The Usability of the Yelp App

Background
As an intern for Buffalo’s chapter of Yelp, I am constantly curious on whether or not users are having an ideal experience with using the app for its very intended purpose: finding local businesses.
I wanted to do a very basic usability test, with people who have never used the Yelp app before. I wanted to get a better understanding of how first-time users navigate the app, and the issues they encounter. Instead of asking them to do something more involved, such as writing a review for a local business or finding events within the community, I tasked them with finding three different types of local businesses.
Participants
I recruited four different participants of different ages, educational experiences, and ability in terms of smartphone technology. Participant 1 was a 22 year old male who is currently pursuing a B.S. in environmental science, and is very experienced with technology. Participant 2 was a 20 year old female, currently pursuing a B.A. in legal studies, who knows enough about technology to navigate smartphones despite the fact that she does not own one. Participant 3 was a 49 year old male who holds a Bachelor’s in marketing, and has an average understanding of technology. Participant 4 was a 45 year old female who has an Associate’s in human services and has a limited understanding of smartphone technology.
Method
In order to complete this usability test, I gave my participants the following set of tasks and conditions:
- Find a restaurant at which you can order chicken wings.
- Find a salon or barber shop.
- Find a highly-rated auto shop.
I also told my participants that they could not choose the first business that appeared for each search. Since the app is preference and location based, and they were each first-time users, they would all end up choosing the business closest to them since the results would be ordered in terms of distance.
After the participants completed these tasks, I asked them the following questions:

- How easy or difficult did you find it to navigate the app and choose local businesses?
- What influenced your decision to choose these businesses?
- Is there anything you would change about the process of using Yelp to find local businesses?
- Now that you’ve used Yelp for its intended purpose, would you use it again in the future? Why or why not?
While I did not take videos of my participants using the app, I did take physical notes on how they chose to navigate Yelp.
Results
The test went almost exactly how I thought it would for each participant, based on their experience with smartphone technology.
Participant 1: Was able to navigate the Yelp app with ease, despite never having used it before. For each task, he typed exactly what he was looking for into the search bar (“chicken wings,” “barber shop, “auto shop”). He spent 2–3 minutes scrolling through each business he was tasked with finding. After he had made his choices, he told me that he found the app extremely user-friendly. He claimed that he chose each business based not only on ratings, but on the photos that were posted to each business’s page as well. While he thought the app was relatively cohesive, he stated he wished the results after each search would be more uniform (i.e. would solely be based on rating, location, etc.).
Participant 2: Because this participant does not own a smartphone, but rather an older model of the iPod touch that she uses minimally throughout the day, I was curious to see how her experience would go. While she is knowledgeable of the way iOS functions, she did not have as easy of a time with the Yelp app as my first participant did. She went through a few of the other tabs on the app before opening the search tab. Like Participant 1, she typed very blatant terms into the search bar to find local businesses. She took a little bit longer to choose each business, roughly 5 minutes each, because she “wasn’t sure what to look for.” I did notice that she skimmed a few reviews before picking each business. She eventually chose her businesses, and stated that while she found the app a little tricky to navigate, it is probably easier for people who own smartphones and are constantly navigating other apps. She could not think of any suggestions to make the app easier, however she did say she would keep it in mind for future use, such as when she travels.
Participant 3: As someone older, who isn’t as experienced with smartphone technology, I was skeptical that this participant would be able to successfully achieve the tasks presented to him. However, I failed to realize that this person is almost constantly using either an iPhone or an iPad throughout his work day. After downloading the app, he didn’t question the tasks I gave him, and looked through the different features of the app before beginning his search. When he eventually started his search, he incorporated the term “best” into the search bar (“best chicken wings,” etc.), which I found interesting. This person stated that he would typically just go to the closest business to him, so when I explained he could not choose a business simply because it was the closest, he wanted to try a different approach. After choosing each business, which took him about 2 minutes each, he stated that he made his choices solely on star rating, without having read any reviews. He went on to explain that he most likely wouldn’t use Yelp again, since he has a rotation of restaurants/businesses located close to him that he goes regularly, and he does not like going to new places.

Participant 4: Of my participants, this person was the most technologically challenged, which I knew before even beginning the process. I had to explain to her that I could not assist her or answer any questions regarding the tasks. She was immediately frustrated with the app. She took a few minutes to find the search bar, and once she did, she wanted to scroll through the list of featured businesses Yelp provides on the search tab, instead of directly typing terms into the search bar. After about 5 minutes of scrolling through businesses on the search page, she decided to type “chicken wings” into the search bar, scrolled through the list of businesses, and picked one without reading reviews or even opening the business’s page. She did this for the following tasks as well. She was visibly irritated while using the app and said she did not find it easy to navigate. She claimed to have made her choices just by looking at the star rating that appeared next to each business’s name, and said she would try using it again in the future, after better learning how to navigate the app.
Analysis
The Yelp app is marketed towards users of all ages, however it is really only easily used by people who are well-versed in smartphone technology, which just so happens to be a younger generation of people. I believe the participants I worked with would probably have an easier time using the Yelp website since all features are laid out in a more straightforward manner. While I (and my younger participants) generally thought the app is relatively user-friendly, some users might completely be overlooking other unique aspects of the app if they are challenged just by finding a local business.
Once my study was said and done, I also considered how a person’s subconscious preferences might impact the way in which they choose a business. One person might not want to travel too far, another might place a large amount of value on reviews from other members of the community, and someone could be new to an area and just winging it.

Recommendations
The biggest recommendation I have is for Yelp to incorporate a tutorial of sorts once a user downloads the app for the first time. While the app is very accessible to younger generations of users, it is more difficult for older users not only to navigate, but to reach in-depth reviews and pictures. In order for Yelp to expand its base of users, I think an optional “how-to” interface would be beneficial. As the new user explores more features of the app, “how-to” notifications could appear to educate on what else is offered and how the user can get the most out of their Yelp app experience.