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Braden Currah edited this page Dec 18, 2025 · 20 revisions

New Tab Plus

Browser New Tab pages aren't very useful—providing little except a search bar that already exists. And in Chrome, it uses 80 MB of memory! Our project focuses on solving this issue by using a lightweight, themeable page that can be set as the homepage in user browsers. This page provides widgets that connect with a wide array of services—like calendars, notes, and music—that can be freely positioned. These turn a benign page into personalized, at-a-glance info. Everything can be hidden with a click, returning the tab to a distraction-free landing page.

UX Team Members

User-Centered Design Artifacts

Phase I: Analyzing Users, Competitors, and Initial Designs

Executive Summary

Research and design focusing on how NewTabPlus will innovate in designing a new tab for various browser ensuring its flexibility, distraction-free, and lightweight execution.

  • Competitive analysis revealed missing features among multiple competitors:
    • Flexible widgets: Users show dissatisfaction with restricted customization
    • Easy out-of-box experience: A low learning curve that allows all users to get started quickly
    • Low price: Users want an accessible, login-free tool
  • Heuristic evaluation revealed baseline requirements, but also areas of improvement:
    • User-changeable elements lack design consistency and flexibility
    • Placement of page elements is restricted and irreversible
  • New personas and scenarios revealed differing use cases:
    • Ability to self express though widgets
    • Fast setup with preset templates
    • Stay organize about your schedule while keeping it a distraction free experience
    • Consolidate schoolwork, resources, and schedules into something that can be viewed at a glance
  • Sketches and diagrams illustrate initial concepts
    • Visualization for interacting with the editing new tab tool
    • Easy to follow installation of our tool tutorial

Full phase I report

Phase II: Refining interaction and designing wireframes

Executive Summary

Feedback was taken from potentials users, revealing strong existing design and immediate routes for improvement.

  • Cognitive Walk-through provided detailed user thought-processes:
    • All participants completed provided task with little confusion
    • Discovered potential ambiguity of the "Edit" button label
  • Informal feedback provided numerous ideas for future developments
    • Audience recommended several new widgets to improve versatility
    • Responses indicated that the product will be a new concept for many

Full phase II report

Phase III: Prototypes and User Testing

Executive Summary

Feedback was taken from User Testing, showing strong and weak sides of products design.

  • Participants were impressed by application maturity
    • Positive response to appearance and visual design
    • Customizing page was easy and satisfying
  • Clear and actionable areas of improvement
    • Adjustments to Menu organization and mouse interactions
    • More visual feedback on buttons and page changes

Full phase III report

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