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Usability Testing

Your Diy guide

Usability testing is a low-cost research technique that lets you identify problems with your site’s design, navigation, and content. Typically, it involves observing people while they attempt to find information and perform tasks using “think-aloud protocols.” In other words, you ask users to talk out loud as they interact with your site to find out what works and what doesn’t.

When do you conduct usability testing?

It is usually carried out before your newly redesigned site goes public so that any significant issues identified in the test can be fixed. Usability testing can be carried out at various stages of the design process—you can even do it before you build your new site through processes like paper prototyping and card sorting. Because we have done usability testing on the templates you’ll be using, a late-stage usability test is probably sufficient for your office.

What is a usability test like?

Usually these tests are done in a meeting or conference room with a computer hooked up to a projector. At minimum there is a test subject and a facilitator involved, but it’s a good idea to have one or two other silent observers in the room to take notes. You want to test with one of the test subjects at a time, and the subjects should sit at the computer. The facilitator sits or stands next to the subjects. Observers usually sit further away and observe the subjects’ progress on the projection screen.

Reading from a script, the facilitator explains the process and guides the subjects through the test. The subjects may be asked for their impressions of the site, what they would click on first, etc. Each subject is also asked to perform certain tasks or to look for information on this site. These questions are usually based on what you hope subjects are able to do on the site. While each subject attempts these items, the facilitator and observers take notes.

A good way to get a feel for it is to read a sample script for a usability test.

How do I recruit subjects?

The rule of thumb is that all you need is five subjects and $5 to do a good usability test. What does that mean? Unlike other research where the number of subjects involved lends more credibility to your findings, most people find five people is all you need to identify the problems areas of your site. If you can do more, it never hurts.

When you recruit subjects, pick people who are representative of your website’s audience and are not too familiar with your services (i.e., your student workers are probably not good subjects for you, but they might be able to help you recruit.) Offering a $5 incentive or a gift is usually sufficient to entice people to participate, but you can sometimes get volunteers for free, too.

What questions should I ask?

Questions should be based on the tasks or information you most want your audience to be able to do or find. For instance, during the Consider K-State, we want users to be able to request that information about K-State be sent in the mail. So we asked the question: “You would like to have information sent to you about K-State. Can you find out how to do that?”  You can check out the questions we asked student users and parent users during our usability test in June 2005.

How do I record our results?

You don’t need expensive camera equipment or software to record your results. Some planning ahead and organization can help you get what you need. We created a series of forms for the facilitator and observer to take notes on. See sample forms.

Other tips

See the Starter kit