Usability & UX testing

Transcription

1 Usability & UX testing 10. Integrating & planning usability testing in development (case study)

2 User-centred design ISO : Human-centred design for interactive systems Meets Requirements 5. Usability evaluation Iterative design and evaluation 1. Planning user-centred activities 2. Context of Use analysis 4. Producing design solutions 3. Specifying user requirements

3 The role of usability testing in development projects 1980 (pre-web) Occurred rarely, in a few organisations. Large formal studies. The need for usability was not widely recognised Growth in usability testing, but typically still formal studies very late in development (at or after launch) Importance of usability more widely understood. Testing more often conducted before launch. Occasionally more than one test during design/development Iterative testing from very early in the design process has become more commonplace. Rapid small-scale tests.

4 Skandiabanken Started in 1994 as a telephone bank. Operates in Norway and Sweden. Approximately customers. Vision: Skandiabanken shall have the most satisfied customers. New internetbank project initiated in 2007, with most design/development in 2008/2009. Awards: Internetbank of the year (2010) (Privata Affärer) Best Nordic bank site of the year (2010) (Din Ekonomi)

5 Skandiabanken & usability testing Skandiabanken decided early on to conduct frequent and iterative testing of their designs. Doing all the design work and hoping that they had got it right was not an option. Planned for tests over 12 months During the most intensive period this meant 2-4 sets of tests a month. Testing started with simple paper prototypes, moved on to clickable Powerpoint prototypes and fully functional designs.

6 User-based testing Observation and analysis of actual users performing realistic tasks with the site. Examining how users interact, what causes problems (and what works well). Focus is on objective data. Interviews to to follow up on observations, capture user feedback, explore unmet needs. Tests are conducted with users individually (not a group activity).

7 Testing an early prototype on paper

8 Testing an early prototype using Powerpoint

9 Scheduling iterative usability tests Tests are scheduled in advance and recruited for well before test content is ready. Iteration and incrementation - the next test can follow up on changes made since the previous one and/or evaluate new content/functionality. Design/development work in parallel - designers can observe tests but otherwise continue their work (and shouldn t be testing their own designs with users anyway!)

10 Why frequent and iterative testing? Skandiabanken used usability testing to keep the design process on track to help drive the process rather than check it went okay at the end. Tests were used to make design decisions. Often within development groups there can be different opinions about the best design solution. Tests gave objective data upon which to make decisions rather than opinions. Tests revealed design problems which would otherwise have led to expensive re-work later in development. or worse still, customer problems after launch.

11 In summary Usability testing should: Be early, iterative and rapid/small scale Be an integrated part of the design process Be used as a tool to uncover design usage weaknesses Support an efficient design process by answering design questions/challenges Usability testing should not: Be seen as something that delays the process Be left until the design is ready to test Be used primarily as a quality check

12 User-Centred Design ISO : Human-centred design for interactive systems Meets requirements Plan the user centred process 4. Evaluation against requirements 1. Specify the context of use 3. Produce design solutions 2. Specify user requirements