What is usability testing? |
home - Next > |
Usability testing is hardly a new idea. In the context of the web, there are a number of ways of finding out how users use your site. Consequently, there is some confusion about what constitutes a web usability test. Here are four methods:
- A text link to an email address which asks 'please send your comments to ...'. Although asking for feedback might seem an appropriate gesture, in practice few people use this type of feedback facility.
- A comprehensive set of questions using an html form. For example, a form where users rate issues such as 'how easy is this site to navigate' from 1-5. More a user survey than a usability test, yet this method is commonly misunderstood to constitute a web usability test.
- A focus group where users are asked questions about a site. Commonly used within a marketing-led survey of a site, where the 'impression' or 'look' of a site becomes of uppermost importance.
- A hands-on test where users are observed while they complete set tasks. Within the field of web usability, the method which constitutes a usability test.
The fundamental difference between the first three methods and the fourth method is that, whereas the first three methods rely on the user 'telling' the web author or designer how they use a site, a web usability test 'shows' the user using the site. This is a crucial issue in relation to accessibility given that users with disabilities (particularly those with hidden disabilities) are often reluctant to 'tell' testers about difficulties they have with web sites.
home - Next >
|
