Usability Testing 101 SEVEN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT

Usability Testing 101 SEVEN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT USABILITY TESTING

What is a Usability Test? • “THE EVALUATION OF A PRODUCT’S USABILITY THROUGH DIRECT OBSERVATION OF USER BEAHVIOR DURING A STRUCTERD TASK. ” • USABILITY EVALUATION OR EVALUATION

Who are the Test Participants? OUR CLASS OTHER SITUATIONS �Fellow Classmates �Representative sample Student 18 -26 years old Educated In fields that view Technical Writing as a needed skill of the user populations �Varies depending on what one is testing

Why Usability Test? OUR CLASS OTHER SITUATIONS �Test instructions �Users not necessarily �Find usability issues like you �Help people explain usability issues they can’t verbalize �Evaluate your design

When to Usability Test? • TESTING A PRODUCT • TESTING A PROCEDURE • LOW FIDELITY STAGE – EARLY ON • HIGH FIDELITY STAGE – END PRODUCT

Where to Usability Test OUR CLASS OTHER SITUATIONS �Classroom (HC 3353) �User’s environment Poorly controlled Inexpensive Convenient for user Potential interruptions Videotaping inconvenient Third-party observations intrusive �Usability lab Well controlled Expensive Inconvenient to user No interruptions Videotaping convenient Third-party observations unintrusive HC 8011

How to Usability Test? 1. COMPLETE PREREQUISITES 2. PLAN 3. DEVELOP MATERIALS 4. PILOT TEST 5. RECRUIT PARTICIPANTS 6. TEST 7. SUMMARIZE, ANALYZE, & REPORT FINDINGS

Develop Materials OUR CLASS OTHER SITUATIONS �Observer briefing �Informed consent �User introduction �Non disclosure �User or training agreement �Pretest questionnaire �Test script documentation �Test tasks �Data collection sheet �Posttest questionnaire

Test Process FACILITATOR ROLE QUESTIONS TO ASK �Think aloud protocol �What are you thinking? �Provide posttest �Is that what you �Don’t lead or help expected? �What would you like to accomplish? �Avoid* �Ask questions �Avoid distracting user �Take notes Why? (encourages justification)

Summarize, Analyze, & Report SUMMARIZE & ANALYZE REPORT �Note time per task �Elements that worked �Errors �Issues that arose �Statistics like averages �Severity of issues It took approximately 15 minutes person to complete task. �Suggestions for improvement

Things to Think About During Test HOW TO BETTER INSTRUCTIONS MEMO �Did I profile my �How was my audience well? �Were my instructions successful? �How can I adjust my instructions to make them more userfriendly? analysis? �What was the purpose for instructions? �How did the usability testing process go? �What course goals did I meet?