User Testing talk by Chris Rourke of User Vision
- 1. Usability Testing – a practical guide August 2011 Chris Rourke Managing Director User Vision @crourke @uservision Please note- presentation contents copyright User Vision
- 2. What is Usability Effectiveness – Can they reach their goals find what they are looking for do what they want to do? “The effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which Efficiency – How fast specified users achieve specified number of errors goals in particular environments” amount of effort ISO 13407 – User Centred number of steps? Design Process for Interactive Systems Satisfaction – Was it a good/bad experience? Do it again? Recommend to others? | 2
- 3. Another definition of Usability Here is a development lifecycle definition, instead of a user outcome based one: “Usability is an approach to product development that incorporates direct user feedback throughout the development cycle in order to reduce costs and create products and tools that meet user needs.” Usability Professional’s Association || 3 3 Chris Rourke Managing Director User Vision
- 4. Usability Activities: Potential Usability Activities during Development Planning: Cost-benefit analysis, method selection, goal setting User / Task / Environment profiles ‘Competitor’ usability benchmark Scenario creation, Personas, release criteria, usability metrics Style guide Information architecture Prototype design Usability inspection Usability testing User feedback, site modifications Requirements Design Build Test Implement Feedback Design Iteration | 4
- 5. Usability Activities: Usability Testing User Testing Involves picking important tasks and watching quietly as people (usually struggle to) try to do them Test plan design, task scenarios and accurate subject recruitment are all critical It is NOT: “People will gladly waste a million dollars on their fancy Link, load or code testing design and not spend $4000 to see if it works” Online surveys or focus groups 1997, Jakob Nielsen Having friends view your pages on their computers As effective when tested by the same people who || 5 5 designed the site
- 6. Usability Activities: Usability Testing Essentials Recruit the right users who fit your profile Design the test to address typical tasks and those that are most important for your success Decide your metrics to track e.g. success, difficulty Use the ‘think out loud’ method Observe and listen to subjects, don’t help them, but probe them where necessary to get them to talk Pilot test if possible || 6 6
- 7. Exercise: Creating a Task Scenario Create a Task Scenario for your site, noting: Scenarios should describe the task in a way that takes some of the artificiality out of the test A good scenario You and your partner are interested in applying for a Is written in the user’s words, joint current account. You not the product’s want to transfer the Is short and unambiguous balance of your existing account and you want to Gives participants enough pay both your salaries information to do task directly into this new account. * Is directly linked to your most Apply for this account. important tasks and concerns || 7 7
- 8. Usability Testing: Measuring Usability Usability Impact Service Delivery Impact Severity of Change Impact High (H) Prevents the user from Prevents a service being Changes needed in the completing their task delivered, or causes Business process, or database reputational damage, or structure, or application logic, or excludes major user groups organisation culture or similar or invalidates campaign major change messages Medium (M) Significantly delays or Service or message is only Web page structure, style, confuses the user or causes partially delivered, or take- graphical, or similar a significant error up is reduced presentation layer change Low (L) Makes the user hesitate or Slightly degrades service Editorial content change think or a minor error quality Positive (P) Elegant feature that helps Elegant feature that helps No change required the user users | 8
- 9. Usability Activities: When to Usability Test Wireframe – Test the information architecture, labelling and navigation hierarchies Early Stage Prototype – Test critical user tasks, identify where task flows are not aligned with user’s mental map Late stage prototype – Test critical user tasks, evaluate earlier fixes for improved performance and document new issues Launch – Usability testing in production environment || 9 9
- 10. Usability Activities: Time vs. Impact on Design Usability’s biggest impact is early in the development process, due to the ability to make changes at minimal resource cost Impact on Design Early Development Prototype Production Time 10 || 10 10
- 11. Usability Testing Early Card sorting Paper prototyping || 11 11
- 12. Usability Activities: Testing Facilities We have sophisticated and flexible testing suites, but simple labs are fine, basic equipment includes: Usability Lab Computer 2 chairs Camcorder & tripod Focus Group Room || 12 12 Interactive Lounge
- 13. Usability testing - its not just for the lab anymore “People will gladly waste a million dollars on their fancy design and not spend $4000 to see if it works” Jakob Nielsen Lab-based testing Paper prototype Eye tracking testing Remote moderated testing
- 14. Being remote True Intent & Online Survey Remote Large unmoderated usability testing Sample Size Focus Group Usability Lab Small Remote card sorting Market Research Full User Experience (attitudes) (attitudes & behaviour) Research type Remote unmoderated testing Remote & True Intent category testing
- 15. Eye tracking testing An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and eye movements Allows testers to determine eye movement and eye-fixation patterns of a person. Find out: which aspects of your product caught attention which get ignored. The heat map is very useful in gathering insight into a group of users A gaze plot shows the individual gaze movements and shows the order and path a user looked. || 15 15
- 16. Good Luck!! Chris@uservision.co.uk Twitter @crourke @uservision London: 020 7917 1840 Edinburgh: 0131 225 0850 www.uservision.co.uk | 16