Web-systems remote usability tests and their participant recruitment

Abstract

In this paper we present a description of a proposed hybrid, remote usability testing method and a comparison of different approaches to participant recruitment for the test conducted according to this usability evaluation method. Moreover this paper contains a description of the implemented hybrid method and its characteristic. One of the main features of this method is that it allows to perform remote online tests. These tests are an alternative to traditional laboratory tests. They don’t require a special laboratory space, gathering participants in one place, a moderator or other equipment to perform the tests. However we have to face a challenge – how to recruit participants for remote usability test, which is more complicated because we must motivate our users to participate in such test without having a direct contact with them. This paper presents a comparison of a few selected methods that we used to encourage users of website HotelGo24.com to take part in usability evaluation test of that site. We present how many users were ready to participate in our study depending on the applied method of encouragement and their reward for participating in the study.