (Visual Swatch Filters)

Participant Profile Task Status Observation Key Insight User Verbatim
P6 Bespoke Jewelry Client Success Opened filter, immediately recognized the golden texture, clicked Sericho. Visual swatches successfully bridge the gap between visual memory and technical naming. Oh, there it is. The yellow texture is right next to the name. Super quick to spot.
P7 High-end Fashion Consumer Success Scanned the filter dropdown, clicked the correct swatch in under three seconds. Recognition over recall completely removes interaction hesitation. I saw the golden pattern and just clicked it. Honestly, I didn't even read the word next to it.
P8 Gift Shopper Success Hovered over swatches, confidently selected the golden olive option. Pairing images with text educates the user without forcing them to guess. That was fast. The little texture bubble makes it completely obvious.
P9 Luxury fashion buyer Success Didn’t hesitate, located the correct texture instantly. Visual cues align directly with premium shopping experience expectations. I love that you show the actual material here. It feels like picking a stone in a real boutique.
P10 High Net Worth Individual Success Smooth interaction, zero errors, immediate task completion. Eliminating cognitive load leads to an uninterrupted browsing flow. That was straightforward. I just looked for the warm color and spotted it in a second.

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TEST SYNTHESIS