Case study: Moo Print

We helped Moo Print to design a successful AJAX interface using rapid iterative usability testing.
 

The brief

Help Moo Print convey their MiniCard concept effectively online and make their AJAX interface really easy to use.

Moo's MiniCards let people create a set of social cards from a selection of their shared Flickr photos.

We ran some user research and rapid iterative design to help them:

• Understand how to communicate the proposition (what makes MiniCards cool).
• Learn what features people want when designing the cards and understand what level of control they need.
• Optimise the usability of the final AJAX interface.

Time was of the essence. As we were performing the research the developers were developing. We had to work quickly to research and design solutions that could be implemented immediately.
 

What we did

Our user-centred design (UCD) approach enabled us to get results fast. We organised one-to-one sessions with 15 users, and covered a range of issues with them:

• Value proposition testing. What made the cards desirable, and how we could communicate that online.
• Prototype testing. Using some medium fidelity prototypes the Moo crew had developed, we researched which interfaces best supported users in achieving their tasks - and what was fun.
• Participatory design. Users showed us how they would design a few aspects of the interface.

This project had an ‘agile’ feel to it. As we researched and learned, the developers applied the learning back into the prototypes and we tested the changes. By the time the research was complete, the prototypes had evolved significantly.

We took a couple of days to analyse research and synthesise it into a number of key findings. Then we got together the Moo team, talked about what we learned and sketched the ideal new interface with them on a flipchart.
 

The results

"The response has been astounding. Now we have to print and ship the things!"

Stefan Magdalinksi, Chief Technology Officer
 

Business is booming. People have taken to the MiniCard concept, and found the creation and ordering process easy and fun to use.

But don't take our word for it. Check out what the web has said about Moo Cards since it launched in September 2006.

"That create and checkout process @ Moo.com is one of the best I've ever gone through. Ordered the 10-pack for the Flickr pro users, but I want to order the 100-pack… just to do it again." Signals Vs Noise - Screens Around Town

"I just got my second and third box of cards from Moo. They help me to stick in the minds of the people I meet, and that's valuable." O'Reilly Radar - I Heart Moo

"Moo Cards: Stunning kid-sized custom biz-cards with Flickr pix." Boing boing

"Moo.com is awesome - where have you been all my Flickr'd life?" Knowledge is everywhere
 

What Moo Print say:

"This project with Flow was easily the best conducted exercise of this kind I've encountered. Flow enabled us to iterate our designs very rapidly and home in on some really successful solutions."

Stefan Magdalinski, Chief Technology Officer
 

Visit the Moo Print website (opens in new window)