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Tutorial 3

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#3 - Advanced Usability Testing Methodology


Rolf Molich
DialogDesign
Skovkrogen 3
DK-3660 Stenlose
Denmark
molich@DialogDesign.dk

This tutorial allows students to compare their own approach to usability testing with those used by eleven professional labs during controlled usability tests in realistic, industrial settings. The tutorial gives a rare insight in the practical doings of usability professionals. Specifically, students will gather insight from practical examples of usability work done by other professional labs – both good and bad, improve their abilities in usability test planning, scenario design and usability reporting, improve their abilities in identifying usability problems and learn about novel usability problem communication techniques that are vastly superior to traditional techniques such as paper reports and video tapes.

In this tutorial participants will learn:
  • What constitutes quality in usability testing.
  • Options available in planning a usability test, and how the choices may affect the outcome.
  • What makes a good usability test scenario, and how test scenarios impact the quality of a usability study.
  • What a usability problem is, and how usability problems are identified.
  • How many test participants are required to find for example 85% of the usability problems in a product.
  • Required characteristics of a usability report to assure its communicative value.
  • Novel communication techniques that are vastly superior to traditional usability problem communication through paper reports and video tapes.
The primary audience for this tutorial are usability professionals who have conducted a few tests and would like to improve their skills in test planning, scenario design, problem identification, and problem communication. Those with more experience may be familiar with some material but will still benefit by learning from other usability professionals. Although this seminar is not intended as an introduction to usability testing, past participants with no testing experience have rated it highly.