a method of analyzing an interface by the standard principles of usability. For questions regarding whether to conduct a usability study or how to best go about testing.

learn more… | top users | synonyms

1
vote
2answers
44 views

How to indicate to visitors that they are using a test environment?

We often release a test version of our web service to a select group of customers. This version of the web service normally has a few bugs and anomalies (database being reset every day) and we would ...
4
votes
4answers
382 views

Has anyone usability tested (handwritten) email before?

I was just reading this article: How to send and reply to email. It's basically about the user interface and user experience of email. There are many good tips, but unfortunately the article doesn't ...
5
votes
1answer
47 views

Comparing the WAMMI and SUS scales

From doing a lot of research about standardized measurement for usability, I came across the WAMMI questionnaire which looks at a few of the factors in usability that goes into more detail than the ...
6
votes
2answers
111 views

How to use paper prototyping on an existing product

Paper prototyping is a very powerful tool early on in a new product build as it helps you to iron out ux and rapidly iterate. However if you're working on an existing product and want to test small ...
1
vote
2answers
322 views

Where can I find existing System Usability Scale (SUS) results to compare against?

I'm looking for a resource of existing System Usability Scale (SUS) study results to compare against. I've read in a few papers/webpages that plenty of such data is available, unfortunately I can't ...
4
votes
3answers
145 views

Cameras for Paper Prototyping

I help manage a small usability lab. One of the things we're trying to is to record paper prototyping sessions - with a user sitting at a table and a camera directly overhead (from a height of about ...
3
votes
2answers
52 views

In usability testing, what consensus from users is enough to throw out an idea in future iterations?

I am in the midst of adding about 100 images to one of my current projects after completing a round of usability testing on a low/medium fidelity prototype yesterday. I included ideas for 4 pages in ...
4
votes
3answers
694 views

How to A/B test a published IOS and Android app on actual users?

I've published several apps on IOS and Android adding flurry to measure the interaction that is happening in those apps, however, I'd love to enhance this interaction and make my apps more useful by ...
6
votes
4answers
139 views

Conveying that usability problems exist to developers, cheaply!

I'm a developer transitioning towards design/usability. I'm giving a talk to the devs at my workplace on design basics and guidelines with a little sneaky UX teaching on the side. My goal is to work ...
-1
votes
0answers
14 views

When testing UX on a website, what are good sites to get people to take surveys for free? [closed]

example question - would you do any shopping on this site? a) yes b) no c) maybe Explanation _. there is this sub on Reddit where people will take surveys for free and you can submit your own: ...
2
votes
2answers
116 views

Would doing freelance usability testing help me learn more about UX?

I am looking into joining the following services: UserFeel - (http://www.userfeel.com/) Analysia - (http://www.analysia.com/Index.asp) I want to make some income on the side while looking for more ...
3
votes
3answers
105 views

Brief and effective way to present usability study results

I am looking for a great template to create usability study results document without putting anyone to sleep. I have created plenty of them before but would like to see if there is something better ...
13
votes
6answers
279 views

Should usability testing of a competitor's website be a part of your usability testing routine?

I was reading up on best practices on usability testing for websites and a recommendation was that get your participants to do usability testing on your competitors website as well as that would help ...
13
votes
6answers
227 views

How to test user in real situation?

What material and method could I use to record a usability test in real situation? I have to test some single user of an interface at their office desk, as they normally use it, without constraining ...
11
votes
5answers
166 views

Production Reaction Cards - too many?

Microsoft Production Reaction Cards (doc) The set includes 118 words which presumably you would reorganise, format and print off as individual "cards". I've never used them but I do see how the tool ...
13
votes
13answers
246 views

Ideal number of candidates for user-testing

I'm creating a draft proposal for some user testing involving several quite basic wireframe prototypes. How many participants would people recommend for this type of exercise? The intention would be ...
9
votes
7answers
226 views

How to test usability on competing mock ups cost-effectively?

I have a client that is very opinionated about what she likes and dislikes about my design and moves things around to where they "look right" for her. I want to test my original mock-ups vs her ...
9
votes
2answers
458 views

When Did Usability Testing Start?

I've been doing some research on the history of usability testing. What I've found out is that it has been done at least since 1981 at Xerox(based on unreliable source of Wikipedia). Can anyone ...
10
votes
4answers
327 views

How can we communicate that UX work can't be done by just anyone?

About 2 years ago, I asked about a good usability/UX elevator pitch, so I can quickly explain what UX is whenever I need. But, to this date, I still can't get over one little issue: lots of people ...
10
votes
4answers
243 views

Form Design: Mutually Exclusive Tabs vs. One Form

I am working on a form design that currently has two mutually exclusive forms accessible via tabs (Option 1). During usability testing my team noticed that users missed the tabs and only noticed them ...
3
votes
1answer
82 views

What is the standard / benchmark test for user familiarity or proficiency with computer technology?

When conducting usability testing, a variable that comes up is the competence or familiarity of different users with Internet or software application technology. It seems strange to compare different ...
1
vote
2answers
81 views

List of statements which can be used to measure the value proposition of a website

I'm looking for a list of statements that can be used to measure the value proposition of a website. For example: The site is intuitive and easy to navigate. The site's content is well structured ...
3
votes
1answer
39 views

What sort of tasks should be included in a lab test to determine baseline for a user?

I'm starting some lab testing and I'm an on-the-job trained UXer and have watched a decent number of tests, but haven't constructed a lot on my own. When doing a more formal test and not a guerrilla ...
1
vote
1answer
71 views

Installing recording software

On an upcoming visit to a user's place of work, I would like to have them install Morae Recorder beforehand. This is likely to be a problem for the user's IT Security people. In the past, especially ...
1
vote
2answers
260 views

Usability assesment methods for cross-platform mobile applications

I am new to usability testing. I want to do a usability study comparing multiple mobile applications that are made using different technologies - for example native, phonegap, appcelerator, etc. ...
9
votes
3answers
325 views

Recording Debit/Credit Card Details at the start of a 'Free Trial'?

Does anyone have experience, analytics or similar on the impact of taking payment details at the start of a free trial period for a product? It's one of the things I hate the most about trialing ...
5
votes
1answer
813 views

Formative and Summative Usability Testing

I bumped into this document and it suggests the use of (a) Formative and (b) Summative Usability Testing. To be honest, is the first time that I bumped into this kind of terminology, and I while ...
4
votes
4answers
123 views

How do you determine the order of tasks in a usability test?

How do you determine the order of tasks in a usability test? Do you for example avoid putting tasks with similar paths one after another?
10
votes
4answers
167 views

Is it necessary to involve the user from the beginning of the software engineering process if we want to emphasize usability?

I have questions about usability. Is it necessary to involve the user from the beginning of the software engineering process if we want to emphasize usability? Also, I read this previous question ...
4
votes
1answer
107 views

A/B Testing Home Page of an Ecommerce Site

I am very new to any sort of website testing (please be gentle!), and I have some questions (mostly just for my own understanding) about A/B testing an ecommerce site's home page. The company I work ...
4
votes
4answers
295 views

How many users must be tested when doing usability, and why?

Please provide empirical data. Just to be clear, I will not accept Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, March 19, 2000: Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users without solid empirical data to back it up. I find ...
3
votes
3answers
99 views

When user testing, how important are representative users?

I work at a company where we design software that, in most cases, is targeted at leasing agents in the multi-family housing industry, a very specific group of people. When I want to go about testing ...
-2
votes
1answer
39 views

Auto opening applications on OS load [closed]

Something really irks me about Spotify. When you install their application, they chose to have the application auto open when you first load your operating system. It's an opt out scenario, where ...
1
vote
0answers
26 views

What is the best way to record a user lab that includes multiple devices? [duplicate]

I have always used porgrammes such as Morae or Silverback to record user labs, but I'd like to test different breakpoints on a responsive site using actual devices. How do I record tests on tablets ...
5
votes
1answer
227 views

What is a good tool for mouse tracking? [closed]

I would like to be able to track user activity on an HTML page. What I want to achieve is the following, a breakdown of user activity per page, and a total time spent on the entire flow. The ...
3
votes
6answers
158 views

What's the best way to conduct user research at a trade show?

I've tried a couple of times to perform usability studies at an industry-specific trade show, and it's been largely awkward. In my experience, people are milling around and love to chat, but don't ...
13
votes
4answers
167 views

What methods do you use to test the usability of an API?

Testing the usability of a programming interface poses a lot of challenges. It has a very different feel than testing a graphical interaction. The user can do almost anything at any time, as opposed ...
3
votes
4answers
688 views

Why is embedded help not popular?

I'm wondering why modern help systems are more passive than active? For example, each good guide through something look like this: So why we don't see this directly on website (service provider), ...
2
votes
1answer
54 views

Anyone experienced tree testing of multilingual website?

I work in a multilingual region, like many of us. My clients' websites are multilingual (often, there's a main language and sub-languages). When I perform a tree test on their structure, is it enough ...
5
votes
3answers
246 views

Responsive mobile testing - Is resizing the desktop browser adequate?

Other than touch events, is there any appreciable difference between testing a responsive design by resizing a desktop browser and testing it on a mobile device? There are a plethora of mobile devices ...
6
votes
3answers
102 views

When to end usability test task

I was wondering: if participant thinks he has found the solution to a task, do you end the task even if the solution is the wrong one? Eg. you task the participant to find some information, but he ...
21
votes
1answer
394 views

Are activity alerts effective? example: 5 people are viewing this hotel right now

For example, Expedia (and other hotel sites) have alerts that come and go that say things such as, "17 people have booked this hotel this week." Is there any documentation out there concerning this ...
4
votes
8answers
597 views

Any resources on user interface testing? [closed]

I'm not a user interface designer, but I test UI programs. Any pointers to things that user interface testers should know/consider when they test UI?
6
votes
1answer
173 views

A/B testing a site with low traffic

I've always been very interested in A/B testing, but have never had the opportunity to implement it on any websites. I work at a digital agency where the main reason why we haven't been able to ...
10
votes
5answers
273 views

What do you wish you had known before your first ever user evaluation workshop?

What have you learned from the process of testing prototypes / products with users that you wish you had known before you went into your first workshop? Pitfalls, freak-out moments etc?
0
votes
2answers
96 views

What are good online resources for testing designs of an IPhone app? [closed]

I am looking for a tool/website that I can use to test my IPhone designs on my current users, I'd like this tool/website to upload my new designs and have a dedicated link where I can share it with my ...
2
votes
2answers
382 views

How to user test a redesign?

In some website projects, you are testing whether users can complete specific functionality. For example, with a shopping cart I can measure the percentage of users that complete checkout, the amount ...
0
votes
1answer
119 views

Mouse heatmaps in desktop applications [closed]

Do you any good software that can create mouse move/click/right click heatmaps in a desktop application like a game, office suite etc.? Preferably including key detection, heatmap image saving etc. I ...
-1
votes
1answer
143 views

Android application for London Transport (usability ?) [closed]

I'm developing the Android application for London Transport which includes Journey Planner, Tube status, Live Departures Boards, Maps, Finding a taxi function and so on. I'd like to get some ...
6
votes
3answers
269 views

Unexpected A/B testing results

We've just run an A/B test for one of our landing pages using Visual Website Optimizer. We are an online hotel booking reservation site. The landing page shows information about a particular hotel ...

1 2 3 4