the art of usability testing: the guerrilla method presentation by ben andrus and laura evans
TRANSCRIPT
THE ART OF USABILITY TESTING: THE GUERRILLA METHOD
Presentation by Ben Andrus and Laura Evans
Introduction: BU Libraries and Usability
• 3 libraries open to students; Bartle open 24/5; high demand for library space and resources• Is our website easy
to use? • In the past…
What is “Guerrilla Usability Testing”?• It’s a sneak attack—get them where they live/work/play• It’s quick—no advertising or recruiting• It’s flexible—sample can either be random or targeted• It’s cheap—because it’s quick, participants are satisfied with
a small reward; also, it can be done without expensive equipment• It’s effective—elicits honest results from users
Our Methodology
• Identify areas of investigation• Create tasks for users
to complete• Decide what info to
collect on “Libraries’ Website Usability Study” form
• IRB Approval• Schedule staff to
administer the tests (7 members of Usability Working Group)
The Test
• Set up in the lobby of Bartle Library• Two staff members,
two laptops, two questions in two sessions a day• Observers recorded
the actions of users
The Test
• Entice students as they walk by• Each student
asked to do one task, so it took less than 5 minutes of their time
The Results
• 224 total users
• Between 9 and 24 students of all levels performed each task
Sopho-more, 33
Junior; 71Senior; 87
Graduate; 22Staff; 1
The Results• Co-chairs tabulated the actions of users for each
task as well as the comments of observers
• Wrote report on findings, identifying problem areas and usage patterns
The Results: Some Interesting Conclusions
• FindIt! is used for everything
The Results: Some Interesting Conclusions
• MegaMenus are cluttered and terminology is unclear
Takeaways and Future Directions
• Guerrilla method worked well for us• Easy to scale according
to your resources• Dividing tasks among
more users prevents fatigue and enables more diverse user base
• Get outside of the library? Take laptops to dining halls, dorms, etc.• Apply this usability
method to other library services beyond the website
