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How to Conduct Usability Testing:

How to Conduct Usability Testing:. In 9 Easy Steps. By Jennifer L. Bowie. What is Usability?. “A function of particular users performing particular tasks in a particular environment” (Smith et al. 68)

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How to Conduct Usability Testing:

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  1. How to Conduct Usability Testing: In 9 Easy Steps By Jennifer L. Bowie

  2. What is Usability? • “A function of particular users performing particular tasks in a particular environment” (Smith et al. 68) • The “people who use the product can do so quickly and easily to accomplish their own tasks” (Dumas and Redish 4) • User-centered design, not “user-friendly”

  3. What is Usability Testing? • An empirical study of a product’s usability by observing actual users do real tasks with the product • Involves: • Real users • Real tasks • Specific usability goals/concerns • Observing and recording the testing • Data analysis

  4. Step 1: Analyze your Actual Users & Choose Profiles • Who are your actual users? You may need to break your users into typical user categories. Consider: • Demographics of your users (age, sex, race, education level, cultural background, socioeconomic status,…)? Will these differences impact use? • Experience level (with the product, with products of the same genre, with required technology,...)? • Other things: motivation, learning style, subject matter knowledge, location of use, physical characteristics, people with disabilities or impairments (from color blindness and learning disabilities to more severe disabilities), …

  5. Step 1: Analyze your Actual Users & Choose Profilescon. • Create user profiles: • Break users into clear subgroups • Profile/Define the characteristics of each subgroup • Choose user profiles to test: • Ideally users from all major profiles will be tested • If limited testing: Choose profiles based on highest number of users in that profile or profiles that you think may have the greatest usability issues

  6. Step 2: Select Test Points • What is your objective? What test points “get you there”? • Test Task/Procedure- look for tasks with a high chance or high cost of user failure • Test Terminology- consider level of user • Test your document design strategies- consider cueing patterns, heading/layout, navigation, extraordinary features, how text and visuals relate...

  7. Step 3: Choose Type of Test • Task (can-they-do-it): Requires users to perform a procedure • Terminology (can-they-understand-it): Requires users to provide a summary of what they have read or definitions of key terms • Document Design (can-they-find-it): Requires users to use mocked-up portions of the manual to find information on key topics

  8. Step 4: Set Performance Objectives • Consider how you will come up with your data • Time related: time taken to perform procedure or find a topic • Error related: number of errors made during a procedure, number of time passage re-read, number of tries • Objectives should be task individualized

  9. Step 5: Select your Users • Actual users: always best • Similar users: not as best, may have to find ways to make them more even with a actual testers (give them more information, have them pretend they know less) • Non-Similar users: very different and the worse types. May have to do a lot of work to make them more appropriate

  10. Step 6: Create Test Plan • Create a written plan for the testing: • Choose order of tasks: start easy • Create written test materials: • Task list for users • Written welcome speech/Intro to be read to user • Consent forms • Observation forms • Pre-task and post task questionnaires & interview questions • Other materials • Define team member’s roles: • Facilitator/Briefer (necessary): Often only team member to interact with users • Observation recorder/note taker (necessary) • Camera operator (optional) • Help desk operator (optional) • Test administer (optional) • Create a script/plan for the actual test

  11. Steps 7-9: Work your Data • Record Information Accurately: timing, copious notes, possible recordings… • Interpret the Data: • Calculate data • Analyze the data • Determine cause of problems • Determine scope/severity of problems • Determine what needs to be fixed/changed • Incorporate the feedback into the Design

  12. Good Luck & Have Fun! Where to find out more: Barnum Usability Testing and Research Barker Writing Software Documentation, Chapter 6 “Conducting Usability Tests” Hom “General Concepts of Usability Testing” http://jthom.best.vwh.net/usability/general.htm

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