Writing for Digital Media II

Project 1
Accessibility Testing Protocols

Isabella Evans

Introduction
Before administering and taking a usability test, both the test administrator and the test user must
understand what the purpose of the test is. What are the goals of the test? Insert your own goals
and include these basic goals:
Determining if the user knows and understands what the document is
Ensuring the user can get to what he/she needs in a relatively fast manner
Determining if the user will use the document throughout semester
After the test, the test administrator should use the results to determine the pros and cons of the
current design and use this information to improve it.

Pre-test Questions
Before administering the test, the test administrator should introduce him/herself and make the
test user feel welcome. The test administer should ask questions to determine what kind of
audience he/she is working with.
1. The first few questions should be basic demographic questions (age, gender, ethnicity,
etc.).
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. What is your disability? How has this disability affected you?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. How do you use a syllabus?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Writing for Digital Media II

Project 1
Accessibility Testing Protocols

Isabella Evans

4. How many times during a semester do you refer back to a syllabus?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. What do you expect from a syllabus?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Task 1
Ask questions about the first page.
1. Do you understand what the purpose of the class is?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Do you understand what is required for this class?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. How helpful is the first page?

1
Not Helpful

2
Not Very
Helpful

3
Neutral

4
Somewhat
Helpful

5
Very Helpful

User Comments:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Writing for Digital Media II

Project 1
Accessibility Testing Protocols

Isabella Evans

Task 2
Ask the user questions about the visibility of the syllabus.
1. Do you think the main text is readable? Why or why not?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Do you think the titles are readable? Why or why not?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Post Test Questions

After the test is completed, the test administrator should thank the test user for his/her time and
ask the following questions.
1. What are your general thoughts about the syllabus?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Did the design of the syllabus help you understand it?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Did you feel frustrated at any point? If so, why?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Would you ever return to this syllabus based on your experience today?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Writing for Digital Media II

Project 1
Accessibility Testing Protocols

Isabella Evans

5. Do you have any suggestions that would make the syllabus easier to use?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Writing for Digital Media II

Project 1
Accessibility Testing Protocols

Isabella Evans

References
6 surprising bad practices that hurt dyslexic users (2011) Retrieved September 8, 2014, from: ux
movement: http://uxmovement.com/content/6-surprising-bad-practices-that-hurtdyslexic-users/
Image concepts (2014) Retrieved September 8, 2014, from: World Wide Web Consortium:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/images/
Diversity of web users: Draft, how people with disabilities use the web (2012) Retrieved
September 8, 2014, from: World Wide Web Consortium:
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/people-use-web/diversity