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TESTING USABILITY OF USER

INTERFACE USING

HEURISTICS

Nguyen V. VuUniversity of Science, VNU-HCMC

Outline

• Objectives

• Introduction

• Usability testing methods

• Testing using heuristics

• Summary

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Objectives

• Provide an overview of usability testing methods

• Discuss the usability testing using heuristics in a

more detail

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Introduction

• Usability is an attribute for

UI/UX of app

• Usability is crucial for survival

• Trends move now towards

usability rather than

functionality

• Crucial in the IoT

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Introduction (cont’d)

• Designing good UI/UX is difficult

– Designers are not users

– Users are not designers

• Testing UI/UX is challenging

– Testers are not users

– Testers cannot represent all users

– Testers do not understand users

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Introduction (cont’d)

• Matching user thinking is difficult

(Source: MIT CS Course 6.813/6.831)

UI testing/evaluation

• Identify specific problems in UI

• Determine improvements

• Assess effects of interaction on users

• Assess system’s functionality via UI

Design

ImplementationTesting

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What to test?

• Working system

– testing to verify whether system meets user

expectations

– evaluating real user experiences

• Continuous updates

– adapting users’ experiences

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Outline

• Objectives

• Introduction

• Usability testing methods

• Testing using heuristics

• Summary

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User testing

• Testing performed by “real” users

• Real use environments

– Observe effect occurs in realistic setting

– Let users do what they want

• How to get feedback?

– Log user activities

– Inspection

– Observation

– Query techniques

• Interview/questionnaires/surveys

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User testing (cont’d)

• Supporting services and tools

– Applause, UserTesting: user testing services

– Optimizely: A/B testing

– Inspectlet: screen capture, heatmaps

– Crazy Egg: heatmaps, points of interest

– Mixpanel: user actions

– Google Analytics: high-level behaviors

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Formative evaluation

• Similar to user testing

• Differences

– Users assigned to certain tasks rather than natural

– Evaluators

• Choose participants

• Watch participants to perform tasks

• “Think aloud”

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Controlled experiment

• Formal method to evaluate and experiment user

interactions

• Effective in evaluating specific issues

– Performance, error rates

• Allowing system comparison, fine-tuning of

details

• A/B testing

– Tools: Google Analytics, Mixpanel, etc.

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Outline

• Objectives

• Introduction

• Usability testing methods

• Testing using heuristics

• Summary

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Heuristic evaluation

• Identify an issue

with this UI?

• Hint

– Recognition,

not recall

– Visibility

• These are heuristics

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Heuristic evaluation (cont’d)

• Heuristic evaluation was invented by Jakob

Nielsen

• Performed by “experts”

• Based on UI/UX heuristics or UI/UX principles

• Heuristics help

– choose design alternatives

– find problems and assess

interfaces

– find improvements

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Usability testing using

heuristics• Based on heuristic evaluation

• Testers play the role of “usability experts”

• Using usability heuristic checklists based on

heuristics

• All else are similar to heuristic evaluation

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Usability testing using

heuristics (cont’d)• Basic steps

– Define heuristic checklists to be used

– Review/inspect UI

– Compare it against certain heuristic checklists

– Document UI problems

– Explain and justify problems against heuristic

checklists

– Provide suggestions for improvements

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Heuristic checklist

• Efficiency

– Can actions be grouped?

– Are most frequent functions placed on top of menu?

– Are mouse movements minimized?

– Are shortcuts used to enhance efficiency?

• Visibility

– Are key functions visible?

– Are colors contrast and easy to read?

– Is system status and feedback clearly shown?

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Heuristic checklist (cont’d)

• Consistency– Are elements consistent internally?

– Are elements consistent externally?

– Are eleemnts consistent metaphorically?

– Does design follow standards?

– Do icons have different interpretations?

• Simplicity– Are there any elements redundant?

– Can any elements be removed?

– Can the UI be make simpler?

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Other heuristic checklists

• Recognition, not recall

• Natural mappings

• Reversible actions

• Match the real world, metaphors

• User control and freedom

• Error prevention, reporting, diagnosis, and

recovery

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Efficiency examples

• Reduce mouse movements

• Auto suggestions

• Use short-cuts

• Group properties

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Some guidelines

• Justify every issues found

• List every issue

• Go through the interface multiple times

• Combine this method with others

• Several experts/testers test the same user

interface

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Writing issues found

• Evaluators must provide clear descriptions of

problems

• Include both positive comments and criticisms

• Be specific

• Evaluation report can include

– Issue title, description

– Heuristic checklist item

– Severity

– Recommendations and screenshots

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Advantages

• Can detect important usability issues

• Effective

• New skills for testers

• Can integrate with other testing approaches

Limitations

• Requires knowledge and experience

• Difficult to detect important issues if UI already

follows heuristics

• Hard to identify specific heuristic checklists for

different types of apps

• Still subjective

• It does not detect all UI problems

Outline

• Objectives

• Introduction

• Usability testing methods

• Testing using heuristics

• Summary

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Summary

• Testing usability is challenging

• Many methods and tools available for

evaluation/testing

• Testing usability using heuristic checklists can be

effective

• Testers can use heuristic checklists as guidance

for their usability testing

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Questions?

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