Challenge

• New mesh network products exhibited major usability issues
• Internal resources failed to resolve these issues

Approach

• Applied UX research expertise and multi-faceted efforts to identify key customer pain points
• Conducted iterative evaluations to capture improvements and define actionable recommendations

Results

• Identified a focused list of recommendations
• Disastrous product launch averted
• Helped preserve brand image/reputation

A worldwide leader in networking products and services was developing a new mesh network targeting both expert IT personnel and tech-savvy DIY users. Some stakeholders, however, had major concerns about ongoing issues, so upper leadership wanted a thorough evaluation and objective input to help inform their next steps. For that, they turned to D2.

Our approach

We started with a competitive evaluation of three products targeted at similar user personas and immediately found three to four times the number of issues as competitor products with similar complexity. Numerous documentation and software bugs made our customer’s product unusable. We worked with our customer to solve problems and prepare the product for additional testing, ultimately leading to the development of new firmware.

When the new version of the product was ready, we did a heuristic evaluation, a thorough review of documentation, and conducted usability testing with participants matching target personas.

Key findings from all efforts revealed 200+ continued issues around product functionality, as well as missing or confusing information on packaging and in documentation, onscreen instructions, and more. Test participants said they liked some elements, such as an associated app and QR code scanner but overall experience proved to frustrate them and DIY users, in particular, needed more help than our customer had anticipated.

The results

We provided several actionable recommendations to help improve customer experience but, given the volume and severity of findings, we also strongly recommended delaying product launch until said issues were resolved and test results showed marked improvement. Our customer agreed and launch was halted. In the end, D2 input and leadership’s ability to look long-term helped them avoid a potentially disastrous product launch and preserve both brand image and reputation.