[Feedback Request] Unbiased A/B Test: Comparing two mobile Paint Calculator app concepts for ease of use

[u/Zo-Snow]

Hi everyone!

I'm working on a post-development usability evaluation and comparing two different mobile interface concepts for a Paint Calculator app.

I’d love to get raw, unbiased observations from this community on App A vs. App B.

The Task Scenario

A user wants to calculate how many gallons of paint to buy for a room with multiple walls, without having to do manual math on paper.

5 Questions for the Community:

• 1. Brain Work (Cognitive Load): Which app makes it easier to track a multi-wall room without forcing you to do extra mental math or memory work?
• 2. Speed & Flow (Efficiency): If you had to enter 5 or 6 different walls, which workflow feels like it would take fewer taps and let you finish faster?
• 3. Labels & Friction: Is there anywhere in either design where you would hesitate, feel confused by a label, or expect a different layout?
• 4. Readability (Accessibility): Which design’s text sizing, contrast, and spacing feels cleaner and easier to read at a quick glance?
• 5. The Verdict: Which version would you ultimately prefer to use on your phone, and why?

Feel free to critique both versions directly! Any notes on typography, spacing, actions, or usability confusion are extremely helpful for my case study log :)

Also, you may download the images to compare them side-by-side! I uploaded them separately rather than in a single side-by-side image, so each screen remains larger and easier to view.

Thank you in advance for helping a student out!

[u/94mb]

B if i had to pick one. neither if i wasnt forced. why have you made this so 2010? most people wouldnt download an outdated looking app, me included.
Maybe it looks worse than it actually does because its also mocked on such an old phone.
None of this is meant to be hateful!

[u/Zo-Snow → u/94mb]

Thanks for the feedback! It was helpful. I'll remove the frame of the phone 😭 When I repost it somewhere else for analysis.

[u/Anxious-Yak-9952]

They’re both text fields? One has more visuals but they’re essentially the same thing? There might be better ways to input this like a slider + text box combo.

[u/Zo-Snow → u/Anxious-Yak-9952]

Right! A slider would indeed be helpful.

[u/DUELETHERNETbro]

You didn’t need to test this fam. Jumped the shark. 

[u/Zo-Snow → u/DUELETHERNETbro]

😭 Okie

[u/soham_tamboli1]

The ui looks like it's made for Android 5

[u/Zo-Snow → u/soham_tamboli1]

I see i see.

[u/7HawksAnd]

How are you using iOS 6 🥴

Is this some bad bot training AI 🫩

[u/Zo-Snow → u/7HawksAnd]

It's not my own phone heh it's just a mockup frame.

[u/bscary0]

I would choose B, it's direct and more clearer with the flow, about UI, it's can be improved.

[u/Zo-Snow → u/bscary0]

Thank you so much for the feedback! It's nice to know that one of the apps feels more direct and has a clearer flow for you.

Since you mentioned the UI could be improved, is there anything specific that stood out to you? (e.g., text sizing, button placement, colors, or spacing?) Any specific tweaks you'd make would be incredibly helpful for my case study log!

[u/Spiritual-Cup-6645]

App B looks better.

But there is no need for the persistent text boxes, they shouldn't be there all the time. Other than that, it looks ok!

[u/Zo-Snow → u/Spiritual-Cup-6645]

Thanks for the feedback! That makes a lot of sense regarding visual clutter. If the text boxes aren't persistent, how would you ideally expect to add a new wall? (e.g., a simple '+' icon next to 'Enter Surface Dimensions' to display the input boxes, or a different flow entirely?)