A User-Centered Approach to Redesigning a Web-Based Utility: Tide.com's Stain Detective
W. Todd Nelson, Stephanie Hibner · Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting · 2003
The purpose of this paper is to present a case study for the review and redesign of Tide.com 's Stain Detective, a web-based utility for assisting users find recommended solutions to difficult laundry stains. The paper describes how user-based feedback and data from message boards was used to identify and validate specific interface challenges and information architecture problems. User-centered methodologies, such as card sorting, were used to identify a new information architecture and conceptual model for the Stain Detective utility. Finally, the approach used for developing an intuitive, user-centered “stain” taxonomy and glossary is described, which permitted the design and incorporation of a simple and effective search utility.