COAP:COAP-3150 - week 6: Difference between revisions

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===analysing the user tasks===
===analysing the user tasks===
===designing the test===
===Designing the test===
   
Three basic steps to usability testing:
{{Quotationbox |
*Get hold of some ''representative'' users, such as customers for an e-commerce site or employees for an intranet (in the latter case, they should work outside your department).
*Ask the users to perform ''representative'' tasks with the design.
*Observe ''what the users do'', where they succeed, and where they have difficulties with the user interface.
*Shut up and let the users do the talking.}}
*[http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000319.html Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users] - 5 users represent 80% of problems


===Examples===
===Examples===

Revision as of 23:00, 23 February 2012

Interaction styles

Usability testing

Heuristics and quick tests

The 5 second rule[1]

Upon landing on a homepage a user should be able to figure out in 5 seconds - The 5 second rule

  • What is it about?
  • Do I care?
  • Is it trustworthy?
  • How do I participate?
  • Is it newsworthy?

Ten Usability Heuristics by Jakob Nielsen

Reduced to five in Usability 101.

  • Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?
  • Efficiency: Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?
  • Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?
  • Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors?
  • Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design?

Borrowing from Davis' Technology Acceptance Model, Nielsen defines useful web design as

  • Utility = whether it provides the features you need.
  • Usability = how easy & pleasant these features are to use.
  • Useful = usability + utility.

Related pages

analysing the user tasks

Designing the test

Three basic steps to usability testing:

  • Get hold of some representative users, such as customers for an e-commerce site or employees for an intranet (in the latter case, they should work outside your department).
  • Ask the users to perform representative tasks with the design.
  • Observe what the users do, where they succeed, and where they have difficulties with the user interface.
  • Shut up and let the users do the talking.
  • Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users - 5 users represent 80% of problems
  • Examples

    Bad usability in (web) design

    Designing interaction

    Webforms (self-study)

    See HTML forms tutorial

    Javascript (self-study)

    See and Javascript tutorial - basics

    Publish a site

    Assignment 8 - Functional prototype

    Links

    References

    • NIELSEN, J., (1993) Usability engineering. Boston, Academic Press.
    • SCAPIN, D.L. and BASTIEN, J.M.C. (1997). Ergonomic criteria for evaluating the ergonomic quality of interactive systems. Behavior & Information Technology, 1997, 17 (4/5), 220-231.
    • SHNEIDERMAN, B. (1992). Designing the user interface : strategies for effective human-Computer-Interaction. (Chap 3, 4 and 5). 2nd ed., Addison-Whesley Publishing Company.