Project 6: User Testing & Final Release ​

Team Contacts ​

Team Email: 61040-project@mit.edu

Team Members ​

Team Project Mentors ​

Sharefolio Application Summary ​

Invest exactly like Warren Buffett without being Warren Buffett.

Sharefolio is a community-powered asset trading platform. Unlike other asset marketplaces, users are able to see other users' asset holdings and public leaderboards are used to rank users' trading/investment performance on the application. With this data made public, users can make more informed decisions on what they want to invest in depending on their peer's actions and holdings. Additionally, users can choose to Copy-Invest other users' portfolios, meaning that all trades a copied portfolio makes are automatically reflected in all copiers' portfolios. This Copy-Investing feature allows users to "invest exactly like Warren Buffett, without being Warren Buffett."

Sharefolio Links ​

Sharefolio Vercel Deployment ​

Sharefolio GitHub Repository ​

User Testing Guidelines ​

User Test #1 ​

User Experience Overview ​

The user was confused for about 10 seconds when first opening the app, as he did not immediately realize that he had to create an account. When creating an account, it took some time to create a password that met the criteria of the strong password checker but he mentioned that he appreciated the idea as it made the app feel more secure and "legit". The user didn’t have a picture readily available so he chose to upload a PDF file instead, which caused the profile photo in the top right corner to appear as a black box, making it difficult to find where this page could be accessed.

When viewing the home page, the user noted that he liked the format and how the number of users displayed on each row changed depending on the width of the window. However, he mentioned it may be difficult to see which profile you were hovering over, so changing the color of the link or adding some other pop-up when hovering over a profile may be beneficial.

The user struggled to find where the AI Assistant was located. This is likely caused by a failure in our choice of symbols, as the question mark icon we are using would normally be used to signify a page the user could visit for help, but in this case, we are using it to represent asking questions to the AI Assistant.

The user was quite positive about the NewsFeed page. He liked the ease with which the user is able to filter articles by company and appreciated the value of a feature that compiled articles from different sources. He also mentioned that it would be nice to view articles when he was interested in purchasing a new stock.

Opportunities for Improvement ​

[Moderate, Physical] Simplify the Login Process ​

[Minor, Conceptual] Optional Profile Photos ​

This has now been implemented.

[Major, Linguistic] Better AI Positioning ​

User Test #2 ​

Similar to the first user, the second user was also bit confused about where he could create an account at first, as registering a new user is done from the Login page, while the user assumed there was a separate Register page. Creating a strong password took some thought, but he did mention that this check is something he would expect from other apps. He attempted to create his account without selecting a profile photo, and no error appeared but the account also was not created successfully, which confused him for several seconds before he uploaded a profile photo and tried again.

The user then navigated to the stock page. He liked the look of the graphs and the ability to change the duration of time which data is displayed. One nitpick he had was that the price of the stocks should only be displayed to two decimal points, not four (since the last two decimal values are zeroes anyway).

Next attempted to purchase a stock. He was confused as to why there was a second dropdown menu (which is unlabeled but displays all user portfolios once they have been created). He received error messages about purchasing stocks and had to be prompted to create a portfolio and deposit money. The user mentioned that it felt strange to be able to deposit an absurdly large sum of money, and that once the account balance exceeded three digits, it should be displayed with commas to make its value more readable.

When viewing the profile pages of other users, he noted that it seemed the “total wealth” of other users was tied to the amount of money that he had deposited.

Our second user was also positive about the newsfeed and mentioned that he would use this as a standalone app. He liked the simplicity of the UI and agreed with the motivation to compile relevant articles before purchasing a stock.

Finally, he also struggled to locate the AI Assistant and was a bit confused by the message that is displayed when the assistant is queried. However, he liked the design of the UI, as he was familiar with this interface from other AI Assistants and he also appreciated the color choice.

Opportunities for Improvement ​

[Minor, Linguistic] Decimal Precision ​

[Moderate, Linguistic] AI Loading ​

[Minor, Conceptual] Gamify Money ​

User Test #3 ​

This user's feedback spans across several key areas, highlighting both positive aspects and critical issues within the app. The positives include an appreciation for the visually appealing stock graphs and the straightforward, clean design of the stock pages. However, significant concerns were raised regarding usability and functionality.

Users encountered obstacles during registration due to a lack of clear guidance, encountering errors about being logged in. The newsfeed presented readability issues with dates and checkboxes, obstructed by the menu bar. Additionally, the confusion around the necessity of portfolios for stock purchases led to usability challenges. The app's design, likened to a different platform (Runescape), suggests a need for a more tailored and distinctive interface to enhance user engagement and association with the app's identity.

Moreover, technical glitches such as the inability to change time series for stocks other than Amazon, complications arising from overly lengthy portfolio names causing errors during stock purchases, and potential vulnerabilities allowing unintended actions like selling stocks in different portfolios after a page refresh, raise concerns about functionality and security. The slow article filter update and ambiguity surrounding the AI Assistant's visibility add to the usability challenges.

Stylistically, while the login page was praised, the overall website lacked styling and cohesive design elements, including overlooking background color. These insights point to the necessity for a comprehensive overhaul focusing on usability enhancements, technical stability, coherent design language, and a clear user journey to ensure a more intuitive and enjoyable user experience.

Opportunities for Improvement ​

[Moderate, Physical] Depositing Money ​

[Moderate, Linguistic] Copy-Investing ​

[Moderate, Physical] Error Handling ​

Design Revisions ​

Special Thanks! ​

Thank you 6.1040 Staff for all of your hard work this semester and for designing such an incredible class! I really enjoyed this class and learned a tremendous amount. I really appreciate it. I hope our paths cross again in the future!