Motivating change and reducing cost with the discount video data analysis technique

Abstract

Testing the usability of an interface is a critical phase of product development. However, it is often reported that analyzing the data from such testing consumes too many limited resources. We attempted to reduce this consumption by proposing a new technique, Discount Video Data Analysis (DVDA). We compared it with another popular accelerated analysis technique, Instant Data Analysis (IDA). Using IDA, evaluators analyze data after a series of usability tests, whereas DVDA calls for analyzing the data after every test in the series. Immediate analysis decreases the chance that subsequent test data will negatively interfere with evaluators' recall. Additionally, DVDA produces a video of the testing allowing the users' emotional responses (e.g., frustration) to be shared with developers who may be resistant to interface modifications. We found evaluators using DVDA identified more usability issues and provided more supportive evidence for each issue than evaluators using IDA. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.