The Usability, Accessibility, & Ethics of Yelp
In this reflection, I will be reviewing a product that I have extensive experience with: Yelp. I most recently used Yelp to search for a local place to get henna, as I am a bridesmaid in my Indian friend’s wedding.
Usability
Learnability: From the home page in the Yelp mobile app, there are 2 places you can start your search: the top search box or the search icon at the bottom of the screen. The search box has light grey wording with examples of what you can type into the text input field. Once you click the search box, the location pops up and auto-populates with your current location. There are also suggested categories to choose from, such as restaurants, bars, food, delivery, takeout, etc; below this is a list of your most recent searches.
Memorability: The flow on Yelp is fairly straight-forward and easy to re-establish proficiency. The user can start their search by using keywords in the search box or by browsing the categories.
Satisfaction: Yelp is the only app/website I use to find good businesses. It is just so convenient to use, because you can sort by so many categories, such as price, distance, rating, whether it’s open right now, good for groups, etc. The photos posted by reviewers are very helpful because in my case with finding a henna artist, I could view each artist’s work. I also will use the photos to help me make a decision on what to order at a restaurant based on what looks good to me.
Accessibility
Having good accessibility ensures that the product can be used by anyone, regardless of their capabilities. I did not see any specific accessibility features on Yelp per se…but Google Chrome and the iPhone have accessibility features that can be turned on.
Ethics
The first 2 businesses listed when users perform a search are ads. I personally find it a bit annoying that I have to scroll down past them in order to get to my search results. However, they are clearly disclosed as ads by the yellow “ad” button in front of the business name and there is a yellow icon that if you hover your mouse over, explains that the business owner paid for the ad.
