usability testing |
In a usability test, we watch real users working with the product/site, performing tasks that approximate their goals. The purpose of usability testing is to discover the ways in which the interface makes it hard for people to accomplish their goals (as well as the things that work well). For best results, you should conduct usability tests with real users rather than people from within your company.
In a usability workshop, I lead the team through the following activities:
All of these activities are conducted at your location, with members of the development team actively participating to develop the tasks, observe the tests, and prioritize the results.
For pricing, call (603) 216-2255. The cost depends on the number of tests (usually 6-12 users), whether a paper prototype is used, the level of detail in the report, and whether training is included.
Usability testing is most beneficial when it's conducted early in the development cycle, when the set of functionality is somewhat agreed-upon and the interface is still being designed. It is not necessary to wait until there is a working version of the interface. Ideally, the design is in its preliminary stages (or being revised) and can be changed in response to feedback from users.
This might surprise you, but I actually recommend against doing usability testing right before launch or beta test. At that point, the developers are flat-out busy addressing critical issues, and it is very difficult to get bandwidth from them. Besides, unless the development schedule allows time to make changes in response to the issues uncovered by testing, those changes will end up waiting until the next release anyway.
First, we have to decide what type of users you'll want to test with. Typically, we make this decision at our first meeting with the development team. If we decide to test existing customers, you may already have an in-house source of users, and I can provide you with paperwork and guidance to help you recruit people. If you don't have a way to recruit users, I can coordinate the recruitment process with a market research firm. Two firms I've worked with in the greater Boston area are Granite State Market Research and FieldWork Boston. To make your life easier, I can handle payments to the recruitment firm and users, and you reimburse me at cost.
No. If your company has a usability lab, we can certainly use it, but I've conducted hundreds of successful usability tests in conference rooms. Everyone sits in the same room -- me, the users, and the development team -- and observes the action first hand. This may sound like it would be stressful for the users, but if it's done properly (and there are rules for this) users appreciate having the undivided attention of the development team. The development team also gets the most benefit out of watching a test when they are in the same room with the users.
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csnyder at snyderconsulting dot net
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