A Comprehensive Usability Study Planning Report for the

OLX Mobile Application

• Title: Usability Study Planning Report for the OLX Mobile Application

• Authors: Akanksha Mukundala, Ananya Singh

• Date: 31 January 2024

Brief
• Project background: This is a collaborative project and is part of the 'Usability
Analysis' course. The primary objective is to perform a thorough usability
assessment on a website/application, generate a comprehensive test report, and
propose redesign recommendations informed by the gathered insights.

• OLX Mobile Application-OLX is India’s number one consumer-to-consumer (C2C)

platform, and the country’s largest marketplace for pre-owned cars and
Application
motorbikes, second-hand mobile phones, and pre-loved personal and household
goods.

Primary User Groups:

• Sellers: Individuals and businesses looking to list and sell their products or
services on the OLX platform.
• Buyers: Consumers seeking to purchase a diverse range of goods and services
available on OLX, whether new or used.

Target user groups Secondary User Groups:

• Tech Support: Professionals providing technical assistance and support to

both sellers and buyers, ensuring a smooth and reliable user experience on
the OLX platform
• Delivery partners: Individuals or companies responsible for handling the
delivery logistics, ensuring timely and secure transportation of products from
sellers to buyers.
 • A total of 10 users will be interviewed for the usability test.

• The user group distribution will be as follows:

On the basis of experience

• 4 users will be active, skill-based users (experts): Such a user must have
sold/bought artefacts on the mobile/web app more than once
• 3 users will be infrequent users (skill level that is in between skill and knowledge
based users): Such a user must have tried to sell/buy artefacts on the app, but
never completed the deal.
• 3 users will be newer, knowledge based users (novices): Such a user has done one
or all of these-
• Navigated a similar platform for buying and selling before, but not OLX
• Navigated OLX before but not thoroughly

On the basis of purpose of use

• 5 users will be “buyers”
• 5 users will be “sellers”
Sampling • A user can be both a “buyer “ and “seller”

On the basis of age

• 3 users will be in the 0-25 years age group
• 5 users will be in the 25-50 years age group
• 2 users will be in the 50 and above age group

On the basis of location

• 7 users will be “intracity” users
• 3 users will be “intercity” users
• A user can be both a “intra “ and “inter” city user

On the basis of literacy/education level

• 2 user will be middle school education level
• 3 users will be high school qualified
• 5 users will be graduate level

On the basis of linguistics

• 5 users will be Non-English speaking
• 5 users will be English speaking

Primary User Tasks:

Tasks
Sellers:
o Primary Tasks:
 • Create and manage product listings.
• Set prices and negotiate with potential buyers.
• Respond to inquiries and messages from interested buyers.
• Arrange and coordinate product pickups or shipments.
o Secondary Tasks:
• Optimise product descriptions for better visibility.
• Monitor and update inventory status.
o Tertiary Tasks:
• Customise settings for notifications and communication
preferences.

Buyers:
o Primary Tasks:
• Browse and search for products or services of interest.
• Contact sellers for more information or to negotiate prices.
• Make purchasing decisions and initiate transactions.
• Provide feedback and reviews on transactions.
o Secondary Tasks:
• Save favourite listings for future reference.
• Track order and delivery status.
o Tertiary Tasks:
• Explore personalised recommendations based on browsing
history.

Secondary User Tasks:

Tech Support:
o Primary Tasks:
• Assist sellers and buyers with technical issues related to the OLX
platform.
• Troubleshoot and resolve problems with listings, transactions, or
account access.
o Secondary Tasks:
• Provide guidance on using platform features effectively.
• Collect and report user feedback on recurring issues.
o Tertiary Tasks:
• Collaborate with the development team to enhance platform
functionality.

Delivery Partners:
o Primary Tasks:
• Coordinate with sellers for product pickup or retrieval.
• Ensure accurate and secure packaging of items for
transportation.
• Facilitate the timely and safe delivery of products to buyers.
• Provide tracking information and updates to both sellers and
buyers.
o Secondary Tasks:
• Optimise delivery routes for efficiency.
 • Handle returns or exchanges in collaboration with sellers.
o Tertiary Tasks:
• Implement feedback mechanisms to improve delivery processes.

Goals
• To analyse the ease of use of the application for different
types of users.
• To analyse of usability, findability and readability.
• To derive quantitative data using Likert Scale for the usability
test.(using google form)
• Get in depth qualitative input which will be derived into
insights for optimising the application during its redesign.

Screening questions
1. What language do you speak?
2. What activities do you do on your phone? What apps do you use?
3. Have you used OLX?
4. Are you a delegated user? (Do you use OLX when being asked by
someone else to do so, for them?)

Pre-test questions
• What is your age?
Document • What did you study?
• Did you ever buy or sell anything on OLX?
• How proficient are you using OLX? (likert scale)
• Do you use mobile apps on your phone?
• How frequently do you use it? How proficient are you?
• Have you used OLX?
• Are you a delegated user? (Do you use OLX when being asked by
someone else to do so, for them?)
• What other platforms do you use for buying/selling second-hand
goods?

Tasks

Seller
1. Search for a competitive price.
2. Put up a product for listing.
3. Communicate with prospective buyers for inquiries *(shipment, payment
and details)*
4. Optimise the listing.
▪ Change Product Description and price.
 ▪ Change location and photos
▪ Repost an old ad
▪ Delete the listing
5. Customise notification settings
6. Share your own listing.

Buyer
1. Search for a product (search bar/categories)
2. Use filters to filter the listing page
3. Contact a seller (negotiate, offer a price etc)
4. Send location to meet
5. Send images to the contacted person
6. Inquire about location and then payment and delivery.
7. Check a seller's profile and choose another product from it.

Post-test questions
1. How was your experience doing these tasks? (likert scale)
2. Rate the ease of usage of OLX (how easy the app was for you to use and
navigate)
3. Rate your satisfaction level after using OLX (likert scale)

Debriefing
On spot would show a video and ask them/probe them.

Thank you Note

Thank you for dedicating your time and sharing your valuable feedback. Rest
assured, all the information you've provided is treated with the utmost
confidentiality and will remain anonymous. Your input is integral to our research,
and we want to assure you that it will not be disclosed to anyone outside the
research team. Should you have any further questions or comments, please don't
hesitate to reach out to us. We genuinely appreciate your participation and the
insights you've shared. Thank you once again for your time!