Slides for today's teaching session on usability testing

1. HI, LET’S
TALK ABOUT
USABILITY
TESTING
@quiffboy
@hyperisland
15 July 2015

2. Leisa is Head of User Research
@ GDS, GOV.UK
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3. “…testing with
customers…”
Customers have a monetary value
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Or

4. @quiffboy
Hola!

5. @quiffboy

6. @quiffboy

7. @quiffboy

8. https://twitter.com/ladyxtel/status/483439786967838720
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9. Northern User Experience
Manchester ~ Leeds ~ Newcastle ~ Liverpool
nuxuk.org ~ @nuxuk
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10. 1. Moderated lab testing
2. Remote testing
3. Eye tracking
4. Guerrilla testing
4 common types of
usability testing
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11. “Observe people using the product to discover…how
well test subjects respond in four areas: efficiency,
accuracy, recall, and emotional response.” -
Wikipedia
1. Moderated lab testing
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12. @quiffboy

13. @quiffboy

14. 2. Remote usability testing
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15. “Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze
(where one is looking) or the motion of an eye relative to the head.”
- Wikipedia
3. Eye tracking
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16. Not so scary anymore…
Complex & intrusive hardware, right?
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17. Generate lots of complex graphs and diagrams
Needs experience to interpret results
Can be time consuming & expensive
Eye tracking: findings are still scary though
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18. You should test your
stuff with real people
But it’s a
no brainer,
right?
@quiffboy

19. http://econsultancy.com/uk/
reports/user-experience-
survey-report
http://nuxuk.org/
2013/09/05/ux-challenge-
choose-right-approach-
guest-blog-ian-franklin-
freelance-ux-consultant/
User Experience Survey 2013
@quiffboy

20. Why test?
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21. @quiffboy
Why test?
Improve
decision
making
Remove
guesswork
Remove
experience
bias

22. So why don’t we always test?
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23. @quiffboy
So why don’t we always test?
Too
expensive
Time or
resource
consuming
Not a
primary
concern

24. “But recruiting
people is tricky…”
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25. http://www.petbucket.com/blog/61984/scaredy-cat-how-to-handle-a-frightened-feline.html
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26. 5 users ≈ 85% problems
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27. tinyurl.com/mhr8emm
Caveats, caveats, caveats
Summary: The answer is 5, except when it's not.
Most arguments for using more test participants
are wrong, but some tests should be bigger and
some smaller.
@quiffboy

28. .com
@quiffboy

29. £15 for
15 minutes!!
HOW IT WORKS:
We ask you to carry out a couple of simple tasks using a new website, and we learn if we've
designed it correctly. It will take no more than 15 minutes of your time and as a thank you we'll
give you £15 cash.
WHEN:
Monday 17th November // Time slots available 12-1.30pm and 2.30-4pm
WHERE:
Amaze, 1st Floor, Royal Liver Building
We're looking for a few people to help us test a new website.
INTERESTED?
Participants must be female and use a smartphone to browse the internet.
Email b.briggs@amaze.com with your current make of smartphone, and preferred testing slot.
@quiffboy

30. http://businessupperhand.com/how-to-open-a-coffee-shop/
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31. Ask
nicely
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32. Consent
forms
Loads of templates
available on the web
Download one and
tweak accordingly
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33. I will do this for you
You will film me, and I'm ok with that
I won’t tell anyone what I've seen
You won’t put this on youtube or
(publicly) laugh about it later
You’ll give me some stuff* to say thanks
All consent forms cover the same basic areas:
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* Exact nature of stuff may vary

34. Participant signs & dates it,
you put it in a drawer…
forever.
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35. Tell them if
anyone’s watching
or listening
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36. @quiffboy

37. “But writing
the report
takes ages…”
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38. @quiffboy

39. 1) Make it a
one-pager
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40. 2) Bullet-point list,
not reams of copy
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41. 3) Structure the report
by task/user journey
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42. 4) Make your
findings actionable
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43. 5) Do highlight when
a test passes…
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44. 6) …but focus on the
things you can fix
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45. Keep it brief
Make your report a one-pager
Bullet-point list not reams of copy
Structured by task/user journey
Make findings actionable
Highlight when a test passes
Focus on the things you can fix
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46. @quiffboy

47. A few tips…
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48. 1) Avoid
recruiting experts
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49. 2) Test small,
test early,
test often
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50. 3) If you can, test in
real environments
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51. 4) Focus on what needs
fixing (or refining)
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52. 5) Set tasks,
don’t give instructions
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53. 6) Rotate order of tasks
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54. 7) Your prototype’s
fidelity matters,
but it’s not critical
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55. 8) Five people’s opinions
are not conclusive proof
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56. 9) People say the
darndest things
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57. 10) “Testing with 1 person
is 100% better than testing
with none”
@quiffboy
Steve Krug: Rocket Surgery Made Easy

58. Anyone Can Usability Test, Part 1: On a Shoestring
Chris Atherton
How Many Test Users in a Usability Study?
Jakob Nielson
The Art of Guerrilla Usability Testing
UX Booth
New to Usability Testing? You’re not alone!
Jennifer Aldrich
User Experience Survey 2013
Econsultancy & WhatUsersDo
UX Challenge: how to choose the right approach to user research
WhatUsersDo & Ian Franklin
“Don’t make me think” & “Rocket Surgery Made Easy” and more…
Steve Krug
@quiffboy
“But you should probably read more” Tony Wilson

59. HI, ANY
QUESTIONS?
@quiffboy
@hyperisland
15 July 2015