Usability Test

Due Tuesday, Sept. 23.

The purpose of this assignment is to give you the experience of conducting a usability test.

You will do this assignment in groups of three or four.* If you already have some idea of who will be in your final class project group, that would be a good group to begin organizing around, but it's not essential. Your group will conduct two usability tests, rotating roles. Obviously, not everyone will get to perform in each role, but this will give you some variety of experience.

Pick something you can do a user test on. Easiest is some sort of web or computer-based application with which you have little or no experience; for example:

• Google's new Chrome browser
• The new Cuil.com search engine
• A new game (new to you, anyway)
• A new website (again, new to you)

If one or more of you have an idea of your final class project, or the domain in which you want to do your project, you can use that as your starting point.

You can use a mobile device or application, but something the user does on a computer monitor will be easier because you can see what they're doing.

As a group, develop two tasks or sets of tasks, one for each of your "users" to do. For example, for a new search engine, develop some not-too-easy searches. (Searches that a user and/or search engine might have trouble with, e.g., a very recent event, or a complex concept, or the most recent information about something. The idea is for it not to be a simple, staightforward search.) Or, if you were testing an e-commerce site, try finding and buying something not easy to find (but stop short of buying it). Or try customizing a site or interface.

You will conduct two tests. Allocate roles among yourselves for each test: user; moderator; note-taker; camera-person.*

Both tests will be think-aloud tests; that is, the user will talk through what she/he is doing and why. The moderator can ask clarifying questions, but cannot help.

Deliverables:

1. One report from the group of you:

• describe succinctly what site, product, etc you were testing.
• include your set of the tasks
• treat us like you would the owner/designer/sponsor/etc of the site or product, and explain you learned:
  • Areas/functions/etc that the users liked or found helpful
  • Problems the users had
  • Recommendations coming from your tests
  Remember, we are your clients, and you are evaluating something that we have put a lot of work into! Include quotes from users and screenshots of problem areas in order to get your point across. Try to break your report down by topic, and make it clear what the most important problems/recommendations are.

2. From each of you individually, a one to two page reflection on the process and what you learned.

* We would like for you to video-tape these tests; if you can, then you will need four people. Please try to get reasonably clear audio (test first to make sure there is not too much background noise!) and show what is happening on the screen as people are talking. We'll discuss this in class.