Apple’s FaceTime Application
User Research Study
Research Study Overview
To examine how iPhone users navigate through their phones to FaceTime someone. I wanted to test the importance of the FaceTime app and whether or not consumers were actually using it or just going through their regular phone application.
Two Different Paths
Option 1: FaceTime Application
The first option I observed users using to FaceTiming someone in their contacts was to go through the actual FaceTime app.
The second option I observed was to go through the actual phone app.
Time (Seconds)
Results
Hicks Law
Research Group
I examined 5 of my friends while they went through the process of FaceTiming anyone in their contacts. Participants were timed from the second they turned on their phone to unlock it, until they first clicked the button that would get them to FaceTime whoever they were calling.
Option 2: Phone Application
Only 30% of participants actually used the FaceTime application
Average time was 6.12 seconds
Standard deviation was 2.039 seconds
Key:
Green: FaceTime Method
Blue: Phone Method
“Users [are] bombarded with choices and have to take time to interpret and decide, giving them work they don’t want” (Interaction Design Foundation)
UX Designers should incorporate enough flexibility into the design so the user has some choice
Be careful not to introduce so much that they are overwhelmed or cannot reach their intended destination
K.I.S.S, Keep it Simple, Stupid
The more options, the longer it takes a user to decide
Findings
Even though it takes longer to navigate, most users are using their phone application to navigate to FaceTime people in their contacts.
Users are comfortable with their methods for mobile application
FaceTime application offers shortcut for most recent FaceTime’s
Removing the FaceTime option from the Phone application would cause users to become upset and feel confused
Offering multiple ways to navigate to the same destination is helpful for personalization, but too many options can make new users who are learning confused
Longtime iPhone users are used to their methods of navigation
References
Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. (2016, June 29). What is Hick’s Law?. Interaction
Design Foundation - IxDF. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/hick-s-law
Yablonski, J. (2022). Hick’s Law. Laws of UX. https://lawsofux.com/hicks-law/