Usability

ENC 3241Clayton Benjamin

Usability Definition» A product or service is usable when, “The user

can do what he or she wants to do the way that he or she expects to be able to do it, without hindrance, hesitation, or questions.”

Rubin & Chisnell. “Handbook of Usability Testing Second Edition”

Usability Terms» Usefulness – degree to which the product enables

the user to achieve his or her goals» Efficiency – how quick the goal is achieved» Effectiveness – the product behaves as suspected

and is easy to use» Learnability – the amount of time it takes to learn a

system» Satisfaction – the users’ perceptions, feelings and

opinions about a product» Accessibility – products are able to be used by

person’s with disabilities

User Centered Design» “development starts with the user as the focus,

taking into account the abilities and limitations of the underlying technology and the features the company has in mind to offer,” (12).

» Early focus on users» Evaluation and measurement of product usage» Iterated design

Rubin & Chisnell. “Handbook of Usability Testing Second Edition”

Neilsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics» http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWc0Fd2AS3s

Attributes of Organizations that Practice UCD» Phases (requirement, development,

deployment) include user input» Multidisciplinary Teams» Concerned, enlightened management» A “learn as you go” perspective» Defined usability goals and objectives

UCD Techniques» Ethnographic Research» Participatory Design» Focus Group Research» Surveys» Walk-Throughs» Open and Closed Card Sorting» Paper Prototyping» Expert or Heuristic Evaluations» Usability Testing

Usability Testing» Definition: The process in which an organization

gathers both quantitative and qualitative feedback from their users in order to gage how well their users can complete tasks with a certain product and highlight errors that need to be fixed in the next iteration!

Iterative Design

Why Test?» Inform design» Eliminate Design Problems and Frustration» Improve profitability

Basic Elements of Usability Testing» Develop Research Questions» Use sample of end users» Represent actual work environment (?)» Observe real users» Controlled interviewing» Collect quantitative and qualitative data» Recommend improvements

Technique Examples» Think Aloud Protocol and Walk Through» Surveys and Questionnaires» Eye Tracking» Video and Sound Recording» Data Logging

How many participants?

Wednesday’s Testing» What to prepare!

˃ Prepare a brief survey collecting ethnographic information˃ Prepare an exit questionnaire

» What to expect!˃ Prep your user, tell them you are testing the product not them˃ Ask your users to “think aloud”

Things to Record» Record the start time, and time to completion

for each step» Record any steps the user completes

incorrectly, or vocalizes they are having a problem with

» Record any errors, such as grabbing the wrong piece

» Record any interesting asides or quips