practical approaches to usability testing julie nowicki president optavia corporation web2000
TRANSCRIPT
Practical Approaches toUsability Testing
Julie NowickiPresident
Optavia Corporation
WEB2000
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Goals
Put usability testing in perspective• In the bigger picture of usability• Compared to other techniques
Understand the breadth of usability testing methods available
Be able to focus and choose the right method• Depending on the web site’s development
stage• Balancing resource costs against benefits of
various methods
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Topics
The role of usability testing Definition and comparison to other
techniques Designing the usability test
• Planning• Choosing specific methods
Tuxedos or jeans? Summary: Getting what you want
• And what your customers want!
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E-commerce and Usability
Three E-commerce segments• B2C (Business-to-Consumer)• B2B (Business-to-Business)• B2E (Business-to-Employee)
All focus on the customer Ability of customer to
effectively complete a task, withhigh satisfaction levelsis key to the bottom line
Usability
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Qualities of a usable Web site
Learnability• Can customers easily grasp how to use the site the
very first time? Memorability
• Do customers remember how the next time? Ease-of-use
• Can customers navigate easily?• Is the design consistent and predictable?
Efficiency• Can customers complete tasks and transactions
effectively? Appeal
• More than visual: do customers feel positive about the experience?
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How can usability testing help?
Learnability Measure time-on-taskMeasure success rate
Ease-of-use Measure errors/false startsTrack navigation patterns (and why)Record comprehension of words and graphics
Efficiency Measure time-on-task
Appeal Record facial expressions and commentsAdminister post-test survey
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Characteristics of a usability test
Uses real customers (users) Customers perform actual tasks with
the site or a prototype Data is recorded
• May be qualitative or quantitative• Includes customer comments
Provides objective information Facilitated by a skilled specialist Observed by a skilled specialist
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Limitations of usability testing
Based on a few customers Guinea pig effect
• Test environment cannot duplicate the real world
• Users know they are being watched Not thorough by nature
• Testing a few tasks, not every aspect of site usage
• Some issues are not readily apparent• Use of color and fonts• Accessibility
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Usability testing compared…
Web site log statistics Automated use testing Focus groups QA and system testing User acceptance testingProven usability techniques: Heuristic evaluation and guidelines
reviews Walkthroughs
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Tip
Usability encompasses customer-centered design and evaluation.
However…Usability testing is an evaluation technique.
Usability testing is not a design technique.
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Customer-centered design process
AnalysisAnalysis
EvaluationEvaluation
Understand objectivesUnderstand customersUnderstand their tasks
Develop design conceptSpecify the details
Test with real customers (usability testing)Review with design specialists
DesignDesign
Iterative!
Actual TimelineMonth 1 2 3 4 5-7
VisionField StudyCustomer analysisTask analysis
WorkflowReview Analysis Doc
Conceptual ModelPrototype SketchesStart Interact Spec Doc
1st Online Prototype
Refine Interact Spec Doc
2nd Online Prototype(real code)
Finish Interact Spec Doc
DevelopUserAssistance
WalkthroughUsability Testing with Sketches
Usability Testing with Online Prototype
Guidelines ReviewUsability Testing
Ongoing mini-reviews
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Anatomy of a usability test
Plan and Design
Report and Recommend
Conduct
Plan: Answer the big questionsSelect the test methodsGet participants
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Overview of usability testing methods
To prepare for the test, you must1. Plan
Answer some big-picture questions Understand objectives, customers, and tasks
2. Choose the test methods Considering a number of parameters, Pick the best usability testing methods for
your situation
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Planning:Big decisions to make first
What are you trying to accomplish? When will you do the test?
• Based on product lifecycle
What are the customer profiles? What tasks will customers do? How will you present the results? How will you make recommendations?
• Explore design alternatives
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What are you trying to accomplish?
Find out how your site compares to the competition
Find out if your new design works for• Existing customers• New customers
Get statistically sound data
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Tips for setting objectives
Prioritize the four usability components• Learnability• Ease-of-use• Efficiency• Appeal
Be specific• NO “Registration is easy to use.”• YES “New customers should be able to
complete the registration process in 5 minutes without help.”
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Tip
Usability testing done early in the design cyclereduces risk.
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The Cost to Make a Change
1
10
100
Adapted from Rapid Application Development by James Martin
Usability
U-test a must
Usability
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Don’t get fooled by online development tools!
Sketches are highly advantageous• They are easy to throw away• People don’t assume the system is done• People are more likely to suggest changes• Usability testing can be done with sketches
Tip
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Tip
Usability testing done late in the production processhelps you plan for the next iteration.
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Who are the customers?
Marketing information such as• Age• Income• Education• Career
Experience with the Internet Experience with online shopping Anticipated frequency of use (your site) Environment they work in
• Home, office…
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What are the tasks?
Creating task scenarios is a must! Don’t use language that leads the user
• NO “Go to My Profile and change your address to…”
• YES “You have moved. Change your address to…”
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Presenting the results
Consider allowing observers during the test• Make sure they do not interfere
Highlight tape• Compelling and efficient
Results of data collection Summary of issues, prioritized by
• Usability criticality• Implementation effort
Recommendations
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The next step
Once you have• considered what you want to accomplish,
and when• identified your customer profiles• determined the tasks you want customers
to perform• decided how to communicate the results
you are ready to design the test methods
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Test methods:Parameters that you must select
Equipment and facilities What to measure
• Quantitative and qualitative
How to collect measurements Use of participants (protocol) How many participants Level of facilitation Level of participant verbalization
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Equipment and facilities
Conference roomPaper notes
One cameraPaper notes
Portable labLogging software
Lab facilityLogging software
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Example Usability Labs
From www.usabilitysystems.com
From www.microsoft.com/usability
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Advantages of video tape
Records very valuable, compelling qualitative data• Page navigation• Expressions• Comments in context
Provides a real snippet of an actual customer experience
Watch out• Someone needs to understand the equipment• Time to setup, review, create highlight tape
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What to measure: Quantitative
Time on task Number of errors Successful completion of task (yes/no)
How you collect measurements is determined by facility and equipment
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What to watch for: Qualitative
Navigation patterns• Getting lost?
Predictability• Understand graphics?• Understand words?• Looking for it to work like something else?
Flexibility• Looking for a quicker way?• Looking for help?
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Protocols (Use of participants)
Individual Paired Comparison
• Good for competitive analysis• Between-subjects: each customer uses one
site• Within-subjects: each customer uses both
sites
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How many participants?
5-8 participants will find 80% of usability problems
4 is good minimum number
Qualitative dataEarly prototype
Qualitative and quantitativeLater in development
Paired or comparison protocols
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Statistically sound results
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Level of facilitation
Facilitator in another room
Facilitator in same roomDiscussion after each task
Facilitator and participant interact during task
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Level of participant verbalization
Think-aloud Heads-down work
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Interaction
XQualitative dataDiscussion-orientedInformal environmentThink-aloud
Quantitative dataHeads-down taskFormalLab
Mostly qualitativeUser works aloneFormalLab
High
LowLow High Participant verbalization
Faci
litati
on
Putting it all together
LoFi Prototype(paper)
HiFi Prototype(online)
Pre-production Production site
Qualitative data
Quantitative Data
Conference rm Conf rm or lab Lab Lab
Hi facilitation Medium Medium Lo facilitation
Hi participant verbalization
Lo participant verbalization
3-4 users 4-8 users 4-8 users 6-12 users
Participants <1 hour
<1-2 hours 1-2 hours Participants 2+ hours
Individuals Individuals Indiv’s or pairs Indiv’s or pairs
Days Weeks
Informal Formal
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Now that we’ve said that…
Can you do informal testing on a production site?• Sure!
Can you do quick, but formal testing in a lab on a prototype?• Sure!
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What if…
You’re in the fast-paced e-commerce environment
You want customer data but you need it• Now (yesterday)• Whenever you make significant changes
You want guidance in making design decisions or changes
Variation
LoFi Prototype(paper)
HiFi Prototype(online)
Pre-production Production site
Qualitative data
Quantitative Data
Conference rm Conf rm or lab Lab Lab
Hi facilitation Medium Medium Lo facilitation
Hi participant verbalization
Lo participant verbalization
3-4 users 4-8 users 4-8 users 6-12 users
Participants <1 hour
<1-2 hours 1-2 hours Participants 2+ hours
Individuals Individuals Indiv’s or pairs Indiv’s or pairs
Days Weeks
Informal Formal
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Resource costs will be determined by your choices
Cost of facilities and equipment Time for each participant Your time resources
• Planning test• Conducting test• Reporting and decision-making
Staff resources and skill levels Generally all go up as you move from
informal to formal
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Results
“When [we] introduced an electronic expense payment system, users declared the application incredibly efficient – as early as the testing phase. That never would have happened if we hadn’t had the usability group to help us meet our business objectives. No company should ever move forward on a project in today’s business environment without some usability in their back pocket.”
From Supervisor of Integrated Business Practices
Usability is more than just usability testing…
It is a process
Julie NowickiPresidentOptavia [email protected] 260 9000www.optavia.com