Achieving Quality Research with Formative Usability Testing (original) (raw)

Usability testing: a review of some methodological and technical aspects of the method

International Journal of Medical Informatics, 2010

The aim of this paper is to review some work conducted in the field of user testing that aims at specifying or clarifying the test procedures and at defining and developing tools to help conduct user tests. The topics that have been selected were considered relevant for evaluating applications in the field of medical and health care informatics. These topics are: the number of participants that should take part in a user test, the test procedure, remote usability evaluation, usability testing tools, and evaluating mobile applications.

Current Issues of Usability characteristics and Usability testing

A well given design's attention to Learnability, Contextuality and Operationability as Usability characteristics issues of software, and information systems generally is an evolving and challenging area in the field of Information systems, and Human Computer Interaction as an area of expertise. The procedure of testing and evaluating usability as quality characteristics in information systems has equally attracted researchers and professionals more in the recent times due to the developers' attempt to meet the diverse users' needs in the development of usable information systems. Hence, the paper aims to bring to the limelight; these current issues of usability and usability testing, the trend of the challenges inherent in the usability testing and evaluation process, then suggest the necessary attention that must be provided by subsequent researches in the bid to solve these lingering design research problems.

Beyond a narrow conception of usability testing

Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions …, 1989

Construed narrowly, "usability testing of documentation" can be limited to validating the usability of a nearly completed draft. This paper explores ways that technical communication can take a broader view of usability and then situate new approaches and studies. Appropriately situated, this broader interpretation can give technical commu-A RATIONALE FOR BROADENING USABILITY TESTING TO USABILITY RESEARCH Weiss ablv critiaued usabilitv testine of documentation connicators ways to talk with others interested in usability and can W i d a platform for an understanding of usability research that looks beyond research.

Standardized Usability Questionnaires: Features and Quality Focus

Computer Science and Information Technology, 2016

For the last few decades more than twenty standardized usability questionnaires for evaluating software systems have been proposed. These instruments have been widely used in the assessment of usability of user interfaces. They have their own characteristics, can be generic or address specific kinds of systems and can be composed of one or several items. Some comparison or comparative studies were also conducted to identify the best one in different situations. All these issues should be considered while choosing a questionnaire. In this paper, we present an extensive review of these questionnaires considering their key features, some classifications and main comparison studies already performed. Moreover, we present the result of a detailed analysis of all items being evaluated in each questionnaire to indicate those that can identify users’ perceptions about specific usability problems. This analysis was performed by confronting each questionnaire item (around 475 items) with usab...

Evaluation and Usability Testing

2010

Despite the great need for rigorously evaluating documentation, there is no doubt that far too little evaluation, especially empirical evaluation, is performed. The problem, of course, is limited resources, limited time in the schedule, limited amounts of salaried time the organization wishes to invest, lack of expertise in evaluation, and even lack of facilities and equipment. Savvy organizations, however, recognize the value of rigorous evaluation, build it into their schedules and budgets, and are richly repaid in terms of customer satisfaction and reduced technical support costs.

User and usability testing - how it should be undertaken?

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 1995

Usability evaluation is the analysis of the design of a product or system in order to evaluate the match between users and a product or system within a particular context. Usability evaluation is a dynamic process throughout the life cycle of a product or system. Conducting evaluation both with and without end-users significantly improves the chances of success. Six usability evaluation methods and six data collection techniques are discussed, including advantages and limitations of each. Recommendations are made regarding the selection of particular evaluation methods and recording techniques to evaluate different elements of usability.

Usability Problem Reports for Comparative Studies: Consistency and Inspectability

Human-computer Interaction, 2008

This study explores issues of consistency and inspectability in usability test data analysis processes and reports. Problem reports resulting from usability tests performed by three professional usability labs in three different countries are compared. Each of the labs conducted a usability test on the same product, applying an agreed test protocol that was collaboratively developed by the labs. Each lab first analyzed their own findings as they always do in their regular professional practice. A few weeks later, they again analyzed their findings, but then everyone applied the same method (SlimDEVAN: a simplified version of DEVAN, a method developed for facilitating comparison of findings from usability tests in an academic setting). It was found that levels of agreement between labs did not improve when they all used SlimDEVAN, suggesting that there was inherent subjectivity in their analyses. It was found that consistency of single analyst teams varied considerably and that a method like SlimDEVAN can help in making the analysis process and findings more inspectable. Inspectability is helpful in comparative studies based on identified usability problems because it allows for tracing back findings to original observations as well as for laying bare the subjective parts of the data analysis.