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Running a Usability Study

Running a Usability Study. Considering a Museum website from the perspective of usability Figuring out what needs fixing and how to fix it. Aims of the study. To get a sense of what people actually, really do To compare and contrast with: What you do What people like you do

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Running a Usability Study

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  1. Running a Usability Study Considering a Museum website from the perspective of usability Figuring out what needs fixing and how to fix it

  2. Aims of the study • To get a sense of what people actually, really do • To compare and contrast with: • What you do • What people like you do • What is reported in the literature • What is 'common sense'

  3. Usability: Seeing through a user’s eyes • Users don’t see an application the same way as a designer does • Non-techie users don’t see an application the same way as a techie does • Non-expert museum visitors don’t see an application the same way as a museum professional does • So… It is really hard for designers to see their interface the way that a user does • Why? • What you see depends on what you know

  4. Solution • User Studies may help… • …If you do them right • Try to see through the eyes of the other person • Repeat • Analyze • Fix • Repeat

  5. Planning a user study • Before • During • After

  6. Preparation • Which site? • Which part? Why? • What do you know about the users, uses, needs? • What do you suspect about its usability in advance? • Plausible tasks • Create scenarios of need • Real uses you can watch?? • Do a dry run. Do another • Recruit friend(s) Can do this with pairs of people

  7. Running a study • Ethics & the Law • Keep your user happy and relaxed • Break all plans to ensure this • It is the right and the rational thing to do • Informed Consent • Can They Say No?? • Thanking, payback

  8. Wording matters • ‘Experiment’ => White coats and electrodes • ‘Study’ sounds nicer, friendlier. Even better word? • Driving Test v Test Drive • It’s NOT your fault • Focus on the fault of the computer • “Why did you do that?” • “Why do you think it made you think that?”

  9. Phrasing the tasks • You can’t guess which words people use to describe their information needs • But you can guess it won’t be the ones you thought of! • Don’t give the game away in the task wording • “Can you find the Funformation section on the site?” • “Funformation?? Oh I’d click on the ‘Funformation!!!!’ Link” • “Can you find out if there is a special section of the site for children? • “Hmmm. Oh maybe, I’ll click on the ‘Funformation!!!!’ Link Yes!”

  10. Reporting a study • What you did (exactly) • What happened (clearly) • Why (as far as you can guess) • What to do with that knowledge

  11. Checklist • 1) Anonymize User • 2) Background of User • 3) Details of tasks, exact wording • 4) What they did • 5) What is interesting • 6) What they didn’t do • 7) What was surprising to you • 8) Why they did it • 9) Relation to the literature • 10) Redesign Speculations

  12. Activity • Teams of 3 to 4 • Pick a Museum Website • Create a couple of tasks. Example: • Image you have a family who is thinking of visiting this museum • How do you get there? • When is it open/closed? • How much does it cost for 2 adults & 2 children? • Get a volunteer from another group • Run the study • Don’t help unless essential • Ask followup questions at the end • Thank person, send them pack • Explain to you volunteering team member what happened • Revise task • Tweak, or create some other task • Repeat with a new volunteer

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