Usability Testing Types in Singapore
What is Usability?
Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use. It is comprised of five factors, Learnability, Efficiency, Memorability, Errors, and Satisfaction. Improving usability means methods for improving the usefulness during the design phase.
What is Usability Testing?
Usability Testing is a technique used to evaluate a product (in this case a website) by testing it on users. Most people who set up a usability test carefully construct a scenario wherein a person performs a list of tasks that someone who is using the website for the first time is likely to perform. Someone else observes and listens to the person who is performing the tasks while taking notes. Watching someone perform common tasks on a website is a great way to test whether the site is usable because you will immediately be able to see whether they are able to perform the tasks and any difficulties they have while doing so.
Usability Testing Types
There are 3 main categories of usability testing:
- Explorative: Used early in product development to assess the effectiveness and usability of a preliminary design or prototype, as well as users’ thought processes and conceptual understanding.
- Assessment: Used midway in product development or as an overall usability test for technology evaluation. Evaluates real-time trials of the technology to determine the satisfaction, effectiveness, and overall usability.
- Comparative: Compares two or more instructional technology products or designs and distinguishes the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Some human factor or UX experts divided usability testing into 4 categories.
- Exploratory Research
It is aimed at understanding users and context, usually used early in the project once, 6-12+users, The research may blend of interview and observation, it may use competitive products.
- Benchmark metrics
It is aimed at establishing baseline metrics, usually early in the project once, 8-24 users, It focuses on metrics for time, failures, etc to test current process or product.
- Diagnostic evaluation
It is aimed at finding and fix problems, usually during design, and can be done iteratively, 4-8 users. It may be less formal and focuses on qualitative data.
- Summative testing
It is aimed at measuring success of new design, usually at end of process once, 6-12+ users, It may be more formal. Metrics are based on usability goals, Users complete tasks unassisted.
Wrap up
No matter how many types usability testing has, the main keyword is involving user in design process. Users are the target who we should care and serve. So keep users in mind would be always right!
read more: https://uxdesignsg.wordpress.com/2017/12/19/the-importance-of-user-testing-in-singapore/
