Usability 101, Part 2
Usability Testing – Don’t Make Me Think, Steve Krug
Definition: one user at a time is shown something and asked to either figure out what it is or try to use it to do a task
Tips For Usability Testing
General Information
Great sites require testing
The point of testing is not to prove or disprove something. It’s to inform your judgement
Testing one user is 100% better than testing none
Testing one user early in the project is better than testing 50 at the end
Testing is an iterative process – test it – fix it – test again
Recruiting Test Subjects
The importance of recruiting representative users is over rated
Nothing beats a live audience reaction
3-5 users per round of testing
offer a reasonable incentive
Keep invite simple
Avoid discussing the site (or organization) before
Don’t be embarrassed to ask friends/neighbors
Used with permission, taken from Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
