A Practical Guide to Usability Testing

Abstract

One of the most commonly practiced and most powerful tools in user experience research is usability testing, a fairly straightforward and highly effective methodology for identifying barriers to use and for illuminating opportunities for making products, services, and systems more effective, efficient, and satisfying to use. Usability tests can be conducted in a variety of environments with varying degrees of formality, collecting various types of qualitative and quantitative data, and with different types of teams working with the end-users. Usability testing focuses on the product or service, not on the end-user, and is an under-utilized tool in product and service development and implementation. This chapter will describe the steps involved in planning and executing a usability study, from choosing the audience and selecting the test setting to deciding what data to collect, and it provides a framework for evaluating study choices and trade-offs in assessing products, services, and systems to help to maximize the user’s experience.