testing your user experience for usability
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NERDERY WEBINAR
TESTING YOUR USER EXPERIENCE FOR USABILITY
#NERDERYWEBINAR @THE_NERDERY
YOUR HOSTS
Ryan CarlsonDave JonesChristopher StephanPrincipal UX Designer Technology Evangelist
@christephan @ryancarlson@Dave_L_Jones
David RosenU of M Usability Lab
@DRosen_UX
Senior UX Designer
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OVERVIEW1
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3
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What usability is and why it matters
How to know if your project needs testing, and when to test it
What usability can do for your ROI
The inherent risks of going untested
Next steps5
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WHAT USABILITY IS AND WHY IT MATTERS
CHAPTER 1 OF 5
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WHAT USABILITY IS
A BRIEF HISTORY YOU’LL KNOW IT BY ITS ABSENCE
WHAT USABILITY IS. WHAT USABILITY IS NOT.
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A BRIEF HISTORY
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HOW USABILITY GOT HERE1st Century BC Vitruvius' Principles of Design
1910–1960 Time and motion
studies
1955 Fitts’ Law
1960–1980 Methods and protocols
develop
1988 “Design of
Everyday Things”
1990–2000 An ISO standard
2000 “Don't Make Me Think”
1980–1990 Computers become
widespread
2000–Today UX emerges
1990 “Heuristic
Evaluation of User Interfaces”
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YOU’LL KNOW IT BY IT’S ABSENCE
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YOU NOTICE THE LACK OF USABILITY WHEN... ¼ Things don’t work as you expected ¼ Tasks require repetitive effort ¼ Your effort seems lost or wasted ¼ It’s impossible to tell if you’re done
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SO WHAT IS AND ISN’T USABILITY?
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WHAT IS USABILITY?
Usability captures the feedback of users
Usability focuses on the user’s ability to comprehend and utilize the product
Usability tests the product, not the user
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PRAGMATIC DEFINITIONS
Restricted to formal lab settings
Judgmental of user ability
A barometer for user aesthetics
A referendum on designer skill
A license not to fix things
Flexible in setting and format
User inclusive and user centered
A method that evaluates design
A tool for improving design
A test of assumptions, approaches and executions
USABILITY IS… USABILITY IS NOT…
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HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR PROJECT NEEDS TESTING, AND WHEN TO TEST IT
CHAPTER 2 OF 5
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SHOULD I TEST? WHEN DO I TEST?
How to spot a project that needs testing
Always make room for testing
Five places in the project lifecycle to do some testing
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SHOULD I TEST? WHEN DO I TEST?
How to spot a project that needs testing
Always make room for testing
Five places in the project lifecycle to do some testing
#NERDERYWEBINAR @THE_NERDERY
SHOULD I TEST? WHEN DO I TEST?
How to spot a project that needs testing
Always make room for testing
Five places in the project lifecycle to do some testing
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JUDGING THE NEED FOR USABILITY TESTING
NOVELTY & COMPLEXITYThe more you have of each, the more you need to test.
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ALWAYS MAKE ROOM FOR SOME TESTING
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WHEN YOU TREAT USABILITY AS...
Assumptions go unnoticed
Unplanned rework raises costs
Timelines break in QA at latest
Launch quality is a gamble
Assumptions are mitigated
Efforts are scaled and budgeted
Timelines remain stable
Output quality increases
AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PROCESS AN OPTIONAL ADD-ON
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FIVE POINTS WHERE YOU SHOULD TEST
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GOOD TIMES TO TEST
Articulated Prototype
Pre-testing Concept
1 2 3 4 5
Developed Prototype
Post-Launch
Discovery Visualization Development QA Launch
TEST EARLY, TEST OFTEN.
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WHAT USABILITY CAN DO FOR YOUR ROI
CHAPTER 3 OF 5
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Increased project stability, and space to
handle “surprises”
Higher product quality, credibility,
and user trust
Deeper connections to user needs that
drive success
USABILITY CAN INCREASE YOUR ROI
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NO SURPRISES FOR YOU
® Big Picture Scrapbooking
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TIME TO LEARN & ADAPT¼ Problems are discovered
¼ The schedule stays intact
¼ The budget does not increase
¼ What you find gets fixed
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QUALITY PRODUCTS AND GOOD RESULTS ¼ Appreciation from users/customers ¼ Respect in the industry ¼ Trust in new products and ventures ¼ Increased sales and retention
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DEEPER CONNECTIONS WITH USERS
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USERS RESPOND WELL TO BEING SERVED WELL ¼ Know them well to serve them well ¼ Deliver products that meet their needs ¼ A well-served user is a loyal user ¼ Satisfied customers share the joy
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THE INHERENT RISKS OF GOING UNTESTED
CHAPTER 4 OF 5
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THE RISKS OF GOING UNTESTED
Tales of horror, woe, and unrecoverable loss
Quantifiable losses: the wounds you can see
Intangible losses: the awkwardness of
public failure
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HORROR STORIES
® Big Picture Scrapbooking
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TOO LATE TO TEST
Articulated Prototype
Pre-testing Concept Developed Prototype
Post-Launch
Discovery Visualization Development QA Launch
NO TIME. NO BUDGET. NO OPTIONS.
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QUANTIFIABLE LOSSES
® Tannoy
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FUN WAYS TO FAIL
FEATURES UNUSABLE
TIMELINE EXTENDED OR MISSED
BUDGET EXCEEDED
And you don’t have to choose just one.
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INTANGIBLE LOSSES
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SO MANY FUN WAYS TO FAIL
The worst negative feedback is often no feedback at all.
Opportunity pool is
constrained
Users view all of your products
negatively
Credibility takes work to rebuild
Business community sees you as a poor risk
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NEXT STEPS
CHAPTER 5 OF 5
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GETTING STARTED WITH USABILITY
Ask not “should we test”Ask instead “what we test”
Test early, test iteratively,test often
Use testing purposefully to remove uncertainties and risks
#NERDERYWEBINAR @THE_NERDERY
GETTING STARTED WITH USABILITY
Ask not “should we test”Ask instead “what we test”
Test early, test iteratively,test often
Use testing purposefully to remove uncertainties and risks
#NERDERYWEBINAR @THE_NERDERY
GETTING STARTED WITH USABILITY
Ask not “should we test”Ask instead “what we test”
Test early, test iteratively,test often
Use testing purposefully to remove uncertainties and risks
#NERDERYWEBINAR @THE_NERDERY
RULE TESTING OUT, NOT IN
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KNOW YOUR TESTING BURDEN
Look for things that will benefit from user insight
Plan testing to support the project’s progress
Allow time to use what you learn in testing
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TEST EARLY, TEST OFTEN
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TEST ITERATIVELY FOR BEST RESULTS
Make a thing to test
Adjust and repeat
(as needed)
Test it
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TEST TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND ANSWER QUESTIONS
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Test the assumptions, test the concept, test the design, test the code. You should always question everything.
“
UNCERTAINTY = RISK
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WRAP UP1
2
3
4
What usability is and why it matters
How to know if your project needs testing, and when to test it
What usability can do for your ROI
The inherent risks of going untested
Next steps: Get out there and test your stuff5