# Product Browse Page [Image] Browse pages play a key role in how users discover and evaluate products within a catalog. For product designers and managers, the challenge is making sure these pages surface relevant options, encourage exploration, and lead users smoothly toward making a selection. Product Browse Page Testing uses a design stack of UX metrics: engagement, sentiment, and satisfaction to measure how effectively the browse experience supports user goals. This approach replaces subjective opinions with measurable insights. With these findings, designers and managers can make informed design decisions, prioritize improvements, and demonstrate the impact of changes on business outcomes. For example, testing Etsy’s birthday card search results page showed positive sentiment but weak engagement, highlighting the need to refine layout and filtering to keep users exploring longer. * * * ### Define Goals for Your Product Browse Page Test A product’s feature findability should balance user needs like clarity, guidance, and accessibility with business goals such as adoption, retention, and maximizing ROI from product development. Tracking how easily features are found and used ensures both sides benefit. **Audience** To define user needs, you first need to establish who your audience is. In the case of our Etsy example, we targeted online shoppers who might be interested in their custom gift offerings. **User Needs** As a customer discovering and using features in a product, the five most important user needs would be: 1. Features should be easily located without unnecessary searching or friction. (Features should be [**Findable**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/findable)) 2. Features should instantly make sense, reducing the need for extra explanation. (Features should be [**Intuitive**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/intuitive)) 3. Features should solve real problems or add clear value to the customer’s experience. (Features should be [**Useful**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/useful)) 4. Features should provide clarity and guidance, helping customers understand how and why to use them. (Features should be [**Insightful**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/insightful)) 5. Features should be designed so everyone, regardless of ability or device, can discover and use them fully. (Features should be [**Accessible**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/accessible)) These five ensure features feel visible, understandable, and valuable, meeting core expectations for ease of discovery and use. **Business Goals** Here are the five most important business goals for feature findability: 1. **Increase Feature Adoption** – Ensure both new and existing features are regularly discovered and actively used. 2. **Maximize ROI on Development** – Convert the cost of building features into measurable usage and business impact. 3. **Reduce Support Costs** – Lower the volume of support requests by making features easier to find and understand. 4. **Improve Customer Retention** – Keep customers engaged and satisfied by helping them see and use ongoing product value. 5. **Collect Usage Insights** – Track which features are discovered, ignored, or misunderstood to inform product and design strategy. These goals help the business drive adoption, reduce wasted investment, and increase customer lifetime value through stronger feature findability. * * * ### Choose Metrics to Test Your Product Browse Page For Getup’s product browse page, a design stack of four UX metrics was chosen to measure how well the experience supports product discovery and exploration. This stack — Engagement (first click), Satisfaction, Sentiment, and Engagement (second click) — was established by mapping user needs directly to measurable outcomes: - [**Findable**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/findable) **&** [**Intuitive**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/intuitive) **→** [**Engagement**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/behavioral-metrics/engagement) **(first click)**
 Shoppers should be able to immediately locate products or categories that interest them. First-click engagement shows whether the design guides users to the right place from the start. - [**Useful**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/useful) **→** [**Satisfaction**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/attitudinal-metrics/posttask-satisfaction)
 Browsing should feel worthwhile, helping users quickly evaluate product options. Satisfaction measures whether participants felt the browsing experience was positive and efficient. - [**Insightful**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/insightful) **→** [**Sentiment**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/attitudinal-metrics/sentiment)
 Users should feel inspired and confident when exploring products. Sentiment captures the emotional impression left by the browse experience, such as whether it feels exciting or frustrating. - [**Accessible**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/accessible) **→** [**Engagement**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/behavioral-metrics/engagement) **(second click)**
 The browsing flow should make it easy for users to continue exploring after their first interaction. Second-click engagement shows whether the page supports smooth, ongoing discovery. * * * ## **Establish Hunches to Direct Your Testing** On browse pages, first impressions, clarity, and navigation determine whether users keep exploring or drop off. By forming hunches about pain points or opportunities, we can design questions to validate whether the browse experience meets user needs. **Example: Etsy Birthday Card Search Results**

Hunch

Question

UX Metric

The page feels visually overwhelming with so many cards displayed in a dense grid, making it harder for users to compare options.

“How easy or difficult was it to compare different card options on this page?”

Sentiment

Filters (price, location, material, etc.) are tucked away at the top and may be underutilized, leading users to scroll instead of narrowing choices.

“What filters, if any, did you use to refine your search results?”

Engagement

Product titles and prices are presented inconsistently, which could undermine credibility or slow decision-making.

“How confident did you feel that the information shown (price, title, seller) was clear and trustworthy?”

Satisfaction

Callouts like “Ad” or “Bestseller” may distract or confuse users if they aren’t clearly explained, impacting trust.

“What did you think about the labels like ‘Ad’ or ‘Bestseller’—did they help or confuse your decision-making?”

Sentiment

The infinite scroll approach may reduce satisfaction by making it harder for users to remember where they saw a product they liked.

“How easy or difficult was it to return to a product you had seen earlier on the page?”

Satisfaction

These hunches zero in on whether Etsy’s browse page feels helpful, trustworthy, and enjoyable. Testing them with real users clarifies if overwhelming visuals, hidden filters, or navigation friction are holding back engagement and conversions. * * * ## **Turn Hunches into Test Questions** Turning these metrics into participant questions transforms design assumptions into measurable signals. Each metric uses a specific question type paired with a clear example from Etsy’s birthday card browse page: - [**Engagement**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/behavioral-metrics/engagement) **(First-click test)**
*Question type:* Click test.
 *Example:* “Where would you click first if you wanted to see more details about a specific birthday card?” [Image] - [**Sentiment**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/attitudinal-metrics/sentiment) **(Multiple-choice impressions)**
 *Question type:* Impression checklist.
 *Example:* “Which of the following words best describe your impression of this page?”
 (Positive: Inspiring, Trustworthy, Clear, Fun. Negative: Confusing, Overwhelming, Uninteresting, Skeptical) [Image] - [**Satisfaction**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/attitudinal-metrics/posttask-satisfaction) **(Likert scale)**
*Question type:* Satisfaction scale.
*Example:* “Overall, how satisfied are you with the experience of browsing birthday cards on this page?” (Very Dissatisfied → Very Satisfied) [Image] * * * ## **Calculate UX Metric Scores from User Feedback** We tested Etsy’s birthday card browse page with 100 online consumers, and their feedback was analyzed and converted into UX metric scores on a 0–100% scale. Each metric in the design stack was calculated from task results and survey responses, then evaluated against the following scale: - **Very Good** = 90% and above - **Good** = 70% to 89% - **Average** = 50% to 69% - **Poor** = 30% to 49% - **Very Poor** = below 30% Once the individual UX metric scores are calculated, the average of those scores are used to determine the overall score for the user experience. Here’s how the browse page performed across each metric: - [**Engagement**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/behavioral-metrics/engagement) **(43% / 54%** **— Poor to Average):** First-click engagement was weak, with users struggling to identify where to start browsing. A second engagement measure rose to average, showing some recovery once users oriented themselves. - [**Satisfaction**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/attitudinal-metrics/posttask-satisfaction) **(87% — Good):** Once users found product options, satisfaction was strong, with many reporting the variety and selection of cards as positive. - [**Sentiment**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/attitudinal-metrics/sentiment) **(40% — Poor):** Despite satisfaction with products, overall impressions of the page design dragged down sentiment. Users cited clutter, difficulty scanning options, and an overwhelming experience. [Image] Together, these results produced an overall test score of 56% — Fair. The results suggest that while the browse page successfully delivers product satisfaction, poor engagement and low sentiment reveal friction in discovery and presentation. Improving clarity and reducing clutter will help unlock stronger engagement at the start of the browsing journey. Click here to check out the [raw survey data and UX metric scores for Etsy's product browse page](https://my.helio.app/report/01JFGA8RAWCJSKP1MGNTKHHNBF?i=27). * * * ### Draw Signals from Your Design Stack Here’s how signals were surfaced from Getup’s Product Browse Page test results by following these five steps: 1. **Focus on poorly scoring metrics** [Image] - First Click Engagement (43%) and Full Page Sentiment (40%) both scored Poor, showing the page struggled to guide users to the right products and left weaker impressions overall. - Most Helpful Engagement (54%) landed at Average, suggesting users only found moderate value in the browsing experience. 2. **Identify patterns across metrics** [Image] - Product Options Satisfaction (87%) scored Good, showing that once users found products, they were happy with the selection. - The pattern suggests the browsing experience itself (finding and navigating to products) is the barrier, not the quality of the product catalog. Weak engagement and sentiment scores confirm that the page experience is dragging down perception. 3. **Determine if user needs are being met** [Image] - [**Useful:**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/useful) *Partially met.* Users valued the products but struggled with navigation and discovery. - [**Findable:**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/findable) *Not met.* Poor first-click engagement shows products and filters were not easy to locate. - [**Efficient:**](https://glare.helio.app/define/user-needs/efficient) *Partially met.* Browsing felt more effortful than smooth, with friction in getting to product details. - **Credible:** *Not met.* Low sentiment suggests the page failed to build trust or excitement. - [**Engaging:**](https://glare.helio.app/define/ux-metrics/behavioral-metrics/engagement) *Not met.* Weak engagement scores confirm the experience did not hold attention. 4. **Compare outcomes to your business goals** - **Increase Product Discovery:** At risk—low engagement shows products aren’t being surfaced effectively. - **Boost Conversion Rates:** Limited, since friction in browsing blocks progression from discovery to purchase. - **Promote Featured Products:** Unclear if highlighted products are being noticed, given low first-click scores. - **Reduce Bounce & Drop-off:** Weak sentiment indicates a higher risk of users leaving the page. - **Gather Behavioral Insights:** Strong satisfaction with product options gives insight into catalog value, but weak navigation reduces the reliability of browsing behavior data. 5. **Surface signals & establish a direction** Signals derived from the data: - **Users value the products but struggle with discovery** — low engagement and high satisfaction point to catalog strength undermined by browsing friction. - **The browse experience is underperforming** — poor sentiment and average helpfulness show users find the page functional but not enjoyable. - **Navigation and filters need improvement** — the failure to guide first clicks suggests layout, hierarchy, or filtering tools need redesign. **Direction based on business context:**
 To align with Getup’s goals of driving discovery and reducing drop-off, design improvements should prioritize: - Redesigning navigation and filtering to make browsing easier and more intuitive. - Improving visual hierarchy to surface featured products and guide first clicks more effectively. - Enhancing page presentation and credibility (e.g., clearer layouts, reviews, or cues of trustworthiness) to lift sentiment and keep users engaged. Based on the signals and design direction, we created an updated version of the design with the expected UX metric improvement: [Image] The direction is clear: *Etsy's product catalog is strong, but the browse experience is holding it back. Improving navigation, filtering, and page credibility will unlock product discovery, boost conversions, and reduce drop-off.* * * *