Usability Testing - Now and the Future, Chris Rourke
Basic usability testing is still the most powerful way to get into the heads of your user by asking your target users to perform key tasks and observing carefully, and probing or discussing with them as appropriate.
We will first briefly cover some of the main factors for successful testing such as, accurate recruitment of subjects, methodical test planning, effective ‘think aloud’ moderation and rigorous, non-biased analysis.
We will then cover some of the other options that are available, discuss when they are most effective, and how to apply them. These include:
- Card sorting – a simple but powerful way to develop your information architecture based on the mindset of your users
- Eye tracking – seeing what the user is seeing, as they are doing it and through analysis across several participants. This method provides great insight (pardon the pun) and helps to optimise calls to action and the placement of advertising and promotions.
- Remote usability testing – a geographically dispersed user base should not prevent usability testing, and there are various means for capturing user feedback across large distances thanks to advances in web conferencing
- Volume usability testing – again to overcome to challenges of distance, and gain feedback from far more than in a typical usability test session, volume usability testing is an attractive option.
- True intent studies –allowing the user to do what they intended to do on your site while, and checking the user experience with them at the end.
- A/B Split and multivariate testing – sometimes the best way to make a decision between two or more options is to try both out and see which one works best. That is the goal of this form of testing, and the results can be very effective for optimising conversion rates.
Depending on your site’s goals, many of the above methods may be appropriate for optimising the site content and navigation. Chris will provide a brief overview of the different methods.
Chris Rourke's biography:
Chris is the Managing Director and Founder of User Vision, one of the UK's leading user experience consultancies.
Chris has over 17 years commercial experience in usability, accessibility, human factors consultancy and training. Chris has worked with a range of clients including Hewlett Packard, Dell Computers, NCR, Houses of Parliament, Emirates Airlines, IKEA and many other commercial and public sector clients in the UK and abroad. His particular user experience interests include web accessibility, the application of Rich Internet Applications such as AJAX and Flex, remote usability testing, eye tracking and persuasion architecture.
Chris is Founder and President of the Scottish Chapter of the Usability Professionals' Association and is a member of various professional organisations, including the British Human-Computer Interaction Group (BHCIG), and the Computers and Human Interaction Group of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM-SIGCHI).
Chris holds a BSc. in Engineering Psychology from Tufts University and a MSc. in Ergonomics from the University of Michigan.
