Usability Test

What is a Usability Test? A user-based evaluation to examine interfaces, hardware, products and applications. The aim of a Usability Test is, via observation of the daily behaviour of a user who completes realistic tasks with a system or product, to discover potentials for optimization and usability problems.

What can be tested with a Usability Test?

With a Usability Test, it’s possible to test websites, software, mobile applications, hardware, automates, voice systems, various interfaces and a lot more – there are no borders regarding the type of system. The procedure of a Usability Test is very flexible in the different phases of the system- or product development. First drafts (e.g. design, concept,…), concrete suggestions for design or prototypes to the final system can be analyzed.

Possible questions at a Usability Test

• How efficient, effective and satisfactory can customers use your system?
• Why do users stop processes?
• What types of User Experience factors (e.g. fun, security, joy, etc…) do your customers experience?
• Do customers trust your services and products?
• What kind of subjective opinions or emotions do your users have with your system?
• Where do the points of attention lie within your system (Eye Tracking)?

Methodology and Proceeding at a Usability Test

The Usability Test takes place in our Experience Labs or directly within the context of use (e.g. at home, in the office, etc…):

• Often between 5 to 18 users (dependent on the number of target groups or the aim of the project)
• The users come from our user panel ask:us or from the database of our client
• Pre- and Post-Interview
• Observation during task-completion (recording of problems and potentials)
• Measuring Usability parameters (learnability, efficiency, fault tolerance, satisfaction, etc…)
• Enquiry of relevant user- and acceptance factors
• Enquirey of subjective opinions and user statements
• You are invited to watch a Usability Test! Experience your system, unfiltered with users. Presentations of solutions/results and reports cannot replace this experience.
• Presentation and discussion of the results in a workshop
• Optional use of Eye Tracking Systems
• Included services of a Usability Test

The following services are included in a Usability Test:

• Setting the goal together
• Planning of the study and its execution
• Recruiting the testpersons from our user panel ask:us
• Analysis of the Usability Test (incl Pre- and Post-Interviews)
• Detailed written report: results of the Usability Test include a detailed description of the problem including Severeness Ranking (categorising of problems regarding the severity), concrete suggestions for improvement or re-design
  and
• Summary of the Pre- and Post-Interviews and qualitative results of observation

Optional Additions and possible Combinations of a Usability Test

The following additions and possible combinations deliver valuable insights to the thoughts of your users:

• Eye Tracking for quantitative results
  Follow the gaze of your users! Get an analysis of the points of attention and conclusions how your system can be optimised regarding the gaze plot.
• Post-interviews by telephone to measure Customer Experience factors (image, branding, recall)
  1-2 weeks after the tests, single users will be called to answer a few questions. So you will get a qualitative measurement of the Customer Experience factors (image, branding, recall) and an extension of the results
• Diary studies after a Usability Test
  Customers use your system for the next 1-4 weeks and make notes of important results and experiences. So you will gain comprehensive feedback and valuable input for optimisation directly from your users.
• Usability and User Experience Project Monitoring
  Continuous monitoring throughout your whole Usability and User Experience project
• E-Commerce Experience Analysis
  Get to know the holistic view of your customers regarding your company

Framework

To gain valid results, we suggest a Usability Test with at least 5 users (depending on your target group). The tested system needs to stay the same during the execution and must not be changed. The average execution time is between 5 to 15 working days (depending on target groups and requirements).

Did we awake your interest on a Usability Test?

Ms Johanna Schauerhofer is at your service.