Usability Evaluation of Microsoft Outlook’s Workflows
A System Usability Scale evaluation of Outlook’s workflows revealed a below-average usability score of 65.93, indicating room for improvement.
Role
UX Researcher
Industry
Productivity Software
Duration
4 weeks
Overview
This study evaluates the usability of Microsoft Outlook as experienced by students who rely on it for communication, scheduling, and managing academic tasks. The goal was to understand how well Outlook supports common workflows, how easily students discover essential features, and how the integration of Copilot affects productivity and trust.
The research combined semi-structured interviews, think-aloud usability testing, task analysis, and the System Usability Scale. Outlook received a SUS score of 65.93, which is slightly below the industry benchmark of 68 and indicates that students encounter notable usability challenges that impact their efficiency and confidence.
Problem Statement
Students depend on Outlook to send emails, organize schedules, retrieve information, and join meetings. Despite its wide usage, many students express frustration with inconsistent layouts across devices, cluttered interfaces, hidden features, and unreliable automation when using Copilot. These issues slow down academic workflows and make routine tasks harder than necessary.
This study aims to uncover the specific usability barriers that interfere with students completing everyday tasks in Outlook.
Research Goals
Four primary goals guided this evaluation:
Assess how intuitive Outlook is for typical student tasks
Examine the discoverability of core features such as Attach, Send, Search, and Calendar
Understand how students adopt and trust Copilot
Identify challenges that arise when switching between devices like laptops, mobile phones, and tablets
Key questions included how students navigate Outlook, how they find important functions, what frustrates them, and what they wish Outlook could do better.
Methods and Approach
Semi-Structured Interviews
Participants discussed:
Their email routines
How they search and retrieve past communications
How they use the calendar
Their awareness and use of Copilot
Past frustrations and desired improvements
Think-Aloud Usability Tasks
Participants completed two realistic tasks:
Compose an email using Copilot that includes a date, time, numbered agenda, attachment, and professional closing
Schedule five recurring weekly virtual sessions using Outlook’s calendar and Copilot
Affinity Mapping
Meet the Users:
Key Findings
1. Inconsistent Cross-Device Experience
Students frequently switch between devices. However, Outlook’s layouts differ enough that common actions like Send and Attach become harder to locate on some platforms. This slows down basic tasks and disrupts workflow continuity.
2. Search Is Too Limited
Students mainly search by keywords or sender names because Outlook lacks simple filters like attachments, time ranges, and course identifiers.
3. Low Usage and Low Trust in Copilot
More than a third of participants had never used Copilot. Those who did use it typically double check everything and trust it only moderately. Students described Copilot as difficult to find, inconsistent, or not tailored to academic needs.
4. Interface Feels Cluttered and Important Features Are Hidden
Students struggled to locate the Attach button, formatting tools, and additional Microsoft applications because these elements are not placed where users expect them.
System Usability Scale Score
The System Usability Scale resulted in a score of 65.93 out of 100, which is slightly below the benchmark score of 68. This indicates that Outlook is usable but leaves room for noticeable improvement in clarity, consistency, and workflow support.
Design Recommendations
1. Standardize the Interface Across Devices
Place Send, Attach, and formatting options in consistent locations and provide an optional touch-friendly mode.
2. Add Smart Search Filters
Provide quick filters for people, attachments, course codes, and date ranges.
3. Make Copilot Easier to Discover and More Reliable
Add a visible Copilot entry point, offer student-focused writing support, and provide templates for common academic tasks.
4. Reduce Visual Clutter and Improve Feature Visibility
Place Attach next to Send, enable drag and drop, and bring hidden applications forward.
Outlook taught me
This project helped me understand how meaningful usability can be in tools people rely on every day. Seeing where students struggled made me more aware of the gaps between expected workflows and actual experiences. It reminded me that good design is ultimately about making people’s tasks feel easier, clearer, and more intuitive.