Uzilla: A new tool for Web usability testing (original) (raw)

More people use Web browsers than any other class of desktop software. This situation creates a previously unparalleled level of user experience in a software niche. It also creates unique challenges as a Web site or application becomes a hybrid of the design of the site and of the browser. This paper introduces a system for assessing user behavior within this environment, aimed at optimizing the process of usability testing and enabling basic research in this area. Usability testing has arisen in the last 10 years as a beneficial practice in software development (Dumas, 2002). Key attributes of a usability test include the recruitment of representative users and the assignment of top priority tasks. Additional attributes commonly associated with usability testing are the collection of verbal protocols and the use of surveying techniques to assess user satisfaction. Tools for Web site usability testing need to log actions both within the site and within the browser. Uzilla is an instrumented browser and data server that permits both efficient testing and precise logging. By automating the presentation of instructions and surveys and providing extensive analysis tools, it facilitates the broad use of usability testing. Uzilla works in the laboratory, at a user's desktop, and within the rapidly growing practice of remote usability testing, a technique that will be reviewed later in this paper.