usability testing 101

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Usability TESTINGS Usability Testing 101 2017-02-19 Benoît Meunier

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Page 1: Usability Testing 101

Usability TESTINGS

Usability Testing 101 2017-02-19

Benoît Meunier

Page 2: Usability Testing 101

Testing helps you develop designs that won’t frustrate your users.

Page 3: Usability Testing 101

Why should you test?

When it is easy for people to use a design, they are more likely to be happy, to spend money, and to be truly engaged with your design (and maybe even your organization).

For other technology, it can mean fewer support calls, more forgiving customers, and longer, happier customer relationships.

Page 4: Usability Testing 101

Put together a design prototype, pick an interviewer, find users (participants), and find a place to watch them use the design.

Page 5: Usability Testing 101

What do you need?

It’s really simple. You don't need recording equipment, but you might want to take notes, so a clipboard can be handy. And you probably want an envelope or folder to hold materials like your paper prototype and questionnaires.

Page 6: Usability Testing 101

Test when you have an idea of what is going to go into the design or when something has changed.

Page 7: Usability Testing 101

When should you test?Testing is useful when:

• you’re not sure what is frustrating about a design

• you have a question about how to design something

• there are arguments among the people on the team about the design direction

• you want to make sure what you’re designing will work for the intended users

Page 8: Usability Testing 101

Usability testing answers questions about how and why people use your design.

Page 9: Usability Testing 101

Know why you are conducting a usability test.

Usability tests can answer questions like these:

• How easily and successfully do people find what they are looking for?

• Where do people get lost as they navigate the design?

• How close does the design match how people think about what they are trying to do?

Page 10: Usability Testing 101

Start testing with a few users trying out the first versions of a prototyped design, one at a time.

Page 11: Usability Testing 101

who is needed to run a test?

4 test participants If you’re testing with types of users, find four people of each type. You’ll be interviewing them one at a time.

1 interviewer Make sure it’s not someone who designed what is being tested.

1 helperSomeone to take notes and wrangle participants.

Observers Everyone who contributes to design decisions should watch at least 2 users go through the test experience.

Page 12: Usability Testing 101

Test with what you have available. Test again when you have a version that appears to work. Test again when you have the final version.

Page 13: Usability Testing 101

What do you test?When you do your first usability test, you might want to practice on someone else’s design. That way, you won’t feel so bad when you test yours.

Otherwise, you can test:

• mock-ups or early versions

• competitors’ products

• prototypes at various stages of completeness

• a nearly final version

Page 14: Usability Testing 101

People who are like your users are everywhere. Go to them.

Page 15: Usability Testing 101

where should you test?Choose a place where you can find people who would normally use your design:

• cafes

• food courts

• libraries

• farmers’ markets

• street fairs

• buses, planes, or train

Use your imagination. Don’t be afraid to ask a stranger for feedback on your design.

Page 16: Usability Testing 101

Follow these steps to run each session of a usability test.

Page 17: Usability Testing 101

What happens in a usability test?

1. Introduce the session.

• Go over what will happen.

• Give interactions

• Give the participant the design.

2. Watch the participant use the design.

3. Listen for questions (don’t answer them) and comments (write them down).

4. When they are done, ask the participant to walk you through what they did and why.

5. Thank the participant profusely.

Page 18: Usability Testing 101

Watch and listen. Don’t teach. Don’t help.

Page 19: Usability Testing 101

What is the role of the interviewer?

As the interviewer, you guide the participant through the session, watch what she does, and take notes (if you can).

Do not help the participant use the design. (Well, not until after you have learned what you need to learn.)

Ask open-ended questions, like, “How did that go?” follow up with a statement like, “Tell me about how youdid that.” But not too often.

Page 20: Usability Testing 101

What for wrong turns, listen to questions, look for hesitations.

Page 21: Usability Testing 101

What should you look for?

Did participants:

• ask for help with instructions or using the design?

• ask question? (If so, what questions?)

• make comments? (Again, note what they say.)

• take out reading glasses or lean way in?

• find their way through the design efficiently?

• have trouble mavin through the design, or make wrong turns on their way to doing what they wanted?

• seem confused, puzzled, or frustrated?

Page 22: Usability Testing 101

Review what you saw and heard. Tally the types of problems participants had.

Page 23: Usability Testing 101

What do you do with what you find out?

Look at what parts of the design caused questions, comments, mistakes, or request for help.

This should tell you what is confusing to users, what is unclear, and why. It should also tell you what might need instructions, messages, or a different label.

Page 24: Usability Testing 101

– COLLIS TA’EED

“Things you think are obvious often aren’t, text you thought explained something doesn’t even get read, and generally

speaking users do things they weren’t supposed to do. Even if the only user testing you ever do is asking some friends to use a site

while you observe them, you’ll already be better for it.”