Presented at the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia for PhillyCHI on 6/24/09. About the Presentation Over the years, there have been some exciting developments in the way usability tests are facilitated. During this session we will take a closer look at the trends in the tools and techniques used in usability testing and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each. Some of the topics that will be covered include: • Current Think Aloud (CTA) vs. Retrospective Think Aloud (RTA) Technique • Pros and Cons • How to moderate using RTA • When to use RTA • Remote Testing • Pros and Cons • Tips for proper facilitation • Testing paper and low-fidelity prototypes remotely • Overview of different remote testing tools • Automated Testing (unmoderated remote testing) • What you can and can’t learn • When it should be used • Overview of different automated testing tools • Interview-based Tasks vs. Pre-defined Tasks • Pros and cons • Tips for proper facilitation • Observer Debriefing • Tips for proper facilitation • Overview of different debriefing techniques Videos and live demos of these trends will be included, which should make for an entertaining hands-on learning experience!

1. TRENDS
in ti ng
> Tes
il ity
s ab
U
Kyle Soucy, Founding Principal
follow me: UsableInterface
PhillyCHI
June 24, 2009 www.usableinterface.com

2. Think Aloud Techniques

3. Think Aloud Techniques
Concurrent (CTA) Retrospective (RTA)
Vs.

5. Variation of RTA...
Show the participant their video
after they’re done testing.

6. Usability “Labs”

7. Vs.
Source: Kent State University
Image source: facit digital

8. Ideal “Lab-Less” Set Up

9. Remote vs. In-person
Testing
Vs.

10. Remote Testing
Pros & Cons
Pros: Cons:
Participants stay in their native environment. Can’t see the user’s facial expressions.
Accessible to a larger & more diverse pool of Can’t see if the user is using peripheral
participants. devices.
Recruiting is easier. Less no shows & easier
Dependent on an Internet connection.
last minute replacements.
Can only recruit participants with a high-
Opportunity to gather ethnographic data.
speed Internet connection.
Cost & time savings. No travel & lab rental
fees.
Easier for observers to “attend” a session.
Risk of compromising data because the
participant is using a foreign PC is removed.

11. Remote Testing Paper
Prototypes
(Yes, it is possible!)

12. Remote Testing Tools
• UserVue
• GoToMeeting
• LiveLook
• Adobe Connect
• Silverback
• Many more...

13. Remote Testing Tips
• Disable IM programs, Outlook meeting
reminders, or anything else that may be
distracting
• Use a phone recording controller.
• Use as few tools as possible
• Back up, back up, back up!

14. Automated Testing
(Unmoderated Remote Testing)

16. What You Can Learn
• Analytic data
• Task completion rates
• Number of clicks/clickstream
• Time on task
• Satisfaction ratings
• In-context feedback

17. When to Conduct
Automated Testing?
Not a replacement for moderated testing or research.
Best used to compliment your qualitative research.

18. Automated Testing
Tools
• Keynote WebEffective $$$
• UserZoom $$
• Treejack & Chalkmark $
• Loop11 (private beta)

19. Pre-defined Tasks
vs.
Interview-based Tasks

20. Improv Testing Process
1. Interview participant about how they use
the product.
2. Use the answers given in the interview to
create tasks on the fly.
When in doubt just ask, “what was the last thing you did
when you used this product? Can you show me?”

22. Questions?
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