Usability Testing Flashcards
Which process of the the design thinking process is the test phase in?
Interation
What is usability testing?
Usability testing is an evaluative research method, in that it’s intended to evaluate a prototype or experience.
The testing of a product on users to evaluate its usefulness.
Usability testing gives designers a means of seeing how real people interact with a product or service to determine whether it serves its intended purpose.
attitudinal
Something that is related to attitude
What is the goal of usability testing?
To directly observe another’s behavior and interaction with your prototype.
Usability test are scripted to include ___ ____ and _____.
specific tasks and scenarios.
_____ observation of a user while performing these tasks is essential, either in-person or remotely using online tools.
Direct
What is Generative research?
typically conducted up front and helps designers build a better understanding of the problem space. One such example is conducting interviews as a way to observe the thoughts and feelings of users regarding the identified problem.
What is Evaluative research?
Is conducted throughout the design process to evaluate how well designers are solving a problem. Usability testing is an important example.
Why do we conduct usability testing?
The ultimate goal of usability testing is to build something that is useful. To be useful, our prototype needs to provide the appropriate utility, or features, as well as be usable—these features must be sufficiently simple and enjoyable to use.
It allows designers to get real user feedback on their wireframes and prototypes before putting too much time and too many resources into developing high-difelity, polished designs.
What is utility in the context of usability testing?
The features and functionality needed to complete important tasks.
Does your application provide the necessary functionality to allow people to sign up, log in, and input personal information?
Does the application provide a logical pattern of navigation, as well as the ability to upload and study new words?
What is usability in the context of usability testing?
How easy your project features are to use, as well as whether they bring satisfaction.
Can people successfully navigate your application when asked to find a certain section?
How long does it take them to upload a new word?
Do they enjoy studying new words with the prototype you’ve built?
Useful =
Usability + Utility. For something to be useful, it must address the functional and emotional requirements expressed by your target audience during exploratory research. The only way to validate the usefulness of your prototype is to test it with real people using evaluative research methods such as usability testing.
Exploratory research methods like user interviews help designers do what?
It helps designers make the “right thing” by allowing them to explore the problem space and understand their target audience.
Evaluative research method help designers do what?
“make the thing right” by allowing them to test what they’re building.
What are Jakob Nielson’s Five componenets of Usability?
- Learnability
- Efficiency
- Memorability
- Satisfaction
- Errors
What is Jakob Nielsen’s rating scale?
0 = I don’t agree that this is a usability problem at all
1 = Cosmetic problem only: need not be fixed unless extra time is available on project
2 = Minor usability problem: fixing this should be given low priority
3 = Major usability problem: important to fix and should be given high priority
4 = Usability catastrophe: imperative to fix before product can be released
What are the two types of tests researcher use to gather feedback from real people?
- Moderated
2. Unmoderated
What are moderated tests?
Moderated tests require the direct presence of a researcher and/or observer to facilitate the test via a script.
What are the pros to moderated tests?
This typically creates more controlled tests with more specific results because a moderator is able to ask follow-up questions and can observe body language in addition to verbal responses.
What are the cons to moderated tests?
This kind of testing tends to be more time-consuming to set up and carry out as the moderator must be physically present, and this presence can change the way certain participants respond.
When should you use moderated tests?
Moderated tests are especially useful during the early states of prototyping.
How are unmoderated tests defer from moderated tests?
They don’t require the physical presence of a moderator and are, instead, conducted asynchronously online using a variety of specialized tools such as UserTesting, Userzoom, UsabilityHub.
What are the pros to unmoderated tests?
The asynchronous nature of online tests means that researchers have more flexibility in recruiting participants and running tests, allowing for a higher volume of responses.
Unmoderated tests also mitigate geographic and scheduling differences between researchers and participants.
What are the cons to unmoderated tests?
Researchers aren’t able to observe body language or ask follow-up questions, since they aren’t present.
When should you use unmoderated tests?
Unmoderated tests are most useful when testing very specific tasks for a mature project or platform.
When can increased granularity and higher volume of responses be useful?
When evaluating a specific task or feature
What is involved in conducting a usability test?
- Writing your test tasks
- Creating a test plan
- Preparing a test script
- Taking good notes
How are usability test tasks structured?
They are typically structured to evaluate a participant’s ability to complete specific tasks.
What are the two common usability test tasks format?
Direct tasks and Scenario tasks
What are Direct tasks?
Tasks that give specific intructions to complete a desired action without any additional context.
For example:
- Add a vocabulary word to your list
- Edit the definition of one of the vocabulary words
What are Scenario tasks?
Tasks that are phrased to add real-world context to task instructions. Scenario tasks are more common, as they provide a realistic element to usability testing.
For example:
- You have just finished an online lesson and have a long list of new vocabulary words. Pick a new word from the lesson and add it to your list.
- You keep forgetting the same word and would like to edit its definition to make it more memorable. Find the word and add a new, more personal definition.
Why should you start with direct tasks when creating a usability test?
Direct tasks are mre technical and clearly articulate the fundamental goals and actions the platform should facilitate.
What are some top tips for writing effective tasks?
- Start with direct tasks: Direct tasks are more technical and clearly articulate the fundamental goals and actions the platform should facilitate.
- Add context: Direct tasks provide the functional foundation for your scenario tasks. If the situation in which participants use your product or service is important for your project, consider adding context to your direct tasks to create scenario tasks.
- Don’t give it away: When writing tasks, be careful not to use highly descriptive or technical language that gives away the answer. Convey only the most essential information when encouraging participants to complete the tasks—don’t give away literal clues on how to use the interface. Watch out for phrases like “find the plus sign,” “go to the website,” “click upload,” or “press this button.” Instead, use more natural language to frame tasks. For example: “You’ve just finished studying a set of vocabulary and would like to access a different set of vocabulary words. Return to your word lists and find another deck to study.”
- Expect questions: Encourage participants to think out loud and ask questions. If the question is relevant, keep asking “why” until you get to the root of their behavior or attitude regarding the topic. If they move off-topic, gracefully guide the participant back to the task at hand.
- Keep it real: Try to recruit participants from your target audience. The direct tasks and scenario tasks should be realistic and relatable to the project and participants.
All the information gained from a usability test will be summarized as part of a usability ___ ____.
test report
What is utility and usability in the context of usability testing?
Utility refers to the features and functionality needed to complete important tasks while usability is how easy your features are to use.
What is a usability test script?
A script that outlines how the researcher will introduce him or herself and communicate the goals of the test to participants
What’s the difference between moderated and unmoderated tests?
Moderated tests require the physical presence of a researcher while unmoderated tests are done remotely without a researcher
