How to Do Quick Usability Testing in Singapore
What is usability?
ISO 9241-11: Usability refers to the product’s effectiveness, efficiency and subjective satisfaction (satisfaction) when used for a particular purpose in a particular environment.
Validity: The correctness and completeness of a user’s ability to accomplish a particular task and achieve a particular goal.
Efficiency: The ratio between the correctness and completeness of a task performed by a user and the resources used (eg time).
Satisfaction: Subjective satisfaction and acceptance felt by users in using the product.
Usability testing is generally under certain environmental conditions (usability lab), allowing users to perform tests, observe the user’s reactions, find flaws in the system, and where improvements are needed.
How to make a quick usability test?
If you are an interactive designer, f you have tweaked one of the left sliding features, will users find it? If you are a visual designer, then, whether you are a button exactly what color and crazy? If you are a product manager, have you ever wondered why designers do this, the user will not buy it?
Yes, all of the above is what I and my little friends are going through. For some questions, more dynamic brain, the answer may be obvious, and some controversy, even if worn-out, but also each dishonest, comparable. At this point, in order to convince yourself and others, the most needed is to find the relevant users to speak. This article is about this scenario, how to find users for a quick usability test.
What is a usability testing?
Theory: Usability testing is to invite real or potential users to use the product or design a prototype to observe, record, measure and interview the behavior of the user or potential user so as to understand the requirements and needs of the user and use it as an improvement product Design the starting point to improve product availability.
The so-called rapid usability testing, mainly for the short process, small projects, or multiple options for a user usability testing, this method is efficient and fast, our numerous doubts, controversy, are found in this way good Solution. So, how to proceed?
Found a good solution. So, how to proceed?
1.Clear the type of rapid test and product objectives
I quickly test the type of it is divided into two categories: exploration and verification type. Exploratory type is to allow users to find out the availability of products by using the product, optimization; There are several types of authentication (UI / UE) design options, through the use of users, and ultimately choose the best solution.
Note: In the certification test type, the product objectives must be taken into account to determine the product behind these programs what is the goal? It is possible that the test result is not one of them, but a better way to solve the product’s goal.
2.Create task
Choice of usability testing, the general is for the product short process or the entire product, this time you need to discuss the relevant personnel to discuss the main function of the product point (user commonly used functions, product core functions, highlights, etc.), control the list of features were created User task The task of the design to be specific, as close to the user’s real use of the scene.
Confirmatory usability test, the task of this kind of situation is clearer, only need to combine several kinds of scenario users to use the scene, make sure that the test task accords with the actual behaviour that users can use.
3.Pre-test
After the task is created, do not rush to test, so here insert the personal point that is very important: pre-test. The purpose of pre-test is to find whether there are loopholes in the design tasks, timely repair. Can find colleagues within the company to quickly test to complete. Basically, I found in each pre-test, large or small task loopholes. Therefore, in order to ensure the accuracy of test results, this step must not be lazy.
4.Recruiting users
- How many users to find a quick usability test, how many users should be tested to find out, here, you can refer to this classic Nielsen chart, may have a lot of controversy for the number of users in the industry, my personal project experience, the general discovery of the product is significant Problem, 6 to 8 users is enough, and for the verification type of test, according to the test results in a timely manner to adjust the number of generally controlled at about 12 people, basically in line with Nielsen’s theory.
- What user to find We will certainly have in the project two reference factors: whether the product has been used and the extent of the use of similar products and extent. In addition, some basic demographic characteristics (gender, age, education, etc.) are also being screened.
- Where to find the user. Maybe this is more difficult to control our project, the project is different, it means that people from different backgrounds to test, there is no fixed group to maintain, here are some of the places we usually find users as a reference: Colleagues who are not part of the company (take full advantage of the company’s large/small group/group mail), qualified friends around the product, online users of the product, product forums/stickers and so on.
5.User testing
When everything is ready, you can start user testing. The main is to allow users to complete a pre-designed series of tasks, we need at this time to observe the user’s behaviour, records, measurements and interviews.
Test process Note: Remember that the guiding too strong; operational behavior is the focus (the user’s language may be deceptive, should pay more attention to “user behavior” to encourage users “out of thinking method” that requires users to operate, Will be completed when all the thinking, behavior, feelings are described).
6.Data analysis
- Exploratory usability testing. Through user testing, you may find that the product has many usability issues. After the problem is finished, you need to sort or prioritize the problems. Reference to the industry consolidation methods, mainly two, three, five and so on. We are more commonly used is the method of the three-tier problem, the problem one by one comb.
The three levels of the problem: high (unable to complete the task) (complete the task, efficiency/satisfaction is not high) Low (to complete the task, faster / satisfied)
Here we come back to the usability concept mentioned at the beginning of this article: the effectiveness, efficiency, and subjective satisfaction of a product with a particular user for a particular purpose in a given usage environment. Then the assessment of the problem is also labelled from these three dimensions, a detailed explanation of the reference below.
- Validity – the correctness and completeness of a user’s ability to accomplish a particular task and achieve a particular goal;
- Efficiency – The ratio between the correctness and completeness of a user’s task to accomplish and the resources (eg, time) used;
- Satisfaction – Subjective satisfaction and acceptance felt by the user in using the product;
- Verification Usability Testing. Compared with the former, this type of data analysis is simpler. The main task is to test whether the tasks of each program are tested, efficiency and satisfaction. Finally, the user can select the favourite program. If not, Optimization suggestions.
The above is a combination of their own project experience combine the rapid usability testing process, and then review: clear objectives – the creation of test tasks – pre-test – to recruit users – user testing – data analysis, six major steps.
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