This document discusses product usability and testing. It covers the objectives of understanding usability testing methods and the steps involved. Key topics discussed include the background and stages of user interface evolution, heuristic usability efforts, and testing methods. Guidelines are provided for dividing tasks, selecting sample sizes, measuring usability, and handling results. The importance of usability testing is emphasized.

1. Product Usability
& Testing
Prashanth A
Session 2

2. • Session Objectives
– At the end of this session delegate would have understood
 Product usability & its background.
 The stages of user interface evolution.
 Usability testing methods
 How to do usability testing
 What are the steps involved in usability testing

3. Session Topics
1. Product Usability
2. Background
3. Usability engineering
4. Heuristic usability effort
5. Stages of user interface evolution
6. Testing methods
7. Usability Testing
8. How do you divide the tasks?
9. How many people do you test?
10. How do you measure usability?
11. What happens with the results?

4. I present some of the concepts of usability & an attempt to persuade you how important it is.
"The person who designed this SHITTY
thing should be forced to use it!"

12. HEURISTIC-USABILITY EFFORT
HEURISTIC
Here are some H E U R I S T I C S to improve the product usability.

13. AFFORDANCE

14. MAPPINGS

15. CONTROL SENSE

16. CONSISTENCY
Creates a framework that users understand, contributing to overall usability

17. MENTAL MODEL

18. E R R O R S

19. MINIMALISM
Department of
S P A C E

20. ITERATIVE DESIGN
Iteration

21. VISIBILITY
(Perceived Affordance)
It should be obvious what a control is used for.

22. TRANSPARENCY

23. THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
.

24. TASK ORIENTED DESIGN

25. STAGES OF USER INTERFACE EVOLUTION

26. TESTING METHODS

27. It's not the user, stupid!!!

28. Usability Testing

30. P e r f o r m a n c e
A c c u r a c y
R e c a l l
S t i c k i n e s s
E m o t i o n a l r e s p o n s e

31. What (min) equipment do you need to formally test a website?
•
•
–
–
–
•
•
–
–

32. How do you divide the task/s?
•
•
•

33. Why videotape the session?
•
•
•
–
–
•
•

34. Layout of the Room

35. PC is connected to notebook. Notebook displays whatever happens on the
participant’s PC

36. Video camera set to record notebook screen & participant at PC (Ideal setup
would have 2 cameras)

37. TV shows the video camera recording tester & test participant review this at
the end of the session.

38. How many people do you test?
–
•
•
–
•
Jakob
Nielsen

39. How do you measure usability?
The product is usable if participants performed most of the tasks
Benchmarking (Group 1):
Quantitative
Qualitative
–
–

40. What happens with the results?
•
•

41. What do you think about the rising “popularity” of
usability testing?
•
•
•
•
•
•

42. Summary
• Definitions of Product usability & testing have been introduced.
• Background & selected topics from the usability engineering have been discussed.
• Usability testing & few testing methods have been illustrated.
• How to divide the task, allocate people & what to do with the results have been
discussed.