Usability evaluation methods
- Getting started
- Ensure usability
- Usability evaluation methods
- Accessibility
- PC vs. Mobile
- No resources for usability?
- Further reading
Determining a product’s usability calls upon fickle, often subjective opinions, if random users are polled. That is why usability researchers have developed a variety of methods for extracting useful usability information from users and products.
Usability testing
Usability testing is at the heart of usability studies. Simply put, it means testing the product with users and analyzing their actions. This provides direct information on how the actual end users deal with the product. Users often express behavior that even the most experienced experts cannot foresee.
Test users are presented with a realistic scenario and a task that they must accomplish. Experts observe users during the scenarios and videotape the tests for further analysis. There are several expert methods used during and after tests such as encouraging test users to think out loud, analyzing eye movements, and recording actions made on the interface.
Expert evaluation methods
It doesn’t always make sense to arrange a time-consuming usability test for a quick checkup in the middle of a project or when the product concept is still taking shape. Expert evaluation methods are often a quicker and simpler way to get feedback on usability issues. Here are two of the most common expert evaluation methods:
Usability Inspection
Usability Inspection is a simple way of checking the basics of usability. A usability expert (or two) goes through the product and inspects it according to a predefined set of guidelines. S/he then compares, compiles, and reports the issues found. It is also common to rate the problems on a severity scale. The most common guideline is the “ten usability heuristics” by Danish usability guru Jakob Nielsen, but other guidelines and modified versions are also used.
Walkthroughs
Walkthroughs, or “cognitive walkthroughs,” offer an easy, low-resource way to check early low-tech prototypes. A walkthrough is performed by usability experts, preferably with the developers, to find out how easy it is for a novice to learn to use the user interface.
The expert “walks through” the product’s user interface, trying to complete tasks that would be expected from a normal user and asking a set of questions with each task, such as “Will the user get feedback?”
To learn more about usability methods, check out the variety of material available online, such as usabilitynet.org
