Chapter 6: Usability TestingUsability testing is the objective study of members of your target audience as they attempt to use your product. Usability testing provides is a qualitative measure of your product’s ease of use. Test early in a project cycle, and test again prior to release. Six interviews is a reasonable number, since trends begin to emerge after the fourth interview, and six interviews can be conducted in one day. Most usability studies are conducted with one interview participant (called a respondent) at a time. Formal usability tests are conducted in dedicated labs that are outfitted with one-way mirrors, but many usability tests can be conducted in an ordinary conference room. Labs allow observers to watch without interfering with the interview itself. Paper prototype usability tests are conducted differently from those of live prototypes. Tests using paper mockups are often conducted with two respondents, called “co-discovery.” Paper prototype pages are dynamically created by team members based on where respondents “click” or “type.” Functional specifications are an effective way to deliver the results of paper prototype usability tests, while Findings documents are the best deliverable from traditional usability research. The usability testing
process starts with writing a respondent screener (participant
questionnaire). While participants are being recruited, the Discussion
Guide is written. It is the list of questions read by the moderator
during the interviews. The interviews are conducted next. A debrief
session is conducted immediately following the interviews. Top-line
notes get sent out the next day, followed by the full Findings. Video
highlights are an informative companion to the Findings documentation. Chapter 6: Usability
Testing covers:
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