Practical Approaches to Usability Testing,Julie Nowicki President Optavia Corporation,WEB2000,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,1,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 sites development stage Balancing resource costs against benefits of various methods,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,2,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!,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,3,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, with high satisfaction levels is key to the bottom line,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,4,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?,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,5,How can usability testing help?,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,6,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,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,7,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,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,8,Usability testing compared,Web site log statistics Automated use testing Focus groups QA and system testing User acceptance testing Proven usability techniques: Heuristic evaluation and guidelines reviews Walkthroughs,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,9,Tip,Usability encompasses customer-centered design and evaluation. However Usability testing is an evaluation technique. Usability testing is not a design technique.,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,10,Customer-centered design process,Analysis,Evaluation,Understand objectives Understand customers Understand their tasks,Develop design concept Specify the details,Test with real customers (usability testing) Review with design specialists,Design,Iterative!,Actual Timeline,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,12,Anatomy of a usability test,Plan and Design,Report and Recommend,Conduct,Plan: Answer the big questions Select the test methods Get participants,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,13,Overview of usability testing methods,To prepare for the test, you must Plan Answer some big-picture questions Understand objectives, customers, and tasks Choose the test methods Considering a number of parameters, Pick the best usability testing methods for your situation,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,14,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,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,15,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,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,16,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.”,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,17,Tip,Usability testing done early in the design cycle reduces risk.,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,18,The Cost to Make a Change,Adapted from Rapid Application Development by James Martin,Usability,U-test a must,Usability,Practical Approaches to Usability Testing WEB2000,19,Dont get