Getting Started with Usability Testing

Usability testing can make a difference in the product and the documentation. Seeing is believing . . . . .

Is it the stupid user?

Can the documentation fix the problem?

Letís get started - Objectives

Objectives (cont.)

User-centered design (UCD) means...

UCD is a process

UCD process based on data

Goal of UCD is usability

Usability is the art and science of making documents and products usable, useful, and most of all satisfying

Usability meansÖ

Usability does not mean...

ISO 9241 usability definition

In plain language

Two types of evaluation

Heuristic evaluation isÖ

Sample heuristics(Jakob Nielsen, Usability Engineering)

Sample heuristics (cont.)

Heuristic evaluation issues

Strengths/weaknesses of heuristic evaluation

Usability testing is...

What usability testing does

The value of usability testing

The cost of testing: how many users does it take?

Implications for Utesting

Utesting and iterative design

Stages in iterative design

Early

Middle

Late

Test planning

Form a team

Why form teams for UCD?

Alternative - form team to test documentation

Benefits of teams

One more reason to form teamsóthe evaluator effect

Set test objectives

Typical measuresóquantitative

Typical measuresóqualitative

Project phases for usability testing

Project schedule

Set goals for test

Develop user profile

Create scenarios

Determine method to analyze results

Determine method to analyze results (cont.)

Two types of findings

Severity codes for ranking findings

Project schedule

Usability testing sessionsóday 1

Usability testing sessions - day 2

Ready to go?

Resources