Usability Testing

Basic Characteristics

• Usability testing is a method to evaluate the usability of a product in an objective and comprehensible way.
• Users or potential future user are asked to perform realistic tasks uing the product or a prototype of it.
• Testing happens late in the development process. The product must be developped to an extent that performing a realistic task is possible
• Fair testing is assumed. During the task performance there is no (or very limited) assistance by the researcher. One of the research questions is: "Can users perform and complete the task wihtout assistance?"

Procedure to prepare and do the testing

Preparation

• Define test objectives
  • Scope: Which part of the product is subject to evaluation?
  • Criterion: What are the evaluation criteria you want to check for?
• Define suitable task(s)
  • based on realistic scenarios, formulated in the language of the users
  • write instructions to explain the task to test persons
• Test criteria - e.g.
  • performance: e.g. speed, number of errors, task completion
  • workload, mental/physical/temporal load
  • attention, situational awareness, mental information processing