Usability+Testing

= **Usability Testing ** =

**By: Heidi Warren**

= ﻿﻿What is Usability Testing? =

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Usability testing 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" ("What is usability", n.d.). It is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use (Nielsen, n.d.).   ===== media type="youtube" key="l9xYeP0z78k" height="390" width="640" align="center"

Nielson (n.d.) also suggests that usability is defined by **five quality components**:
 * ======**Learnability:** How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?======
 * ====== **Efficiency:** Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks? ======
 * **Memorability:** When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?
 * ====== **Errors**: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors? ======
 * ====== **Satisfaction:** How pleasant is it to use the design? ======

=  ﻿ How to Test Usability   =

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Setting up a usability test involves carefully creating a scenario, or realistic situation, wherein the person performs a list of tasks using the product being tested while observers watch and take notes. Several other test instruments such as scripted instructions, paper prototypes, and pre- and post-test questionnaires are also used to gather feedback on the product being tested. For example, to test the attachment function of an e-mail program, a scenario would describe a situation where a person needs to send an e-mail attachment, and ask him or her to undertake this task. The aim is to observe how people function in a realistic manner, so that developers can see problem areas, and what people like ("Usabilty Testing", 2011). Here are the recommended **seven steps to usability testing** (Alessi & Trollip, 2001): ====== * See pages 550-552 of AT for additional descriptions
 * 1) Select the learners
 * 2) Explain the procedure to them
 * 3) Find out how much of the subject matter they already know
 * 4) Observe them going through the program
 * 5) Interview them afterward
 * 6) Assess their learning
 * 7) Revise the program

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Here are a couple great resources for more information: [] and [] ======





= Example of Usabililty Testing = media type="youtube" key="9wQkLthhHKA" height="390" width="640" align="center"

=<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">What to Keep in Mind While Testing Usability =

> Try hard to ensure that participants do not think that you are testing them. Help them understand that they are helping you test the prototype or Web site. > Measure both performance and subjective (preference) metrics. Performance measures include: success, time, errors, etc. Subjective measures include: user's self reported satisfaction and comfort ratings. > People's performance and preference do not always match. Often users will perform poorly but their subjective ratings are very high. Conversely, they may perform well but subjective ratings are very low. > Usability testing is not just a milestone to be checked off on the project schedule. The team must consider the findings, set priorities, and change the prototype or site based on what happened in the usability test. > Most projects, including designing or revising Web sites, have to deal with constraints of time, budget, and resources. Balancing all those is one of the major challenges of most projects ("Usability Testing", 2009).
 * 1) **Testing the Site NOT the Users**
 * 1) **Performance vs. Subjective Measures**
 * 1) **Make Use of What You Learn**
 * 1) **Find the Best Solution**

For more information go to: []

=<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">What Literature says about Issues with Usability Testing =

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<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">According to Alshamari & Mayhew (2009), there are several factors that can influence usability testing and its results, both negatively and positively. Some of those factors are the evaluator’s role, the number of users, the tasks, the usability problem report, the test environment, and usability measures. ======
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">**Evaluator’s Role**: “The term ‘Evaluator Effect’ simply refers to the limitation that should be reported among the usability issues that are identified while analyzing a user test, and it should be minimized as far as possible by the evaluators” (p. 402). The evaluator’s interpretation can influence the data analysis, and often evaluators appeared to seek out and prove problems they had already discovered. A couple ways to help reduce this problem is to have the evaluator discuss with other evaluators the specific problems about which an evaluator is unsure, or by having the data analyzed by different evaluators. ======
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Users: “**The number of users has been discussed in a number of researches; Nielsen has suggested that five users are enough to discover 85% of usability problems” (p. 403). While other researchers argue that five users does not take into consideration individual differences, Nielson and others argue that no single user will come across all problems in the user interface. ======
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Task**: “The usability testing tasks themselves should simply refer to what users do to achieve a goal but they are an important issue and can heavily influence a usability evaluation. Wilson describes selecting tasks as a critical activity in usability testing” (p.430). Make sure you have a clear set of criteria for selecting and designing tasks for your users. ======
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Usability Problem Report**: “Conducting a usability test should generate a usability problem report that can effectively help designers and developers to make their decision with regard to the redesign stage” (p. 404). Researchers suggest that problem description should be brief and should include a description of how to deal with and treat certain problems. ======
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Test Environment:** While most usability testing takes place in a controlled laboratory, some researchers suggest “that the laboratory experiment is only one of several methods for collecting empirical data related to usability. In fact, users surf and perform tasks under a number of daily circumstances such as workplace conditions, children’s noise and other natural factors”(p. 404). ======
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Usability Measures**: “Prior to conducting a usability test, testers should be aware of what to test and measure” (p. 404). There are several different models testers can use, but most choose whichever best fits their criteria. ======

=<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">Resources:﻿ =


 * How to Test Usability - []
 * Usability News - []
 * Usabilty in Practice - []
 * Additional Articles on Usability - []
 * Identifying Users - []
 * Remote Online Usability - []

=<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">References: =

Alessi, S., & Trollip, S. (2001). // Multimedia for learning: Methods and development //(3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. =<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Alshama <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">﻿ ri, M., & Mayhew, P. (2009). Technical review: Current issues of usability testing. //IETE// // Technical Review, 26 // (6), 402-406. doi:10.4103/0256-4602.57825  = ==<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 200%; margin: auto 0in 0pt;">Filippo, E. (2002, November). Teaming up to define you users. //Intercom,// 11-14. == ==<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin: auto 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 200%;">Naidu, S. (2005, July). Evaluating the usability of educational websites for children. //Usability// // News, 7 // (2). Retrieved March 31, 2011, from []  == ==<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 200%; margin: auto 0in 0pt;">Nielson, J. (n.d.). Usability 101: Introduction to usability. Retrieved March 31, 2011, from [] == ==<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 200%; margin: auto 0in 0pt;">Nielson, J. (2010, September 13). Children’s websites: Usability issues in designing for kids. Retrieved April 4, 2011, from [] ==

Usability Testing (2011, March 8). Retrieved on April 18, 2001, from []
==<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 200%; margin: auto 0in 0pt;">What is usability testing? (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2011, from Usability Professionals' Association website [] ==