Usability Testing & QA Here early? While were waiting for the others... 1. Identify some websites youd like to test Best if they are likely to be new for your classmates. If you have a site (or sites) that you work on, even better! 2. For each website youve chosen, identify 35 key tasks What are the 5 most important things a user should be able to accomplish on the site?
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Usability Testing & QAHere early? While we'ʹre waiting for the others...
1. Identify some websites you'ʹd like to testBest if they are likely to be new for your classmates. If you have a site (or sites) that you work on, even better!
2. For each website you'ʹve chosen, identify 3-‐‑5 key tasksWhat are the 5 most important things a user should be ableto accomplish on the site?
Usability testing refers to evaluating a product or service by testing itwith representative users. Typically, during a test, participants willtry to complete typical tasks while observers watch, listen and takesnotes. The goal is to identify any usability problems, collect qualitativeand quantitative data and determine the participant'ʹs satisfaction
with the product.usability.gov
Image credit: templatemonster.com
Usability testing is a technique used in user-‐‑centered interactiondesign to evaluate a product by testing it on users.
wikipedia.org
Image credit: Mediamatic
Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfacesare to use.nngroup.com
Image credit: Optimum7.com
First, some historicalhighlights
Early 20th CenturyImprovements in industrial efficiency
In WW I, reduced work motions for soldiers to assemble &take apart weapons in the dark.
“It is not so much that Mr. Karlin trainedmidcentury Americans how to use the telephone. It is, rather, that by studying the psychologicalcapabilities and limitations of ordinary people, he
trained the telephone...”Excerpt from New York Times article
1980’s
New methodologies developed and published
Usability becomes a profession
Defined as a function of efficiency, effectiveness, andsatisfaction
first publishedPsychology of Everyday Things
1990’s
Usability matures
Diminishing returns from testing more than 3-‐‑5 participants
Why spend valuable time and money doingusability tests?
It'ʹs the best way to learn how users actually interact withyour website. Watching > interviewing
You don'ʹt really know your users'ʹ needs. Users are not all thesame. And they'ʹre not your Mom.
All websites have problems, and the serious ones are easy tofind.
Why spend valuable time and money doingusability tests?
You'ʹll learn things you didn'ʹt know that you didn'ʹt know.
Watching users gets everyone on the same page.
Watching users will make you a better designer / developer /product manager / content writer / etc.
Usability testing doesn'ʹt have to be expensive or time-‐‑consuming.
What Testing Can'ʹt Tell You
Limitations of Usability Testing
Won'ʹt fix your site'ʹs problems (it'ʹs not a user training session)
Results are dependent on the questions you ask (tasks)
Can'ʹt model social interactions very well
Isn'ʹt always representative of real situations
For more on issues testing the social web see Dana Chisnell'ʹs talk
When?
When should usability testing bedone?
Before you design or build anything
Before you implement a change
Throughout the project
After implementing a fix
Throughout the life of the website
As soon as possible & repeat often!
Demo: A short usability test
Qualitative vs. Quantitative
Qualitative vs. Quantitative
Quantitative Usability StudiesDesigned and conducted to produce data for statistical analysis
Each measurement represents a count or an amount
Distances, weights, quantities, etc.
Qualitative Usability StudiesFocused on verbal descriptions of users'ʹ experiences
Each measurement is a description or category
Words, sentences, feelings, yes/no
Categories are not quantitative, even if they are assignednumbers
userfocus.co.uk
“...qualitative methods are much better suited for answeringquestions about why or how to fix a problem, whereas quantitativemethods do a much better job answering ‘how many’ and ‘how much’
types of questions.”
More on Quantitative methods at
"ʺWhen to Use Which User Experience Research Methods"ʺ, nngroup.com
measuringusability.com
Usability Metrics
Effectiveness, Efficiency, and
Satisfaction
EffectivenessAccuracy, correctness. Are users able to achieve their goals?
EfficiencyEase of use, speed. How much effort (time) does it take to
complete a task?
SatisfactionUsers'ʹ perception. What does the user think about their
experience?
More at , usability.gov wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability
Some Metrics for Common User Tasks
From Measuring the User Experience – Tullis & Albert
Performance-‐‑based Metrics
Task SuccessCommonly used, pass / fail, or degrees of success, shouldhave clear end-‐‑state.
Task TimeParticularly important for repetitive tasks
ErrorsIncorrect actions leading to significant time loss, additionalcosts, or task failure
EfficiencyEffort and time needed to complete the task
LearnabilityEffort and time needed for the user to learn how to use theinterface