Letting Go of the Words

Too many usability tests focus only on finding information – not on how the information itself works for people.
Testing “finding” (navigation) is critical – but not enough. People come to web sites for the information (content) not for the pleasure of hunting for that content.
We have to test finding to be sure we can […]

Early models – academic research; validation
Early usability testing (in the 1980s, mostly for software interfaces) had its origins in two traditions that called for large numbers (and therefore much money). First, it was modeled on academic psychology studies where having enough people to reach statistical validity was a critical factor. Second, the goal was usually […]

The list is long.

You do not need a finished product. Don’t wait. Test early. Test often. Start testing with the old site. Test with paper prototypes. Be informal. Just do it.

You do not need a special space. If you have access to a usability lab, great! It’s wonderful to have cameras in place, someone to […]

A useful usability test has six main attributes:

Real issues. You have thought about what you want to learn and planned the test to give you answers to your questions.

Real people. The people you ask to try out the site represent (at least some of) the site visitors whom you want to succeed with your site.

Real […]

Usability testing

challenges your assumptions
resolves arguments
saves your site visitors from pain, frustration, and failure
saves you and your organization time, effort, money, and reputation

Don’t assume. Test!
It’s natural to assume that everyone is like us. But “if it works for me, it’ll work for them” often isn’t true. You almost certainly are not typical of your site visitors:

You […]