seven frequently asked questions about usability testing usability testing 101
TRANSCRIPT
SEVEN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT USABILITY
TESTING
Usability Testing 101
•“THE EVALUATION OF A PRODUCT’S USABILITY THROUGH DIRECT OBSERVATION OF USER BEAHVIOR DURING A STRUCTERD TASK.”
•USABILITY EVALUATION OR EVALUATION
What is a Usability Test?
OUR CLASS OTHER SITUATIONS
Fellow Classmates Student 18-26 years old Educated In fields that view
Technical Writing as a needed skill
Representative sample of the user populations
Varies depending on what one is testing
Who are the Test Participants?
OUR CLASS OTHER SITUATIONS
Test instructions Find usability issuesEvaluate your
design
Users not necessarily like you
Help people explain usability issues they can’t verbalize
Why Usability Test?
• TESTING A PRODUCT• TESTING A PROCEDURE• LOW FIDELITY STAGE – EARLY ON• HIGH FIDELITY STAGE – END PRODUCT
When to Usability Test?
OUR CLASS OTHER SITUATIONS
Classroom (HC 3353) Poorly controlled Inexpensive Convenient for user Potential interruptions Videotaping
inconvenient Third-party
observations intrusive
User’s environmentUsability lab
Well controlled Expensive Inconvenient to user No interruptions Videotaping convenient Third-party observations
unintrusive HC 8011
Where to Usability Test
1. COMPLETE PREREQUISITES 2. PLAN3. DEVELOP MATERIALS4. PILOT TEST5. RECRUIT PARTICIPANTS6. TEST7. SUMMARIZE, ANALYZE, & REPORT
FINDINGS
How to Usability Test?
OUR CLASS OTHER SITUATIONS
Observer briefingUser introductionUser or training
documentationTest tasksData collection
sheetPosttest
questionnaire
Informed consentNon disclosure
agreementPretest
questionnaireTest script
Develop Materials
FACILITATOR ROLE QUESTIONS TO ASK
Think aloud protocol
Provide posttest Don’t lead or helpAsk questions Avoid distracting
userTake notes
What are you thinking?
Is that what you expected?
What would you like to accomplish?
Avoid* Why? (encourages
justification)
Test Process
SUMMARIZE & ANALYZE
REPORT
Note time per taskErrorsStatistics like
averages It took approximately
15 minutes per person to complete task.
Elements that worked
Issues that aroseSeverity of issues Suggestions for
improvement
Summarize, Analyze, & Report
HOW TO BETTER INSTRUCTIONS
MEMO
Did I profile my audience well?
Were my instructions successful?
How can I adjust my instructions to make them more user-friendly?
How was my audience analysis?
What was the purpose for instructions?
How did the usability testing process go?
What course goals did I meet?
Things to Think About During Test