HCDE 517 · Usability Studies · 2026
Improving the Edmonds Historical Museum website
Sponsor: Edmonds Historical Museum
Usability studies help organizations understand how people actually experience a website, product, or service. By observing people as they use it, researchers can identify what works well, where people encounter difficulties, and opportunities to improve the experience.
In HCDE’s graduate Usability Studies course, students put these research methods into practice by partnering with organizations on real usability questions.
One recent partner was the Edmonds Historical Museum, which had launched a redesigned website alongside a new brand. The museum partnered with HCDE master’s students Claire Liu, Anna Czoski, and Ethan Zhang to learn how visitors experienced the new website and identify opportunities for improvement.
The project at a glance
Partner: Edmonds Historical Museum
Focus: Usability of the museum’s redesigned website
Study participants: Six returning museum visitors
Methods: Stakeholder and developer interviews, participant recruitment, and remote usability testing
Student deliverable: 15 prioritized recommendations, including an impact-effort matrix
What the students found
The team tested common tasks such as finding exhibit information, navigating the site, becoming a member or volunteer, and making a donation. Their research identified opportunities to make information easier to find and reduce the amount users had to process while navigating the site.
Recommendations included simplifying navigation, clarifying information about permanent and rotating exhibits, standardizing membership information, streamlining checkout, and making the donation process more flexible.
After the students presented their findings, the museum addressed several of the issues identified in the study, while other recommendations aligned with changes already underway. Updates included adding information about new and rotating exhibits, removing dates from permanent exhibits, and adding the option to enter a custom donation amount.
Across the board lots of interesting ideas on things we might do to make the site more usable and useful. Just what I hoped for!
President & Executive Director, Edmonds Historical Museum.
What sponsorship looked like
- Up front: The museum met with the student team to establish goals and provide background materials, including brand guidelines.
- Access: The sponsor connected students with the website developer so they could understand technical constraints and develop feasible recommendations.
- During the study: Students worked independently on recruitment, testing, and analysis, while the sponsor remained available for questions and periodic updates.
- Result: The museum received a final report with 15 prioritized recommendations to inform improvements to its website.
For the museum, the partnership provided an opportunity to get a fresh perspective on its redesigned website while giving HCDE students experience applying usability research to a real organizational challenge. It’s one example of how organizations can partner with HCDE students to better understand the people who use their products and services.
Partner with HCDE on a usability study
HCDE welcomes project proposals from industry, community, and academic partners for our Usability Studies course. Over 10 weeks, a team of 3–4 graduate students will plan and conduct a usability study and deliver findings and recommendations to your organization.
Projects run January–March, and there is no cost to participate. Sponsors provide access to the product or service being studied and help connect students with target users.
Learn more and propose a usability study