Usability Tests: Usability Plans/Protocol

Memo
Dr. Will Kurlinkus
What is usability testing and why
is it important? Tell me.
Assignment 4.2 Sheet
 4.2 Creating Your Usability Test
What will each team member do? Facilitator/script reader, note taker, extra questions
person. The goal is to have only one person reading the script.

Think Aloud Protocol: encouragement without leading

Facilitators should answer participant questions about thetestnot about the website
Get subjectsto verbalize their thoughtsthink aloud. Ask open ended follow up questions:
What confused you about that? What do you mean by that
Acknowledgment tokens (mmhmm, yes, ok); paraphrasing (repeating back what they said);
clarifying for observers (I love this>so you love the home link, ok)

What types of data are you looking for?

Specific times of activities and full test
Number of clicks
Struggles and quotes
Redesigns your subjects suggest
Redesigns your subjects imply
Quotes: you will be required to use them
Images of struggle: how will you get them?
 4.2 Creating Your Usability Test

Structuring Your Test: Generally, your test should go from less to

more specific and from objective to more subjective.
Avoid starting with questions like: What do you find wrong with this
website?
Avoid having scenarios that teach your user how to solve another
one of your scenarios
 4.2 Usability Test Technology

Quicktime Screen Recording: (Test this out BEFORE your usability test) Open
Quicktimeplayer on a Mac>File>New Screen Recording>Click the upside
down triangle on the right side of the red circle>select built in microphone
and show mouse clicks in recording>Hit the red > click the mouse to begin
recording> click the circle with a black square in it icon in the upper right
hand of your screen> save the movie to an external hard drive for reference

Making your mouse bigger: On a Mac (select the apple icon in the upper-
left-hand corner>system preferences>accessibility>scroll the curser size to
the right).

Test to see if voices are being picked up

For PCs: Flashback Recorder Express

You will also be required to use an audio recorder, which you can check out
from me.
 4.2 Usability Plan: Intro

[Introduction]: Explain directly to your client what the purpose of

this memo is and what it includes. What is the basic test you will
run? What is think aloud protocol? What types of data do you
hope to collect? What are the roles each group member will
serve? What types of encouragement will you provide and
avoid? What type of technology will you use and why? (Hint:
Each team will be required to use a screen capture program).

Who will you be testing? Why?

This is the place where you re-describe/define the specific user
objectives you will be testing. Feel free to copy and paste from 4.1.
As described in 4.1 we plan to test
 4.2 Usability Plan: Scripted Intro

[Scripted Intro]: What are you going to say when the test
starts? What are the demographic questions you are going
to ask? What questions will you ask to gather data about the
basic layout of the site? This actually needs to be a written
script that you will read.
This information can be directly taken from Krug.
Why do usability testers need to read a script rather than simply
improvising?
Again, remember, every section should not only include what
you will be doing but WHY you will be doing it.
 4.2 Usability Plan: Homepage Tour

[Homepage Tour Questions]: What are the basic questions

you will ask to get your participant to start talking about the
page.
 4.2 Usability Plan: Design Scenarios

[Design Scenarios]: Give me 2 scenarios as well as a description of the

tertiary tasks that each scenario tests. Describe to me why the scenarios
have been designed in the ways they have.
Like your homepage tour scripts, ideally, everything that the moderator says
will be written in your scenarios.
Feel free and do ask follow-up questions, but ask them after the scenarios is
completed. Dont interrupt the struggle.
Avoid scope creep: Remember that your scenarios should relate directly
back to the goals your are testing.
Start all scenarios from the home page of the website as if they were first
coming to the site.
Try your hardest to avoid having one scenario touch upon or introduce your
user to the features of the website that might answer another scenario.
Dont let them use search or Google.
Avoid giving clues in your scenario.
Print your scenarios for your users so they can read them for themselves, too.
 4.2 Usability Plan: IDEO Method

[Homemade Method]: Based on the IDEO methods cards

(see readings), add a secondary test, activity, or
measurement that your user can do and explain why you
feel it is important.

Almost all the IDEO method cards have to be adapted to fit your
usability test
Write your IDEO method as if it were a scenario (same format).
Dont pick IDEO methods that are too easy (e.g. one of the IDEO
methods is simply listening to users, another is usability testing).
 4.2 Waiver Form and Calendar

[Waiver Form]: Write up a brief waiver form that your test subjects will
sign. Have it include a statement that says what information you will be
allowed and not allowed to use and that say they allow you to video
record them. Again, this can be stolen from Krug

[Calendar]: A timeline of events. When are you going to do your test?

What is each person on the team going to be doing during the test?
What are your roles? Whose computer are you going to
use? Where are you going to run the testare you going to reserve a
room somewhere? Does someone have QuickTime with screen
recording on their computer (aka a Mac)? Or do you have access to a
friend who has a Mac (if not, you can sign-up to use my office)? Who
are you going to ask to be your test participants? When will you begin
writing the final report? When will the boss have the final report in his
hands?