is1825 multimedia development for internet applications lecture 07: usability testing rob gleasure...
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IS1825 Multimedia Development for Internet ApplicationsLecture 07: Usability Testing
Rob Gleasure
R.Gleasure@ucc.iehttp://corvus2.ucc.ie/phd/rgleasure/index.html
Usability
Usability has been broken down into several components
Learnability Usefulness (achieving goals) Satisfaction
Learning Achieving goals Satisfaction
Usability
Dense, dense topic…
Usability strategies can be roughly considered as targeting either Conceptual models
How can designers create a useful abstraction for users quickly and efficiently
Ergonomics How can designers control the physical demands of users
Usability
Conceptual-model approaches can be considered according to three main types Metaphor-based design
Aligning to conceptual models of existing real-world systems with which users have experience
Idiom-based design Aligning to conceptual models of systems of the same type
with which users have experience Context-based design
Aligning to conceptual models that users already possess of the design context
Usability
These strategies help learnability by allowing users a head start in understanding a system
They help usefulness by allowing users to infer functionalities from this understanding
They help satisfaction by creating expectations that are more likely to be met
User Experience (UX)
In addition to this usage timeline, the field of user experience design (UX) has grown to capture important determinants of product design outside of this scope Product boxes, animations, imagery, screen transitions, etc.
Several companies have thrived in this space, e.g. Bang & Olufsen, Apple
UX has steadily increased in importance for two main reasons Mass consumer markets have grown for IT products and non-
specialists People use many systems because ‘they just like them’
1. If you want a great system you have to test
2. Testing one user is 100% better than testing none
3. Testing one user early in the project is better then testing 50 near the end
4. The importance of recruiting representative users is overrated
5. The point of testing is not to prove or disprove something, its to inform your judgement
6. Testing is an iterative process
7. Nothing beats a live audience reaction
Testing is essential if we want to improve our usability and UX
7 Usability Testing Truths (Krug 2006)
Usability Testing and Prototypes
Some testing will be done on the features of the work-in-progress system itself (tracer bullets), however other testing can be done with prototypes
Prototypes consist of anything from paper based representations to fully functional websites It allows stakeholders to interact with an envisioned product, gain
experience in using it and explore uses for it
Types of Prototyping Low-Fidelity Prototyping High-Fidelity Prototyping
Advantages of Low-fidelity
They are simple to make
They are cheap
They can be quick to produce
They are also easy to modify quickly to incorporate changes on the fly and retest,
i.e. “Is this what you mean?”
Minimal resistance to change
Disadvantages
Limited error checking
Navigational limitations
Some users might find it difficult to conceptualise
Very little UX feedback
High-Fidelity Prototyping
Here materials that will be used in the final product are used
The prototype will be designed to resemble the final product as closely as possible
Advantages
Complete functionality, so people might understand it better
Fully interactive
Look and feel of the final product
Disadvantages
Difficult to develop
Time-consuming to create
Not effective for requirements gathering
Testing the complete lifecycle For learnability
Test the system with new users repeatedly – forgetting to reset with new users from time to time is very common and leads to test-users behaving more like developers than true representative users
For usability Try and form a hierarchical view of uses. The majority of features
never get used, so make sure the priority items are right before moving on
Testing the complete lifecycle For satisfaction
Use beta-tests to allow for more prolonged usage – this lets you gauge users’ response over long periods of time and in less artificial environments (e.g. white coat syndrome)
For UX Test the complete experience, not just the parts you think are
important, e.g. the unboxing, the help dialogue, etc. Ask people how they feel in a way that really captures emotions
and not just explanations
Issues with Testing
Client involvement is a tricky balancing act. You absolutely need their feedback, however too much feedback can cause a number of problems:
Schedule bottleneck - progress is stifled waiting for clients to provide feedback
Scope creep - the client keeps thinking of new requirements, the addition of which keeps adding massive delays. Alternatively they are not added, perhaps leaving the client feeling ignored…
Issues with Testing (continued)
Feedback fever - the client wants to make every decision, without necessarily understanding the technical repercussions
Conflicting feedback - “Jim from Marketing wanted to get involved in this project, so had a look over the complete site and wonders if it would be better as an iPhone app?”
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