This document discusses guerrilla usability testing techniques that can provide insights with minimal resources. It recommends conducting interviews, participatory design sessions, card sorting, creating mental models and user flows to understand users. It also suggests storyboards, paper prototyping and remote usability testing to evaluate designs. The goal is to embrace agility through collaboration with customers and responding quickly to feedback.

1. guerrilla usability
insight on a shoestring
David Sturtz
david@davidsturtz.com
twitter: @sturtz

2. Hi, I’m David.
Product Manager, Geonetric
Information Architect / UX Designer
Certified Scrum Master

3. Exceptional products
require exceptional
Usability

4. Usability
The effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction
with which specified users achieve specified goals
in particular environments.
ISO 9241

5. Defining
Usability
The effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction
with which specified users achieve specified goals
in particular environments.
ISO 9241

6. Measuring
Usability
The e fectiveness, e ficiency and satisfaction
with which specified users achieve specified goals
in particular environments.
ISO 9241

7. Usability
is not about what people
think they will do or will feel…

8. Usability
is about what people actually do,
and their satisfaction with the result.

9. Usability
is created and evaluated through
observation, conversation, & collaboration.

10. By minimizing process…

11. guerrilla usability embraces agility.

12. Be agile
Individuals & interactions
Working software
Customer collaboration
Responding to change

13. Be a guerrilla
Individuals & interactions Principles over processes
Working software Output must be input
Customer collaboration Pull together
Responding to change Keep it small, but aggregate

15. understand + observe
INTERVIEWS + ETHNOGRAPHY
What is it? Tools
An open-ended conversation Telephone
Skype / Video Chat
with users about your area of Web conferencing/screen
interest. sharing applications
Digital photos
Blogs, notebooks, diaries
Why do it?
The best bang-for-your-buck as Allow these conversations to
snowball using a finity
a first step in getting to know diagramming and mental models.
your users. Pay attention to tasks and goals.

16. understand + observe
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
What is it? Tools
A tangible representation of a Paper, scissors, glue
YUI Design Stencils
system Other images
Why do it?
Fun for everyone. Allows
participants to express needs
in a different format. We’re not interested in the actual
prototypes as much as the
conversations about the reasons
behind them.

17. understand + observe
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN

18. understand + observe
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN

19. understand + observe
CARD SORTING
What is it? Tools
Participants organize items Index cards (!)
UX Sort
into groups. OptimalSort
UserZoom
WebSort
Why do it?
Develop or test categorization
Pay attention to the interesting
and labeling; understand di ferences in how various people
label and group items. What
mental models. things are on the fringes?

20. understand + observe
CARD SORTING
An open card sort. Spencer, Donna. Card Sorting: Designing Usable Categories. 2009. New York: Rosenfeld Media. www.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/cardsorting/

21. understand + observe
CARD SORTING

22. understand + observe
MENTAL MODELS
What is it? Tools
Paper
Represents a thorough Visio
understanding of user needs, Excel
activities, and mental states. PowerPoint
Omnigraffle
Adobe Illustrator
Why do it?
Ensures alignment of product
features with user needs.

23. understand + observe
MENTAL MODELS
Slot “Theaters Near Me” under “Choose Easy Theater” as its primary location.
Young, Indi. 2008. Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior. New York: Rosenfeld Media. www.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/mental-models/

24. visualize
USER FLOWS
What is it? Tools
A representation of the various Paper
Visio
paths a user may take through Omnigraffle
the system. Axure RP
Why do it?
Refining ideas, preparing for
storyboarding, prototyping, or
cognitive walkthroughs.

25. visualize
STORYBOARDS / COMICS
What is it? Tools
A scene-by-scene visual Paper
designcomics.org
depiction of a user’s
interaction with a system.
Why do it? Many of the unmoderated testing
Provides a useful artifact for tools mentioned could be used to
share and gather limited feedback
user and stakeholder feedback. on storyboards.
Faster and less complex than a
full interactive prototype.

26. visualize
STORYBOARDS / COMICS

27. visualize
STORYBOARDS / COMICS
Kevin Cheng, http://kevnull.com/creating-concepts-through-comics

28. visualize
STORYBOARDS / COMICS
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome

29. visualize
PROTOTYPING
What is it? Tools
A tangible representation of a Paper
HTML/CSS/JavaScript
system Visio
PowerPoint
Omnigraffle
Why do it? Balsamiq Mockups
Exploration, idea generation, Axure RP
and sharing. To create an Mockflow
artifact for use in other testing. Mockingbird
Microsoft Sketchflow
Flash

30. visualize
PROTOTYPING: SKETCHBOARDS

31. visualize
PROTOTYPING
Balsamiq Mockups

32. visualize
PROTOTYPING
Axure RP

33. evaluate
HEURISTIC EVALUATION
What is it?
Reviewing a system against a
set of guidelines or usability
principles.
http://usability.gov/guidelines/guidelines_book.pdf
Why do it? Metrics
Quick results, no user (Potential) Errors
(Potential) Efficiency
recruitment necessary

34. evaluate
COGNITIVE WALKTHROUGH
What is it? Tools
After a task analysis, a group of
designers and developers step
through the software asking
questions at each step.
Metrics
Why do it? (Potential) Errors
(Potential) Efficiency
Quick results, no user
recruitment necessary, can do
at virtually any phase.

35. evaluate
ANALYTICS
What is it? Tools
Reporting on data collected Google Analytics
Omniture
about user’s actions in the Webtrends
system. Pinch Media
custom data/reporting
Why do it? Metrics
Relatively easy way to identify Completion
Errors
possible issues for further (Bounces, Abandonment,
investigation. Exits, etc.)

36. evaluate
ANALYTICS

37. evaluate
CLICK TRACKING + HEATMAPS
What is it? Tools
A visualization of the user’s ClickTale
Clixpy
actions in a system. CrazyEgg
(smt) Simple Mouse
Tracking
Why do it?
Relatively easy way to identify Metrics
possible issues for further Completion
Errors
investigation. Able to collect
large number of actual users.

38. evaluate
CLICK TRACKING

39. evaluate
HEATMAPS

40. evaluate
HEATMAPS

41. evaluate
REMOTE EVALUATION
What is it? Tools
A task-based usability test Uservue
Silverback
where the moderator and WebEx / GoToMeeting
participant are not in the same Vyew / Dim Dim / etc.
room.
Metrics
Why do it? Completion
Time on Task
Easier recruiting or scheduling, Errors
contextual or geographic Satisfaction
reasons.

42. evaluate
UNMODERATED EVALUATION
What is it? Tools
A task-based usability test Loop 11
OpenHallway
‘moderated’ by an automated UserTesting.com
system with no participation by Feedback Army
a human moderator. Chalkmark
Metrics
Why do it? Completion
Time on Task
Easier scheduling, less time Errors
commitment. Satisfaction

43. evaluate
SURVEYS
What is it? Tools
A tangible representation of a 4Q
SurveyMonkey
system Google Forms/Spreadsheets
Wufoo / Formstack / etc.
HaveASec (iphone)
Why do it?
Exploration, idea generation, Metrics
sharing, artifact creation Completion
Satisfaction

44. evaluate
SURVEYS

45. Usability
is not about what people
think they will do or will feel…

46. Usability
is about what people actually do,
and their satisfaction with the result.

47. Usability
is created and evaluated through
observation, conversation, & collaboration.

48. Recommended…
`

49. guerrilla usability
insight on a shoestring
David Sturtz
david@davidsturtz.com
twitter: @sturtz

50. Photo Credits
tv on the radio:halfway home by visualpanic Cascade by vandelizer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/visualpanic/3551386206 http://www.flickr.com/photos/
jeremy_vandel/208714007/
Da lang! by eriwst coin laundry 1 by isaacbowen
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eriwst/2516588547/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacbowen/
2830976681/
untitled by dev null tool rack by L. Marie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/devnull/3516167296 http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenore-m/
2515800654/
untitled by dev null
http://www.flickr.com/photos/devnull/3516200322/ Twitter 365 Project - Day 35 by rich115
http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardgiles/
3252590483