Rules, Tools, and Techniques for Usability Testing

Usability Fair Prep
Tools and Techniques

You test to understand where the interface caused frustration.
It’s not a beauty pageant.

Do it rough and do it early.
Testing something that can’t be changed isn’t usability testing, it’s validation.

Heuristic Evaluation
Low-Fi Tools
Paper& Sharpies
Medium-Fi Tools
PowerPoint
Keynote
Medium-Fi Interactive
Balsamiq
GoMockingBird
FlairBuilder
Coded Prototypes
Functioning Code
Live Version
Production App/Site
Objective
To find the usability problems within a design
How?
Create an interactive version of your prototype and run your participants through tasks.

v
Low-Fi Tools
Paper & Pencil
flickr: rohdesign

Medium-Fi Tools
PowerPoint & Keynote

Medium-Fi Interactive
Balsamiq, GoMockingBird, and FlairBuilder

High-Fi
Your Code & Your Design

v
Recording Tools
Silverback
http://silverbackapp.com

v
A/B Testing
Optimizely
http://optimizely.com

v
Click Tracking
CrazyEgg
http://crazyegg.com

v
Testing Suites
Verify
http://verifyapp.com

I don’t have time.
Is there anything simpler I can do?

Card Sorting
Objective
To explore how your users group items
How?
Create index cards with names of items that need to be categorized. Ask participants to group them in a way that makes sense to them.
Tools
Index Cards or Post-Its
Sharpies
flickr:
kateawilliamson
dunk

Visual Affordances
Objective
To understand how your user perceives your interface
How?
Print off a grayscale version of your site or app. Give your participant a highlighter and ask them to highlight anything they think they can click on.
Tools
Printer
Highlighter

Five Second Test
Objective
To help you understand the most prominent elements of your interface
How?
Create a mockup of your interface. Users have five seconds to view it. Then they must answer questions based on it.
Tools
Clue
FiveSecondTest

Participants cannot tell you how to fix your app.
You must iterate to find the solution.

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Rules, Tools, and Techniques for Usability Testing

by Richard Ludlow

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