The document provides an overview of usability testing. It discusses what usability testing is, why it is important, how to plan and conduct tests, and how to analyze the results. The key points are: - Usability testing evaluates a product by observing representative users complete typical tasks. It identifies usability problems and collects data on user performance and satisfaction. - Important steps include planning tests, recruiting appropriate users, preparing materials, conducting tests, and analyzing findings to improve the product design. - Tests should involve thinking aloud and be focused on meaningful, realistic tasks. Data is collected on success, time, errors and user feedback to identify issues and enhance the user experience.

1. Usability testing
楊政達

2. (1) 期末Project規劃預告
(2) 今天: Usability Testing

3. 期末Project
• 1/10 or 1/17???
• 原型與使用測試報告
– App的草創、構想、測試、發展、定案過程
等等

4. • 發表
– App形象影片
• 至多 1分半 ~ 2分鐘
• 可以是使用介紹、App概念等等
• 廣告! 推銷! 吸引人!
• 呈現形式不拘:
– 搞笑的 Absurd Smartphone APP
– 情境的 Google Search App
– ….

5. Usability Testing

6. Usability is often an oversight

7. Why does usability matter?
• Usability can save time, money and lives
• On the web, usability is a precondition for
survival
• On commercial off the shelf software
applications, usability can determine
market share

8. Bad website example

10. What is usability?
• ISO 9241-11
– “the extent to which a product can be used by
specified users to achieve specified goals with
effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a
specified context of use.”
• Usability Professionals Association
– Is an approach that incorporates direct user
feedback throughout the development cycle in
order to reduce costs and create products and
tools that meet user needs

11. • Steve Krug,
– “..making sure that something works well: that
a person of average (or even below average)
ability and experience can use the thing --- for
it‟s intended purpose without getting
hopelessly frustrated”

12. Benefits of Usability
• Increased productivity
• Decreased training and support costs
• Increased sales and revenues
• Reduced development time and costs
• Reduced maintenance costs
• Increased customer satisfaction

13. Commonality of usability definitions
• A user is involved
• That user is doing something with a
product, system, or other thing

14. User-centered design (UCD)
User requirements analysis
Conceptual design…

15. User-centered design (UCD)
• Focus on users‟ needs, tasks, and goals
• Invest in initial research and requirements
– Identify your target audience and observe
them
– Let users define product requirements
• Iterative design process
• Observe real target users using the
system

16. What is usability testing?
• is a technique used to evaluate a product
by testing it on representative users
• test users will try to complete typical tasks
while observers watch, listen and takes
notes

17. Goal
• identify any usability problems
• collect quantitative data on
participants„ performance
• determine participant's satisfaction with
the product

18. Can usability be measured?
• Using usability metrics
– Effectiveness – being able to complete a task
– Efficiency – amount of effort required to
complete a task
– Satisfaction – degree to which the user is
happy with his/her experience

19. 5 E‟s of usability
• Effective: How completely and accurately the
work or experience is completed or goals reached
• Efficient: How quickly this work can be completed
• Engaging: How pleasant and satisfying it is to use
• Error Tolerant: How well the product prevents
errors and can help the user recover from
mistakes
• Easy to Learn: How well the product supports
both the initial and continued learning

20. Steps for user testing
• Plan user tests
• Conduct user tests
• Analyze findings
• Resent findings
• Modify and retest designs

21. Formative testing
• during the development of a product
• to mould or improve the product
• Iterative
• Output
– Usability problems and suggested fixes
– Highlight videos

22. Summative testing
• At the end of a development stage
• To measure or validate the usability of a
product
• "How usable is this product"
• To compare against competitor products or
usability metrics
• To generate data to support marketing claims
about usability
• Output
– Statistical measures of usability
– Reports or white papers

23. Benefits of usability testing
• Identify and rectify usability deficiencies
prior to product release
• Intent to create products that:
– Are useful to and valued by target audience
– Are easy to learn
– Help people to be efficient and effective
– Are satisfying (delightful) to use

24. Eliminating design problems
and frustration

25. Improving profitability

26. Follow the principle
• Many usability tests are worthless.
Researchers recruit the wrong kind of
participants, test the wrong kind of tasks,
put too much weight on people's opinions,
and expect participants to generate design
solutions.”

27. Test participants
• Participant‟s background and abilities
should be representative of your product‟s
intended user
• user profile – person with the relevant
behavior, skills, and knowledge who will
use your product.

28. How many users to test?
• 6-8 users per
test or 5 users
spread over
multiple tests
• little ROI in
testing more
than 9 users

29. Quantitative tests – test 20
users

30. Testing locations
• Lab
• Office
• bar, café
• remote testing

31. Usability lab

32. Testing in a conference room

33. Informal usability testing

34. Levels of Prototyping

35. Sketch / Mock-up / Final
Prototype

36. Usability testing process

37. Planning your test
• Decide what to test
– What are your objectives
– What data will you collect
• Who is your target audience?
– Write a screener
• Decide on test location
– Remote, lab, conference room, coffee shop
• Write tasks that meet your objectives

38. Deciding what to test
• Understand requirements
– What do users want to accomplish?
– What does the company want to accomplish?
• Determine the goals
– What tasks does the website or application
support?
• Decide on the area of focus
– Tasks that have the most impact on your site
– Typical tasks
– Most critical tasks

39. Test plan
• Purpose, goals, and objectives
• Participant characteristics
• Method (test design)
• Task list
• Test environment, equipment and logistics
• Test moderator role
• Evaluation measures (data to be collected)
• Report contents and presentation

40. Recruiting users
• Recruit internally or outsource to agency?
• Sources of test candidates
– Your own company‟s list of existing customers
– Referrals from sales and marketing
– Advertising on Craigslist
– Company‟s web site or blog
– Societies and Associations

41. Prepare test materials
• Orientation script
• Background questionnaire
• Recording consent
• Pre-test questionnaire
• Data collection tools
• Task scenarios
• Post-test questionnaire
• Debriefing topics

42. Task types
• First impression questions
– What is your impression of this home page or
application?
• Exploratory task
– Open-ended / research-oriented
– e.g. Find a cellular phone plan for yourself
• Directed tasks
– Specific / answer-oriented
– e.g. Find contact information for customer support

43. Metrics
• Task success
• Task time
• Errors
• Efficiency
– Number of steps required to perform a task
• Self-reported metrics
– Likert scale
– Do you prefer A or B?
– Questionnaires

44. Prepare the prototype

45. Conducting a Test

46. Test moderator conduct
• Put the participants at ease
• Give participants time to work through
hindrances
• Offer appropriate encouragement
• Ask non-leading questions

47. Thinking aloud methodology
• Observe user behavior
• Listen to user feedback
• Facilitator stays quiet, observes, take
notes
• Test one user at a time
• Mainly qualitative

48. Debriefing
• Exploring and reviewing the participant‟s
actions during the test
• Goal – understand why every error,
difficulty and omission occurred for every
participant for every session.
• Debrief with observers too.

49. Analyze and present