usability testing
DESCRIPTION
In this presentation, I will explore how usability testing has been used to spark changes in the design of the Northwest Justice Project’s new SharePoint content management system. Usability testing has become a popular user research method for assessing different aspects of a product, most commonly websites. By conducting usability tests early and often in your design process, many problems with the product can be targeted and resolved before a final design is released. Jackie Holmes will present on the basics of usability testing such as how to prepare tasks, what to look for during the test, how to analyze your observations, and how test results can influence design.TRANSCRIPT
Usability TestingJackie HolmesAugust 30, 2012
What will be covered
•The What? and Why? of usability testing
•How to prepare, conduct, and analyze a test
•Examples of usability testing at NJP
A bit about me
What is usability?U
sab
ility is a q
uality a
ttribu
te
that a
ssesse
s how
easy u
ser
inte
rface
s are
to u
se. T
he w
ord
"u
sab
ility" also
refe
rs to m
eth
od
s fo
r imp
rovin
g e
ase
-of-u
se d
urin
g
the d
esig
n p
roce
ss.
Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how
easy user interfaces are to use. The word "usability" also
refers to methods for improving
ease-of-use during the design process.
Source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html
Dr. Jakob Nielsen
What is usability?Five components:
• Learnability
• Efficiency
• Memorability
• Errors
• Satisfaction
Source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html
What is usability testing?
Research technique for evaluating the usability of a product
using real users doing real tasks
Why is it important?
Get user feedback and determine satisfaction
Promotes user-friendliness
Catch problems before launch
How do you get started?
The Process
Preparation
Product Prototype
Users/Testers
Preparation
Tasks/What are you testing?
Recording Devices
Preparation at NJP
IKE Site Prototype
Legal Assis-tants
4CLEAR
Attorneys3
Attorney1
Users/Testers
Preparation at NJP
•What was tested? IKE Library
Browse & Search
Functions
Document Uploads
Tagging
Preparation at NJPTasks:1) Upload a document you would like to share with your colleagues to the IKE Library.
2) Think of a case or project you recently worked on that required you to look for a document in the network drives, ARC, and/or
Intranet. Show how you would look for such a document on IKE.
Preparation at NJP
Learnability
Efficiency
Memorability
Errors
Satisfaction
Preparation at NJP
Learnability
Efficiency
Memorability
Errors
Satisfaction
Test Administration
* Introduce test* Testing product, not
user* User to ‘talk aloud’
* Read task to user* Ask tester to tell you
when they think they’ve completed the task
* Observe and take notes
Test Administration
* Stand or sit next to tester
* Try to have two moderators* More and less note-
taking
* After test, ask about impressions
Analyzing Results
Quantitative Data Qualitative Data
Analyzing Results w/ Affinity Diagram
1.Write down all qualitative data (comments, questions, etc.) on sticky notes
Analyzing Results w/ Affinity Diagram
2. Arrange notes into clusters on wall based on common themes
Analyzing Results w/ Affinity Diagram
Analyzing Results
Analyzing Results
Rate severity of issues raised
* How frequently issue was encountered
* How much it could affect priority tasks to be done in IKE
Analyzing Results
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Visibility Issues
ISSUE
# O
F C
OM
ME
NT
S
Severe Moderate/Severe
Severe
Analyzing Results
Influence on Design
Discover where and what changes should be made
Influence on Design of IKE
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Visibility Issues
ISSUE
# O
F C
OM
ME
NT
S
Severe
Influence on Design of IKE
The Process
Thank You
This call will be archived here: http://lsntap.org/
Resources/Referenceshttp://www.useit.com/jakob/
http://www.usability.gov/methods/test_refine/learnusa/
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/usability-testing-demystified/