Usability Testing Samantha Mann Frances Mell What is
Usability Testing Samantha Mann Frances Mell
What is Usability Testing? Usability Testing is a technique used in interaction design Usability Testing asks, “How easy is it for users to utilize the interface? ” In a Usability Test the target user is observed interacting with the system and its primary functions Usability Testing is a method used to improve the design of a product
What is Usability Testing? Formative Testing Performed while the product is in development, with a goal of diagnosing and fixing the problems; typically based on small studies repeated during development Summative Testing Performed after the product is finished with a goal of establishing the baseline of metrics or validating that the product meets requirements; generally requires larger numbers for statistical validity
5 Components of Usability is defined by 5 quality components: Design is pleasant to use Ease of Use Satisfaction Re-establish proficiency Learnability Memorability Efficiency Errors Minimize errors and recovery time Time to perform a task
Usability Testing Goals Utility + Usability = Useful Reduce time spent designing or redesigning a system by considering not only what the user wants, but what the user needs to ensure that a site is running at optimal performance
Usability Testing Team Members Facilitator Interacts with users and guides the tests Observer Watches testing interactions Logger Records data and observations Operator Runs any testing equipment Tip: An ideal Usability Testing team will consist of at least 3 members, but can be completed with 1 or 2
Usability Testing History Frederick Taylor publishes The modern numeric “Principles of Scientific dialing keypad is Management, ” which created out of the describes time and newly formed User motion studies and Preference Department methods to improve out of Bell Labs. industrial efficiency. 1911 1980 1947 1936 A new Frigidaire advertisement highlights usability as one of it’s features. Sauro and Lewis publish Ericson and Simon Quantifying the User publish “Verbal Experience: Practical Reports as Data, ” Statistics for User which focuses on Research, the first book the Think Aloud on the statistical analysis Method. of usability data. 1979 John Brooke creates the System Usability Scale (SUS) Questionnaire. 2012 1995 Jakob Neilson publishes the, “ 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design. ”
Usability Testing Labs Formal Two to three connected rooms outfitted with audio-visual equipment and one-way mirrors Portable This could be a cart outfitted with equipment, or just a laptop computer Informal Any equipped room, as long as someone is observing and taking notes or the sessions are being recorded Remote The user is in a separate location (either moderated or un-moderated)
Usability Testing Equipment
Usability Testing Software Tech. Smith’s Morae® Morae Recorder saves the tester time by recording the users’ interactions. “The Morae Recorder captures audio, video, onscreen activity, and keyboard/ mouse input. ” Morae Observer captures the important moments during testing. “The Morae Observer enables team members to watch the customer’s experience, make notes, and flag tasks in real time. ” Morae Manager facilitates the tester to, “view and analyze recordings, automatically calculate metrics, generate graphs, and create highlight videos to share with stakeholders. ”
Usability Testing Hardware The Eye. Guide® Mobile Tracker Track user’s eye movements during testing Records where the user first looks in a program/website/ application Benefits • Cost effective—$30, 000 -$40, 000 less than market prices • Portability promotes mobility and supports field testing • Provides important metrics Discovers where the user’s eye focuses the most Reveals how long it takes a user to find an item in a task Eye. Guide® Mobile Tracker Headset
Usability Testing Metrics Evaluation Methods Bottom-Up: Looking for trends and affinity in data Quantitative A numerical value • Time on Task • Number of Errors • Error Recovery Time Top-Down: The Usability Expert has preconceived trends they search for in the data. Qualitative A measure in quality • Responses to open ended questions • Think Aloud Protocol • Positive/negative comments
Usability Testing Methods Test Scenarios Card Sorting Think-Aloud Protocol User Persona Heuristic Evaluation RITE
Methods: RITE Rapid Iterative Testing & Evaluation (RITE) 1 st Iteration Design • • • Test Change 2 nd Iteration Test Change 3 rd Iteration Test Change Synthesize Present Findings Incorporates Usability Testing and user feedback from the beginning of the project Facilitates greater stakeholder involvement Promotes a flexible testing environment Incorporates back-to-back cycles of testing and design changes in each iteration Analyzes the interface, terminology, and process flow
Methods: Heuristic Principles Visibility of System Status Recognition Rather than Recall Match between System and the Real World Flexibility and Efficiency of User Control and Freedom Aesthetic and Minimalist Design Consistency and Standards Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors Error Prevention Help and Documentation
Methods: Formal Heuristic Evaluation 3 – 5 evaluators for maximum cost-benefit 1 evaluator discovers only 35% of usability problems The team of evaluators agree on a description of the target user (User Persona) Evaluators compare results, and rank the usability findings on a severity scale from cosmetic to catastrophe 3 – 5 evaluators produce a high degree of overlap in their findings Each evaluator independently reviews the product at least twice, walking in the shoes of their users as they inspect the interface Catastrophe Major Minor Cosmetic A Usability Report is written outlining the identified problems and the principle each one violates, along with the assigned severity code
Methods: Expert Review A single evaluator—the expert—inspects the interface A review that does not involve specific heuristics, because the evaluator has a high degree of experience with the evaluation methods
Methods: Card Sorting Used early in development Write site navigation items on index cards and sort them into groups of related information Learn the users’ preferences for and understanding of the information architecture of the product Learn the users’ preferences for and understanding of terminology used in the product Build the structure for your website Decide what to put on the homepage Label categories and navigation
Usability Testing: Benefits 1 2 Usability Testing helps to gain and retain users by preventing user abandonment 3 Reduces user errors with the system and increases site use efficiency Makes system interaction easy and pleasant
Usability Testing: Cost Factors Affecting Cost Types of Testing Performed Size of team Number of Participants Equipment Costs Time Spent Testing “Current best practices call for spending about 10% of a design project's budget on usability (Nielsen Norman Group). ”
Why Usability Testing? $83 Billion is lost annually due to poor customer experience online (US) 86% of consumers will pay more for a better experience Customer-Centered Design Ethnographic observations Customer interviews Analysis of customer findings Concept ideation Rapid prototyping Concept validation by the customer 100 X more expensive to correct a problem after release VS solving in the design phase
Works Cited • Video: http: //youtu. be/Br. Vn. Bd. W 6_r. E • Nielsen Norman Group: http: //www. nngroup. com/articles/usability-101 introduction-to-usability/ • http: //www. nngroup. com/articles/agiledevelopment-and-usability/ • Usability. gov: http: //www. usability. gov/how-toand-tools/methods/usability-testing. html • Remote Usability Testing Methods: http: //blog. webnographer. com/2013/10/remoteusability-methods/
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